By Jim Fuller Register Staff
HAMDEN -- When Rand Pecknold got word that Zach Hansen was itching to get back on the ice, the Quinnipiac men's hockey coach was skeptical to say the least.
As he watched his rock-solid junior defenseman skate off the ice clutching his injured hand after blocking a shot late in the second period of Saturday's 2-0 win over Colgate before a crowd of 2,687 at TD Bank Sports Center, Pecknold figured he had seen the last of Hansen.
Visiting Colgate probably wish they did. Not only did Hansen get back on the ice in the third period, but his power-play goal with 1:42 remaining clinched the Bobcats' first win since Dec. 12 and first ECAC victory since Nov. 25.
Thomas sabo charms"We thought he was done for the game," Pecknold said. "He said he could go (in the third period) and we held him out for a little while. That was a great goal.
"The guys were fired up that he was ready to roll. The coaches and players thought he was done for the game."
After being shut out for the first time this season by ECAC- leading Cornell on Friday night to extend the winless streak to 10 games, any goal would have been sweet.
Greg Holt got Quinnipiac (14-12-2, 8-8 in the ECAC) on the board, taking a nifty pass from Mike Glaicar and beating Colgate's Alex Evin by lifting a backhand shot over the fallen Red Raiders' goalie at 14:16 of the first period.
Having suffered more than its share of crushing defeats during a 16-game stretch where they managed one win and two ties, Quinnipiac didn't want to waste a brilliant effort from its sophomore goalie Dan Clarke.
Colgate (11-11-5, 8-6-1) made Clarke come up with timely saves, making the one-goal cushion a precarious one at best. With Quinnipiac struggling to generate offense despite an extended 5-on- 3 power play, it seemed as if Colgate would Clip on charms have one last chance to tie the game.
But with the first penalty just about to expire, Hansen calmly skated to his right and with the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Scott Zurevinski screening Evin, Hansen snapped a shot inside the right post.
"It felt like a playoff win," Hansen said. "There was a lot of emotion, Coach (Pecknold) came in and told us after (Friday) night's game that this was a big night. It was kind of a Game 7 mentality. We came out took it to heart and got a win.
"We were moving the puck well (on the two-man advantage). The net opened up, I shot it there and hoped it went in. Hopefully it will jump start our season. It's huge, the guys played hard, the goaltending was great. (Clarke) had a shutout and it is huge for the mentality, especially for the younger guys."
replica tag heruer watchesClarke had 26 saves, including point blank stops early in the first and second periods, although his best save probably was a leg pad stop of a Francois Brisebois shot early in the third period while Clarke was screened by a host of bodies in front of the goal.
"They are pretty pumped, their frustration was building and building," Pecknold said. "A lot of those losses we should have won those games, we played well in almost every one."
Jim Fuller can be reached at .
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