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Vetri Shines as #14 Quinnipiac Shuts Out Bentley, 3-0
Courtesy of Bentley Sports Information
HAMDEN, Conn. - Junior goaltender Peter Vetri (Windham, N.H.) stopped all 21 shots he faced to backstop Quinnipiac to a 3-0 win over Bentley in non-conference hockey action on Tuesday night at the TD Banknorth Sports Center. The Bobcats, ranked 14th in the nation in the latest USCHO.com/CSTV Division I Poll, picked up the win on their opening night, while the Falcons fell to 0-2 on the young season.
The game remained scoreless until late in the second period, but a string of three goals over ten minutes put Quinnipiac in a lead they did not relinquish with junior Bryan Leitch (Coquitlam, British Columbia) doing the bulk of the damage with two goals to bookend the Bobcats' scoring.
The squads appeared evenly matched throughout the first period, which elapsed without a goal as each side failed to convert on an early power play. Each team had its share of goal-scoring opportunities, but were thwarted by the goalkeepers.
Both teams were even in shots on goal in the second, but Leitch finally put a puck in the net for Quinnipiac at the 16:09 mark, when he flicked in a pass from senior Ben Nelson (Spokane, Wash.) from the right circle.
The Bobcats added another two minutes into the third when sophomore Brandon Wong (Victoria, British Columbia), who netted a hat trick in the last meeting between these teams, took a close range shot. Wong's effort was saved, but senior Dan Travis (Wilton, N.H.) was there to bang in the rebound. Leitch and Nelson hooked up for another goal two minutes later when Nelson dropped a pass back to Leitch, who ripped a shot from the left point to make it a 3-0 Quinnipiac lead.
Freshman Joe Calvi (New Lenox, Ill./New England Jr. Huskies) made his collegiate debut in net for the Falcons and stopped 26 shots as the Bobcats held a 29-21 advantage in shots on goal. Junior Jeff Gumaer (Webster Groves, Mo./Springfield Jr. Blues) had six shots on goal to lead Bentley, including some of the Falcons' best scoring chances when he ripped a pair of shots in the third period, but he was denied by Vetri on each try.
The Falcons are in action again on Friday at 7:35 p.m., when they travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to open a two-game series at Western Michigan before the home opener on Friday, Oct. 26, against defending Atlantic Hockey champions Air Force at 7:05 p.m. at Ryan Skating Arena.
At Hamden, Conn.
QUINNIPIAC 3, BENTLEY 0
Bentley (0-1)
0 0 0
-- 0
Quinnipiac
(0-0)
0 1 2
-- 3
1st Period: no scoring
2nd Period: Q, Bryan Leitch (Ben Nelson) 16:09
3rd Period: Q, Dan Travis (Brandon Wong, Andrew Meyer)
2:05; Q, Leitch (Nelson) 4:10
Saves: B, Joe Calvi 26; Q, Peter Vetri 21
Shots: B 21, Q 29
Penalties: B 4-8, Q 2-4
Power Play: B 0-2, Q 0-4
