It was a huge week for the Quinnipiac Bobcats in NCAA action. Not only did they pick up three wins, but their coach was awarded with a contract extension, their goalie was named goalie of the week in the NCAA, and two Montrose natives produced winning goals in a pair of non-conference games.
The Bobcats went 3-0 with two wins over the ninth ranked University of Massachusetts-Lowell in identical 3-1 victories on Friday and Saturday, before holding off Bentley 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Montrose’s Connor Jones scored the winning goal in the 3-1 victory Friday, while brother Kellen netted the winner the next night at home in Hamden, Conn. and Connor scored his third goal of the season to open the match.
Also, starting goalie Michael Garteig, posted all three victories and was named Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference goaltender of the week. Garteig played with the Powell River Kings and Penticton Vees of the BCHL, backstopping the Vees to an RBC Cup victory in 2012. In three BCHL seasons plus one game as a Quesnel Millionaires affiliate, Garteig registered a 92-23-3 mark, 13 shutouts, a 2.07 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
Now taking over the No. 1 role at Quinnipiac University, he appears to be embarking on similar success.
Garteig stopped 44 of 46 shots in the two weekend victories and now owns a 1.51 goals-against average and .958 save percentage on the season.
In addition, late last week coach Rand Pecknold was rewarded with a contract extension to the 2017-18 season. Pecknold is currently in his 20th year as the Bobcats’ head coach and his 368 career wins rank seventh among active head coaches.
He was named ECAC coach of the year, the New England Hockey Writers Association Clark Hodder coach of the year and a Spencer Penrose national coach of the year finalist after guiding Quinnipiac to the ECAC regular-season championship with a 30-8-5 record, the NCAA tournament Northeast Regional championship and a berth in the national title game against Yale.
The three wins push the Bobcats record to 4-1 in non-conference action, and the most recent USCHO poll has the Bobcats ranked 9th, while UMass-Lowell drops to 18th. The 4-0 University of Minnesota is ranked number 1 in the nation.