Box score
BURLINGTON, Vt. - A late offensive surge, including a goal with 24 second remaining in regulation, was not enough for Western Michigan as the Bronco hockey team fell to Quinnipiac 2-1 in the opening game of the TD Banknorth Catamount Cup at Vermont's Gutterson Fieldhouse this afternoon. Senior Nathan Ansell scored a goal with the extra attacker and one second left on the power play to pull WMU within one, but the Broncos were unable to convert again to tie the score.
Senior Brian Bicek started the play, winning the puck along the boards behind the goal line and sending it to freshman Max Campbell on the right side, who then passed to Ansell at the point. Ansell fired a slapshot from the blueline, beating QU goaltender Bud Fisher high glove side at 19:36.
“We played pretty hard, but the momentum for the game came from the penalty situation. The balance sheet there's not really that even, so anytime that you have to expend a lot of energy killing penalties, you have to battle back to get momentum into your game,” head coach Jim Culhane said.
Quinnipiac opened the scoring at 15:08 of the first when Brett Dickinson beat WMU netminder Riley Gill five hole from the right side after receiving a centering pass from Bryan Leitch behind the net. David Marshall also garnered an assist on Dickinson's first career goal.
Late in the second period the Broncos had a prime scoring opportunity when senior Jeff Pierce snapped a quick wrist shot on net after Bicek won a faceoff back to the right winger. Fisher had a read on Pierce's wrister, however, and made the save to keep the Broncos off the board.
The Bobcats extended their lead to 2-0 when Jean-Marc Beaudoin forced a WMU defender to turn over the puck in the defensive zone and chipped it ahead to Wong to create a two-on-one situation for Quinnipiac. Wong fired from the right side and found the back of the net at 4:02 of the third.
After Bicek scored to bring the Broncos within one, Western Michigan kept the extra attacker on the ice for the final 20 seconds and fired three shots from a scrum in front of the net, but was unable to tie the game as Quinnipiac held on for the 2-1 win.
Gill made 22 saves while Fisher stopped 18 shots to earn the victory. The Broncos were 1-3 on the power play whilst holding Quinnipiac scoreless in seven chances.
Western Michigan will face either Holy Cross or host Vermont tomorrow in the consolation game of the Catamount Cup at 3:30 p.m.
