In any hockey season, there are always going to be games where teams fail to play their best. Maybe special teams aren’t clicking, or it’s the offense that has fallen flat. Maybe the defense and goaltending can’t keep the puck out of the net.
Any one of these struggles is enough to make winning a hockey game difficult.
But to have each of them happen at the same time?
Quinnipiac’s 4-1 final score against the Clarkson Golden Knights speaks for itself.
Coming into the game, the stakes were evident. Only half a point separated the then first-seeded Bobcats from the Golden Knights at the top of the ECAC standings. The squads’ previous clash on Nov. 8 ended in a 0-0 tie, with Clarkson taking the unofficial shootout victory at home.
Twelve seconds into the matchup, it was evident the Golden Knights aimed to play spoiler again. Senior forward Sena Catterall’s first shot of the game was a quick punch to the gut for the visiting Bobcats, beating sophomore goaltender Felica Frank before Quinnipiac was even able to take the puck over center ice.
The Bobcat breakdowns that led to the goal were simple. A turnover at center ice on the opening play sprang the Golden Knights on a two-on-one. Catterall, the trailer on the initial breakaway, was left unmarked right in front of the crease. The puck got lost in the crease before being punched past Frank.
A tough start to a game marred by similar Bobcat missteps.
Unsurprisingly, scoring a goal on the first shot of the game invigorated the underdog Clarkson squad. The lead gave the Golden Knights the chance to establish a strong forecheck that would hinder Bobcat breakouts for the rest of the night.
Even when the Bobcats began to throw some pressure on net, freshman goaltender Aneta Senkova was sharp, stopping each of the Bobcat chances in the first period.
However, the Clarkson onslaught in the opening period wasn’t over.
A Quinnipiac penalty is normally not something to panic about. In 28 games, the Bobcats have only allowed five power play goals, with their 92.2% success on the penalty kill putting their unit at the top of the ECAC. The last power play goal the Bobcats allowed was against Princeton on Nov. 22.
Safe to say, with junior forward Kahlen Lamarche in the box for tripping, the only thing to worry about was being down a penalty killer.
Then senior forward Lara Beecher put the puck in the back of the net.
Defensive breakdown was once again the tale of the tape for the Bobcats. Beecher was left completely alone, cutting to the face off dot before rifling a shot past Frank’s outstretched glove.
One more Clarkson goal would put the Bobcats down three to end an abysmal first period.
If the defensive struggles weren’t enough, offense seemed even harder to come by for Quinnipiac. Two chances on the man-advantage in the first could’ve provided chances for the Bobcats to swing momentum back in their favor, but definitive kills by Clarkson nipped that in the bud.
Despite the disappointing first twenty, Quinnipiac initially seemed to have a bit of life in the second. Their first successful penalty kill of the afternoon did more than just keep the Knights’ lead at three. Senior forward Emerson Jarvis was able to jump into the play from the penalty box, beating Senkova five-hole to score the Bobcats’ lone goal of the contest.
After outscoring the Golden Knights in the second, there was hope that Quinnipiac could mount a comeback in the final frame.
Junior forward Janelle Evans put that fleeting dream to rest in the third period, once again beating Frank. Even though the Bobcats outshot the Golden Knights overall 30-26, the offensive efforts proved to be all for nothing. Even after pulling Frank, the Bobcats just couldn’t beat Senkova or the Clarkson blue line.
Clarkson was content to hunker down in the defensive zone in the closing minutes of the game, and the strategy worked.
Despite the disappointing showing, Quinnipiac has the chance to turn this road trip around tomorrow against St. Lawrence University. Puck drop in Canton, N.Y. is set for 2 p.m.