NCAA Tournament Preview: Bobcats Bound For Fargo To Take On North Dakota In West Regional On Friday, Mar. 27 On ESPNU
3/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
2015 NCAA MEN'S ICE HOCKEY DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP WEST REGIONAL
NO. 14 QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (23-11-4) vs.
No. 2 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA(27-9-3)
Date: Mar. 27, 2015
Time: 8:00 PM (EST)
Location: SCHEELS Arena - Fargo, ND
All-Time vs. North Dakota: 0-2-0
Last Meeting: L, 2-4 (10/7/06, Grand Forks, N.D.)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Date: Mar. 27, 2015
Time: 8:00 PM (EST)
ESPNU
Play-by-play: Clay Matvick
Color: Sean Ritchlin
AM 1220 WQUN
Play-by-play: Bill Schweizer
Color: Ken Sweeten
ON THE WEB
Web: QuinnipiacBobcats.com
Twitter: @QUSID, @QUAthletics
TUNE IN
Quinnipiac's West Regional match-up against North Dakota can been seen live on ESPNU on Friday, Mar. 27. Clay Matvick will have the play-by-play while Sean Ritchlin will provide the color commentary.Quinnipiac men's ice hockey opens NCAA Tournament play on Friday, Mar. 27 when it faces North Dakota in the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship West Regional at Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota.
ON THE AIR
The Bobcats match-up against North Dakota can also be heard live on Quinnipiac University's AM 1220 WQUN, featuring Bill Schweizer and Ken Sweeten.
ALL-TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Quinnipiac will make its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history, including its third straight after advancing to the National Championship game in 2013.
• Quinnipiac's first NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2002 where it won the MAAC Championship and lost to Cornell in the NCAA First Round game, 6-1, in Worcester, Mass.
• In 2014, Quinnipiac lost in the tournament's opening game, 4-0, to Providence in the East Regional in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
• The 2013 NCAA Tournament saw the Bobcats earn the No. 1 overall seed and win three straight games to advance to their first Frozen Four and finish as the National Runner-up to Yale in the Championship game.
• The Bobcats are 3-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as they defeated Canisius, Union and St. Cloud State in 2013 for their first three NCAA Tournament wins in program history.
ALL-TIME AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA
Quinnipiac and North Dakota have squared-off twice, with the Bobcats dropping both contests in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Oct. 6-7, 2007.In the first game, Darcy Zajac scored twice while Brad Miller had a goal and two assists to lead NoDak in a 5-1 win that featured a goal by Bobcats' all-time leading goal scorer David Marshall. On the following night, current Chicago Blackhawk Jonathan Toews rang the bell three times, while T.J. Oshie assisted on all three goals in a 4-2 win. Historically, the game featured QU fan favorite Brandon Wong's first career goal. Current Quinnipiac assistant coach Reid Cashman was suited up for the Bobcats in that series, which kicked-off his senior season.
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota claimed one of the four No. 1 seeds in this year's tournament field after posting a record of 27-9-3, including a 16-6-2 mark in the NCHC.
• North Dakota grabbed the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Regular-Season Championshop, winning 16 of 24 league games in a league that produced six NCAA Tournament teams this year.
• North Dakota features 14 NHL draft picks, including eight of their top 10 scorers. Free agent Drake Caggiula leads NoDak in goals (16) and points (33). Senior Michael Parks checks in with 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points, and currently boasts 43 goals and 49 assists for 92 points in 148 games.
• Jordan Schmaltz has dished out a team-leading 23 assists this year, while also finding the back of the net four times for 27 points.
• Mark MacMillan matched Caggiula's goal output with 16 this season, with 13 coming in NCHC play. MacMillan currently sits at 99 career points with 46 goals and 53 assists in 151 career games.
• In goal, Zane McIntyre is 27-9-3 with a .929 save percentage and a 2.05 goals-against average. In three seasons, McIntyre is 56-23-9 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.10 GAA in 89 career games.
ALL-TIME AGAINST MICHIGAN TECH
Should Quinnipiac and Michigan Tech both advance with first-round wins, it would mark the first meeting between the two teams.
