QU Women's Ice Hockey Travels to St. Lawrence, Clarkson for Crucial Conference Weekend
2/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
No. 5/5 QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (22-5-3, 13-3-2 ECAC Hockey) vs.
ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY SAINTS (17-9-4, 11-4-3 ECAC Hockey)
Date: Feb. 13, 2015
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Location: Appleton Arena - Canton, New York
- QU Women's Ice Hockey Game Notes
- St. Lawrence Women's Ice Hockey Homepage
- Live Video: Quinnipiac at St. Lawrence
- Live Stats: Quinnipiac vs. St. Lawrence
- Live Twitter: @QUAthletics; @QU_WomensIceHky
No. 5/5 QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (22-5-3, 13-3-2 ECAC Hockey) vs.
No. 8/9 CLARKSON UNIVERSITY GOLDEN KNIGHTS (19-8-3, 13-3-2 ECAC HOCKEY)
Date: Feb. 14, 2015
Time: 4:00 P.M.
Location: Cheel Arena - Potsdam, New York
- QU Women's Ice Hockey Game Notes
- Clarkson Women's Ice Hockey Homepage
- Live Video: Quinnipiac vs. Clarkson
- Live Stats: Quinnipiac vs. Clarkson
- Live Twitter: @QUAthletics; @QU_WomensIceHky
Puck Drop
The No. 5/5 Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team hits the road for the second to last weekend of the regular season. First up is the St. Lawrence Saints at Appleton Arena in Canton, New York on Friday at 7 P.M. followed by a matchup with the No. 8/9 Clarkson Golden Knights at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, New York on Saturday at 4 P.M.
All-Time Against the Saints
The Bobcats have seen many close contests with the St. Lawrence Saints over the past few years as they improved their all-time record against the Saints to 8-12-4 after the Bobcats began the history against the Saints with eight consecutive losses and nine straight games without a win. The Bobcats are 8-3-3 since ending that streak in 2010 and are now unbeaten the last three matchups against the Saints, including a two game sweep in the ECAC Quarterfinals last season. This season, the Bobcats tied the Saints 2-2 on Nov. 22 at home. Emma Woods gave the Bobcats a 1-0 lead in the first period of that game before St. Lawrence stormed back in the second period to tie the game 38 seconds into the period then take a lead with five minutes left in the second. Nicole Connery tied the game midway through the third period to earn the tie. Chelsea Laden made 17 saves for the Bobcats while Carmen MacDonald made 24 saves for the Bobcats.
Scouting the Saints
St. Lawrence comes into the matchup with Quinnipiac after going 1-0-1 in a weekend series with Union and Rensselaer. The Saints tied the Dutchwomen 1-1 on Friday after Megan Armstrong put the Saints up 1-0 just 1:45 into the first period. Union's Kathryn Tomaselli tied the game with 13:32 remaining in the third period to secure a point for the Dutchwomen. Carmen MacDonald made 21 saves on 22 shots while Shenae Lundberg made 41 saves in goal for Union. The following day, St. Lawrence took down Rensselaer 2-1 behind goals from Brooke Webster and Kayla Raniwsky. The Saints gave up a goal to the Engineers midway through the third period to cut their lead in half but held on for the victory. MacDonald made 24 saves in that victory. The Saints have won eight of their last 10 games, including a seven game winning streak from Jan. 10 to Jan. 31. St. Lawrence averages three goals per game and are led offensively by Webster with 15 goals and 12 assists with 27 points. Raniwsky is also tied for the team lead with 27 points, scoring 11 goals and recording a team-high 16 assists. Five different players have recorded 20 points and four have score double-digit goals. Amanda Boulier leads the defensive core of the Saints with five goals and 15 assists for 20 points while Kirsten Padalis and Armstrong also have double-digit points. From a defensive standpoint, the Saints have given up 76 goals in 30 games for a GAA of 2.50. Carmen MacDonald has seen the bulk of the playing time between the pipes, posting a 12-6-3 record. She has recorded a 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage, stopping 495 of 535 shots. Special teams have been an issue for the Saints this season as the power play sits at just 10.1 percent with 10 goals in 99 opportunities. The penalty kill has fared a little better, killing of 82.2 percent of penalties, in total 60 of 73 penalties. The Saints have scored fairly evenly in each period this season, scoring 29 first period goals, 28 second period and 32 in the third period. Defensively; however, the Saints have given up just 15 goals in the first period this year, then 30 goals in the second period and 31 in the third period.
