Friday, November 25
Hamden, Conn.
3:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
vs
Merrimack
No. 8/9 QU Women's Ice Hockey Hosts Merrimack on Friday in First Round of Nutmeg Classic
11/23/2016 4:45:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
No. 8/9 Quinnipiac University Bobcats (10-4-2, 5-2-1 ECAC Hockey) vs. Merrimack Warriors (4-10-1, 2-7-0 Hockey East)
Date: Friday, Nov. 25, 2016 (3 p.m.)
Location: High Point Solutions Arena | Hamden, Connecticut
QU All-Time vs. Merrimack: Never Played
QU All-Time in Nutmeg Classic: 14-8-2
Game Notes: Quinnipiac
MULTIMEDIA
Follow the Bobcats vs. Cornell on Friday:
HAMDEN, Connecticut – No. 8/9 Quinnipiac women's ice hockey hosts Merrimack in the first round of the 2016 Nutmeg Classic on Friday, Nov. 25 at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden. The matchup marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The winner will advance to the Nutmeg Classic Championship on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. – taking on the winner of Friday's UConn/Yale contest.
NUTMEG CLASSIC
Quinnipiac, Yale, UConn and Merrimack will all compete in the 2016 Nutmeg Classic – which will be held at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26.
2016-17 Nutmeg Classic: Schedule
Date Matchup Time
11/25/16 Quinnipiac vs. Merrimack 3:00 PM
11/25/16 UConn vs. Yale 6:00 PM
11/26/16 Consolation Game 3:00 PM
11/26/16 Championship Game 6:00 PM
TOURNAMENT TITLES
Quinnipiac has won the Nutmeg Classic six times, UConn four times, and Yale once. Boston College is only non-Connecticut team to win the tournament.
LAST WEEKEND
The Bobcats defeated Colgate and tied Cornell this past weekend in conference action at High Point Solutions Arena.
Quinnipiac first played to a 3-3 tie vs. Cornell on Nov. 18, scoring three-straight goals to avoid dropping a conference game at home. Kate MacKenzie (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Melissa Samoskevich (Sandy Hook, Connecticut) and Kenzie Prater (Hudson, Wisconsin) all scored in the comeback for Quinnipiac, while Meghan Turner (Bedford, New Hampshire chipped in with three assists.
Quinnipiac then topped No. 5 Colgate, 3-1, to earn its first win vs. a ranked opponent in the 2016-17 season on Nov. 19. Sophomore Kenzie Lancaster (Waxhaw, North Carolina) paced the Bobcats offensively with two goals, while Prater grabbed an empty-netter at the end of the third period. Freshman goaltender Abbie Ives (Bedford Hills, New York) made 18 stops in her first collegiate career start, helping the Bobcats increase their undefeated streak to four games.
COMMANDING THE CONFERENCE
Quinnipiac dominated ECAC Hockey play last year, going 16-2-4. The Bobcats finished with 36 overall points, three total points ahead of Clarkson – who went 14-3-5 in conference action. QU allowed just 18 goals in 22 conference games in 2015-16. The Bobcats have gone 5-2-1 in their first six conference contests this season.
SCOUTING MERRIMACK
ALL-TIME vs. WARRIORS
IN THE POLLS
AMONG THE BEST
MILESTONE WATCH
PENALTY KILL
Quinnipiac ranked No. 2 in the nation in PK percentage last season, killing off 98-of-106 penalties (92.5 percent). This year, the Bobcats have successfully killed 47-of-55 PK chances, good for 85.5 percent.
POWER PLAY
Quinnipiac has scored on 12-of-62 power play chances thus far in 2016-17, a rate of 19.35 percent – which ranks No. 8 in the country. Cianfarano is tied for No. 1 in the country with five goals on the advantage.
JUST SCORE FIRST
Last year, Quinnipiac scored first in 25 of its 34 regular season games – going 22-0-3 in those games. The Bobcats have scored first in nine of 16 games so far in the 2016-17 season, winning each time they record the game's first goal.
