The men's ice hockey team (1-2-1, 0-1-1 ECAC) opened up its Eastern College Athletic Conference schedule with a 3-3 tie with Quinnipiac (4-3-1, 0-1-1) and a 4-3 loss to Princeton (1-3-0, 1-1-0) this weekend at Meehan Auditorium. A week ago, the Bears fell to undefeated Yale (4-0-0, 2-0-0) and defeated Princeton at the Ivy Shootout in New Haven. Last weekend's tourney games did not count toward ECAC standings.
"It was not a good weekend because we only got one point at home," said Head Coach Brendan Whittet '94. "We had 12 home games, now we have 10, and we have a really tough road ahead of us."
Brown 3, Quinnipiac 3
It could have easily been two losses for Bruno this weekend, but a strong third period against Quinnipiac on Friday night salvaged a valuable point. After opening the scoring on a goal by assistant captain and forward David Brownschidle '11 early in the second period, the Bears surrendered three consecutive goals to the Bobcats, who pulled ahead 3-1.
The Bears fought back to even the game in the third period. On a power play, defenseman Jeff Buvinow '12 scored his second goal of the year after a nice setup from forward Chris Zaires '13 and captain and forward Harry Zolnierczyk '11, both of whom were credited with assists.
With only 2:51 remaining in regulation, Brown found its equalizer when defenseman Dennis Robertson '14 fired home a one-timer to convert on a Bears power play. The freshman is off to a hot start in his rookie season, leading the Bears in goals scored with three.
In overtime, neither side could find the back of the net. Brown goalie Mike Clemente '12 made several big plays and turned away four shots, including a one-on-one Quinnipiac break in the final minute. The 3-3 tie gave Bruno its first point of the 2010–11 season.
Princeton 4, Brown 3
On Saturday, Brown faced Princeton for the second time this year, having beaten them only a week before. The Bears picked up right where they left off against the Tigers, coming out to a strong start in front of the home crowd.
Bruno got on the board only 2:38 into the game, when forward Jack Maclellan '12, Brown's point leader, put home a Zaires pass from point-blank range. Less than four minutes later, the Bears doubled their lead on a nifty goal by Brownschidle. The senior forward held the puck behind the net before wrapping around the left faceoff circle and sneaking it off the post and in past the Princeton netminder.
The lead held for the rest of the period but dissipated in an instant as the second got underway. On a power play, Princeton forward Matt Arhontas put home Princeton's first goal, beating Brown goalie Marco De Filippo '14. Less than a minute later, Arhontas again found the back of the net when he cleaned up a loose puck, tying the game at two goals apiece.
"We came out to a good start, played well in the first and just thought we were better than we were," Zolnierczyk said.
Whittet echoed his captain's statement.
"I thought we played a great first period, and I thought we totally got away from what allowed us to be successful," he said.
Midway through the period, the Tigers seized the lead on a short-handed goal. The puck slipped away from a lackadaisical Brown line, and Princeton forward Kevin Lohry scooped it up and beat De Filippo on a breakaway for the unassisted goal.
Things were looking bleak for the Bears, but a clutch short-handed goal by Zolnierczyk breathed life back into Meehan. With 17 seconds remaining in the period and Princeton on a power play, the puck took a fortuitous bounce off a faceoff in the Brown zone toward center ice, where the Brown captain swooped in and picked it up. Zolnierczyk then beat the Princeton goalie with a backhand finish, tying the game at 3-3 at the end of two periods.
In the third period, Princeton again struck quickly, this time on a power-play goal from long range by defenseman Michael Sdao only 2:53 into the period. The goal put Princeton up for good, giving the Tigers their first win of the season. The loss capped a disappointing opening weekend at home for the Bears.
"We'll see what we're made of," Whittet said. "If we don't do things better than we did tonight, not only will we lose, we won't even come close."
"We're striving to be at the top of this league," Zolnierczyk said of the Princeton loss. "One out of four points at home is definitely not good enough."
