Scouting the Enemy: Yale Bulldogs

It's that time again. Quinnipiac vs. Yale. While both teams are not at the top of the ECAC standings like in years past, this is a still a good rivalry with the two teams jockeying for position in the standings with the Bobcats and Bulldogs separated by one point for 8th and 9th place. After a 3-7 start to the season, Yale has gone 8-4-1 since December 2nd to come in with a record of 11-11-1. The Bulldogs however with be without head coach Keith Allain who has taken his talents to Pyeongchang, South Korea as an assistant coach for Team USA men's ice hockey. These two teams last met in Hamden on November 18th with Quinnipiac coming away with a 3-0 win. 

Yale Key Players: Joe Snively (F), Dante Palecco (F), Ryan Hitchcock (F), Luke Stevens (F), Evan Smith (F), Ted Hart (F), Billy Sweezey (D), Phil Kemp (D), Charlie Curti (D), Sam Tucker (D)

The Yale offense has struggled at times this season to a tune of only 2.74 goals per game which is good for 37th in the country. Its a similar offense to Quinnipiac where they are lacking some high end talent and consistency on the offensive end. Joe Snively is clearly the Bulldogs best forward with 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists). He is the primary guy that Quinnipiac cannot let beat them. Other key players for Yale include Ryan Hitchcock (15 points), Evan Smith (12 points), Dante Palecco (11 points) and Ted Hart (11 points). No team in the country has a worse power play than Yale. They have scored on 9 of 94 chances (9.57%) which is surprising since they do have some nice offensive pieces up front.

Yale's defense is much improved from early in the season as they give up 2.70 goals per game which is tied for 22nd in the country with Union. They have some good talent on the blue line with sophomore Bill Sweezey (Plus 3), junior Charlie Curti (Plus 7), junior Anthony Walsh (Plus 8) and freshman Phil Kemp (Plus 9). They have stabilized the defense from their early season struggles and have played much better since the beginning of December with a goals against sub 2.50. The strength of the defense is obviously on special teams with the penalty kill at a clip just a shade over 82% (83-of-101) which is 22nd in the country. This is clearly a much better defensive team that what Quinnipiac faced early in the season but without Keith Allain will they still have the same structure and discipline?

Junior goaltender Sam Tucker has a sub .900 save percentage at .899 in 16 games played with a 2.97 goals against average and he took the loss in the teams last meeting but was really good. Sophomore Corbin Kaczperski has been much better in 7 games played with a .933 save percentage and a 1.86 goals against average. He is 5-1 since December 30th while Tucker is 1-3-1. With Kaczperski playing much better than Tucker it wouldn't shock me to see him get the start against Quinnipiac as he probably gives Yale its best chance to win.

A win over Yale will give the Quinnipiac some breathing room for the 8th spot in the ECAC standings and could help propel them as high as the 5th spot. A loss puts them in 9th in the ECAC league standings.

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Q&A with Quinnipiac commit Oscar Plandowski

Oscar Plandowksi

Quinnipiac recently picked up their second 2003 born commit in the last six weeks in OHA Edmonton Bantam defenseman Oscar Plandowski. This is following the commitment of 2003 forward Jack Silich back at the end of December. Plandowski is the fourth Quinnipiac commit to come out Nova Scotia. Coming from strong hockey blood lines the BobcatsHockeyBlog recently caught up with Oscar Plandowski to talk about his decision of choosing Quinnipiac, hockey in general among other things. Thanks to Oscar for taking the time to do this.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: First off congratulations. Tell us your emotions after making this decision.

Oscar Plandowski: I am extremely excited about the decision I made. Quinnipiac is a great school and I am thrilled to be apart of Bobcat Nation.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Your father Darryl was a very good college hockey player and the captain of the 1991 NCAA championship team at Northern Michigan that played in the wildest national championship game ever with an 8-7 win in triple overtime over Boston University. What did he tell you about that game and the feeling he had of winning of national title?

Oscar Plandowski: I’ve seen the highlights from that game and I have heard a lot about it from my Dad. It is one of his claim to fame and he is very proud about it. Obviously it is one of my dreams to accomplish what he did and I’m looking forward to an opportunity at that with Quinnipiac!

BobcatsHockeyBlog: With your father an amateur scout with Tampa Bay and your mother a power skating coach you must have been on the ice at a very young age. What have they both taught you in order to get to this point of your life to commit to a college to play hockey?

