Monday, December 31, 2018

Peter Diliberatore named ECAC Rookie of the Week

Peter Diliberatore (photo copyright BobcatsHockeyBlog)

For the fourth time this season the Quinnipiac Bobcats have had a player win the ECAC Rookie of the Week award. Peter Diliberatore finished with a goal and an assist with a plus five rating in Quinnipiac's 6-0 win over Colgate this past Saturday which gave head coach Rand Pecknold his 500th career win and Monday the league announced the him as the rookie of the week in a press release.

Diliberatore, a true freshman and a draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights has played in all 18 games for the Bobcats this season scoring 8 points this year on a goal and seven assists. The goal Saturday against Colgate was his first NCAA goal of his career. He is also fourth on the Bobcats in plus/minus at a plus 12. He follows previous winners Wyatt Bongiovanni, Ethan de Jong and Michael Lombardi as Bobcats to have won the ECAC Rookie of the Week award this season. 

Quinnipiac returns to ECAC play next weekend with a home series against Colgate and Cornell. 


You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Friday, December 28, 2018

Weekend Preview: Colgate Raiders


Rand Pecknold, center seeks his 500th win Saturday against Colgate

Colgate Head Coach: 
Don Vaughan (26th Season) 411-429-100

2018-2019 Colgate record: 4-9-2 (1-3-2 ECAC)

All-time vs. Colgate : Quinnipiac leads 22-15-2

Colgate Key Players: Bobby McMann (F), Adam Dauda (F), Josh McKechney (F), Nick Austin (D), Trevor Cosgrove (D), Mitch Benson (G)

The Raiders ended the first half of the season on a winning note shutting out Niagara 2-0. However the rest of the first half was not memorable as Colgate stumbled to a 4-9-2 record. The highlight was an opening weekend sweep over New Hampshire. But not much went right for Colgate and I cannot imagine it will get better either. The only positive for Colgate is they lead the country in face-off percentage at 58.1%

Colgate is an offensively challenged team. They are averaging 1.26 goals per game this season. They have been shutout four times already this season. Not one player is averaging a point per game and their top scorer has eight points this year which is Bobby McMann who has four goals and four assists. No one else on the roster has more than two goals. The Raiders power play is also poor as well connecting at 12.7% which is tied for ninth worst in the Division I ranks. I don't see anywhere we this improves this season as there just is not a lot of talent up front for Colgate.

Colgate's defense has given up a shade over three goals per game this season. Nine different defenseman have played for the Raiders this season as they have struggled to find consistency on the back end. Its an area where a talented team like Quinnipiac can exploit and punch in goals on them. The Raiders penalty kill is the worst in college hockey at 69.4%, the only program in the country that is sub 70%. Quinnipiac needs to force penalties to exploit the biggest weakness that Colgate has on the ice with their penalty kill. If they can do that this game could be a one-sided affair.

The Raiders are not going to be able to fill Colton Point's play in net and frankly no one expected them to. Freshman Mitch Benson has done all he can to keep Colgate in games and has a 2.94 goals against average and a .909 save percentage to show for it. He is going to have to stand tall for this team to have a chance this weekend against Quinnipiac.

This is game Quinnipiac cannot afford to lose even though it is considered a non-conference game. Colgate just is not a very good team and it would be a negative impact to the Bobcats pairwise if they were to lose this game. They need to take it to this team early and often and get out healthy and give Rand Pecknold his 500th career victory.

You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Monday, December 24, 2018

Q&A with Quinnipiac commit CJ McGee

CJ McGee (photo by Shreveport Mudbugs of NAHL)

Quinnipiac recently picked up another tri-state area player along with a former Don Bosco Prep (NJ) player in Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL) defenseman CJ McGee. A native of Pearl River, New York, McGee is in his first season with Shreveport after being a tender by them at the end of the last season. He is currently tied for the team lead in scoring with 24 points in 29 games from the blue line including 9 power play points. Thanks to CJ for taking the time out of his busy hockey schedule to do this Q&A for the BobcatsHockeyBlog.


BobcatsHockeyBlog: First off congratulations. What are your emotions like after making the decision to commit to Quinnipiac?