SHOOT TO THRILL
The Bobcats are 33-2-5 in games where they outshoot their opponent, dating back to the start of last season. Quinnipiac has recorded more shots in 12 of 16 games so far in 2016-17, going 10-1-1 in that span.
GAME-WINNERS
Three current Bobcats rank in the Top 10 list of the program's career game-winning goals: With five game-winners already this season, Cianfarano ranks No. 2 all-time (16 game-winning goals), Melissa Samoskevich is tied for No. 4 (8-game-winning goals), and Emma Woods currently ranks No. 8 on the list (7 game-winning goals).
IN THE ECAC
The Bobcats were picked as ECAC Hockey's favorite entering the 2016-17 season, finishing No. 1 overall in the ECAC Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll. Junior forward Taylar Cianfarano (Oswego, New York) was selected to the Preseason All-ECAC First Team. Last year as a sophomore, Cianfarano led the ECAC with 52 points.
OFFENSIVE ATTACK
Quinnipiac returns three of its top five scorers from 2015-16. Cianfarano led the team with 52 points on 28 goals and 24 assists, Emma Woods (Burford, Ontario) recorded 34 points via 11 goals and 23 assists, and Melissa Samoskevich (Sandy Hook, CT) 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points. Nicole Connery (13g, 14a) and Nicole Kosta (10g, 15a) both graduated following the end of last season.
LAST SEASON
As a team, Quinnipiac is on the heels of perhaps its most impressive season in program history, which ended with an ECAC Hockey Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth. The Bobcats went 30-3-5 in 2015-16, earning the most wins and highest win percentage (.885) in team history. Head coach Cassandra Turner also set the NCAA Record for most wins by a first-year women's ice hockey head coach.
BENCHMARK YEAR
Other program records set in 2015-16 included: most goals scored (118), most assists (188), highest power play percentage (25 percent), highest penalty kill (92.5 percent), fewest goals allowed (35), lowest GAA (0.92), most home wins (18), longest winning streak (10 games), and longest unbeaten streak (21 games).
Player Notes
Woods
Emma Woods (Burford, Ontario) was unanimously voted by her teammates to be the Bobcats' captain for 2016-17 season. She has three goals and seven assists so far this year for the Bobcats, and 38 career goals to go along with 55 assists for 93 points.
ROSSMAN
Bobcats' goaltender Sydney Rossman had a .949 save percentage a season ago, allowing just .90 goals per game in 39 games (second-best in the nation). The 2016 ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Year recorded 16 shutouts in 2015-16, which is tied with former Bobcat netminder Chelsea Laden's single-season record from 2014-15. Her current .940 save percentage and 1.08 goals-against average for her career rank No. 1 in program history. She has five shutouts so far in 2016-17, with a .920 save percentage. She is also an assistant captain for Quinnipiac this year.
CIANFARANO
T.T. Cianfarano recorded 28 goals and 24 assists last year, winning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors. She owns the Quinnipiac program record for most goals and most points in a single-season for a sophomore. She was selected to the Preseason 2016-17 All-ECAC First Team, and has recorded a team high 15 points on 10 goals and five assists so far this season. Cianfarano has 55 career goals and 42 career assists, putting her three points away from 100.
SAMOSKEVICH
Melissa Samoskevich has four goals and six assists for 10 points so far this year. She was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team last season, after putting up 16 goals and 16 assists as a freshman. Samoskevich has 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 career points.
TURNER
Meghan Turner, an assistant captain for the Bobcats in 2016-17, has four goals and 10 assists for 14 points so far this season. She has 21 career goals and 23 career assists over four years with the Bobcats – including a career-high eight goals in 2015-16.
BAUMGARDT
Taryn Baumgardt (Innisfail, Alberta) has two goals and four assists so far this year. The defender has two goals and four assists for six points in 2014-15, and then three goals and 10 helpers for 13 points in 2015-16. She has eight career goals and 24 assists.