Oscar Plandowski:  My mom had me on the ice at a very young age and obviously taught me how to skate. My dad has always taught me the importance of hard work and skill. Both have taught me a lot and I wouldn’t be in this situation without them.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Your one of four commits from Nova Scotia to commit to Quinnipiac following Peter Diliberatore (2000), Ethan Phillips (2001) and Jacob Quillan (2002). How much did those players being committed to Quinnipiac play a part in your decision and have you played with them in the past?

Oscar Plandowski: That definitely played a huge role in my decision. I know Ethan and Jake very well and they are both great players and I have been on the ice with them many times. I talk to Ethan a lot and I really look up to him as a player. When he committed I set that as one of my goals for the future.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Tell us about your overall recruiting experience. What other schools were interested in you before you committed to Quinnipiac?

Oscar Plandowski: I had been talking to Minnesota-Duluth, North Dakota, and Providence and visited the latter two schools. The process was exciting but also nerve wracking at times and I left this process mostly up to my father and my adviser. I’m very happy with my choice in Quinnipiac and I am looking forward to the opportunity that lies ahead.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: What went into your decision to move from the Nova Scotia Bantam League with Halifax Accel to OHA Edmonton in the CSSBHL?

Oscar Plandowski: There were many factors that went into play but the main reason was I wanted to make my game more complete overall. I had just made the switch from forward to defense when I went into with Accel. I really needed to work on my defensive game play. It was a big decision to leave but I think it has worked out well so far.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: What were some of the reasons you made a change to defense after previously playing forward?

Oscar Plandowski: It was honestly a very hard decision to make. I hadn’t really made up my mind until the day before tryouts. I had the opportunity to try defense that spring in a tournament and I liked it. And I haven’t looked back since.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Tell us what are some of the strengths of your game?

Oscar Plandowski: I feel my biggest strength is my skating. I believe my skating is why I could make the transition from forward to defense like I did. In my opinion another strength of mine is my hockey IQ and making a good first pass.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: What are some of the things in your game you want to improve upon?

Oscar Plandowski: Some skills in my game I am focusing on at the moment are my play in the defensive zone and power play poise. I am really looking forward to improving my strength this summer and getting stronger for next year.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Is there a player you try to model your game after.?

Oscar Plandowski: Two players I try and model my game after are Cale Makar and Mikhail Sergachev. They both have amazing poise with the puck and have great two way play.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Tell us the type of player that Quinnipiac will get on the ice in yourself?

Oscar Plandowski: They will be getting a two way defenseman who has a lot of offensive upside along with a player who isn’t afraid to play physical and makes smart simple plays.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Tell us what type of person the Quinnipiac community is getting off the ice?

Oscar Plandowski: I feel that the Quinnipiac community will be happy with the way I hold myself as a person. Good character is very important to me and I hold myself to a high standard.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Who are some of the role models in your life?

Oscar Plandowski: My biggest role models are definitely my parents. My mom and dad have always supported me in everything I do. I look up to them for all the sacrifices they make to allow me to play hockey.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: What are your plans over the next few years for your development? Do you expect to continue with OHA Edmonton? Do you eventually want to play in the USHL?

Oscar Plandowski: Next year I am going to be following in the footsteps of Ethan Phillips and play hockey at Selects Academy at the South Kent School in Connecticut. I haven’t decided where I want to play after that yet. The Selects program is a great chance to improve my game  and I am very excited for the opportunity.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: With Nova Scotia not having an NHL team do you have a favorite team in the league?

Oscar Plandowski: I am a big Tampa Bay Lightning fan.

BobcatsHockeyBlog: Off the ice what are some of the things you enjoy doing?

Oscar Plandowski: I spend most of my time off the ice with my friends. Whether it’s going to the lake or shooting pucks we do everything together. I spend lots of time in the summer at my friend Zach’s cottage. I am looking forward to seeing them when I get back.

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In the Pipeline: 2/5/2018

Quinnipiac had one of its strongest weekends of the season upsetting #3 Clarkson and beating St. Lawrence at home getting a much need four ECAC points in the process. Next up for Quinnipiac are road games against rival Yale and Brown. Currently in 8th place in the ECAC standings, the Bobcats need to secure some wins in order to get a solid position for the playoffs. Now lets take a look at how some of the future Bobcats did this week.

Ethan De Jong (photo by James Doyle/Prince George Citizen)

BCHL Commits

Michael Lombardi had one assist over the weekend in two games played. In 49 games played he has 33points (14 goals, 19 assists).