All-Time Against the Golden Knights
Quinnipiac is 7-18-3 all-time against the Clarkson Golden Knights, but have won the last two consecutive meetings coming earlier this season. It is just the second time in program history the Bobcats have won two consecutive games against the Golden Knights. The Bobcats defeated the Golden Knights 1-0 at home on Nov. 21 behind Emma Woods' game-winning goal in the second period. Chelsea Laden made 15 saves in the shutout. The following week, the Bobcats knocked off the Golden Knights in the Nutmeg Classic Championship game, 3-1. Woods scored her second game-winning goal in as many games against the Golden Knights, and the Bobcats also got goals from Taylar Cianfarano and Morgan Fritz-Ward. Woods and Fritz-Ward each had two-point games for Quinnipiac. Chelsea Laden made 24 saves on her way to being named the Most Valuable Goaltender of the tournament while Woods was named the Most Valuable Player.
Scouting the Golden Knights
Clarkson comes into the weekend with a four game winning streak, bookended by 6-0 victories over Union and Brown. The Golden Knights have outscored opponents 17-2 in their four game winning streak. Last weekend, the Golden Knights swept Rensselaer and Union with 2-1 and 6-0 victories, respectively. Clarkson was led by Cayley Mercer's four points on three goals and one assist, as well as Olivia Howe's one goal and three assists. Renata Fast, Savannah Harmon, Daniella Matteucci and Lauren Lefler each scored goals on the weekend for the Golden Knights. Shea Tiley allowed just one goal on the weekend, recording 43 saves on the weekend. Tiley shutout the Dutchwomen on Saturday to extend the winning streak to four games. The Golden Knights average 3.07 goals per game this season, led by Mercer with a team-high 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points. Shannon MacAulay has posted 31 points on 16 goals and 15 assists to be at the top of the team. Genevieve Bannon is tied with Mercer for a team-high 17 assists and is third on the team with 28 points. Tiley has played in every game this season for the Golden Knights and has stood out as a freshman goaltender with a 1.41 GAA and .938 save percentage. She has allowed 40 goals and made 606 saves in her time between the pipes. Clarkson's special teams have been solid all season long, as the power play stands at 22.5 percent and the penalty kill is at 91.5 percent. The Golden Knights have scored 23 power play goals compared to allowing just seven this season. The third period has been the best period this season for Clarkson, outscoring opponents 38-13 in the final frame. The 38 goals are the most in any period for Clarkson and the 13 goals allowed are the fewest.
Multimedia
Both games this weekend will be streamed live over the internet for free. Friday's broadcast features an HD broadcast from the St. Lawrence Saints and Saturday's broadcast against the Clarkson Golden Knights will be broadcast on ClarksonAthletics.TV powered by Pack Network. Live stats will also be provided from each school for free.
Last Time Out
For the second consecutive weekend, the Bobcats split a weekend series as they fell to the No. 9/10 Cornell Big Red Friday night 4-3 in overtime before rebounding to shutout the Colgate Raiders 2-0 on Senior Day Saturday afternoon. Raquel Pennoyer had a two-point night against the Big Red, picking up a goal and an assist. Nicole Kosta and Nicole Connery scored the other two goals for the Bobcats who had taken a 3-2 lead into the third period. The Big Red scored with 40 seconds remaining in the overtime period to pick up a win, Quinnipiac took down Colgate the following day behind goals from Morgan Fritz-Ward and Connery. Chelsea Laden recorded her 13th shutout and 22nd win of the season.
National Polls
For the 14th consecutive week this season, the Bobcats are ranked in the top five of both the USCHO.com Division I Women's Poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's Poll. The Bobcats check in right behind the Harvard Crimson in the USCHO poll, the highest ranked ECAC Hockey team. Also ranked in the top 10 of the poll are No. 8 Clarkson and No. 10 Cornell. Harvard and Quinnipiac are also ranked No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll while Clarkson and Cornell are ranked No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.
Crowded at the Top
The top half of the ECAC Hockey Women's standings has become extremely crowded over the last few weeks. Harvard claimed the top spot with 29 points followed by a second place tie between Quinnipiac and Clarkson with 28 points. Cornell is just one game back of the Bobcats and the Golden Knights with 26 points followed by St. Lawrence in fifth place with 25 points. Lurking not too far off the Saints is Princeton with 23 points. Just six points separate six teams in the top half of the division.
Team Success
Quinnipiac is on the verge of several big program records as they tied the mark for the most wins in a single-season with 22 and conference wins with 13. The Bobcats reached the 22 win mark two other times, with one coming last season when they finished 22-6-9 and the other coming during the 2010-11 season when they finished 22-12-3. Just one other time were the Bobcats able to amass 13 conference victories, coming in the 2012-13 season when the finished 13-6-3.
Another Record Bites the Dust
Chelsea Laden set the new program record for wins by a goaltender in a single season with her 22nd victory coming against the Colgate Raiders. The previous record was 21, held by former goaltender Victoria Vigilanti who set the mark during the Bobcats' 2010-11 season. Earlier this season, Laden broke the program record for shutouts in a single season, which now stands at 13 after Saturday.