GRECO
Senior Emma Greco (Burlington, Ontario) has five assists so far this season to go along with a team-high 27 blocked shots. She has two goals and 17 assists for 19 career points.
PRATER
Kenzie Prater (Hudson, Wisconsin) has four goals and four assists for eight points in her first 16 games as a Bobcat. She was a member of the 2016 U.S. Women's Under-22 team, alongside teammates Cianfarano and Samoskevich.
LANCASTER
Kenzie Lancaster (Waxhaw, North Carolina) has five goals and two assists for seven points this year, and five goals and three assists for eight career tallies. She scored twice in the Bobcats' latest win over No. 5 Colgate.
MARCON
Randi Marcon (Winnipeg, Manitoba) has two goals and an assist for three points so far in 2016-17, and six goals and three assists for nine career points.
PENNOYER
Raquel Pennoyer (Rehoboth, Massachusetts) has one goal and two assists for three points this year, and three goals and six assists for nine career points.
MACKENZIE
Freshman Kate MacKenzie (Winnipeg, Manitoba) has two goals and three assists in her first season with the Bobcats. She tallied all three assists in the Oct. 29 victory over Brown.
TABIN
The freshman defenseman has two goals and two assists for four points in her first season with Quinnipiac.
Date: Friday, Nov. 25, 2016 (3 p.m.)
Location: High Point Solutions Arena | Hamden, Connecticut
QU All-Time vs. Merrimack: Never Played
QU All-Time in Nutmeg Classic: 14-8-2
Game Notes: Quinnipiac
MULTIMEDIA
Follow the Bobcats vs. Cornell on Friday:
HAMDEN, Connecticut – No. 8/9 Quinnipiac women's ice hockey hosts Merrimack in the first round of the 2016 Nutmeg Classic on Friday, Nov. 25 at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden. The matchup marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The winner will advance to the Nutmeg Classic Championship on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. – taking on the winner of Friday's UConn/Yale contest.
NUTMEG CLASSIC
Quinnipiac, Yale, UConn and Merrimack will all compete in the 2016 Nutmeg Classic – which will be held at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26.
2016-17 Nutmeg Classic: Schedule
Date Matchup Time
11/25/16 Quinnipiac vs. Merrimack 3:00 PM
11/25/16 UConn vs. Yale 6:00 PM
11/26/16 Consolation Game 3:00 PM
11/26/16 Championship Game 6:00 PM
TOURNAMENT TITLES
Quinnipiac has won the Nutmeg Classic six times, UConn four times, and Yale once. Boston College is only non-Connecticut team to win the tournament.
LAST WEEKEND
The Bobcats defeated Colgate and tied Cornell this past weekend in conference action at High Point Solutions Arena.
Quinnipiac first played to a 3-3 tie vs. Cornell on Nov. 18, scoring three-straight goals to avoid dropping a conference game at home. Kate MacKenzie (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Melissa Samoskevich (Sandy Hook, Connecticut) and Kenzie Prater (Hudson, Wisconsin) all scored in the comeback for Quinnipiac, while Meghan Turner (Bedford, New Hampshire chipped in with three assists.
Quinnipiac then topped No. 5 Colgate, 3-1, to earn its first win vs. a ranked opponent in the 2016-17 season on Nov. 19. Sophomore Kenzie Lancaster (Waxhaw, North Carolina) paced the Bobcats offensively with two goals, while Prater grabbed an empty-netter at the end of the third period. Freshman goaltender Abbie Ives (Bedford Hills, New York) made 18 stops in her first collegiate career start, helping the Bobcats increase their undefeated streak to four games.
COMMANDING THE CONFERENCE
Quinnipiac dominated ECAC Hockey play last year, going 16-2-4. The Bobcats finished with 36 overall points, three total points ahead of Clarkson – who went 14-3-5 in conference action. QU allowed just 18 goals in 22 conference games in 2015-16. The Bobcats have gone 5-2-1 in their first six conference contests this season.