CJ McGee: Thank you and I am just very thankful for the opportunity and very excited to be committed to a great program.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Tell us about your overall recruiting process with Quinnipiac. When did they first start to show interest in you as a player? Have you had a chance to visit the University and the hockey facilities and if so what are your thoughts?

CJ McGee: Well I played for the North Jersey Avalanche so the coaching staff had seen me play a few times. Then I moved to Louisiana to play and met head coach Rand Pecknold at a showcase in Blaine, Minnesota. From there, I began a relationship with coach Joe Dumais. I also have been up to the school a few times before they began to recruit me and I loved the campus and the area around it. I was also very impressed with the hockey facilities.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Did any other NCAA schools start to show interest in you and if so which ones and what separated Quinnipiac from those other schools?

CJ McGee: A few schools did but out of respect for those schools I prefer to keep them private. But Quinnipiac stood out to me because of the level of the staff is unmatched compared to other schools. It was also very clear how much time, not only the coaches, but the video guy and the trainer put in to make sure the guys are in the best possible position to succeed.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Last year you played a full season with North Jersey Avalanche after graduating from Don Bosco Prep the prior year. What went into the decision to play midgets as an 18/19 yr old?

CJ McGee: Well I actually played with the Avalanche the whole time I was at Don Bosco and I decided to finish my last year of midgets before playing juniors because I had a great coaching staff with the Avalanche.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: After playing with the Avalanche you were tendered with Shreveport in the North American Hockey League. What went into signing the tender with the Mudbugs? Did other leagues show interest in you as well and what separated the NAHL from those other leagues if that was the case?

CJ McGee: Shreveport was one of the first teams to show interest in me, and then from there I went down to Shreveport to meet the coaching staff and see the rink. When I watched a game and saw the atmosphere with the fans and the players it was just something I wanted to be a part of and that was how I made my decision.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: You have gotten off a to a good start with Shreveport going 7-17-24 in 29 games. What do you attribute to this hot start and how has the level of play been for you in the NAHL this season?

CJ McGee: Well I struggled early when I got here before the season started. After playing a couple of pre-season games, I got more of a feel for the speed of the game and then our team has a ton of really good players that make it easy to play with and they have helped me with the start I have had.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Tell us about your overall game as a player. Are you a defenseman leans more towards being an offensive defenseman more than a stay at home defenseman? What would you say your strengths are as a player?

CJ McGee: I always struggled with skating but I started working with a skating coach the past two years that has helped me a lot and allowed me to get more offensive but I still play a pretty defensive game. My biggest strength as a player from what I have been told is my IQ and my ability to see the ice well.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: When are you set to enroll at Quinnipiac? Will it be for 2019-2020 or 2020-21?

CJ McGee: Right now that is currently undecided.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: What are some of the areas of your game that you want to improve upon prior to enrolling at Quinnipiac?

CJ McGee: I always just want to work on my skating and my ability to move the puck up ice as fast as I can.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: You at played at Don Bosco which has seen former and current players like John Campomenosi and Liam McLinskey commit to Quinnipiac as well. How good has the level of hockey improved in the New York/New Jersey area say the last five plus years?

CJ McGee: The area around New York, New Jersey including Pennsylvania and Connecticut has been on a steady incline in the level of play as far as I know.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: You a Pearl River, New York native which is the same hometown as Liam McLinskey another recent Bobcat commit. Can you tell us what Quinnipiac is getting in him as a player and does it make it easier committing to Quinnipiac knowing that guys you played with will also be joining you?

CJ McGee: He is a great player and he actually happens to be my cousin so it definitely helps knowing he will be going there as well.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Is there a player in the game today that you try to model your game after?

CJ McGee: Not necessarily. I just try to play a sound game defensively and join the offense as much as I see fit.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: To this point in your life who has been the biggest influence to get to achieving an NCAA Division I opportunity?

CJ McGee: I would say my father as he was drafted in the NHL and pushes me to be my best.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: What should the Quinnipiac community expect from you as a person on and off the ice?

CJ McGee: They should expect me to be the best person I can be off the ice and the best player i can on the ice.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: What does CJ McGee like to do when he is not playing hockey?

