Q&A with Quinnipiac commit Devin Moore

The Quinnipiac Bobcats recently picked up a verbal commitment for the 2017-2018 season from Hampstead, New Hampshire native Devin Moore, a 1997 forward playing with the Brockville Braves in the Central Canada Hockey League. The 5'7 160 pound forward has had a very good rookie season with Brockville with 42 points (19 goals and 23 assists) in 49 games played. I wrote more about his commitment last week. Moore is the sixth 1997 born player to commit to the Bobcats. He is expected to bring offensive ability and speed to the Quinnipiac offense for next season.  I had a chance to catch up with him as he graciously gave me some of his time for a question and answer session so Bobcat Nation can get to know one of the incoming players for the 2017-18 season.

Devin Moore (photo by Jonathon Brodie/The Recorder and Times)

Jonathan Singer: First off let me say congratulations on your commitment and welcome to Quinnipiac. What are your emotions like right now after making this decision?

Devin Moore: Thank you! I was honored to have the chance to play for such an elite program. I was beyond excited that they made an offer to me and I couldn't pass it up. It's been a dream of mine for a while now and it has become a reality.

Jonathan Singer: Tell us about your recruiting process. Did you have any other Division I offers?What other schools were looking at you and did you take any recruiting visits during this process?

Devin Moore: I didn't have any other offers yet but either my coach [Colin Birkas] or I had talked to about ten schools and it seemed like a few of those other schools were going to make a decision on me sometime soon.

Jonathan Singer: From the press release put out by the Central Canada Hockey League it says that Quinnipiac associate head coach Joe Dumais was the one who recruited you. When did he first see you play and show interest in you as a player?

Devin Moore: He [Dumais] had been talking to my coach for about a week and then gave me a call early last week expressing how interested they were in me. He came to my game this past Friday against the Pembroke Lumber Kings to see me play and that's when he made me an offer.

Jonathan Singer: From there it looks like less than 12 hours later you announced your verbal commitment to Quinnipiac. Would that be accurate?

Devin Moore: Yes that's true.

Jonathan Singer: You played the last three seasons at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire improving each year. After graduating you decided on playing in the CCHL. What made you decide on that league as opposed to other leagues such as the BCHL, AJHL or even the NAHL?

Devin Moore: I actually was visiting a Division III school and I told them I wanted to play a year of juniors so one of the assistants at that school said he was going to help find me a home. It was in early April of last year and Brockville became an option and head coach Colin Birkas sold me. I wanted to find a home early on in the spring so I could focus on getting better over the summer rather than going to multiple tryouts with other juniors teams in other leagues. I told coach [Birkas] I wanted to come play for Brockville and I'm very pleased with the decision I made.

Jonathan Singer: How much have you improved in your game since coming to Brockville to play under coach Birkas? What would you say are some of your strengths? And what do you feel you have to continue to work on before coming to Quinnipiac this fall?

Devin Moore: I think my game has improved immensely these last couple months with coach Birkas. He's given me the opportunity to improve my game day in and day out. I think my strengths are my work ethic, I like to play the game fast and I am definitely a smart player. I'd say the biggest thing I have to work on is getting stronger. I've always been on the small side so I'm going have to work hard this summer so I'm ready to go this fall.

Jonathan Singer: Following on the last point on working out this summer to get stronger. Do you plan on coming to Quinnipiac early in the summer to work out under their strength and conditioning coach and the teams program?

Devin Moore: I haven't really thought about that yet but most likely I will come to early to Quinnipiac to work out early.

Jonathan Singer: Do you plan on signing your national letter of intent when the signing period opens in April?

Devin Moore: Yes and I'll go visit Quinnipiac when my junior season ends with Brockville.

Jonathan Singer: Will this be the first time you will have visited the Quinnipiac campus?

Devin Moore: Yes it will but I have looked at it a lot online.

Jonathan Singer: How would you describe yourself as a player? Would you say your more of a goal scorer or someone who is more of a play-maker?