Ethan De Jong had a strong weekend with 4 assists in 3 games played. He had a goal and four assists and leads the team with 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 42 games played. He is #154 on the NHL central scouting list for North American skaters and the stronger he plays he could shoot his name up on the central scouting rankings prior to the draft.

T.J. Friedmann had a three point weekend for the Victoria Grizzlies with a goal and two assists in two games played. In 50 games played this season he has 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists).

USHL commits

William Fallstrom picked up one assist in two games played for the Fargo Force over the weekend. In 36 games, the Sweden native has 22 points (6 goals, 16 assists).

Justin Robbins made 20 saves in a 4-3 shootout loss for the Chicago Steel. On the season he is 3-3 with a 4.14 goals against average and an .867 save percentage in 10 games played.

AJHL commits

Matt Cassidy picked up one goal this weekend for the Brooks Bandits. On the season, Cassidy has 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 41 games played.

Prep Schools/High Schools

Matthew Fawcett leads New England Prep hockey in scoring with 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 20 games played. He is averaging 2.70 points per game this season.

NCDC commits

Gus Van Nes picked up another this past weekend. The Dutch born forward has 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) in 39 games played this season.

Victor Czerneckianair (photo by Tim Brule)

Midget Commits

Victor Czerneckianair had three goals and two assists this past weekend for the U-15 Selects team at South Kent. In 45 games played this season he had 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists). The Southington, CT native is 3rd on the team in scoring and a possible candidate for the NDTP program.

Jake Quillan had a goal and three assists in three games played for the Steele Subaru Major Midgets. In 34 games played he has 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists).

Austin Spiridakis picked up an assist this weekend for the St. Albert Tire Warehouse Raiders. In 31 games played he has 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists).

Jack Silich had a goal and three assists this weekend for the Chicago Mission. On the season he has 76 points (28 goals, 48 assists).

Quinnipiac picked up a very good 2003 recruit in Oscar Plandowski who plays for OHA Edmonton Bantam Prep. In 13 games played the blue liner has 14 points (1 goal, 13 assists). Stay tuned this week for Q&A with him.

You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Quinnipiac sweeps weekend, downs St. Lawrence 5-2

Quinnipiac vs St. Lawrence (photo copyright BobcatsHockeyBlog)

Quinnipiac swept a weekend series for only the third time this season and just second in league play as the offense came alive in a 5-2 win over St. Lawrence Saturday night at Frank Perotti, Jr. Arena. Four players had multi point games for Quinnipiac who scored nine goals this weekend in securing four huge points in league play jumping to 8th place in the ECAC standings with 14 points.

"We played with a lot of passion and a lot of care, said head coach Rand Pecknold. It was nice to get the sweep at home this weekend." Quinnipiac played one of its best weekends of hockey of the season to improve to 11-13-4. The Bobcats didn't panic when St. Lawrence scored just over five minutes into the first period on a goal by Alex Gilmour. What they did next was take control of the game in the opening period and never looking back. They got the board when John Furgele fed Brogan Rafferty whose big shot changed direction when St. Lawrence forward Patrick Steinhauser's stick got in the way. Quinnipiac's star freshman Odeen Tufto then gave the Bobcats the lead when he went post to post past Arthur Brey. Not even a minute later Chase Priskie's sent a drop pass to Bo Pieper who fired it glove side past Brey. Three plus minutes later it was Pieper again who had to coral a Kevin Duane pass cross ice flipping it high stick side past Brey.

"These last few games felt like freshman and sophomore year when we made the NCAA tournament twice and the frozen four once, said Pieper. The passion and confidence play hand in hand and it starts in practice." The two goals by Pieper give him double figures in goals in back to back years. Quinnipiac extended the lead to 5-1 on the power play when Odeen Tufto made a nifty backhanded pass in front the crease to a wide open Rafferty who slid it past Brey.

Quinnipiac vs St. Lawrence (photo copyright BobcatsHockeyBlog)

The two goals by Rafferty was only his second multi point game of the season, the first coming back on November 28th against Princeton. "I think everyone has to keep each other accountable, said Rafferty. We have a good group in the locker room and this weekend showed it." St. Lawrence added a goal in the third period by Alex Gilmour as they fell to 6-20-2 on the season.

