No. 7/7 QU Women's Ice Hockey Hosts Colgate, Cornell for ECAC Hockey Home Opener

Friday, November 6

Hamden, Conn.

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Colgate University

No. 7/7 QU Women's Ice Hockey Hosts Colgate, Cornell for ECAC Hockey Home Opener

11/4/2015 4:25:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

By: QU Sports Information

No. 7/7 Quinnipiac University Bobcats (5-1-1, 1-1-0 ECAC Hockey) vs.
Colgate University Raiders (4-1-3, 0-0-2 ECAC Hockey)
Location: High Point Solutions Arena
Date: Nov. 6, 2015
Time: 7:00 P.M.

No. 7/7 Quinnipiac University Bobcats (5-1-1, 1-1-0 ECAC Hockey) vs.
Cornell University Big Red (0-3-1, 0-1-1 ECAC Hockey)
Location: High Point Solutions Arena
Date: Nov. 7, 2015
Time: 4:00 P.M.

Good to be Home
The nationally-ranked No. 7/7 Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team returns to Hamden, Connecticut this weekend where they will host the Colgate Raiders and Cornell Big Red in the first ECAC Hockey home weekend of the 2015-16 season when the Bobcats and Raiders will face off on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 P.M. before the Bobcats and Big Red will play on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4 P.M.

All-Time Against Colgate
The Bobcats have enjoyed a lot of success facing the Colgate Raiders in recent history, despite an 11-14-3 record against them all time. Currently, the Bobcats are riding a nine-game winning streak against Colgate dating back to Nov. 19, 2010 when the Bobcats shut out the Raiders, 4-0. Prior to the beginning of the winning streak, the Bobcats were just 2-14-3 against the Raiders, including an eight game losing streak in their first eight meetings. Quinnipiac has outscored Colgate 15-1 in the last four matchups between the two teams, and 35-6 during the nine game winning streak. Last season, the Bobcats won both games with a 4-1 win on Oct. 31, 2014 and a 2-0 win on Feb. 7. Nicole Connery scored three goals against the Raiders in the two games, including a two-goal, one-assist game at Colgate on Oct. 31. Nicole Brown and Cydney Roesler also scored in that game while Morgan Fritz-Ward scored in the Feb. 7 game.

Scouting the Raiders
Colgate is off to its best start since the 2008-09 season, as they have posted a 4-1-3 record to open up the 2015-16 campaign. During that 2008-09 season, the Raiders were 5-3-0 through the first eight games before finishing 19-14-3, their last winning season. The Raiders have been an offensive force so far this season, scoring 31 goals in just eight games, and have had contributions from up and down the line chart as seven different players have three goals or more. Shae Labbe leads the team in scoring with five goals and four assists for nine points. Three other players have at least eight points, including Lauren Wildfang (3-5-8), Bailey Larson (3-5-8), and Shelby Perry (2-6-8). Wildfang leads all blue-liners on the Raiders with her eight points, while Olivia Zafuto leads the team with seven assists. Nicole Gass is also having a solid year with one goal and four assists. Ashlynne Rando has played six of the eight games between the pipes for the Raiders, going 3-1-2 with a 2.29 GAA and .899 save percentage, making 124 saves on 138 shots. Colgate has thrived on the power play this season, converting nine of their 34 opportunities for 26.5 percent on the power play while the penalty kill has been just as solid at 87.9 percent (29 for 33).

All-Time Against Cornell
Recent history has served the Bobcats well against the Cornell Big Red, going 3-1-1 in the last five meetings between the two teams. Overall, the Bobcats are 6-12-6 against the Big Red after spanning 14 games between wins from Nov. 18, 2006 to Feb. 8, 2013 at the beginning of their current streak. Last season, the Bobcats went 1-1 against Cornell, winning 3-0 in Ithaca, New York before falling 4-3 in overtime in Hamden. The Bobcats shutout at Lynah Rink was their second shutout at Lynah Rink after tying 0-0 on Feb. 5, 2010, and was Cornell's first home shutout loss since Nov. 17, 2006 when they were shutout 1-0 against Princeton. Six different players scored in the two games against Cornell for Quinnipiac, led by Emma Woods and Raquel Pennoyer who each had one goal one assist games in separate meetings. Pennoyer's two-point game on Feb. 6 were her first career goal and assist.

Scouting the Big Red
Cornell has gotten off to a slow start in 2015-16, compiling an 0-3-1 record through the first four games of the season. It is the second straight season the Big Red have a losing record through four games after starting last season 0-4-0 with losses to Boston College twice, Princeton and Quinnipiac. Hanna Bunton leads the Big Red this season with two of the team's four goals through the first four games of the season. Kaitlin Doering and Pippy Gerace each have tallied one goal while six other players have tallied one assist. Bunton is the only player to record more than one point so far for the Big Red. Paula Voorheis has been the main netminder for the Big Red, posting an 0-2-0 record in three games played this season with two starts. Voorheis has a 2.66 GAA and a .922 save percentage after saving 71 of the 77 shots she has faced. Special teams have been a struggle for Cornell this season as they are 0 for 16 on the power play and just 8 for 12 on the penalty kill, allowing an average of one power play goal per game.