SCOUTING MERRIMACK
- Merrimack enters the Nutmeg Classic with a 4-10-1 record, going 2-7-0 in Hockey East play. The Warriors have dropped their last six contests.
- Jessica Bonfe (8 goals, 4 assists), Katelyn Rae (9 goals, 1 assist), Mikyla Grant-Mentis (2 goals, 8 assists) and Paige Voight (7 goals, 4 assist) all have double-digit point totals thus far in 2016-17.
- Lea-Kristine Demers has started 11 of the team's 15 games in net, posting a .901 save percentage and a .331 goals-against average.
ALL-TIME vs. WARRIORS
- The Bobcats have never played Merrimack – who became a Division I program just two seasons ago.
IN THE POLLS
- Quinnipiac was ranked No. 8 overall in the latest USCHO.com Division Women's Poll, as announced on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016.
- The Bobcats were also ranked No. 9 nationally in the latest USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll, as announced on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
- Quinnipiac is currently 8th in the PairWise Rankings and 11th overall in RPI.
AMONG THE BEST
- Quinnipiac currently ranks No. 5 in the nation in team defense, giving up just 1.44 goals per contest.
- Taylar Cianfarano (Oswego, New York) has 10 goals in 16 games so far this year, which ranks tied for No. 7 in the nation. She also has five power play goals, which is tied for best in the country.
- Sydney Rossman (Excelsior, Minnesota) is third in the country in shutouts (5).
MILESTONE WATCH
- Taylar Cianfarano has 55 career goals and 42 career assists, putting her three points away from 100.
- Emma Woods has 38 goals and 55 assists for 93 career points. She needs just seven more for 100.
- Sydney Rossman has 23 career shutouts. She needs three more for the program record.
PENALTY KILL
Quinnipiac ranked No. 2 in the nation in PK percentage last season, killing off 98-of-106 penalties (92.5 percent). This year, the Bobcats have successfully killed 47-of-55 PK chances, good for 85.5 percent.
POWER PLAY
Quinnipiac has scored on 12-of-62 power play chances thus far in 2016-17, a rate of 19.35 percent – which ranks No. 8 in the country. Cianfarano is tied for No. 1 in the country with five goals on the advantage.
JUST SCORE FIRST
Last year, Quinnipiac scored first in 25 of its 34 regular season games – going 22-0-3 in those games. The Bobcats have scored first in nine of 16 games so far in the 2016-17 season, winning each time they record the game's first goal.
SHOOT TO THRILL
The Bobcats are 33-2-5 in games where they outshoot their opponent, dating back to the start of last season. Quinnipiac has recorded more shots in 12 of 16 games so far in 2016-17, going 10-1-1 in that span.
GAME-WINNERS
Three current Bobcats rank in the Top 10 list of the program's career game-winning goals: With five game-winners already this season, Cianfarano ranks No. 2 all-time (16 game-winning goals), Melissa Samoskevich is tied for No. 4 (8-game-winning goals), and Emma Woods currently ranks No. 8 on the list (7 game-winning goals).
IN THE ECAC
The Bobcats were picked as ECAC Hockey's favorite entering the 2016-17 season, finishing No. 1 overall in the ECAC Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll. Junior forward Taylar Cianfarano (Oswego, New York) was selected to the Preseason All-ECAC First Team. Last year as a sophomore, Cianfarano led the ECAC with 52 points.
OFFENSIVE ATTACK
Quinnipiac returns three of its top five scorers from 2015-16. Cianfarano led the team with 52 points on 28 goals and 24 assists, Emma Woods (Burford, Ontario) recorded 34 points via 11 goals and 23 assists, and Melissa Samoskevich (Sandy Hook, CT) 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points. Nicole Connery (13g, 14a) and Nicole Kosta (10g, 15a) both graduated following the end of last season.
