Quinnipiac University
24-2-7, 15-1-5ECAC
Brown University
5-17-6, 3-13-5ECAC
No. 1/1 QU Menโs Ice Hockey Claims Second-Straight Cleary Cup With 4-1 Win Against Brown
2/26/2016 9:19:00โฏPM | Men's Ice Hockey
HAMDEN, Conn. - National-ranked No. 1/1 Quinnipiac men's ice hockey claimed its second consecutive ECAC Hockey regular-season championship with a 4-1 win against Brown for its third Cleary Cup in four years. The Bobcats improve to 24-2-7 overall and 15-1-5 in ECAC Hockey while Brown drops to 5-16-6 overall and 3-13-5 in league play.ย
Prior to the start of the game, Quinnipiac honored its six graduating seniors. The Bobcats saluted the careers of the program's most successful class, which has amassed 101 wins since the start of the 2012-13 season, comprised of Soren Jonzzon (Mountain View, California), Tom Hilbrich (Port Credit, Ontario) Jacob Meyers (Chanhassen, Minnesota), Michael Garteig (Prince George, British Columbia) and Alex Miner-Barron (Glendora, California). The Bobcats' 101 wins over the last four years are the most in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey since the start of the 2012-13 season. For Garteig, the Bobcats' senior goalie stopped 17 of Brown's 18 shots on goal to become the 25th goal in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey history to record 70 career wins.ย
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Travis St. Denis (Trail, British Columbia) extended his point streak to eight games with his sixth goal in the last seven games after potting his 18th of the season, and ninth power-play goal, just one-minute and twenty-three seconds into the game. Landon Smith (Greenwood Village, Colorado) and Sam Anas (Potomac, Maryland) picked up assists on the goal to extend his point streak to 16 games in which he's totaled 12 goals and 13 assists in the run.ย
Tim Clifton (Matawan, New Jersey) gave Quinnipiac a two-goal lead with his 16th goal of the year just under nine minutes into the second period. Clifton started the play with a shot from the point that landed just above the crease. After Jonzzon attempted to jam it home, the rebound landed on freshman Scott Davidson's (Trail, British Columbia) stick. Davidson back-handed the puck across the crease where Clifton was able to re-direct it past Brown goalie Tim Ernst to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead.ย
Less than two minutes into the third period, Kevin McKernan (Millbury, Massachusetts) scored for the second time in three games off a beautiful pass from Thomas Aldworth (Keller, Texas). Tanner MacMaster (Calgary, Alberta) started the play, carrying the puck into Brown's zone before handing it to Aldworth. Aldworth undressed a defenseman before back-handing a pass across the crease to McKernan for the tip-in.ย
Brown answered less than minute later on Davey Middleton's second goal of the year. Alexis Rossi threw a shot on goal that was denied by Garteig before Middleton picked up the loose puck on the opposite side of the net. Middleton, stepping away from the goal, was able to lift the puck off the back-hand and beat Garteig top shelf to cut Quinnipiac's lead to two goals.ย
Late in the third, freshman Luke Shiplo (Oakville, Ontario) added his fourth goal of the year to push the Bobcats lead back to three goals, 4-1, with four minutes to play.ย
Quinnipiac is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 27 when it hosts No. 7/7 Yale of the 14th Annual Heroes Hat Game, which can be seen live on SNY at 7 p.m.