"It was a good weekend, Pecknold said. This is what we should be doing every game and it's how we played the last seven or eight years but we will see how play next weekend." Odeen Tufto had another multi point game (1 goal, 1 assist) and his fellow freshman teammate Matt Forchuk had the first multi point game of his career (2 assists). Andrew Shortridge made 22 saves for Quinnipiac who now travel to Yale and Brown next weekend.

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Scouting the Enemy: St. Lawrence Saints

Its been a rough season for St. Lawrence in the second season of the Mark Morris era. The Saints are on pace for the worst season in program history. It has been a struggle for Morris with a lot of young players along with an inexperienced defense that only worsened when Ben Finkelstein transferred to Boston College. Prior to the season star goaltender Kyle Hayton transferred to Wisconsin. St. Lawrence had a weekend sweep last week against Brown and Yale only their second of the season. 

St. Lawrence Key Players: Jacob Pritchard (F), Mike Marnell (F), Joe Sullivan (F), Carson Gicewicz (F), Nolan Gluchowksi (D), Arthur Brey

This is an offense that has really struggled this season to a tune of 2.26 goals per game which is 52nd in the country. Two upperclassmen have 8 goals apiece in Jacob Pritchard and Joe Sullivan. Mike Marnell is another veteran contributor who has 9 goals and 16 points. Not a ton of freshman have stepped up to help the offense which has hurt them. At times they have lacked depth and even had to dip into the club roster for players due to injuries. The power play is just below the middle of the pack at 17% (17-of-100) good for is 40th in the country. Quinnipiac needs to make sure this game is played five on five because they don't need to give a team that struggles at scoring any man advantages where they could pot some goals.

Defensively it has been a rough go of it for St. Lawrence. It only got worse with the transfer of Ben Finkelstein. Senior Nolan Gluchowksi is the teams best defender with 16 points and is a minus six. Other than senior Matt Purmal the rest of the defensive core that plays is all freshman. Inexperience is a major issue back there and it has shown this season. They give up 3.44 goals per game which is 54th nationally. Freshman Jake Stevens (11 points) has been a solid find for them and probably has been one of their better defenseman. The St. Lawrence penalty kill is one of the worst in college hockey at 74.42% (96-of-129) good for 59th in the country. While Quinnipiac isn't very good on the power play getting on the man advantage would be a big help to winning this game.

Goaltender Arthur Brey has struggled this season with a 3.71 goals against average a sub .900 save percentage (.899). Last season he only played four games but was solid with a 2.08 goals against and a .935 save percentage. St. Lawrence was expecting more from Brey but he hasn't delivered this year. He was strong against Brown and Yale last weekend shutting out the Bulldogs on Saturday which was the first of his career. I wouldn't put all the blame on Brey as he has one of the youngest defenses in the ECAC in front of him taking their lumps.

This is a game Quinnipiac needs to pick up two points in because they clearly have the better team than St. Lawrence. If Brey plays like he did last weekend then it could give Quinnipiac some problems because the Bobcats have run into many hot goaltenders this season that have played above and beyond.

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Quinnipiac upsets #3 Clarkson 4-1

Quinnipiac vs. #3 Clarkson (photo copyright BobcatsHockeyBlog)

The Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey scored its biggest win of the season on Friday night when they upset the #3 ranked Clarkson Golden Knights at the Frank Perotti, Jr. Arena. Three nights after a 5-3 loss to Princeton in which Rand Pecknold characterized as one of the worst of his coaching career, Quinnipiac scored the first three goals of game en route to a 4-1 win over a team that has been one of the best in the country all season.

Quinnipiac kept the trio of Sheldon Rempal, Devin Brosseau and Nico Sturm who have combined for 80 points this season scoreless on the night. "I thought our battle level was great, said head coach Rand Pecknold. I thought the key to the game was in the first period when Keith [Petruzzelli] made that huge save on a two on one semi-breakaway. If he doesn't make that save and we are down 1-0 it might be a different game but we got that first goal and a lot of confidence."

The Bobcats opened the scoring just two minutes into the first period when Tanner MacMaster scored short side past Jake Kielly. It was a weak goal by Keilly who has been a rock this season for Clarkson but the goal gave Quinnipiac a lot momentum in this game.

In the second period, Quinnipiac played a little tic-tac-toe with MacMaster feeding Jermain cross ice who fed it to a wide open Tufto racing into the slot to slide it high past Kielly for the easy goal. With just under nine minutes left in the period it looked as if Clarkson finally got on the board when Devin Brosseau tapped one home after a scrum in front of Keith Petruzzelli (25 saves). The play went under review for a possible offside but the goal was reversed in lieu of too many men on the ice. With less than a minute left in the second period Alex Whelan raced down the half wall with the puck and sent a rocket short side past Kielly for his team leading 13th goal of the season extending the Quinnipiac lead to 3-0.