CJ McGee: I like to spend time with my family and hang out with my friends or play a little Xbox with them.


You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Friday, December 21, 2018

Ethan Leyh commits to Quinnipiac

Ethan Leyh (photo by Langley Rivermen)

The Quinnipac Bobcats remain hot on the ice and hot on the recruiting trail. The Bobcats picked up a verbal commitment from former University of Wisconsin commit and current Langley Rivermen forward Ethan Leyh. The left shot 6'0, 187 pound Leyh is a native of Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada. Leyh has played for Langley for the past one and a half seasons. Originally he committed to the Wisconsin Badgers back in November of 2016.

4.25⭐️ prospect Ethan Leyh commits to Quinnipiac. A graceful skater with smooth hands, speed and creativity. Unafraid in the corners, can undress defenders in small areas and can score. He’ll enroll this fall; former Wisconsin commit.

Leyh is rated as a C prospect on the NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch list which is a potential candidate to be drafted in the 4th, 5th or 6th round of the 2019 NHL Draft. This season, Leyd has been more than a point per game player as a 17-year-old with the Rivermen. In 29 games played he has 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) which leads the Rivermen in scoring. This includes five power play goals and a shorthanded goal. As a 16-year-old last season he put up 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 53 games. In six playoff games for Langley he had 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists).

Recently, Leyh helped lead Canada West to the bronze medal at the 2018 World Junior A Challenge in which he had a strong tournament with 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in six games played. He was recently selected to partake in the CJHL Prospects Game for the Team West roster that will be held January 22, 2019.

Neutral Zone has him enrolling this fall as a true freshman. Congrats to Ethan and welcome to Bobcat Nation.


Links

EliteProspects Player Page
BCHL Player Page




You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Cam Boudreau joining Quinnipiac for second semester

Cam Boudreau will be joining Quinnipiac in the 2nd semester (photo by Junior Bruins)

The Quinnipiac Bobcats will get a jolt on the blue line as they begin the second half of the season. The program has decided to accelerate NCDC Junior Bruins defenseman Cam Boudreau for the second semester of the 2018-2019 as was announced in a press release by the USPHL.

Boudreau will give Quinnipiac depth on the blue line as they make a push for the ECAC championship in the second half of the season and a potential deep NCAA tournament run. The left shot, 6'1, 180 pound Boudreau gives the Bobcats ten true defenseman on the roster but with both Zach Metsa and Joe O'Connor, both playing forward due to injuries, it looks like the coaching staff felt additional depth was necessary and therefore the acceleration of Boudreau took place. I originally had Boudreau as part of the 2019-2020 freshman class. 

The Salem, New Hampshire native was the captain of the Junior Bruins this season and finished with 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) in 29 games played this season. Overall in a season and a half with the Junior Bruins, Boudreau finished with 30 points (6 goals, 24 assists) in 74 games played. 


You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.



Tuesday, December 11, 2018

In the Pipeline: 12/11/2018

Its officially the first semester break for Quinnipiac. After a 14-3 start and a #5 ranking, Quinnipiac has put themselves in excellent position for a return to the NCAA tournament with a quality second half of the season. Over this past weekend the Bobcats split a series with #1 UMass winning 4-0 Friday in Hamden before falling 3-1 the following night in Amherst. With no hockey for the next few weeks we will just have to follow more of the future Bobcats so let's see how some of them did over the past week.

Evan Fear won USHL goaltender of the week for the second time this season


BCHL commits

Jayden Lee had another strong week with four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in three games played. The Powell River Kings defensemen now has 24 points (3 goals, 18 assists) in 31 games played.

Skyler Brind'Amour picked up a goal in three games played this past week for the Chilliwack Chiefs. He now has 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) in 32 games played.

Tyler Ghirardosi picked up three assists in three games for the Trail Smoke Eaters. On the season in 32 games played he has 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists).

PJ Fletcher picked up an assist in two games played for the Wenatchee Wild. On the season, Fletcher has 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) in 31 games played.

Christophe Tellier had a goal in two games this weekend for the Wenatchee Wild. He now has 24 points (9 goals, 15 assists) in 29 games played.