Multimedia
Both Quinnipiac women's ice hockey games this weekend will be streamed free of charge from QuinnipiacBobcats.com. Live stats will also be available for fans to follow by going to QuinnipiacBobcats.com. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter all season long by following the team's Twitter account, @QU_WIH.

DIFD
This weekend, Quinnipiac as well as Colgate and Cornell will team up to raise money and awareness for mental health through the Bobcats' second annual "Do It For Daron" weekend. The Bobcats will be selling purple DIFD bracelets for $5 in addition to wearing purple laces, purple DIFD stickers on their helmets and purple stick tape. All fans at this weekend's games are encouraged to wear purple. DIFD was founded in memory of Daron Richardson, the younger sister of Cornell women's ice hockey senior Morgan Richardson, who committed suicide in Nov. 2010. The family and friends of Daron created DIFD to encourage young people to talk openly about mental illness and to ask for help when needed.

Skate with the Bobcats
Following Saturday's game against the Big Red, the Bobcats will host the first of their "Skate with the Bobcats" of the season. Fans are encouraged to bring their skates to Saturday's game and join the Bobcats skating on the ice at HIgh Point Solutions Arena.

Bobcats in the Polls
For the sixth consecutive week this season, the Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team was ranked in the top 10 of both the USCHO.com Division I Women's Poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, checking in at No. 7 in each. The Bobcats have been ranked in the top 10 of the USCHO.com Poll for 51 consecutive weeks.

ECAC Hockey Recognition
Melissa Samoskevich was honored by ECAC Hockey this week as she was named the league's Rookie of the Month for October as well as the Rookie of the Week for the first weekend of conference play. In the month, Samoskevich tallied three goals and nine assists for 12 points, as her nine assists are tied for the league-lead and her 12 assists are third. Samoskevich has the most points and assists by the league's rookies and is second in the country in points and points per game by a freshman with 1.71. This past weekend, Samoskevich recorded one goal and two assists for three points to lead all ECAC Hockey freshman.

Fantastic Freshman
The impressive start to the season goes even further for Samoskevich, as she has recorded at least one point in all seven games to open up the season. Heading into the weekend, Samoskevich's consecutive games with a point ranks second to Kelly Babstock, who recorded two separate eight-game point streaks as a freshman in 2010-11. Samoskevich also recorded a three-game multiple-point streak, which included back-to-back three-point games, the first freshman to achieve that since Babstock.

Turbo Taylar
Taylar Cianfarano has also been off to a fantastic start this season with a team-high seven goals and 13 points, along with six assists to pace the Bobcats. Cianfarano ranks first in ECAC Hockey and 11^th in the country in points per game (1.86) as she got off to a stellar start. Joining Samoskevich, Cianfarano has also recorded at least one point in each game to open up the season, and is also currently riding a four-game multiple-point streak that has seen her record nine points over the span. Cianfarano recently had her consecutive games with a goal streak end at five, tied with Babstock for the longest streak in program history.

Blue Line Streak
Not to be outdone, Cydney Roesler is also on an impressive streak of her own for the Bobcats as she has tallied two goals and five assists for seven points this season. Roesler's has recorded at least one point in each of the last six games, one game short of tying Regan Boulton's program record of seven consecutive games with a point by a defenseman. Roesler extended the streak with a slap shot, power play goal on a 5 on 3 for the Bobcats at Yale on Saturday, Oct. 31.

You Shall Not Pass
The Bobcats played arguably their best defensive game ever this past weekend in a 4-0 shutout of the Brown Bears in Providence, Rhode Island. Quinnipiac outshot Brown 37-3 in the dominating win, the fewest shots allowed on goal in a single game in program history, breaking last season's mark of four at Union on Jan. 2, 2015. The Bobcats scored more goals (4) than they allowed shots on goal (3) in the game.

Trail Blazer
There was plenty of room on the stat sheet this weekend, as Emma Woods joined Samoskevich and Cianfarano as the most productive scorers on the ice for the Bobcats. Woods tallied one goal and three assists over the weekend with back to back two-point games, boosting her multiple-point games total to four this year. Throughout her career, Woods has had 12 two-point games.

Special Delivery
Over the weekend, Nicole Brown found the back of the net for the first time in the 2015-16 season to give her 13 in her career. After so many opportunities, Brown finally smashed the puck home after a Kristen Tamberg blast from the point deflected off Meghan Turner's stick toward Brown goaltender Monica Elvin and off her pads to Brown for the rebound goal.

Back in the Saddle Again
Meghan Turner found the stat sheet once again for the Bobcats with a one-goal, one-assist weekend for two points, her most points on a weekend this season. Turner picked up an assist on Friday at Brown before redirected Tamberg's rip from the point for her second goal of the season.

Straight A's
Assistant Captain Kristen Tamberg picked up a pair of assists over the weekend for her first multiple-assist weekend of the 2015-16 season. Tamberg had an assist in each game against Brown and Yale, to give her three assists on the season.