SCOUTING THE MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES
Michigan Tech enters the 2015 NCAA Tournament with a record of 29-9-2 including a 21-5-2 record in WCHA action. The Huskies had won five straight before falling to Minnesota State, 5-2, in the WCHA Championship, whom they also finished a point behind for the league's regular-season title. Michigan Tech tied Minnesota State for the most wins in NCAA Division I hockey this year, while finishing second in winning percentage (.750). The Huskies scored the third most goals in NCAA hockey this year while allowing the second fewest per game (1.77) to produce the top scoring margin (+1.77) in the nation.
• Tanner Kero leads the way for Michigan tech with team-highs in goals (19), assists (26) and points (45), and is currently one of 15 players in the country with 45 or more points.
• Kero leads a quartet of 30-point scorers, followed by Alex Petan (15-24-39), Malcolm Gould (14-17-31) and Blake Pietila (14-16-30).
• Kero (110), Petan (101), Pietila (106) and David Johnstone (103) give Michigan Tech four players with 100 career points.
• In goal, Jamie Phillips is 28-8-2 with a 1.71 GAA and a .935 save percentage, ranking in the top three nationally GAA and save percentage, third in winning percentage and first in total wins.
ALL-TIME AGAINST ST. CLOUD STATE
St. Cloud State is one of three teams - along with Yale and Harvard - in the NCAA Tournament that Quinnipiac faced this season. The Bobcats and Huskies split a non-conference series on Jan. 2-3 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, with SCSU taking the first game, 3-2, before Quinnipiac bounced back with a 4-1 win on the following night. Quinnipiac and St. Cloud have faced off seven times, with the Bobcats owning a 3-4-0 record against the Huskies. Quinnipiac and St. Cloud State have met once in the NCAA Tournament, with the Bobcats taking a 4-1 decision in the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four to advance to the NCAA Championship Game.
SCOUTING THE ST. CLOUD STATE HUSKIES
St. Cloud State enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 19-18-1 overall including a 11-12-1 record in NCHC play. The Huskies are coming off a 3-2 loss to Miami in the NCHC Championship Game on this past Saturday.
• Joey Benik and Jonny Brodzinski sit 1 and 2 among the team's point leaders, with Benik scoring 16 goals while dishing a team-high 22 assists for 38 points and Brodzinski checking in with a team-best 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points.
• David Morley has scored 17 goals for SCSU this year, to go along with 11 assists for 28 points while Kalle Kossila has five goals and 20 assists for the year. Kossila is currently sitting on 98 career points on the strength of 33 goals and 65 assists.
• Charlie Lindgren has seen the majority of the minutes in goal for St. Cloud, posting an 18-17-1 record with a .919 save percentage and a 2.26 GAA.
THE BOBCATS IN THE POLLS
The Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team heads into the 2015 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship Tourament ranked 11th in the USCHO.com Division I Poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll.
THE BOBCATS AGAINST THE NCAA FIELD
Quinnipiac faced three times in this year's NCAA field, posting a 2-3-2 record against Yale (0-0-2), Harvard (1-2-0) and St. Cloud State (1-1-0).
• Quinnipiac is one of six teams in the 2015 NCAA Tournament to feature four 30-point scorers, including Boston University, Minnesota, Miami, Denver and Michigan Tech. Sam Anas leads Quinnipiac witih 23 goals and 16 assists for 39 points, followed by Matthew Peca (7-29-36), Travis St. Denis (15-18-33) and Landon Smith (15-16-31). • Of those six teams, Quinnipiac is the only team that has each class represented by a 30-point scorer - Peca is a senior, St. Denis is a junior, Anas is a sophomore and Landon Smith is a freshman.
MULTIPLE-GOAL GAMES
Quinnipiac's line-up currently features 16 multiple-goal games: seven from Sam Anas, three from Landon Smith, two from Tim Clifton, and Travis St. Denis, as well as one from Alex Barron and Soren Jozzon. The Bobcats are one of seven NCAA Division I teams to feature 16 or more multiple-goal games, including Boston University (25), Michigan (21), Robert Morris (16), Harvard (17), Miami (16) and Minnesota (16).
