Scouting the Enemy: Brown Bears

Quinnipiac wraps up its weekend road trip with a visit to Providence, RI to take on Brown. The Bears have really struggled in the second half of the season with a 1-7-3 record. Overall they are 6-14-4 and the solid first half of the season looks to have been a mirage as Brown has reverted to its struggling ways. Quinnipiac is fresh off their first loss to Yale since the 2013 NCAA National Championship game and first regular season loss since February of 2011. 

Brown Key Players: Sam Lafferty (F), Tony Marchin (F), Charlie Corcoran (F), Tyler Bird (F), Brent Beaudoin (F), Alec Mehr (F), Tony Stillwell (D), Zach Giuttari (D), Gavin Nieto (G)

Bruno is averaging 2.21 goals per game which is worse from the last time these teams last played. They lost senior Max Willman after only 9 games with injury and he is expected to transfer elsewhere as a graduate student next season. Sophomore Beau Beaudoin is the team's leading scorer with 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists). Both Tommy Marchin (13 points) and Sam Lafferty (14 points) help pace the Bruno offense. Brown has a very limited offense and it has shown in the second half of the season. The struggles by Charlie Corcoran and the injury to Willman has not helped either. The Brown power play is 47th in the country at 15.79% (15-of-95) so they are not a huge threat on the man advantage.

The Brown defense hasn't been great this season giving up 3.21 goals per game. Collectively the unit is a minus 32 on the ice. The youth on the Brown blue line has taken a step back in the second half of the season. Tony Stillwell, Max Gottlieb and Zach Giuttari have given more offense than they have defense this season. Those three are in the top 6 in scoring for the Bears this season. Brown's focus should be trying to take away Odeen Tufto for Quinnipiac is he really is the cog that makes Quinnipiac go. With 12 multi point games and 33 points he is well on his way to a 40 point which would be the first for a Quinnipiac freshman since Sam Anas in the 2013-2014 season. The penalty kill for Brown has struggled as well at 78.5% (84-of-107) good for 47th in the country. Quinnipiac's power play scored two goals in the loss to Yale last night and has been better as of late.

Sophomore Gavin Nieto has really struggled this for Brown and got lit up for 5 goals last night against Princeton before being pulled in favor of freshman Luke Kania who has been better this season than Nieto with a .911 save percentage and a 2.72 goals against average. It was Kania who played against Quinnipiac back in November and gave up five goals in the loss. Nieto this season has a 3.52 goals against average with an .893 save percentage. I could see Brendan Whittet turning to Kania tonight even with his struggles against Quinnipiac basically for the mere fact that Nieto struggled against Princeton last night. Goaltending has not a strength of Brown this season and it has not been in awhile.

These are two huge points for Quinnipiac who need them in order to make a push for home ice in the first round of the ECAC tournament. The loss last night hurt pushing them a point behind Yale and into 9th place. A win tonight over Brown and a Yale loss puts Quinnipiac back into the 8th spot in the ECAC.

You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Quinnipiac loses first game to Yale since 2013

Quinnipiac at Yale (photo copyright BobcatsHockeyBlog)

For the first time since the 2013 NCAA National Championship game in Pittsburgh, the Yale Bulldogs defeated the Quinnipiac Bobcats in a game as they won 3-2 on Friday night at Ingalls Rink in New Haven to snap an 0-7-3 skid against their Whitney Avenue rivals. Yale's last regular season win over Quinnipiac dates back almost seven years when they won at Quinnipiac 6-1 on February 18, 2011 and the Bulldogs last home win over Quinnipiac since October 6, 2010 when they beat Quinnipiac 5-1.

While the Bobcats came out on the short end tonight it was another terrific night for freshman star Odeen Tufto with a goal and an assist to give him his 12th multi point game of the season. The Quinnipiac power play also excelled with both of the team's goal coming by way of the man advantage.

Junior Ted Hart was the star for the Bulldogs tonight but it was the Quinnipiac struggles of the second half of the second period that will come back to bite. Hart scored two goals three minutes apart turning a 2-1 Yale deficit into a 3-2 lead which they would not relinquish.

Yale sophomore Billy Sweezey scored his second career goal just over halfway into the opening period. In the final minute of the first Quinnipiac's Brandon Fortunato (1 goal, 1 assist) found the puck down low in the slot a fired one high stick side past Yale goaltender Sam Tucker on the power play. Once again in the second period Quinnipiac found itself on the power play when Odeen Tufto ripped one short-side past Tucker.

Quinnipiac at Yale (photo copyright BobcatsHockeyBlog)

Keith Petruzzelli (27 saves) made many highlight reel saves especially in the second and third periods to keep the score close for Quinnipiac. The freshman flashed a quick glove along with strong pad saves and quick lateral movement in the crease showing why the Detroit Red Wings made him a 3rd round pick in the 2017 draft.

The chippy game featured 14 combined penalties including two embellishment calls. Chase Priskie and Bo Pieper each finished with an assist each as Quinnipiac fell to 11-14-4 (6-9-2 ECAC) and 9th in the conference standings while Yale with the win improves to 12-11-1 (7-9-1 ECAC) and is in 8th place, one point ahead of Quinnipiac for the final home ice spot. Quinnipiac now heads to Providence, Rhode Island tomorrow when they face Brown University at Meehan Auditorium.

You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

Logan Mick dismissed from Quinnipiac hockey team

Former men's ice hockey player Logan Mick

Logan Mick has been dismissed from the Quinnipiac hockey team. A source confirmed to the BobcatsHockeyBlog.com that Mick was suspended for last weekend's games. Another source confirmed he was indeed no longer on the hockey team as of this week. Mick played in 16 games for the Bobcats this season in which he had 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) and a plus 1 rating. The sophomore played in 22 career games for Quinnipiac with 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) and a plus 2 rating. He is the second Bobcat to get dismissed from Quinnipiac this season following the dismissal of forward Thomas Aldworth.

Quinnipiac is now down to 13 true forwards, 14 if you count Luke Shiplo who plays both ways. The depth of the team's forwards are surely to be tested the rest of the way. Quinnipiac now heads on the road to Yale and Brown this weekend.

You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

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.

You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

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.

You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

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.

You can follow the BobcatsHockeyBlog on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.