Shutting the Door
Laden's NCAA-leading 13 shutouts are also up there in ECAC Women's and NCAA Women's History as well. She moved into a second place tie with former Brown goaltender Ali Brewer's 1998-99 season for second place in league history with 13 shutouts. Laden is just one back of the mark of 14 set by former Clarkson goaltender Erica Howe last season. Laden also has notched eight shutouts in league play, tied with Howe for second place in league history behind Brewer's 13 league shutouts. Laden is tied with Minnesota's Amanda Leveille who recorded 13 shutouts in 2013-14 as the third most shutouts in NCAA women's hockey history. Howe and former Wisconsin goaltender Jessie Vetter are tied for second place with 14 shutouts, while former Minnesota standout goaltender Noora Räty holds the all-time mark with 17 shutouts set in 2013.
Thinking Outside the Box
Quinnipiac has the possibility to break the NCAA-record for fewest penalty minutes in a season set by Yale with 174 penalty minutes in the 2000-01 season. Heading into this weekend, the Bobcats have just 142 team penalty minutes, an average of 4.7 minutes per game. During Yale's record breaking season, it averaged 6.21 penalty minutes per game. The Bobcats already own the NCAA record for few penalty minutes per game, at 5.9 set during the 2012-13 season.
Another Weekend, Another Ranked Opponent
For the fourth consecutive week, the Bobcats will head into a weekend series facing at least one ranked team, this time facing the No. 8/9 Clarkson Golden Knights. Including this weekend, the Bobcats will have faced five ranked opponents in its last eight games.
On the Rocks, Please
Freshman forward Raquel Pennoyer recorded the first two points of her career last Friday against the Cornell Big Red. Pennoyer provided a spark for the Bobcats, scoring her first career goal to tie the game 1-1 in the first period. With the Bobcats and the Big Red tied 2-2 in the second period, Pennoyer picked up her first career assist on a goal by Nicole Connery. It was also Pennoyer's first career two-point game for the Bobcats.
Kosta's Getting Closer
Nicole Kosta is nearing the 100-point club with a goal in the Bobcats 4-3 overtime loss to Cornell. Kosta netted her 10th goal of the season to bring her to 97 career points, just three shy of the exclusive club and joining teammate Shiann Darkangelo in achieving the feat this season. She is one goal shy of tying her single-season career of 11 goals set in the 2012-13 season. This season, Kosta has 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points.
Not to be out done…
Erica Uden Johansson also inched one point closer to the 100 point club with an assist this weekend against Cornell. Uden Johansson recorded the 94th point of her career with her 14th assist of the season. Just one more assist would give Uden Johansson a new single-season career high for assists. The Sundsvall, Sweden native is also two goals away and two points away from tying her single-season career highs in those categories as well. Uden Johansson has nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points this season.
Connery…Nicole Connery
Nicole Connery has been a consistent offensive force as of late for the Bobcats as she has scored one goal in each of the past three games and four goals in her last five games. Not only is she running off a good streak of goals, Connery also set a new single-season career high with her 11th goal of the season coming against Colgate in the final game of the weekend. Connery has 11 goals and 12 assists this season for 23 points.
Better Than Kanye
Lindsey West picked up her first career two point game with a career-high two assists as she had helpers on both goals the Bobcats scored. With her fifth and sixth assists of the season, West recorded a new career-high in assists in a single season to help lead the Bobcats to victory. So far this season West has scored three goals and tallied six assists for nine points.
vic-TORI-ous
Freshman Tori DeAngelis picked up her first career assist and point with an assist on Raquel Pennoyer's goal against the Big Red. DeAngelis fed a beautiful pass to Pennoyer for the goal, who also scored her first career goal on the play.
What Can Brown Do For You?
Adding to the great statistical weekend for the Bobcats, Nicole Brown recorded a new career high with her 10th assist of the season for the Bobcats. She now has two goals and 10 assists for 12 points. The assist broke a streak of 13 games without a point.
On Target
The Bobcats recorded 48 shots on goal against the Colgate Raiders on Saturday, its most shots on goal in a game since recording 47 shots in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Robert Morris Colonials on Jan. 16. The Bobcats season-high total for shots on goal in a game is 63, which they achieved in a 5-0 victory over Union on Nov. 15.
New York State of Mind
So far this season, the Bobcats are undefeated when playing in the state of New York, posting a 4-0-0 record. Wins have come over Colgate, Cornell, Union and Rensselaer; and the Bobcats are looking to finish of the perfect regular season against the New York teams of the ECAC.
Outshooting the Competition
The Bobcats have been a strong team this season when outshooting their opponents, posting a 22-2-3 record. Quinnipiac has doubled its opponents shot total this season, 1003 to 499. The second period continues to be Quinnipiac's most dominant period this season, as they outscore opponents 36-7 and outshoot opponents 351-169. Overall, the Bobcats are averaging 33.4 shots on goal per game compared to just 16.6 for the opposition.