THE KILLERS
Since the beginning of December, Quinnipiac has allowed just seven power play goals and are 74-for-81 on the penalty kill over the Bobcats' last 24 games. The Bobcats .914 penalty kill percentage in that time is the tops among all NCAA Tournament teams.
MR. 400
With a 3-1 win at UMass on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014, Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold became the sixth active NCAA Division I coaches with 400 career wins while he also became just the 34th in NCAA history to reach the feat. Pecknold is now 414-259-76 all-time in his 21st season. He also joins legendary Quinnipiac coaches Burt Kahn, Mike Quitko and Dan Gooley as the fourth coach in Quinnipiac Athletics history to reach the 400-win mark.
ALL ECAC HOCKEY
Nationally-ranked No.7 Quinnipiac men's ice hockey featured five student-athletes on the 2015 All-ECAC Hockey teams. Senior co-captain Matthew Peca (Petawawa, Ontario) was named to the First Team, sophomore Sam Anas (Potomac, Maryland) was named to the Second Team and senior co-captain Danny Federico (Acton, Massachusetts) as well as junior goalie Michael Garteig (Prince George, British Columbia) were named to the Third Team. Freshman Landon Smith (Greenwood Village, Colorado) earned All-Rookie Team honors.
PLAYER NOTES
MATTHEW PECA
• Entering the 2015 NCAA Tournament, Peca has seven goals and a team-high 29 assists for 36 points.• Became the fourth ECAC Hockey First Team selection in Quinnipiac's nine-year history in the league.
• On Friday, Mar. 13, Peca became the fourth player in program history - joining Reid Cashman (125), Bryan Leitch (116) and Brian Herbert (113) - with 100 career assists.
• Is one of three active players in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey with 100 career assists, joining Miami's Austin Czarnik and Minnesota State's Matt Leitner.
• Peca is one of 13 players in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey with 29 or more assists to date.
• On of 19 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey players with seven multiple-assist games.
• Second to Union's Mike Vecchione (31) in assists by an ECAC Hockey player this year.
• Tied for the league lead with 16 assists in 22 ECAC Hockey games.
• Tied for ECAC Hockey best 0.73 assists per game in league games.
• Had a league-best seven assists on the power play.
• Dished out a league-high 11 assists on the road.
• Recorded an assist in a league-leading 15 ECAC Hockey games.
• Had a league-best six game-winning assists.
• Posted a league-best five multiple-assist games.
• For his career, he has totaled 42 goals and 101 assists for 143 career points.
• One of four players in program history to record 30 points in each of his four seasons at Quinnipiac.
• Peca currently ranks fourth in career assists at Quinnipiac, trailing Reid Cashman (125), Bryan Leitch (116) and Brian Herbert (113).
• A three-time ECAC Hockey All-Academic selection, Peca also received ECAC Hockey All-Rookie recognition as a freshmen.
• As a sophomore, he is best remembered for posting the fastest natural hat trick in NCAATournament history with three goals in 3:12 on his way to being named East Regional Most Valuable Player and also named to the All-Tournament team in guiding the Bobcats to an appearance in the 2013 NCAA National Championship Game.
SAM ANAS
• 2014-15 ECAC Hockey Second Team selection.
• Joins current Bobcat assistant as the only two-time ECAC Hockey All-League honorees.
• Sam Anas finished the 2014-15 regular season as one of three ECAC Hockey players to reach 20 goals this season, and one of five to tally 36 or more points.
• Additionally, Anas was one of five players in ECAC Hockey to average better than a point per game (1.06).
• In league play, Anas ranked third in goals (12), ninth in assists (11)and fourth in total points (23) as one of ECAC Hockey's eight 20-point scorers, in league games only.
• He was also one of five players to post double-digit goal and assist totals in league play.
• He also had one of four overtime goals in ECAC Hockey competition and was second among all skaters with four multiple-goal games.