LAST SEASON
As a team, Quinnipiac is on the heels of perhaps its most impressive season in program history, which ended with an ECAC Hockey Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth. The Bobcats went 30-3-5 in 2015-16, earning the most wins and highest win percentage (.885) in team history. Head coach Cassandra Turner also set the NCAA Record for most wins by a first-year women's ice hockey head coach.
BENCHMARK YEAR
Other program records set in 2015-16 included: most goals scored (118), most assists (188), highest power play percentage (25 percent), highest penalty kill (92.5 percent), fewest goals allowed (35), lowest GAA (0.92), most home wins (18), longest winning streak (10 games), and longest unbeaten streak (21 games).
Player Notes
Woods
Emma Woods (Burford, Ontario) was unanimously voted by her teammates to be the Bobcats' captain for 2016-17 season. She has three goals and seven assists so far this year for the Bobcats, and 38 career goals to go along with 55 assists for 93 points.
ROSSMAN
Bobcats' goaltender Sydney Rossman had a .949 save percentage a season ago, allowing just .90 goals per game in 39 games (second-best in the nation). The 2016 ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Year recorded 16 shutouts in 2015-16, which is tied with former Bobcat netminder Chelsea Laden's single-season record from 2014-15. Her current .940 save percentage and 1.08 goals-against average for her career rank No. 1 in program history. She has five shutouts so far in 2016-17, with a .920 save percentage. She is also an assistant captain for Quinnipiac this year.
CIANFARANO
T.T. Cianfarano recorded 28 goals and 24 assists last year, winning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors. She owns the Quinnipiac program record for most goals and most points in a single-season for a sophomore. She was selected to the Preseason 2016-17 All-ECAC First Team, and has recorded a team high 15 points on 10 goals and five assists so far this season. Cianfarano has 55 career goals and 42 career assists, putting her three points away from 100.
SAMOSKEVICH
Melissa Samoskevich has four goals and six assists for 10 points so far this year. She was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team last season, after putting up 16 goals and 16 assists as a freshman. Samoskevich has 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 career points.
TURNER
Meghan Turner, an assistant captain for the Bobcats in 2016-17, has four goals and 10 assists for 14 points so far this season. She has 21 career goals and 23 career assists over four years with the Bobcats – including a career-high eight goals in 2015-16.
BAUMGARDT
Taryn Baumgardt (Innisfail, Alberta) has two goals and four assists so far this year. The defender has two goals and four assists for six points in 2014-15, and then three goals and 10 helpers for 13 points in 2015-16. She has eight career goals and 24 assists.
GRECO
Senior Emma Greco (Burlington, Ontario) has five assists so far this season to go along with a team-high 27 blocked shots. She has two goals and 17 assists for 19 career points.
PRATER
Kenzie Prater (Hudson, Wisconsin) has four goals and four assists for eight points in her first 16 games as a Bobcat. She was a member of the 2016 U.S. Women's Under-22 team, alongside teammates Cianfarano and Samoskevich.
LANCASTER
Kenzie Lancaster (Waxhaw, North Carolina) has five goals and two assists for seven points this year, and five goals and three assists for eight career tallies. She scored twice in the Bobcats' latest win over No. 5 Colgate.
MARCON
Randi Marcon (Winnipeg, Manitoba) has two goals and an assist for three points so far in 2016-17, and six goals and three assists for nine career points.
PENNOYER
Raquel Pennoyer (Rehoboth, Massachusetts) has one goal and two assists for three points this year, and three goals and six assists for nine career points.
MACKENZIE
Freshman Kate MacKenzie (Winnipeg, Manitoba) has two goals and three assists in her first season with the Bobcats. She tallied all three assists in the Oct. 29 victory over Brown.
TABIN
The freshman defenseman has two goals and two assists for four points in her first season with Quinnipiac.
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