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Quinnipiac Takes Lead With One Weekend Remaining
Bobcats Use Sweep of Sacred Heart To Vault Into First
Weekly Release (PDF)
The Bobcats were left for dead in mid-January. After dropping a 4-1 decision to Connecticut on January 14, Quinnipiac slipped to seventh place in the Atlantic Hockey standings, eight points out of first place, and had only one win in its last eight games.
How times have changed for the Bobcats. Since hitting that season-low moment on January 14, Quinnipiac has won 11 of its last 13 games - the only hiccup being back-to-back losses to Holy Cross and Canisius in mid-February - and with a weekend sweep of former first-place Sacred Heart, the Bobcats are now atop the Atlantic Hockey standings. With only two games remaining for each member of Atlantic Hockey, Quinnipiac truly controls its own destiny. One more win, and the Bobcats will claim the Atlantic Hockey regular season title, along with the top seed in the Atlantic Hockey tournament.
After defeating American International on Wednesday in a close 3-2 win, the Bobcats set their sights on league-leading Sacred Heart for a home-and-home series. Tied 1-1 after one and 3-3 after two Friday night, Quinnipiac moved out in front of Sacred Heart for a third time in the game in the third, this time for good, in an empty-net 5-3 win.
Saturday evening was a little more lopsided for the Bobcats, at least after two periods of play. Up 4-1 after forty, the Pioneers scored two goals in just over a minute’s time late in the third period to come within one goal. Sacred Heart couldn’t get any closer though, as another empty-netter sealed the win for Quinnipiac, 5-3. Sophomore defenseman Reid Cashman earned Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week after collecting three goals and three assists over three games last week, leading his team to home ice in the Quartefinal round of the 2005 Atlantic Hockey Tournament.
While Sacred Heart stumbled with the lead, Mercyhurst significantly improved its position in the home ice race for the Quarterfinal round, sweeping Holy Cross in Worcester in a pair of one-goal affairs. Friday evening saw a back-and-forth contest, as the Crusaders took a 1-0 lead early in the second, only to watch the Lakers score the next two and claim the lead. Holy Cross answered with two of its own for a 3-2 advantage with less than five minutes remaining in the game, however Mercyhurst had the final say on the score sheet. David Wrigley tied the contest at three with 75 seconds remaining, and Ben Cottreau gave the Lakers the win with his 11th goal of the season with only 11 seconds remaining.
Saturday evening the Lakers never relinquished the lead, winning 3-2 to cap a four-point weekend. Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week Mike Ella provided solid support in net for the Lakers, stopping 93 of 98 shots on the weekend.
Out West in Buffalo, Bentley split the weekend series with Canisius, as Friday’s 4-3 win went to the Falcons with Saturday’s 2-1 contest ending in favor of the Golden Griffins. Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week Paul Scalisi of Bentley gave his team the victory Friday, scoring the game-tying goal before the end of the second period, and the game-winning goal in the third, the lone goal of the period. The win for Bentley not only snapped a six-game skid the Falcons were on, and also guaranteed them a finish no lower than eighth place in the standings.
Army hosted American International in a weekend series that had the potential of putting one team ahead of the other before the end of the season. A 5-3 win Friday along with a 3-3 tie Saturday put the Black Knights two points ahead of the Yellow Jackets, but Army isn’t out of the woods yet. Both teams have two games remaining, and while AIC cannot finish any higher than eighth place in the standings, they still have a shot of finishing ahead of Army.
The Huskies didn’t play any games over the weekend, and ironically Connecticut is the only team in the league that knows exactly where it will finish in the final standings come Saturday. No one below the Huskies can catch them in sixth place, however the Huskies are also unable to surpass anyone above them. UConn will finish the regular season before anyone else in the league this week, with a Tuesday night meeting at AIC, followed by a Thursday night match in Storrs against Quinnipiac to close out the season and determine who will get the ‘Heroes Hat’.
The series that may decide who gets the last home ice spot in the Quarterfinals will take place out in Erie this weekend, when Mercyhurst hosts Sacred Heart for two games beginning Friday night. A win will guarantee Sacred Heart hosting duties, while Mercyhurst can lock up home ice with a three-point effort - a win and a loss for the Lakers would tie them with the Pioneers, and Sacred Heart has the tiebreaker.
It may become a moot point though if Holy Cross fails to secure any points, as the Crusaders take on Bentley in a home-home series slated for a Friday start in Worcester. Holy Cross went from the inside track to the outside over the weekend, dropping to fifth place, one point out of the three-way tie for second. The Falcons defeated the Crusaders the last time the two teams met in Worcester on November 6, 5-3. A four-point weekend for Holy Cross will give it home ice for the Quarterfinals.
Canisius will host a streaking Army squad this weekend to close out the regular season, with the two game set beginning Friday evening and concluding on Saturday. Saturday will also see Quinnipiac host American International for the final time this season.