USHL commits

Evan Fear picked up his second USHL goaltender of week award after going 1-0 with a .963 save percentage in a 2-1 shootout win over Cedar Rapids. Fear on the season is 7-6-2-0 with a 3.30 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.

Justin Robbins went 1-1 in two games this past week for the Chicago Steel. He gave up two goals in each game. On the season he is 10-6-1-0 with a 3.29 goals against average and an .880 save percentage.

NAHL commits

CJ McGee picked up a goal and an assist in two games for the Shreveport Mudbugs. McGee, now has taken over the team lead in scoring with 20 points (6 goals, 14 assists) in 26 games. Look for a Q&A with CJ this week.

The points continue to pile up for Jack Silich of the Chicago Mission

NCDC commits

Cam Boudreau had one goal in two games played for the Junior Bruins. In 26 games played he has 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) from the blue line.

Arytom Borshyov picked up two assists in two games played for the Northern Cyclones. He now has 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) in 7 games played.

Yaniv Perets gave up three goals in a loss this weekend for the Junior Bruins against the New Hampshire Monarchs. He made 31 saves in the game. In 20 games played he is 14-5-0-1 with a 2.19 goals against and a .936 save percentage.

Midget, Prep & High School commits

Jack Silich had three goals and three assists for the Chicago Mission U-15 team in four games over the weekend. On the season he has 75 points (29 goals, 46 assists) in 52 games played.

Oscar Plandowski was selected to the Nova Scotia team for the Canada Games that will take placed in Red Deer. He was also named as a first team All Beast Team for the U-15 level.

Victor Czerneckianair had a two goals and an assist in two games played for the Selects Academy at South Kent U-16. On the season in 33 games played he has 48 points (23 goals, 25 assists).

Liam McLinskey had a goal and one assist in a sing;e game this past week for the Don Bosco Prep hockey team. On the season he has a 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in four games played.

Jacob Quillan picked up a goal and two assists in two games for Salisbury this past week. In five games played he has 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists).


You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Monday, December 10, 2018

Andrew Shortridge named ECAC goaltender of the week

Andrew Shortridge (center), won ECAC goaltender of the week

The weekly awards continue to pile up for Quinnipiac players. After splitting a weekend series with UMass in which Quinnipiac goaltender Andrew Shortridge shutout the Minutemen 4-0 Friday night behind 32 saves many of which were spectacular, he was named the ECAC goaltender of the week as was announced by the league office in a press release today.

Shortridge, with the shutout win moved to 6-0 on the season and lowered his goals against average to 0.83 along with a .966 save percentage. The shutout was the third this season for the junior goaltender and sixth overall for the team. 

This is the first weekly award this season for Shortridge and second of his career following winning the goaltender of the week honors for the week of November 21, 2017. Quinnipiac is now on first semester break with a 14-3 record and a #5 ranking in the USCHO.com polls. They return to action December 29th in a non-conference match-up against Colgate at the Nassau Coliseum.  


You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Quinnipiac ends first half with 3-1 loss to #1 UMass

Quinnipiac fell 3-1 on Saturday night to UMass

In the first Mullins Center sellout crowd in 18 years, the #1 UMass Minutemen used three third period goals to propel past the #8 Quinnipiac Bobcats Saturday night in Amherst, Massachusetts. The loss broke the seven game winning streak for Quinnipiac and was the first for the Bobcats in almost a month dating back to the 5-1 home loss to Union. "I thought UMass was excellent tonight, Rand Pecknold said following the game. They played hard and they were hungry. Carvy [UMass head coach Greg Carvel] did a good job of getting his boys ready for tonight after last night."

The Minutemen came out flying to the start of the game with a ton of sustained pressure in the Quinnipiac zone. UMass threw 13 shots on goal in the opening period and Keith Petruzzelli (37 saves) was strong in the opening frame as Quinnipiac weathered the Minutemen flurry of shots. "For us we struggled mentally after the get-go and I thought Keith was really good in net. Wyatt was pretty good. Disappointing with our effort but you have to give UMass credit added Pecknold."