Devin Moore: I would say that I am more of a play-maker but this year I've been relied upon to score some big goals. With that being said I still think I'm a more of a play-maker.

Jonathan Singer: What does the Quinnipiac coaching staff envision your role to be in the 2017-2018 season?

Devin Moore: They expect me to come in and contribute by making plays and by getting on the score sheet along with having a strong team work ethic.

Jonathan Singer: Quinnipiac hasn't recruited a lot out of the CCHL recently but their greatest find was another small player named Matthew Peca who played for the Pembroke Lumber Kings and had an impressive four year career at Quinnipiac before signing professionally with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. Do you know a lot about him?

Devin Moore: Yes I've heard of him before. I actually looked him up and noticed he played in his first NHL game earlier this year and tallied his first NHL goal.

Jonathan Singer is a 2004 Quinnipiac alum. You can follow him on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Quinnipiac recruiting notes 2/6/17

It was good weekend to be a Quinnipiac Bobcat fan and not just a fan of the men's hockey program. While the men's team swept a weekend slate against Brown and rival Yale, the women's hockey team also swept the same teams and both the men's and women's basketball teams both won on Saturday. For the men's team sweeping the weekend was important for ECAC positioning as they remain in fourth place in the conference which is the final spot for a first round bye. Cornell currently in fifth place still has two games in hand on Quinnipiac so its going to come down to the finish for playoff positioning. With the weekend in the rear view let's take a look at how some of the future Bobcats did over the past week.

Matt Creamer (photo by Nanaimo Clippers)

Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL) 1997 forward Matt Creamer had a two goals and one assist in two games played this weekend. He has a three game point streak going (2 goals and 4 assists). In 49 games played this season he has 29 points (15 goals and 14 assists). The 6'1 195 pound forward is expected to be part of the 2017-18 incoming freshman class. On the season in 49 games played he has 15 goals and 14 assists (29 points).

1996 forward Matt Forchuk had another three point weekend with a goal and two assists in two games for the Canmore Eagles (AJHL). He currently leads the AJHL in scoring with 72 points (22 goals and 50 assists) in 45 games played. He is part of the Bobcats incoming 2017 recruiting class for next season and will be expected to have a big role next season.

Matt Forchuk (photo by Pam Doyle)

Hamden, CT native Joe O'Connor is starting to get into a groove after missing more than half the season with an injury. Over the past week the 1996 defenseman has had a goal and two assists. He has four points (1 goal and 4 assists) in seven games this year. A season ago he was just shy under a point per game player from the blue line with 52 points (14 goals and 38 assists) in 55 games for Brooks Bandits (AJHL). He is part of the Bobcats incoming 2017 recruiting class and brings some size and scoring ability from the blue line.

1997 forward Odeen Tufto continues to play well for the Tri City Storm (USHL). He had a goal and assist in three games last week for the Storm. In eight games since his trade to Tri City he has seven points (3 goals and 4 assists) in 8 games. In 38 games played this season he had 28 points (8 goal and 20 assists). Having already signed his national letter of intent he will be part of the Bobcats 2017 incoming class.

One of the newer Quinnipiac recruits continues to produce as a prep player at Kimball Union Academy. In his last four games, 1998 forward Matthew Lombardi has six points (2 goals and 4 assists). On the season he is up to 40 points (15 goals and 25 assists) in 29 games played and averaging 1.38 points per game. He will head to juniors next season after graduating from Kimball Union.

Salisbury School 2000 defenseman Peter Diliberatore has four assists in his last six games for the In 23 games played the Nova Scotia native has 10 points (3 goals and 7 assists). His USHL rights are held by Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) and the Halifax Mooseheads own his rights in the QMJHL.

Quinnipiac picked up two new commits since Friday starting with 2001 forward Connor Tait from Team Maryland 16U. I wrote about Tait here. On Saturday the Bobcats picked up a commitment for 2017-18 season from Devin Moore out of Brockville (CCHL). Moore has 42 points (19 goal and 23 assists) in 49 games played. You can read more about Moore here.

