Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey Prepares For Second Half of Season
12/26/2017 9:18:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
HAMDEN, Connecticut –When Quinnipiac men's ice hockey sets foot on the XL Center ice for its matchup against UConn on Jan. 2, 2018, it will have endured the longest break– 24 days between games – since the 2008-09 season. The Bobcats were anxious to get the second half underway, starting with a 6 p.m. practice on the day after Christmas.
"The break was great, it was good for the mental side of it," sophomore forward Alex Whelan said. "It was nice to get home and get away from everything for a little bit, but stay active. It's really good to be back now, and everyone is ready to go for the second half. We want to prove that we can be a really good team."
"Break was great," junior defenseman John Furgele said. "I was glad to get home and see my family and celebrate Christmas. No matter how the team does, once Christmas comes along it's a good time to get a little rest that you need and refresh and come back with a new mindset."
Whelan enjoyed a solid first half in which he matched his goal output from his freshman campaign in 2016-17 with six goals through Quinnipiac's first 18 games. The second-year Bobcat scored five of his six goals in Quinnipiac's first five games.
"We played really well over our first five games," Whelan said. "I think we need to get back to playing that way. We don't have the record we want, but we're a really talented team and will get to that level. All that matters now is becoming confident as a team and getting hot down the stretch heading into the [ECAC Hockey] tournament."
At 3-1-1 through its first five games – four games against ranked opponents – Quinnipiac saw solid action in season-opening ties against nationally-ranked Boston College and Boston University before rattling off three-straight wins beginning with Vermont at home before taking two at Northeastern and earning CollegeHockeyNews.com Team of the Week honors.
The team then lapsed into a four-game losing streak to open ECAC Hockey play but rode the hot hand of second-year goalie Andrew Shortridge through a pair of shutout wins against Brown and Yale on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Despite averaging close to three goals per game, the team won just once over its last seven games heading into the break.
"No one likes to lose –losing isn't fun," Furgele said. "When stuff isn't going your way, it can take a toll on you mentally and emotionally. Obviously, we're not where we want to be but there are some positives to build off of so we want to carry that over to the second half."
Quinnipiac will be tested to start the second half with seven straight road contests through Jan. 20, 2018. The Bobcats will face in-state foe UConn on Jan. 2 at the XL Center followed by a trip to Colgate on Jan. 5 and Cornell on Jan. 6. The following weekend places the Bobcats in Hanover, New Hampshire to face Dartmouth on Jan. 12 before a clash with Harvard on Saturday, Jan. 13. The Bobcats conclude their early second-half road swing at Arizona State for two games on Jan. 19-20. Quinnipiac returns home to host Princeton after a 10-day break on Jan. 30.
"Everyone is really excited," Furgele said. "The second half is like a new season, the guys are refreshed, re-energized and ready to get after it."
"We have to get back to work, buy-in and play to our identity and we'll be rewarded," Whelan said.
Notes
"The break was great, it was good for the mental side of it," sophomore forward Alex Whelan said. "It was nice to get home and get away from everything for a little bit, but stay active. It's really good to be back now, and everyone is ready to go for the second half. We want to prove that we can be a really good team."
"Break was great," junior defenseman John Furgele said. "I was glad to get home and see my family and celebrate Christmas. No matter how the team does, once Christmas comes along it's a good time to get a little rest that you need and refresh and come back with a new mindset."
Whelan enjoyed a solid first half in which he matched his goal output from his freshman campaign in 2016-17 with six goals through Quinnipiac's first 18 games. The second-year Bobcat scored five of his six goals in Quinnipiac's first five games.
"We played really well over our first five games," Whelan said. "I think we need to get back to playing that way. We don't have the record we want, but we're a really talented team and will get to that level. All that matters now is becoming confident as a team and getting hot down the stretch heading into the [ECAC Hockey] tournament."
At 3-1-1 through its first five games – four games against ranked opponents – Quinnipiac saw solid action in season-opening ties against nationally-ranked Boston College and Boston University before rattling off three-straight wins beginning with Vermont at home before taking two at Northeastern and earning CollegeHockeyNews.com Team of the Week honors.
The team then lapsed into a four-game losing streak to open ECAC Hockey play but rode the hot hand of second-year goalie Andrew Shortridge through a pair of shutout wins against Brown and Yale on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Despite averaging close to three goals per game, the team won just once over its last seven games heading into the break.
"No one likes to lose –losing isn't fun," Furgele said. "When stuff isn't going your way, it can take a toll on you mentally and emotionally. Obviously, we're not where we want to be but there are some positives to build off of so we want to carry that over to the second half."
Quinnipiac will be tested to start the second half with seven straight road contests through Jan. 20, 2018. The Bobcats will face in-state foe UConn on Jan. 2 at the XL Center followed by a trip to Colgate on Jan. 5 and Cornell on Jan. 6. The following weekend places the Bobcats in Hanover, New Hampshire to face Dartmouth on Jan. 12 before a clash with Harvard on Saturday, Jan. 13. The Bobcats conclude their early second-half road swing at Arizona State for two games on Jan. 19-20. Quinnipiac returns home to host Princeton after a 10-day break on Jan. 30.
"Everyone is really excited," Furgele said. "The second half is like a new season, the guys are refreshed, re-energized and ready to get after it."
"We have to get back to work, buy-in and play to our identity and we'll be rewarded," Whelan said.
Notes
- Freshman Odeen Tufto (Chaska, Minnesota) led Quinnipiac with 19 points through the Bobcats' first 18 games with three goals and a team-high 16 assists. The first-year Bobcat leads all NCAA Division I freshman in assists and is tied for second in points.
- Tanner MacMaster (Calgary, Alberta) has lit the lamp a team-high eight times to go along with seven assists for 15 points to date.
- Chase Priskie (Pembroke Pines, Florida) checks-in with five goals and seven assists for 12 points to date, including a point in three of his last five games played.
- Landon Smith (Greenwood Village, Colorado) has scored five goals and assisted on six more for 11 points, including three points in the Bobcats' weekend series against Maine. Smith also leads Quinnipiac with four goals in nine ECAC Hockey games.
- Karlis Cukste (Riga, Latvia) has scored three times and assisted on seven more goals for 10 points. Cukste has also blocked 42 shots, good for the eighth-most, nationally.
Players Mentioned
DEFENSEMAN
/ Men's Ice Hockey
DEFENSEMAN
/ Men's Ice Hockey
FORWARD
/ Men's Ice Hockey
DEFENSEMAN
/ Men's Ice Hockey
GOALIE
/ Men's Ice Hockey
FORWARD
/ Men's Ice Hockey
FORWARD
/ Men's Ice Hockey
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