Quinnipiac showed a bit better pace in the second period but undisciplined play eliminated two power play opportunities before they really got started. The Bobcats struck first 8:24 into the second period when Chase Priskie wristed a shot past Matt Murray on the power play. Brogan Rafferty and Odeen Tufto picked up the assists.

Quinnipiac's 7 game winning streak came to an end in Amherst

UMass had a jump to its game in the third period and they were rewarded for it. 5:27 into the period after a sustained shift of pressure in the Quinnipiac zone along with a Bobcat turnover that came onto the stick of Colin Felix, he fed Ivan Chukarov who beat Keith Petruzzelli blocker side. The Minutemen took the lead when a turnover by Desi Burgart to Peter Diliberatore got picked off and found its way onto Philip Lagunov's stick before he fed Jacob Pritchard who faked out Petruzzelli for putting it home.

The Minutemen added an empty net goal by Bobby Trivigno to seal the win and deny Rand Pecknold his 500th career win. "I thought that was a tremendous series between us and Quinnipiac, Greg Carvel said. Two very similar teams that went head to head. I really like our team's play tonight for 60 minutes." For Quinnipiac this was the third loss on a Saturday night this year following a win. "We were poorly prepared tonight and the guys were mentally drained from last night. It was a 60 minute struggle, Pecknold added. In the end I think last night's game, the team that wanted it more won was Quinnipiac, and tonight the team that wanted it more was UMass."

Quinnipiac is now off for the rest of the first semester and will not return to game action until Saturday December 29th when they face Colgate in a non-conference game at the Nassau Colisuem in Uniondale, New York. 


You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Shortridge shines as Quinnipiac knocks off #1 UMass 4-0

Quinnipiac upset #1 UMass 4-0

In what has been their best effort to date in this turnaround season, the #8 Quinnipiac Bobcats shutout the #1 UMass Minutemen 4-0 before a rocking crowd at the Frank Perrotti, Jr. Arena behind a sensational 32 save effort from junior goaltender Andrew Shortridge. The win gave head coach Rand Pecknold his 499th win as he will take his team up I-91 and into the Mullins Center Saturday night looking for the number 500.

The arena, which was loud and reminiscence of what we saw in the 2015-2016 when the team reached the Frozen Four saw the roof blow off just 42 seconds into the game when Wyatt Bongiovanni found a rebound in front and ripped one past Filip Lindberg. Quinnipiac scored again in the second period when Joe O'Connor from behind the end line found a driving to the net Zach Metsa who buried it past an out of position Lindberg.

Shortridge however was the star of this game with several clutch saves in the second period to keep Quinnipiac ahead in this game. The junior improved his record to 6-0-0 with a .83 goals against average and a .966 save percentage this season. He also recorded his second straight shutout and third of the season giving Quinnipiac its sixth shutout in 16 games played this year.

Andrew Shortridge was stellar with 32 saves in the shutout

Quinnipiac pushed the game just about out of reach when Alex Whelan's strong forecheck along the end wall won a battle for a loose which led to a centering pass to Craig Martin in the slot who roofed it over Lindberg. Martin scored an empty net goal to cap the scoring for Quinnipiac.

With its seventh consecutive win, Quinnipiac moved its season record to 14-2-0 (6-2-0 ECAC) and up to fourth in the ever important pairwise rankings. These two teams now head north to Amherst, Massachusetts and to the Mullins Center for a white out game as Quinnipiac looks to sweep the weekend series and lock down the 500th win of Rand Pecknold's career as they head into the first semester break.


You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Weekend Preview: UMass Minutemen

The Quinnipiac Bobcats have an enormous challenge with #1 UMass this weekend


UMass Head Coach: 
Greg Carvel (3rd season) 34-50-4
2018-2019 UMass record: 12-1-0 (7-0-0 Hockey East)

All-time vs. UMass: Quinnipiac leads series 7-4-2

UMass Key Players: Mitchell Chaffee (F), John Leonard (F), Bobby Trivigno (F), Brett Boeing (F), Cale Makar (D), Mario Ferraro (D), Marc Del Gaizo (D), Matt Murray (G)