Jonathan Singer is a 2004 Quinnipiac alum. You can follow him on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Priskie and Jermain lead Quinnipiac to 5-2 win over Yale

No. 19 Quinnipiac got a pair of goals each from sophomore Chase Priskie and freshman Nick Jermain in a 5-2 win Saturday night over Yale in front of sold out crowd of 3,500 at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Connecticut. It was the first meeting of the season for the Whitney Avenue rivals with key ECAC points on the line. A night after Andrew Shortridge shutout Brown, it was Chris Truehl getting the start in goal for the Bobcats.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring just 4:22 into the first period when Joe Snively slipped a pass in front of the net to wide open Frankie DiChiara who ripped a wrist shot high glove side past Truehl. It was the 8th of the season for DiChiara with Snively and John Hayden picking up the assists. Four and a half minutes later, Yale's JM Piotrowski boarded Quinnipiac's Luke Shiplo giving the Bobcats a five minute power play. Fifty-nine seconds later Chase Priskie blasted home a one timer on a pass from Brogan Rafferty to even the game at one. The score remained tied at the end of one period in which Quinnipiac out shot Yale 10-5.

Chase Priskie (photo by Matt Dewkett)

Just 1:42 into the second period John Hayden boarded Luke Shiplo once again giving the Bobcats a five minute power play once again. However it was the Bulldogs Frankie DiChiara scoring on a wrap around from Joe Snively to give the home team lead once again. Quinnipiac responded a little over three minutes later when Chase Priskie blasted a shot from just inside the blue high past Patrick Spano. It was Priskie's second of the game and sixth of the season. Tanner MacMaster and Landon Smith were credited for assists on Priskie's goal. Just under ten minutes later freshman Nick Jermain took a Connor Clifton took a cross ice pass skating the puck in towards Spano before flicking a shot past Spano for the goal the first of his collegiate career for the Cos Cob, Connecticut native. Freshman Logan Mick also picked up his first career point with an assist on Jermain's goal. Yale out shot Quinnipiac 9-7 in the middle frame.

In the third period Quinnipiac had to kill off an early holding call on Connor Clifton and less than a minute after the teams were back at even strength the Bobcats struck again with Nick Jermain. The freshman took a backhanded pass from Kevin Duane where he slid it past a diving Spano who was not in position at the time. Logan Mick picked up his second assist of the game on Jermain's second goal of the game. Quinnipiac put the game on ice and sent the Ingalls crowd to the exits with a beauty of a passing display by Chase Priskie and Brogan Rafferty before Tim Clifton finished a power play goal into an open net as Spano had his attention focused on Priskie. Yale out shot Quinnipiac 6-5 in the final period despite the Bobcats scoring two goals. Chris Truehl made 18 saves in the win. Of the 14 points scored tonight by Quinnipiac players, seven of them came from freshman which is a good sign that some of the younger players are stepping up in the Bobcats stretch run before the start of the ECAC tournament.

Nick Jermain (photo by Catherine Avalone/New Haven Register)

Quinnipiac improves on the season to 16-11-2 (10-6-1 ECAC) with the win while Yale falls to 10-9-4 (6-7-3 ECAC). The Bobcats are currently in fourth place one point ahead of Cornell but the Big Red still have two games in hand on Quinnipiac. Rand Pecknold's team returns to High Point Solutions Arena next weekend for a single ECAC game against Clarkson on Friday night at 7pm.

Jonathan Singer is a 2004 Quinnipiac alum. You can follow him on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

1997 forward Devin Moore commits to Quinnipiac

The Quinnipiac Bobcats picked up another commitment a day after 2001 forward Connor Tait verbally committed to the Bobcats. Today Quinnipiac received a commitment from 1997 forward Devin Moore of the Brockville Braves in the Central Canada Hockey League for the 2017-2018 season. Moore, a Hampstead, New Hampshire native is a 5'7 160 pound forward who played the last three seasons prior to arriving in Brockville at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire.

