The Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team lost to Brown, 4-0, in the ECAC Hockey Tournament Semifinals at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Friday.
The loss sends Quinnipiac to the tournament's Consolation Game against Yale on Saturday, Mar. 23 at 4 p.m. at Boardwalk Hall. Quinnipiac drops to 26-7-5 for the year while Brown improves to 16-13-6.
Brown sophomore Matt Lorito scored twice for the Bears with Matt Naclerio setting up both goals. Garnet Hathaway and Francis Drolet also scored for Brown in their semifinal win. Brown goalie Anthony Borelli stopped 29 shots for the shutout while Quinnipiac goalie Eric Hartzell had 19 saves in the loss.
Lorito's goal came 9:05 into the game when Nick Lappin fed Naclerio who put a shot on goal that bounced out in front of Quinnipiac goalie Eric Hartzell. Lorito was able to pick up the loose puck and pop it past Hartzell to give Brown a 1-0 lead. With less than four minutes to play in the period, Hathaway was fed the puck just below the blue line in the Bobcats' zone by Jeff Ryan. Hathaway stiff-armed a Quinnipiac defender in the left face-off circle, turned the corner and skated across the crease where he fired the puck over Hartzell's shoulder to give Brown a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Quinnipiac came out strong to start the second period but play ultimately turned in favor of Brown. Drolet scored with 7:04 left in the period when Joe Prescott put a shot on goal that Hartzell denied with his blocker and attempted to call on. Drolet crashed the net, poking at the puck several times before he pushed it under Hartzell to increase Brown's lead to three goals. Three minutes late, Brown found itself on a 5-on-3 power play. Dennis Robertson sent the puck deep to Naclerio who fed Lorita in the slot. His one-timer beat Hartzell to give Brown a 4-0 lead.
Quinnipiac will play Yale in the ECAC Hockey Championship Consolation Game on Saturday, Mar. 23 at 4 p.m. at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