Quinnipiac vs. #3 Clarkson (photo copyright BobcatsHockeyBlog)

Clarkson got on the board midway through the third period on Kevin Charyszyn's power play goal. While they put pressure on the Bobcats late in the period, Quinnipiac's strong defensive effort thwarted any Clarkson comeback. "It was an awesome win, said captain Chase Priskie. Its nice to get back on the right track and start playing Quinnipiac hockey. Everything we preached after the Princeton game we hammered it in this game and got our reward". Junior defenseman Brandon Fortunato scored the empty net goal with five seconds left to ice the victory. "

"I think the biggest thing tonight was the care and the passion, said Pecknold. The guys were excited to play a top five team in the nation and if we can bottle that and do that every night we are going to be a better hockey team."

Quinnipiac returns to the ice tomorrow when it faces the St. Lawrence Saints (6-19-2) at Frank Perotti, Jr. Arena.

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Scouting the Enemy: Clarkson Golden Knights

We are already into February and Quinnipiac has yet to face any of the North Country teams. Well that is about to change this weekend when they welcome Clarkson and St. Lawrence to Hamden starting with the Golden Knights on Friday night. Clarkson has slumped a bit going 1-1-2 in their last four games to fall out of first place in the ECAC but with a record of 19-4-3 they are comfortably in position to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008. Quinnipiac is coming off a 5-3 home loss to Princeton in which they gave up three power play goals. The Bobcats now sit at 10th place in the ECAC standings and an overall record of 9-14-4. 

Clarkson Key Players: Sheldon Rempal (F), Nico Sturm (F), Devin Brosseau (F), Jack Jacome (F), Josh Dickinson (F), Terrance Amorosa (D), Kelly Summers (D), Jake Kielly (G)

The Golden Knights are a match-up nightmare for Quinnipiac. They possess a ton of fire power up front that can score consistently. They are 8th in the country in scoring at 3.38 goals per game. The top line of Rempal-Sturm-Brosseau has combined for 80 points this season. Sheldon Rempal leads the team with 30 points himself and has 114 shots on the season and is the player Quinnipiac needs to put the most focus on. Nico Sturm and Devin Brosseau have 25 points apiece while freshman Jack Jacome (22 points) is likely to push Quinnipiac's Odeen Tufto for ECAC rookie of the year down the stretch. Three other players have 20 or more points in defensemen Terrance Amorosa (21 points) and Kelly Summers (20 points) while freshman forward Josh Dickinson has 20 points including 12 goals. This is another power play that can kill you as they are 5th in the country at just over 26% (30-of-115). Quinnipiac gave up three power plays to Princeton on Tuesday night and the talent that Clarkson has is better overall.

Clarkson is a strong defensive team giving up 1.54 goals per game which is second in the country behind ECAC leader Cornell. They block shots with over 13 per game. Every one of their blue liners is a plus player. There are not a lot of holes in the Clarkson defense. They are getting strong play from upperclassmen in seniors Terrance Amorosa (plus 15) and Kelly Summers (plus 12). Junior Aaron Thow is a plus 15. Quinnipiac has major scoring issues and expect Clarkson to be able to take away any time and space from the Bobcats in this game as they have very few options offensively. The Golden Knights are strong on the penalty kill at almost 87% (100-of-115) good for 7th overall in the country while Quinnipiac has struggled for much of this season on the man advantage.

Goaltender Jake Kielly has taken his game to another this season. A year after posting a 2.56 goals against average and a .911 save percentage as a freshman, he has exploded as a sophomore to a tune of a 1.59 goals against average and a .940 save percentage. He has been a brick wall for the Golden Knights this season. He really has had only one bad game this season when he gave up six goals to Harvard in a 6-6 tie but other than that he has been very good if not great all season. A year ago Quinnipiac only saw Kielly once and he beat the Bobcats 4-2 in Hamden.

On paper this is a major mismatch in favor of Clarkson. They do everything better than Quinnipiac. They excel on special teams. They have a strong defense and goal-tender and have played much more consistently for this season than Quinnipiac. For Quinnipiac to win this game its going to need strong goal-tending and some puck luck to go their way because they are just out manned talent wise against Clarkson in pretty much every area.

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