• For the year, he was one of four players in the league with 10 or more multiple-point games and led the league with eight goals when Quinnipiac was trailing.
• For his career, he has registered 45 goals and 37 assists for 82 points in 77 career games over two seasons.
MICHAEL GARTEIG
• 2014-15 ECAC Hockey Third Team selection.
• Just the second All-ECAC Hockey goalie in Quinnipiac history, joining Eric Hartzell who was named to the First Team in 2012-13.
• Entering the NCAA Tournament, he is one of 19 goalies in the nation with 20 wins, ranking sixth with 22.
• Ranks eighth nationally with a .691 winning percentage.
• His five shutouts are the second-most in a single-season, trailing his six shutouts in 2013-14.
• His 11 career shutouts are the most in Quinnipiac history. He broke the record in a 1-0 overtime win at Cornell on Feb. 6, 2015.
• In 22 ECAC Hockey games, Michael Garteig led all league goalies in wins (16), winning percentage (.795), goals-against average (1.62) and was third in save percentage (.932).
• Of the four goalies in ECAC Hockey to start all 22 league games, allowed the fewest goals (35) while logging a league-high 1,333:44 minutes.
• Of the three ECAC Hockey goalies to start 30 games, Garteig posted a league-best 1.98 goals-against average.
• He also tied for the league lead with five shutouts in 22 league games. Garteig also posted a 13-game unbeaten streak (10-0-3) that ended on the final game of the regular season.
• A 2014-15 Mike Richter Award candidate, Garteig was named the ECAC Hockey was a three-time ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Week and the Goalie of the Month for November.
LANDON SMITH
• 2014-15 ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Selection. The fifth all-rookie pick in Quinnipiac's nine-year history in the league.
• To date, Landon Smith leads all ECAC Hockey freshmen in goals (15), assists (16), points (31), goals per game (0.39), points per game (0.82), power play points (10), game-winning goals (4) and also had the only hat trick among all ECAC Hockey freshmen, and one of seven among all NCAA Division I freshmen.
• He was one of seven freshmen in the country to score 15 goals this year while his 16 assists where tied for 17th among all first-year skaters.
• One of eight 30-point scorers among all freshmen skaters in the nation.
• His 10 goals and 16 points in 22 ECAC Hockey games also led all ECAC Hockey freshmen.
• Three-time ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week (11/4, 2/2 and 2/17).
• Had one of 63 hat tricks in NCAA Division I ice hockey this year.
TRAVIS ST. DENIS
• Currently third on the Bobcats' roster in assists (18) and tied for the second-most goals (15), third in points (33).
• His 18 assists and 33 points are career bests, while his 15 goals have tied his career-best set in 2013-14.
• Also carries a +12, good the highest among all Quinnipiac players.
• Enters the tournament with a three-game points streak and has compiled a goal and seven assists in his last seven games.
• Quinnipiac is 10-2 in the 12 games in which he has scored.
• Is one of two players, along with Sam Anas, in the Bobcats' line-up to average a point per game in 22 ECAC Hockey games. St. Denis wrapped up the regular season with 11 goals and 11 assists.
• Scored all three goals in a 3-1 win at Rensselaer on Nov. 15 for his first collegiate hat trick and the 28th in Quinnipiac history. Had one of 63 hat tricks in NCAA Division I ice hockey this year.
• Had a team-, season-high nine-game point streak from Jan. 3 to Feb. 7 in which he accumulated six goals and six assists.• Leads Quinnipiac with five game-winning goals.
• St. Denis is the only player in ECAC Hockey to score the game-winning goal in both games of a two-game weekend, twice; he did so at Union and RPI on 11/14 and 11/15 and again against Union and RPI at home on 1/9 and 1/10, respectively.
• ECAC Hockey Player of the Week on 11/17/2014 and 1/13/15
DEVON TOEWS
• Playing in just 14 of Quinnipiac's 22 league games, Devon Toews ranked 4th in defensemen points (12) in ECAC Hockey, while his goals (3) and assist (9) totals both ranked fifth.
