Yale shows tangible improvement as they follow up a close loss to a top-ranked Quinnipiac squad with a hard-fought victory against Sacred Heart.

Tommy Gannon

2:35 am, Jan 30, 2024

Yale Athletics

The Yale men’s hockey team (8–13–0, 5–9–0 ECAC) faced off in the fourth annual CT Ice tournament this past weekend at the XL Center in Hartford. In the two-round, four-game tournament, Yale dropped the semi-final on Friday night 1–0 to a seventh-ranked Quinnipiac team (17–6–2, 10–2–1 ECAC) but bounced back with a strong 3-2 victory over Sacred Heart (11–14–2, 11–7–1 Atlantic). After the weekend, Coach Keith Allain noted significant strides taken by this Bulldog team as the playoffs approach.

“Our team is better defensively than we were earlier in the year, as a result we are spending less time in our zone, allowing fewer scoring chances against and as a result we have the puck a little more so that we can be a threat offensively,” Allain told the News. “The team commitment to defense will make us harder to play against as we head into the playoffs.”

In the Friday tilt against Quinnipiac, the Bobcats were looking to get back on track after dropping two ECAC away games last weekend. They came out flying and got on the board with seven minutes to go in the first period on a goal by first-year forward Mason Marcellus. However, their high-flying offense was shut out for the rest of the night by red-hot first-year netminder Jack Stark ’27. The Bulldog goalie’s 35-save performance kept the game tight for sixty minutes, a sharp contrast from Yale’s last matchup with Quinnipiac earlier in the year. When Yale squared off against the Bobcats just over two months ago, they lost 5–2.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” said forward Jojo Tanaka-Campbell ’26. “We’ve closed the gap quite a lot compared to the beginning of the year and it’s a testament to all the hard work everyone puts in every single day. Collectively, we put in so much work into shaping our team and it’s really nice to see it paying off little by little. That being said, we still have a lot more to do and we will most definitely continue to develop into the best versions of ourselves to give us the best chance towards the end of the season.” 

Another clear positive was the Bulldogs’ ability to limit a high-powered Quinnipiac power play. Although the Bobcats had four-man advantages, they weren’t able to cash in on a single one of them.

The following night, the Bulldogs squared off against a Sacred Heart team that fell to UConn in the other semi-final matchup. Although the Pioneers jumped out to a 1–0 lead, David Andreychuk’s ’27 third tuck of the year evened the score at the tail end of the first period. Just twenty-two seconds into the second period, Briggs Gammill ’25 put the Elis ahead when he capitalized on a defensive turnover by the Pioneers and fired a shot that trickled past their netminder.

Later, with just over thirteen minutes to go in the third, Tanaka-Campbell scored an absolute beauty. Not only did it turn out to be the game-winner, but it was also the sophomore forward’s first collegiate goal. He picked up the puck in the neutral zone, skated down the wing, took one step to the middle and fired a laser through the SHU D-man that zipped right past their goaltender. For Tanaka-Campbell, this was a very special moment in his young NCAA career.

“Like every first goal, it’s something that you only live through once and this time around, it couldn’t have come at a better time,” he said. “You only get to play so many games in a Yale jersey, which means every game is extremely important. To be able to help our team to a win is one of the best feelings.”

However, in his correspondence with the News, Tanaka-Campbell revealed that this goal was much more meaningful than just a first collegiate tally.

“It was a milestone, of course, but I also took it as a way to thank all of my teammates and close people in my life for supporting me throughout my time at Yale,” he said. “I have been battling a lot of mental health issues and continue to do so today, and sometimes the road has been extremely tough to get through. The only thing I can say is that it’s thanks to everyone, especially my family and teammates, for being incredibly supportive of me that I am where I am today, and this goal meant a lot for me as a way to express my gratitude to them.”

In the Saturday victory over Sacred Heart, Jack Stark also played a critical role, once again standing on his head. After coming off of a 35-save performance against the Bobcats, Stark stopped another 35 against the Pioneers. With Coach Allain increasingly leaning on the young goaltender, mindset and preparation have proven to be pivotal.  

“Playing back-to-back is definitely tough, but I try to approach it as an opportunity and a challenge to better myself as a goalie,” said Stark. “It also helps going into games knowing how hardworking and defensively sound our team is. As far as adjusting to the NCAA schedule our strength coach Alex Mowatt-Larssen has been invaluable to helping me and our other freshmen adjust smoothly to college hockey.”

Stark, Tanaka-Campbell and the Bulldogs will return to Ingalls for two home games this weekend. They will square off against the Union Garnet Chargers on Friday and then RPI on Saturday.