Just as I said last week that not enough can be said about the job that Ron Fogarty has done, the same can be applied to Greg Carvel as well and maybe more. Prior to his arrival in Amherst, UMass had lost 88 games in the four years of the John Micheletto era. Carvel's first season with UMass was a massive struggle going just 5-29-2. After turning over the roster at the end of the season his team had a very respectable 17-20-2 campaign in 2017-2018 which was the most wins the program had in a season since 2009-2010. This season, the results have been even better. After starting the season 3-0, they lost to Ohio State before ripping off nine straight wins to come into this weekend home-and-home series with Quinnipiac at 12-1. Greg Carvel has awoken a sleeping giant and things are only expected to get better down the road in Amherst. This might be the series of the year so far in college hockey and one that features two pretty even teams in my opinion. 

The Minutemen returned nine out of its top ten scorers from a season ago with the lone player, Niko Rufo having graduated. This season Cale Makar leads the team in scoring with Mitchell Chaffee with 18 points. The top scorer from a season ago in John Leonard is just a point behind with 17. Senior transfer Jacob Pritchard has 15 points after coming in from St. Lawrence. Sophomore Oliver Chau who was the teams second leading scorer a season ago has gotten off to a very slow start with just three points. But other players have produced to make up for the lack of scoring from Chau in Brett Boeing, Philip Lagunov and Anthony Del Gaizo. Just as Quinnipiac faced an elite power play unit last week in Princeton, they will face one again in UMass who rank second in the country at 32.1%. Chaffee and Pritchard each have four goals on the man advantage while Leonard and Marc Del Gaizo have three each.

Just as the strength of the Quinnipiac Bobcats in on the back end, the same can be said about UMass. Cale Makar is a superstar in college hockey, having been the 4th overall pick in the draft in 2017 by Colorado. Mario Ferraro is a second round pick and they get really good production from freshman Marc Del Gaizo. Ty Farmer is another freshman that has been key for the UMass defense and is a plus 3. Combined those four players are a plus 28 on the blue line. They kill penalties at 87.7% which ranks them in the top ten in the country. They are fast and they move the puck out of the zone extremely well.

The Minutemen have gotten excellent goal-tending from Matt Murray who has taken a leap from a season ago. He has gotten the majority of the workload and is 9-0 with a 1.99 goals against an a .929 save percentage. Quinnipiac never faced Murray last season as Ryan Wischow got both starts when he beat the Bobcats twice a season. He is no longer with the program. The Minutemen's backup Filip Lindberg a freshman has also been excellent as well going 3-1 with a 1.73 goals against and a .936 save percentage. He hasn't seen a start since the November 16th game against Holy Cross. Murray is expected to start this weekend but Quinnipiac also could see Lindberg in one of these games.

With both these teams in the top ten in the country in goals for, goals allowed, power play and penalty kill, it makes this weekend so difficult to predict. One thing I want to see is a hard fought competitive series and an NCAA tournament type atmosphere. I think a split is something that I could expect given the way that Quinnipiac was swept last year by the Minutemen and how they won't want that to happen again. Anything more for Quinnipiac would be icing on the cake. 


You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

In the Pipeline: 12/4/2018

We are a day late in this since Quinnipiac keeps winning ECAC player and rookie of the week awards. That is a definitely a good thing and worthy of bumping this a day. Once again Quinnipiac dominated a weekend series as they swept the defending ECAC champion Princeton Tigers in a home-and-home series this past weekend by a collective score of 9-3. It led to Chase Priskie and Michael Lombardi being named ECAC player and rookie of the week respectively. With that said lets take a look at some of the future Bobcats who could win those awards down the road.

Jayden Lee is riding a four game point with Powell River

BCHL commits

It was another good weekend for Jayden Lee as he picked up a goal and two more assists in two games for the Powell River Kings. On the season he now has 20 points (2 goals, 18 assists) in 28 games played and is riding a four game point streak.

PJ Fletcher picked up a goal and an assist in three games played for the Wenatchee Wild. On the season, Fletcher has 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) in 31 games played.

Wyatt Head picked up a lone assist in two games last weekend. The prior week failed to mention that he had three assists. On the season, Head is the 5th leading scorer on West Kelowna with 23 points (3 goals, 20 assists) in 28 games played.

