The 14th-ranked Quinnipiac University Bobcats received goals from four different players and cruised to a convincing 4-0 hockey victory over the University of Maine Tuesday night at the High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden, Connecticut.
The 4-0 Bobcats dominated the game from start to finish.
Michael Garteig made 20 saves to collect his second straight shutout and school-leading 13th of his career.
Quinnipiac outshot UMaine 40-20.
Maine fell to 0-2-3 while allowing a season-high four goals and being shut out for the second straight game. Maine has scored only five goals in five games, including just two in the last four.
“We didn’t compete the way we needed to,” said Maine coach Red Gendron. “We battled in all of our previous games but not tonight so Quinnipiac was better in all all phases of the game. They outcompeted us.
“It can’t happen again. You can lose games by making mistakes and stuff like that. It’s not acceptable but we can live with it. But our players as well as our coaching staff has a hard time living with this one,” he added.
“We aren’t happy with the way we played. It wasn’t acceptable,” said center Cam Brown. “And they’re definitely a good team.”
Defenseman Conor Riley said the team came out flat.
“They finished all of their checks and got pucks to the net,” he said. “They did all the little things. We started throwing our bodies around and getting pucks to the net in the third period but it was too late.”
Freshman defenseman Chase Priskie gave the Bobcats a lead they would never relinquish as his first collegiate goal came on the power play at the 12:11 mark of the first period. He carried the puck down the ice, beat a Maine defenseman in a one-on-one and fired the puck past goalie Matt Morris.
Quinnipiac completely dominated the first period to the tune of a 19-4 shots-on-goal advantage.
Tommy Schutt, Devon Toews (power play) and K.J. Tiefenwerth expanded the lead in the second period as Quinnipiac built a comfortable 4-0 margin after two periods.
Schutt capitalized on a glaring error by the Black Bears to make it 2-0 at the 5:08 mark of the second period as a Maine clearing attempt landed directly on his stick and he beat Morris with a low 40-foot slapper through traffic to the far corner.
Toews extended the lead 5:46 later when he chased down the puck, had it pop off Riley’s stick and helmet when they both poke-checked it and swept a one-timer through Morris.
Tiefenwerth scored with 2:20 remaining as he carried the puck down the right wing on a two-on-two, sliced to the net front as both Maine defensemen faded to the middle and tucked home his own rebound from five feet out.
Quinnipiac outshot Maine 33-12 through two periods.
Maine sophomore goaltender Sean Romeo made his 2015-16 debut in the third period and stopped all seven shots he faced.
Maine will host the University of New Brunswick for an exhibition game at 7 p.m. Friday.