Bulldogs Face Another Top Ranked Team

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale men's hockey team played the unbeaten No. 1 team in the nation last weekend and came up a goal short. Tonight it was the unbeaten No. 2 team coming to play the Bulldogs, a 3-0 Quinnipiac win before a packed house at Ingalls Rink.

"We are close, but not where we need to be," said Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach, after watching his team battle in a contest that was an Eli goal away from changing direction at any moment.

The undefeated Bobcats had a 25-22 edge in shots while both squads went scoreless on four power plays.

Yale junior goalie Alex Lyon stopped 22 shots, but was waiting for a break-through at the other end to jump-start his team.

"We have to be more efficient in our scoring chances. I thought we were slow to shoot in a couple of situations," said Allain, whose Elis were fluctuating between 10 and 11 in the Pairwise rankings after the game.

The intensity level was way up in the early moments. Just 12 seconds in, Yale forward Frankie DiChiara crashed into the visiting goalie as he drew an interference penalty and sent the student section into a frenzy.

That was the beginning of a physical first period that had the Bobcats outshooting the Bulldogs 8-4.

The highlights of the scoreless frame included Bulldog blueliner Adam Larkin blocking a point-blank shot with an open side of the net expecting to catch the puck. Then there was a Quinnipiac odd-man rush that ended up with a fantastic Lyon save. The period ended with an Eli offensive zone flurry and a near Mitch Witek tally with seconds left.

The home team had an 8-7 edge in shots but the Bobcats got the only score of the second period, just 91 seconds in. The Bulldogs had a few quality opportunities but the angles were closed down quickly on most good looks.

Yale's penalty kill was solid during the second, preventing any shots from going on target during two advantages.

The visitors got another early goal to start the third, and the Blue responded with a sustained offensive zone effort that produced a couple of near tallies. The last was a Ted Hart shot from the slot that rang off the post.

Just when you thought the Bulldogs might jump back into the game – freshman Joe Snively hit John Hayden with a perfect feed in the slot for a one-timer that was smothered by Michael Garteig (22 saves) – a grade-A scoring chance just missed.

A few minutes later, senior defenseman Ryan Obuchowski grabbed the puck in the neutral zone, skated around a forward and through a pair of blueliners before firing a short shot stopped by the goalie. The puck came free and two or three Yale sticks dug at it but could not push it over the line.

A frustrating night for a team waiting to break out offensively.

BULLDOG BITES

The Elis host Princeton (4-2 winners over Brown tonight) Saturday night at 7 and a limited number of tickets are still available… Yale had a pair of Harts in a game for the first time this year… Sophomore Henry Hart played his first contest; freshman Ted Hart was playing his eighth game… Jesse Root, captain of the 2013-14 Bulldogs, was named ECHL Player of the Month after getting eight goals and 17 points in a dozen game for the Missouri Mavericks.

Filed by Steve Conn, Yale Associate AD & Sports Publicity Director – steven.conn@yale.edu

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