• For the year, Toews scored four goals and assisted on 16 more for 20 points - good for the third most among all ECAC Hockey defensemen. His four goals and 16 assists were also career highs.
JUSTIN AGOSTA
• Justin Agosta joined Quinnipiac after a three-year career at the University of New Hampshire, where he accumulated nine goals and 35 assists for 44 points in 116 career games.
• This season, He has scored three goals and assisted on 19 more for 22 points -good for the most points by a Quinnipiac defenseman.
• Agosta is second on Quinnipiac roster in plus/minus at +11.
TIM CLIFTON
• The elder Clifton brother is enjoying a break-out season for the Bobcats, posting career-highs in goals (9), assists (8) and points (17).
• Clifton currently ranks fourth among all Quinnipiac skaters with eight goals.
• Clifton earned ECAC Hockey Player of the Week honors on Jan. 6 after totaling two goals and three assists in a weekend series at St. Cloud State.
• Clifton potted one game-winner this season - on Nov. 8 against Cornell when he lit the lamp with less than two minutes to play in regulation in a 1-0 win at High Point Solutions Arena.
SOREN JONZZON
• Junior Soren Jonzzon is also enjoying a break-out season, tallying career-highs in goals (8), assists (7) and points (15) in 37 games this season.
• Jonzzon has three goals in his last two games - two in a 3-1 series-clinching win against Union in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals and of Quinnipiac's two goals in a 5-2 loss to Harvard in the league semifinals.
• Jonzzon registered two game-winning goals this season - one in a 4-3 win against Northeastern at home and another in overtime in a 2-1 win against Dartmouth in Hamden.
• Jonzzon was a candidate for the prestigious ECAC Hockey Student Athlete of the Year. He currently carries a 3.94 grade-point average majoring in biomedical sciences and will graduate in three years at the completion of this semester.
DANNY FEDERICO
• 2014-15 All-ECAC Hockey Third Team Selection. He joins Reid Cashman and Zach Davies (2012-13) as the only Quinnipiac defensemen to be honored by ECAC Hockey.
• Bobcats senior co-captain, Danny Federico was once-again a candidate for ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Defenseman award.
• Federico is one of nine ECAC Hockey players with 50 or more blocks to date, while his 56 total blocks rank sixth among all ECAC Hockey player, and his 1.70 blocks-per-game rank 7th.
• Federico entered the 2014-15 season with one career goal before scoring twice on consecutive nights in a pair of 2-2 ties against Yale and Brown on Feb. 20-21.
MISC. PLAYER NOTES
• Derek Smith has accumulated career-highs in assists (13) and points (13) to date. Smith ranks 20th among ECAC Hockey defenseman in points and pointed a season-high two assists in a 5-2 win at Harvard.
• Among the team's freshmen, Landon Smith has 15 of the 29 goals scored by the Bobcats' first year skaters and 31 of the 64 total points by QU freshmen. Tanner MacMaster has come on strong as of late and has totaled five goals and six assists for 11 points. Bo Pieper checks in with three goals and eight assists while Andrew Taverner has scored five goals and assisted on three more.
• Senior Alex Barron - who has been the Bobcats' utility man this year as he's shifted from forward to defenseman for most of the year - has totaled three goals and six assists for eight points. Barron's two goals came against UMass, which doubled his career total.
• Tommy Schutt has found the back the net twice, while assisting on four more goals for six points this season. Schutt's shorthanded goal at St. Cloud State was featured as one of the NCAA.com's Top Plays of the Week.
• K.J. Tiefenwerth has appeared in 26 games this year after transferring to Quinnipiac from UMass. His five assists are a career best.
CURE RETT
Quinnipiac wore limited edition jerseys in their game against UMass on Friday, Nov. 28, with the words "CURE RETT" in place of their names on the back of the jerseys. Quinnipiac men's ice hockey then partnered with the RettSyndrome.org to auction the jerseys online. All 34 of the Bobcats jersey sold successfully, and Quinnipiac was featured prominently on CollegeHockeyNews.com.