In 49 games played for Brockville this season, Moore has 19 goals and 23 assists with six of his goals coming by way of the power play. He should give the Bobcats some additional scoring offensive depth in the 2017-18 season. Associate head coach Joe Dumais was the one who scouted Moore for Quinnipiac prior to his commitment to the program. The last time Quinnipiac found a smaller player in the CCHL was Matthew Peca who became one of the best players in school history and recently had a stint with the Tampa Bay Lightning scoring his first NHL goal.

Devin Moore (photo by Jonathon Brodie/The Recorder and Times)

While Moore is a small forward he has offensive skills and can either finish or be the set-up man. Brockville General Manager Dustin Traylen had nothing but good things to say about Moore in the organization's press release.

"Devin is living proof for all smaller players that heart, desire, work ethic, skill-set, and leadership cam trump physical stature, he is very deserving of this opportunity,” stated Traylen."

The recruiting website Neutral Zone had this to say about Moore.

Neutral Zone ‏@_Neutral_Zone  4h4 hours ago

Neutral Zone Retweeted Devin Moore

3.25 star prospect Devin Moore commits to Quinnipiac. Elusive, creative, high IQ forward who shined at Hockey Day in @CCHLTier1 last week

With a high hockey IQ its no wonder that he is someone Quinnipiac's coaching staff wants on their roster. Quinnipiac has had a lot of success in the past with small forwards and I would expect Rand Pecknold and his staff to get the most out of Moore. Congratulations to Devin and his family on his commitment and welcome to the Quinnipiac family.

Jonathan Singer is a 2004 Quinnipiac alum. You can follow him on Twitter @jonathan_singer.

Shortridge's 21 saves leads Quinnipiac to 1-0 shutout over Brown

Freshman goaltender Andrew Shortridge had 21 saves as the No. 19 Quinnipiac Bobcats beat the Brown Bears 1-0 on Friday night in Providence, Rhode Island. This was the first career shutout for Shortridge and the first Bobcats shutout win this season. They tied Saint Lawrence 0-0 in the Friendship Four tournament back in November.

Early in the game the Bobcats had a flurry of quality scoring chances but Brown freshman goaltender Gavin Nieto was up the challenge. Quinnipiac broke through in the first when Bo Pieper took a Landon Smith pass just after the blue line and skated up and slipped a wrist shot short side past Nieto. It was the 10th goal of the season for Pieper who has doubled his goal totals from a season ago when he had five. Tanner MacMaster was also credited with a secondary assist on the goal his fourth of the season while the assist was Smith's 13th of the year. Shortridge was rarely tested in the first period as the Bobcats out shot the Bears 14-4 in the opening frame. The teams also played a clean period with no penalties called.

Andrew Shortridge (photo by Mary Schwalm Boston Globe

In the second period there was not much offensive chances for the Bears as the Quinnipiac defense tightened up and held Brown to just two shots on goal for the entire period. The first penalty was called late in the period on the Bears giving the Bobcats the first power play of the game that they eventually did not capitalize on. Quinnipiac out shot Brown 9-2 in the middle frame.

In the third period the Bobcats took an early tripping penalty just 44 seconds into the period by freshman defenseman Kārlis Čukste that they eventually killed off. Seven minutes later the Bobcats once again went on the penalty kill due to a slash by Tim Clifton. The penalty was over once Brown's Nolan Aibel was sent off for a hook and while the Bobcats had a short power play chance where they could not muster a goal. With just under nine minutes left Kevin Duane was sent off for kneeing but the Bobcats defense and Shortridge continued to stymie the Bears chances. Down the stretch it was Shortridge who came up huge for Quinnipiac with multiple saves on a flurry of shots with some of them in traffic. He made 15 saves in the period as Brown out shot Quinnipiac in the final frame. Quinnipiac out shot Brown 32-21 for the game. Shortridge picked up his sixth win the of season as he rebounded from being pulled a week ago against Arizona State.

Bo Pieper (photo by Jenn Hoffman / Pucks & Rec)

Quinnipiac improves to 15-11-2 (9-6-1 ECAC) with the win while Brown falls to 4-17-1 (3-12 ECAC). The Bobcats returns to action tomorrow night with an eight mile trip down Whitney Avenue to face rival Yale at 7pm. The Bulldogs are coming off a 4-2 loss at the hands of Princeton and currently sit four points behind Quinnipiac in the ECAC standings.

