Andon Cerbone Hat Trick Leads No. 10 Quinnipiac Past No. 5 Providence

Cerbone Hat Trick and Kirsch Saves Power Quinnipiac Past Providence 5-1

Following a difficult loss to Army West Point the previous weekend, the No. 10 Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team rebounded decisively on Saturday afternoon, defeating the No. 5 Providence Friars 5-1 at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Connecticut. As reported by gobobcats.com, the victory closed out the first month of the schedule for the Bobcats at 5-2 while handing the program its first win over a top-five opponent since the 2023 National Title Game, a 3-2 overtime victory over then-No. 1 Minnesota. On March 26 of the previous season, Quinnipiac eliminated Providence from the NCAA Regional Semifinals by a score of 5-2. As anticipated, the matchup between the two top-10 programs unfolded as a heavyweight battle, with both teams leaning heavily on physicality from the initial puck drop to generate opportunities all over the ice, prompting head coach Rand Pecknold to remark, I thought our compete levels were the best it’s been all season. We were making plays.

Andon Cerbone recorded a hat trick as No. 10 Quinnipiac bounced back from last week’s loss to Army with a 5-1 win over No. 5 Providence on Saturday at M&T Bank Arena.https://t.co/TQRN2obNDr pic.twitter.com/UKYSrUK8uX

— https://x.com/WTNH/status/2116757127348027900

Senior forward Andon Cerbone drove the offensive output with the second hat trick of his collegiate career, scoring his first three goals of the 2026-27 campaign. Cerbone struck inside the opening 2:31 of each period, starting just two and a half minutes into the game when he finished a deflection from Winnipeg Jets draft pick Jack Parsons following a shot by junior forward Aaron Schwartz, though theqbsn.com noted first-year forward Dylan Edwards initiated the sequence. “It’s been a while so to be honest, I kind of blacked out after scoring it,” Cerbone said, adding that it felt great getting the weight off the shoulders.

A Decisive Middle Frame and Defensive Grit

However, Quinnipiac seized control during a three-goal middle frame, starting with an immediate tripping penalty on the Friars by Quinn Mantei.

Andon Cerbone Hat Trick Leads No. 10 Quinnipiac Past No. 5 Providence — Photo: theqbsn.com

Stockfish’s goal marked his team-leading sixth tally in seven games to start his career with the Bobcats. He has been great. Honestly, he gets better every week, and adapting to the pace…We are kind of seeing that confidence, Pecknold said when asked about the Holy Cross transfer. Kirsch maintained the multi-goal cushion by turning away 30 shots, backed by a .924 save percentage that ranks third amongst first-year netminders who have played five or more games this season. Kirsch’s performance included a flurry of stops during a second-period penalty kill after first-year defender Jan Golicic committed a cross-check, during which Kirsch made four back-to-back saves—including a diving stop to his left post against freshman forward Blake Zielenski, an empty-net dive to his right on sophomore forward Jonathan Fauchon, and an acrobatic save off a blast from sophomore defenseman Quinn Mantei. When asked about the first-year, fellow defender Andrew Strathmann said, Yeah, a couple times I was out there for it, so I was a little scared, but I mean he’s been unreal. Cerbone noted, He’s a hell of a goalie and we know he has our back down there,

“He’s been unreal. He’s been a rock for us and it’s good to know you have a goalie back there like that,” junior forward Andrew Strathmann said.