No. 5 QU Men's Ice Hockey Overcomes Two, Three-Goal Deficits to Knock Off Cornell in Overtime, 5-4

Saturday, November 7

Lynah Rink // Ithaca, NY

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

8-0, 2-0ECAC Hockey

Cornell University

3-1, 1-1ECAC Hockey

Team	1	2	3	OT 1	F
No.14 Quinnipiac	1	3	0	1	5
Cornell	3	1	0	0	4

No. 5 QU Men's Ice Hockey Overcomes Two, Three-Goal Deficits to Knock Off Cornell in Overtime, 5-4

11/7/2015 11:04:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

ITHACA, New York – The No. 5 Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team scored four unanswered goals to come back from two, three-goal deficits Saturday night to extend their Division I program record winning streak to eight games with a 5-4 victory in overtime over the Cornell Big Red at Lynah Rink in ECAC Hockey action.

The Bobcats three-goal comeback was their first in almost 16 years to the day, as they hadn't come back from down three goals since Nov. 6, 1999 when they trailed Mercyhurst 4-1 before coming back to win 6-4.

Junior Connor Clifton (Matawan, New Jersey) blasted home the game-winning goal with 3:34 remaining in overtime for his first marker of the 2015-16 season in the Bobcats come-from-behind victory. Clifton also added an assist during the Bobcats comeback in the second period to finish with two points in the win.

On the game-winner, Chase Priskie (Pembroke Pines, Florida) started the play as he fed the puck from the left point to Clifton at the top of the offensive zone. Clifton quickly shifted the puck to Andrew Taverner (Edmonton, Alberta) on the right wing before the pass came back to the point to Clifton. Clifton blasted a shot on point that zipped through a Tim Clifton (Matawan, New Jersey) screen past Cornell goaltender Mitch Gillam.

Clifton's overtime winner is the first overtime game-winning goal of the season and first since Alex Miner-Barron's (Glendora, California) game-winning goal in the third overtime of the Bobcats 4-3 win against Union in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals on March 13, 2015.

Quinnipiac improves its record to 8-0-0 (2-0-0 ECAC Hockey) after the first ECAC Hockey weekend of the season while Cornell drops its first game of the season to fall to 3-1-0 (1-1-0 ECAC Hockey). The Bobcats outshot the Big Red 33-18 in the contest, including 12-4 in the second period as part of their ferocious comeback.

Taverner recorded his first career four-point game with two goals and two assists for the Bobcats, including the game-tying power play goal and an assist on the game-winning goal in overtime. Taverner's four-point performance is the first four-point game since Sam Anas (Potomac, Maryland) recorded four points against then-ranked No. 12 Union on Nov. 14, 2014 in a 4-3 victory over the Dutchmen. Taverner is one of just 26 players in college hockey to record four points in a single game this season.

Including his assist on the game-winner, Priskie tallied his first career three-point game with his first career three-assist game against the Big Red to finish second on the team in points and lead the team in assists.

Travis St. Denis (Trail, British, Columbia) and Tim Clifton tallied the first two goals of the game for the Bobcats as St. Denis picked up his seventh goal of the season while Clifton's was his fourth, and second in as many games since returning to the ice.

Defenseman Derek Smith (Apple Valley, Minnesota) picked up a pair of assists for the Bobcats while Scott Davidson (Trail, British Columbia) tallied his first career assist and Anas picked up his sixth, tied with Connor Clifton for second on the team.

Goaltender Michael Garteig (Prince George, British Columbia) picked up 14 saves in the victory for the Bobcats, his eighth victory of the season.

Cornell jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the Bobcats have drawing a five minute power play after a major penalty to Thomas Aldworth (Keller, Texas). Reece Willcox put the Big Red up 1-0 just 27 seconds after the power play started. Ryan Bliss' shot from the left point was blocked down by the Bobcats defense, but the loose puck in the slot was shot by Matt Buckles and saved by Garteig. With the puck trickling past Garteig in the crease, and Willcox swiped it home for the goal.

Just 44 seconds later, Cornell doubled their lead to 2-0 as Jake Weidner scored the second power play goal of the evening for the Big Red. After the Bobcats clear attempt
was knocked down by Alex Rauter, he shifted the puck to Weidner at the right boards. Buckles skated to the high slot where his blast through traffic found the back of the net.

The Big Red took a 3-0 lead with 9:04 to play in the third period on Buckles' first goal of the season. Bliss collected a pass at the blue line and shifted the puck to Weidner at the right boards. Buckles skated to the high slot where his blast through traffic found the back of the net.

Tim Clifton responded five minutes later with a power play goal for the Bobcats with 4:01 remaining in the first period. Priskie passed the puck from the center of the blue line to Taverner at the top of the right faceoff circle where he fired a shot off Gillam's pad. Clifton found the rebound just below the end line and shot the puck off the back of Gillam's skate to cut the Big Red lead to 3-1.

Midway through the second period, Cornell reclaimed its three goal lead with their first even strength goal of the game off the stick of Mitch Vanderlaan. Anthony Angello skated the puck from the lower left corner up to the top of the left faceoff circle where his shot was saved by Garteig. The rebound kicked out on the doorstep to Vanderlaan where he skated to his right and backhanded the puck past Garteig to give Cornell a 4-1 lead.

After Vanderlaan's goal, the Bobcats stormed back with two goals in a span of 2:15. St. Denis cut Cornell's lead 4-2 after his goal was held up by video review. The Bobcats won the battle for the puck behind the goal and the puck came out to Priskie at the right point. Priskie then hit Derek Smith with a point to point pass off the left boards. Smith dumped the puck behind the net where Anas gathered it and started skating behind the net. Anas spun around and hit St. Denis with a pass where he one-timed the puck past Gillam.

Quinnipiac responded 45 seconds after St. Denis' goal to cut Cornell's lead to 4-3 with Taverner's first goal of the game. Connor Clifton passed the puck out of the defensive zone to Taverner in the neutral zone. Taverner skated the puck into the offensive zone where he hit Davidson with a pass on the right boards. Davidson then centered the puck back to Taverner in the slot where he skated to the bottom of the faceoff circle and backhanded a shot past Gillam's glove side to cut the Big Red lead to one goal.

Late in the second period, Taverner tied the game for the Bobcats with a power play blast from the right point for his second goal of the game. The Bobcats dug the puck out of the left corner and worked the puck up to Smith at the left point. Smith then shifted the puck to Priskie at the point. Taverner skated from the right corner to the top of the right faceoff circle and peppered a one-timer high past Gillam's blocker to tie the game at 4-4 with just 1:27 remaining in the second period.

Connor Clifton then finished off the Bobcats comeback victory with his game-winning goal 1:26 into the overtime period.

The Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team returns to action next weekend in their ECAC Hockey home opener when they host the No. 7 Harvard Crimson (3-0-1, 3-0-1 ECAC Hockey) on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 P.M. before taking on the Dartmouth Big Green (1-3-0, 1-3-0 ECAC Hockey) on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7 P.M.