Third Period Goal Lifts Sixth-Ranked Quinnipiac Over Men's Hockey Saturday Night

Saturday, November 6

Providence, R.I.

4 p.m.

Brown University

1-2-0, 1-2-0

Quinnipiac

7-1-2, 2-0-0

Quinnipiac

Brown

Photo by: David Silverman Photography

Third Period Goal Lifts Sixth-Ranked Quinnipiac Over Men's Hockey Saturday Night

11/6/2021 7:32:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Mathieu Caron stopped 34 shots in his first collegiate start, but the sixth-ranked Quinnipiac Bobcats (7-1-2, 2-0-0 ECAC) found the back of the net on the power play in the third period for a 1-0 win over the Brown Bears (1-2-0, 1-2-0 ECAC) Saturday evening at Meehan Auditorium.

"I thought the response was mature in how we played; I thought we played a pretty good game," said head coach Brendan Whittet. "From my perspective as I told the team, if they play the game the right way, whatever the result is, I'll always be proud of them because eventually if we continue to play the right way, we'll win."

Caron was stellar from the outset, stopping all 17 Bobcat shots faced in the opening frame. Eight of the first period shots came on Quinnipiac power play opportunities.

"I thought he was great, for his first start at the college level against one of the best teams in the country I thought he was good from the get-go," Whittet said of Caron. "He gave us an opportunity to win the game."

The Bears closed the shot gap in the second period, sending seven shots on goal to Quinnipiac netminder Yaniv Perets (12 saves), who turned aside each shot faced.

Caron stopped all nine shots faced in the second period, all of which came at even strength.

Brown's power play unit had a two-minute five-on-three opportunity halfway through the second as Quinnipiac's Michael Lombardi and Iivari Rasanen were whistled for interference and holding, respectively. However, Perets turned aside all three shots faced on the power play and the Bobcat defense blocked four shots.

Quinnipiac's Nick Bochen scored the game's lone goal at the 6:13 mark of the third, cashing in on QU's fourth power play chance of the game. Quinnipiac's Ty Smilanic quickly moved the puck to Zach Metsa, who found Bochen at the top of the left circle for the one-time shot that deflected through traffic and found the back of the net.

Brown's offense pushed offensively in the final half of the third period, but could not beat the Bobcat defense and Perets. The Bobcats blocked a pair of Brown shots in the final minute with the extra attacker on the ice to preserve the shutout, Perets' second straight.

Brown was 0-for-2 on power play chances and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill, surrendering its first man-up goal of the season.

"I thought as a whole our defensive corps played very well tonight," Whittet added. "I thought we defended great and our penalty kill was tremendous."

The Bears are off next weekend before a trip to the Empire State to take on Cornell on Friday, November 19 and Colgate on Saturday, November 20. Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.