Saturday, Jan. 21 marked the biggest night of the season so far for the men’s hockey team at the Class of 1965 arena. The Raiders took on Quinnipiac University, the top-ranked team in the nation, and handed the Bobcats their third loss of the season. While Quinnipiac suffered their second loss of the season against Cornell the previous night, Colgate entered the matchup riding a high of a dominant 5-0 victory over Princeton. Prior to their 4-0 loss to Cornell, the Bobcats had only fallen to Maine back on October 22nd. 

Against the highest-ranked opponent this season, Sophomore Ben Raymond was clear that the team was not easily intimidated. 

“We always have the same mentality for every game. We go into every game as if it is the most important game of the season.”

This sentiment was echoed by starting goalie Carter Gylander, citing the team’s prior matchup against Quinnipiac on November 4th.

“We had confidence. In our previous matchup against Quinnipiac, we watched a 2-0 lead and potential victory slip out of our hands. From that previous game and with recent success in our league play, we knew we had what it took to beat Quinnipiac, and we stuck to our game plan for a full 60 minutes.”

The Raiders got off to a slow start as they were unable to capitalize on two power plays in the first period. Quinnipiac was first to put points on the board, scoring on a power play 13 minutes into the game. They soon added to their lead by putting up a second goal early in the second period. However, this goal would be the Bobcats’ final tally in this matchup. 

Near the halfway point of the game, Colgate was finally able to find the twine. After hitting the post four times early in the game, the Raiders broke through in the second period. Senior forward Ethan Manderville put up Colgate’s first goal of the night, scoring on a rebound from junior Forward Alex Young. With a two-man advantage from two Quinnipiac tripping penalties, Nick Anderson had the secondary assist on the goal. 

Although they entered the third period trailing by one, it only took six minutes for sophomore forward Ryan McGuire to score the tying goal. McGuire took a pass from junior forward Levi Glasman and he fired a rebound into the back of the net. Junior forward Ross Mitton was credited with the secondary assist to put the Raiders back in the game. 

Fired up after tying the game, it only took three minutes for junior forward Ben Raymond to connect with the bottom left corner of Quinnipiac’s goal. With a setup by sophomore Nic Belpedio and junior Nick Anderson, Colgate captured a 3-2 lead. 

Colgate hung on to the lead to win it, thanks in part to stellar late-game heroics by Gylander. Gylander currently leads the ECAC in saves-per-game and is ranked second in save percentage. These accomplishments have not gone unnoticed, as Gylander was named to the Mike Richter Award watch list by the Hockey Commissioners Association earlier this month. The award is granted to the top goalie in NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey annually. 

Colgate stayed strong defensively while facing increased pressure from Quinnipiac in the third period. Gylander reflected on the team’s steady game plan as a key to their success: 

“Early on, we were sustaining pressure and creating scoring chances but couldn’t capitalize. It was a matter of continuing to believe that the bounces will go our way. It was also important that we stuck together as a team and nobody got down or frustrated. As long as we continued to play our game, we knew we still had a chance to win.”

Gylander is not the only member of the team earning nods at the national level. Junior forward Alex Young was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award earlier this month, the most prestigious award in college hockey. This recognition comes as the junior leads the league in goals, shots, and power-play goals. Young was also nominated for the Hobey Baker Award in his freshman year in 2021.

With these two massive victories, the team looks forward to more tough competition ahead. The steady game mentality is something the team relies on, according to sophomore Ben Raymond.

“We know we can be a top team in the country and when everyone does their job and we apply our game plans like this past weekend, we can beat anyone.”