Christophe Fillion had a three point weekend for the Wenatchee Wild in three games played. The Quebec native had two goals and an assist and now has 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 31 games played.

Fellow Quebec native Christophe Tellier had a goal and an assist in three games this weekend for the Wenatchee Wild. He now has 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists) in 27 games played.

USHL commits

Logan Britt picked up a single assist in one game played over the past week. In 19 games played, Britt has 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists). You can read a Q&A with Britt here.

Make that five straight wins for Justin Robbins. The New Jersey native gave up four goals in a 5-4 win over Central Illinois. He is 9-5-1-0 on the season with 3.46 goals against and an .876 save percentage in 16 games played.

Evan Fear had a tough weekend as he gave up seven goals in a pair of losses for the Green Bay Gamblers. On the season he 6-6-2-0 with a 3.50 goals against average and a .900 save percentage with one shutout.

NAHL commits

Quinnipiac's newest commit is CJ McGee who is playing for the Shreveport Mudbugs. The Pearl River, NY native picked up a lone assist in two games this weekend. On the season he has 18 points (5 goals, 13 assists) in 24 games played. Expect a Q&A with at some point next week during the semester break.

Arytom Borshyov returned to the Northern Cyclones and has 4 points in 5 games

NCDC commits

Connor Tait had a very strong weekend with five points on 3 goals and 2 assists for the Jersey Hitmen. He now has 13 points (7 goals, 6 assists) in 20 games played.

Arytom Borshyov has returned to the Northern Cyclones after a stint with Tri-City in the USHL. On Sunday he had a goal and three assists in a 6-5 win over the New Jersey Rockets. In five games played he has 4 points (1 goal , 3 assists).

Yaniv Perets gave up three goals in a loss this weekend for the Junior Bruins against Syracuse. He made 29 saves in the game. In 19 games played he is 14-4-0-1 with a 2.15 goals against and a .937 save percentage.

OJHL commits

Nick Kent picked up a single assist in a lone game for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. Kent now has 14 points (2 goals, 12 assists) in 25 games played this season.

Midget, Prep & High School commits

Jack Silich had a goal and four assists in three HPHL games this weekend for the Chicago Mission U-15 team. On the season he has 66 points (25 goals, 41 assists) in 46 games played.

Oscar Plandowski picked a lone assist in one game for the Selects Academy at South Kent School U-15 team. In 31 games played, Plandowski has 39 points (7 goals, 32 assists).

Liam McLinskey picked up one assist in one game this past week for the Don Bosco Prep hockey team. He has a goal and two assists in three games played this season.

Jacob Quillan has gotten off to a strong start for the Salisbury Prep team. In three games played he has 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists).


You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Monday, December 3, 2018

Two more Quinnipiac players earn ECAC weekly awards

Chase Priskie has won his first ECAC player of the week

For the second consecutive week following another weekend sweep, the Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey team picked up the ECAC player and rookie of the week awards as announced in a press release by the league office. Last week it was Odeen Tufto and Ethan de Jong taking home the hardware. This week, its the captain of the Bobcats, Chase Priskie taking home the player of the week award after three goals on the weekend. Two of the goals were game winning ones while he also popped in two power play goals.

Priskie has had an excellent first half of the season elevating himself into the Hobey Baker race with 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists) in 15 games played. His 11 goals tie him for second in the country in that category and is the leader among all defenseman. His 19 points tie him for 6th in the country in scoring while he leads the nation with five game winning goals and is tied for first with six power play goals. This is the first ECAC player of the week award for Chase Priskie who had two ECAC rookie of the week awards back in the 2015-2016 season.

Michael Lombardi, left in between two Princeton players won ECAC rookie of the week

Barrington, Rhode Island native Michael Lombardi has been named the ECAC rookie of the week after a goal and an assist with a plus two rating in the weekend series against Princeton. He is the third consecutive Quinnipiac freshman to win the rookie of the week award this season following both Bongiovanni and de Jong. Lombardi has 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) in 15 games played and is riding a four game point streak.

Congrats to both Chase and Michael on their ECAC weekly awards.