Jonathan Singer is a 2004 Quinnipiac alum. You can follow him on Twitter @jonathan_singer.

Scouting the enemy: Yale Bulldogs

They meet again. No. 19 Quinnipac heads eight miles down Whitney Avenue to face off against rival Yale for the first time this season. Its one of the more important games for the Bobcats as the ECAC regular season start to wind down. Both Quinnipiac and Yale are fighting for what likely will be the final ECAC first round bye as Saint Lawrence, Union and Harvard look to have control of the first three seeds. Right now as it is currently stands, Quinnipiac, Yale, Cornell and Clarkson are going to fight it out for the final playoff bye. Those four teams are separated by three points which shows you just how important this game against the Bulldogs is. Yale is one of the hottest teams in the country with a 6-1-2 run in the month of January to get back into the race for a top four spot after getting off to 2-4-2 start to begin the season. Currently 10-7-4, Yale has not lost an ECAC game since December 10th when they fell 5-3 to Union. The Bobcats have owned the Bulldogs in the all time series 15-6-5. Yale's last win against the Bobcats came in the 2013 National Championship game in Pittsburgh winning that game 4-0.

Joe Snively (photo by Yale Bulldogs Athletics)

The Bulldogs are getting great production from sophomore Joe Snively who leads the team in points with 26 (8 goals and 18 assists) but its the senior captain John Hayden (2013 3rd round, Chicago) who is coming into his own as a player. A season ago Hayden had 23 points in 32 games but his production this season has been greater with 25 points (16 goals and 9 assists) in only 21 games played so far. Of his 16 goals this season a staggering ten of them have come on the power play along with three game winning goals. Hayden is by far and away the player I would focus on if I was in the Quinnipiac's coaching staff's shoes. He has 107 shots on goal which is 53 more than the next Yale player. Keeping Hayden bottled up and limiting his shots would be a good way to give the team a leg up in trying to defeat the Bulldogs. Other forwards of note that Quinnipiac need to watch out for are junior Ryan Hitchcock 19 points (3 goals and 16 assists), senior Frankie DiChiara 14 points (7 goals and  7 assists) and sophomore Ted Hart 9 points (7 goals and 2 assists). Yale is averaging 3.14 goals per game which ranks them 18th in the country but they have one of the more impressive power plays scoring at a 21.43% clip (21-of-98) which ranks them 11th in the country. That is second best among ECAC teams behind Harvard which is the number one ranked power play in the country. It will be critical for the Bobcats to remain disciplined in this game to avoid giving the Bulldogs man advantage opportunities.

Yale defensively in more of a middle of the pack team giving up 2.81 goals per game which is 31st in the country. Yale lost some quality defenseman in Rob O'Gara,  Ryan Obuchowski and Mitch Witek to graduation. The Bulldogs also lost junior defenseman Nate Repensky to a career ending injury before the season. The injury left the Bulldogs with only two upperclassmen on the blue line yet only one of them sees consistent game action in junior Adam Larkin who has 11 points (3 goals and 8 assists). Yale has had to rely on many of the younger players to get experience on the fly and it has paid off in the second semester. With young players like Charlie Curti, Matt Foley, Billy Sweezey and Chandler Lindstrand starting to come into their own as players, the Bulldogs in the month of January have really tightened things up defensively to the tune of 1.88 goals per game. The Bulldogs penalty kill is 26th in the country at 84.4% (81-of-96) and they have given up six power play goals in their last nine games.

John Hayden (photo by Steven Ryan/Icon SMI)

Yale had to replace an All-American goaltender when junior Alex Lyon decided to forego his senior year and sign with the Philadelphia Flyers organization. His former backup Patrick Spano has done a real solid job filling the shoes that Lyon left. In 17 games played, Spano is 8-4-4 with a 2.39 goals against average and a .915 save percentage with one shutout. He has given stability in net for the Bulldogs which has been key for turning around their season from their early struggles. In Spano's last five games he has a goals against average of 1.40.

