HAMDEN, Conn. – The final game of the regular season for the Colgate men's hockey program had it all.
Penalty shots, power play goals, flashy saves, timely scoring.
Ultimately, the Raiders three-goal second period and a game-winning goal by
Josh McKechney lifted the Raiders to a 4-3 win at No. 10/11 Quinnipiac in the regular season finale.
After a bye week, the Raiders prepare for the rematch as the No. 4 seed in the ECAC Tournament. Colgate returns to Hamden for the ECAC Semifinals against No. 1-seeded Quinnipiac on Thursday, March 18.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The battle opened with a trio of Colgate chances before the puck even entered the Raiders' zone, but the first penalty kill test fell short as Quinnipiac scored with a one-touch look at the edge of the crease to beat the glove of
Carter Gylander. Although the Raiders gained a power play of their own, the first 20:00 closed as a one-goal game.
It didn't last that way for long though as
Nick Anderson returned to the ice to serve up a snipe just 1:43 into the second period, making it a 1-1 game. In a strong, evenly-matched second period, each side battled to see who would be next to light the lamp.
The answer to that was
Griffin Lunn. With a wraparound beauty, the junior lifted Colgate to its first lead of the weekend with a goal in 4-on-4 play.
Once they had their lead, the Raiders wouldn't fall behind to Quinnipiac through the remainder of the night either. Even when Quinnipiac scored with just 1:16 remaining in the period to tie the game at 2-2, the clock hadn't yet hit zero and the lamp hadn't finished being lit for the second.
With just 6.2 seconds remaining in the period,
Tyler Jeanson was the one with a quick response to close the period. Similar to the end of the first, it was again a one-goal game, but this time in favor of the Raiders.
After their three-goal second period, the Raiders came out hungry looking to increase their lead to even more. The final 20:00 went fast as both teams looked to battle back in the narrow matchup, but in a game of inches, it was Quinnipiac who found the twine next.
It didn't stall out any momentum for the Raiders though, as they quickly went on to produce a power play midway through the period that spent the entirety of the 2:00 in the Bobcats zone and generated four shots on goal.
In the midst of Colgate's pressure, a Bobcat skater covered the puck which resulted in a penalty shot being awarded to the Raiders. After
Matt Verboon was denied with a pad save, play went down to the other end of the sheet.
After one of his 37 saves on the night, Gylander was slashed which only resulted in another Colgate power play in the final minutes of regulation. It was then, with just 2:49 on the clock, that
Josh McKechney cleaned up on the power play to regain the lead at 4-3.
Although Quinnipiac opted for the extra skater, the Raiders played smart, possessed the puck, and battled along the boards until the horn sounded on their 4-3 victory against the nationally ranked opponent.
COLGATE SCORING PLAYS
• Period 2 | 01:43 – After starting at the right point, defenseman
Nick Anderson went deeper into the offensive zone before sending a wide angle shot in. The snipe snuck in the nearside post beating the glove of the goalie.
• Period 2 | 13:49 – Breaking out of the zone with the open ice of 4x4 play,
Paul McAvoy handed the puck off the
Griffin Lunn at center ice. Lunn came in along the right boards before waiting to tuck in the wraparound inside the left post past the toe of the netminder.
• Period 2 | 19:54 – Creating chaos in the zone,
Pierson Brandon looked to get a shot through traffic from the left point. After it was blocked,
Tyler Jeanson cleaned it up with a backhanded chip inside the left post for a 3-2 lead.
• Period 3 | 17:11 – While with the man advantage,
Nick Austin fired a shot from high in the slot. After the initial pad save,
Josh McKechney was ready at the edge of the crease to hammer home the rebound.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Between the pipes, first-year netminder
Carter Gylander produced a season-high of 37 saves. The performance included a game-high of 16 saves in the second period, along with an outstanding 14 in the third.
• Behind a multi-point performance,
Josh McKechney scored his first game-winning goal of the season on his sixth goal of the year.
• Opening the scoring was first-year
Nick Anderson with his second of the year. It marks his first goal since the first of his career on Jan. 3, 2021 (vs. Clarkson).
• With his first of the season, senior
Tyler Jeanson became the 17th different Raider to score this season. It breaks a scoring drought dating back to Feb. 1, 2020 (at Quinnipiac).
• Recording his third of the season was junior
Griffin Lunn.
• Behind a pair of apples, first-year
Pierson Brandon recorded his second multi-point night of the season.
• McKechney, Lunn, and
Matt Verboon each now have double-digit points on the year, joining
Alex Young's team-leading 13.
• McKechney,
Nick Austin, and
Matt Verboon all begin two-game point streaks.
• Verboon's penalty shot attempt was the first since
Bobby McMann '20 scored on a penalty shot at Union (Jan. 11, 2020).
STAT NUGGETS
• Colgate has gone 5-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this season.
• Displaying the team's depth, 13 different Raiders ended up on the box score in the weekend's two games.
• The win snapped Quinnipiac's six-game unbeaten streak in the head-to-head series. It's the first Colgate win over the Bobcats since a 3-1 decision on Nov. 23, 2019.
• It only marks the fifth time in Quinnipiac's 27 games this season that it has allowed four or more goals.
• Overall, Colgate played 14 games against teams ranked in the top-15 in the country throughout the regular season.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 4, No. 10/11 Quinnipiac 3
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 6-10-5 record, and a 5-9-4 mark in ECAC Hockey action.
• No. 10/11 Quinnipiac is 17-6-4 overall on the season and is 10-4-4 in ECAC play.
HEAD COACH DON VAUGHAN'S TAKE
"We played six good periods this weekend. I am happy for the guys that we got the win. They have played well and lost some very close, hard-fought games so it's nice to see them rewarded with a win against one of the best teams in the country.
"I have watched a lot of games this year from other leagues and I haven't seen many teams as skilled and offensively dangerous as our opponent this weekend.
"We are fortunate to be playing and soaking up every minute of it. Now we'll hit the reset button and get back to work on Monday."
UP NEXT
After a bye weekend to prepare, the Raiders will compete in the ECAC Tournament. The field kicks off as No. 4 seeded Colgate faces the No. 1 seed in Quinnipiac again in the ECAC Semifinals on Thursday, March 18. Hosted by the top-2 seeds, Colgate will make a return trip to Hamden for the Semifinal matchup.
The winner advances to face the winner of No. 2-seeded Clarkson and the No. 3 seed in St. Lawrence in the ECAC Championship on Saturday, March 20.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate men's hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateMIH and Instagram at colgate_mih.