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Sunday, December 2, 2018

Quinnipiac offense explodes in final two periods, rips Princeton 6-3

Quinnipiac extended its winning streak to 6 games and improved to 13-2

For the third consecutive weekend the Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey team swept a weekend series and this one might have been the most impressive of them to this point. Quinnipiac swept the defending ECAC champions by a combined score of 9-3 over the two nights including a 6-3 win at the Hobey Baker Rink in Princeton, New Jersey. The win moved Quinnipiac's record to 13-2-0 (6-2-0 ECAC) and sets up a key home and home match up with UMass next weekend before the first semester closes out.

Five of the Quinnipiac goals were scored by seniors including two each from Chase Priskie and Craig Martin who opened the scoring and closed it for the Bobcats. Quinnipiac trailed after one period 1-0 on a Jackson Cressey goal. But they struck quickly in the second just 1:29 on a Craig Martin goal. Princeton would take the lead back not even a minute later when star forward Ryan Kuffner found the back of the net. That would be the last Tigers lead of the night. From there it was an offensive explosion for the Bobcats with goals from freshman Michael Lombardi, Luke Shiplo and Chase Priskie. 

Odeen Tufto had 3 assists in the Quinnipiac win

Princeton got one back with Jackson Cressey scoring on the power play his second goal of the game. From there Quinnipiac put the game out of reach when Chase Priskie scored with a bomb on the power play. The goal gave the captain his 6th on the man advantage and 11th on the season. After jumping out of the box for serving a tripping penalty Craig Martin raced down the ice and beat Ryan Ferland to the loose and made a move around to put it home into an empty net. 

Odeen Tufto had three assists while Peter Diliberatore had two assists. Keith Petruzzelli made 27 saves in the win while Quinnipiac survived seven Princeton man advantages only giving up the lone goal on the man advantage. The Bobcats six game winning streak is the longest since the 2015-2016 campaign when they reached the Frozen Four. Next week presents Quinnipiac's biggest test to date against UMass Amherst in a home and home series against the top ranked team in the pairwise and one of the best players in the country in Cale Makar. 


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Saturday, December 1, 2018

Quinnipiac shuts out defending ECAC champion Princeton 3-0

Quinnipiac moved to 12-2 with a 3-0 win over Princeton

After a four game road trip that took Quinnipiac to Colgate, Cornell and Maine, the Bobcats returned home to Hamden to the friendly confines of the People's United Bank Center where they shut out the defending ECAC champion Princeton Tigers 3-0 on Friday night behind a 20 save effort from Andrew Shortridge. The win moved Quinnipiac to 12-2-0 (5-2-0 ECAC).

"It was a great win, head coach Rand Pecknold said following the game. Princeton is a really good team. They have some of the better players in the country, not just in our league in Veronneau, Kuffner and Teves. They are really well coached and I am impressed by their staff and the job they have done."

The first period looked as if the game was going to remain scoreless heading into the intermission, but a cross checking penalty with eight seconds left by Princeton co-captain Josh Teves gave Quinnipiac an offensive zone face-off late. Odeen Tufto won the draw back to Chase Priskie who rocketed home his fifth power play goal of the season and ninth overall.

The teams played to a second period stalemate that saw a potential Princeton goal waived off after the net came loose. But it was the Quinnipiac defense that really committed itself to shutting down the Princeton top line tonight holding them to just seven shots. "I was really happy with how myself and [Karlis] Cukste played tonight shutting down Veronneau, Kuffner and Riche line, Chase Priskie said.

Chase Priskie scored his 5th power play goal of the season and 9th overall

Quinnipiac found an insurance goal after forcing a turnover in the neutral zone that was picked up by Scott Davidson who wristed one high glove side past Princeton goaltender Ryan Ferland. "We needed that, he needed that, Pecknold said about Davidson. He's played really well. He's a great kid. He has high character and has done a great job for us over four years."

Andrew Shortridge picked up his fifth win of the season and second shutout for a Bobcat team that has five shutouts already this season. Odeen Tufto added an empty net goal to seal the win giving him his tenth goal of the season and sixth multi point game.

The two teams conclude the series as they meet up tomorrow night in Princeton, New Jersey at the Hobey Baker Rink with game time set for 7 pm.


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