Quinnipiac is 4-0-1 in its last five trips to Ingalls Rink with the Bulldogs last win coming on November 6, 2010 in a 5-1 win over the Bobcats. This should be a great hockey game between a pair of rivals with key ECAC points at stake for both teams. This is Yale's best chance to score a win against Quinnipiac since 2013 but don't expect the Bobcats to lay down without a fight even if this has not been a typical Quinnipiac season like the past four years. The players get up for games against Yale and expect a hard nosed effort by Quinnipiac on Saturday night.

Jonathan Singer is a 2004 Quinnipiac alum. You can follow him on Twitter @jonathan_singer.

2001 forward Connor Tait commits to Quinnipiac

A source has confirmed to the Bobcats Hockey Blog that Team Maryland forward Connor Tait has verbally committed to Quinnipiac University for either the 2019 or 2020 season. The 6'1, 190 pound power forward out of Boyd, Maryland is a January 2001 born player. The Bobcats have had previous success from another Team Maryland player in Sam Anas ('16) who was one of the most prolific players in the Quinnipiac's history and signed a professional contract with the Minnesota Wild and is currently playing for the Wild's AHL team in Iowa.

Connor Tait (photo by Team Maryland)

Tait has so far shown the ability to score at a young age. In 29 games played for Team Maryland split between the AYHL 16U and ECEL 16U he has scored 42 goals and has 14 assists. In the ECEL playoffs he had another goal and four assists in four playoffs games. On top of playing for Team Maryland, Tait is also a sophomore standout on the Gonzaga College High School team in Washington, D.C. In 24 games played for Gonzaga, Tait has scored 30 goals and has 14 assists. That leads the team in scoring by 13 points over the next highest player on the roster.

Here are a couple of scouting tidbits from Neutral Zone and Matt Grainda an amateur scout for the USHL.

Neutral Zone ‏@_Neutral_Zone  11m11 minutes ago

3.75 star prospect Connor Tait (Team Maryland) commits to Quinnipiac. A natural goal scorer w/ a tall frame & projectable offensive ability

Matt Grainda ‏@graindaiv  3h3 hours ago

Connor Tait (01) commits to Quinnipiac. Team Maryland 16U, USA Select 15s. Laser shot, power FWD, finds the net often. #WhosNext #NTDPwatch

Back in 2015 U.S. Hockey Report wrote this scouting report on Tait after seeing him at a tournament.

"Connor Tait, ’01 F, 6-0/175, #22 Team Maryland – Big right-shot power forward was physical and not afraid to use his size. A center, he has a good quick release to his shot, with no telegraphing. Went wide on defenders down the right side at will, using his long reach and strength to hold off defenders. Protects it very well. And sees ice well. Has a powerful stride and quick acceleration though he’s not very agile, just like many big kids his age."  

Connor Tait (photo by Team Maryland & ECEL)

Last July, Tait was selected and took part in the USA Hockey Select 15 Player Development Camp in Amherst, NY which is comprised of the top 15 year old players throughout the United States. USHR rated Tait an A forward at the camp and had this to say about him.

Connor Tait (#16 Navy Blue) 6’0.75/190, R, Team Maryland U14 – Pretty noticeable. Has size. More a finisher than a playmaker. Scored game-winning shootout goal Tues vs. Kelly Green. (2-0-2)

Just recently Tait was selected in the first ever NCDC draft by the New Jersey Hitmen which is the USPHL's tuition-free division that will drop its inaugural puck in September 2017. Tait is also eligible for the USHL draft and the OHL draft this spring and is NHL draft eligible in 2019. Tait becomes the fifth 2001 to commit to Quinnipiac after Ethan Phillips, Dom Fensore, Nicholas Kent and PJ Fletcher. Congrats to Connor and his family on this great achievement.

Jonathan Singer is a 2004 Quinnipiac alum. You can follow him on Twitter @jonathan_singer.