Thursday, December 31
Canton, N.Y. / Appleton Arena
4:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
at
St. Lawrence
Photo by: Kelly Shea
#12/13 Bobcats Open ECAC Hockey Play at St. Lawrence on New Year's Eve
12/30/2020 2:26:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
Men's Ice Hockey Brings Four-Game Winning Streak Into First Conference Game
#12/13 Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) at
St. Lawrence Saints (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey)
Thursday, Dec. 31 | 4 PM
Appleton Arena | Canton, N.Y.
All-Time Series vs. St. Lawrence: 17-15-5 (Won last meeting, 6-1, on Feb. 15, 2020)
WATCH (U.S.) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES | @QU_MIH
#12/13 Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) vs.
St. Lawrence Saints (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey)
Sunday, Jan. 3 | 1 PM
Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena at the People's United Center | Hamden, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. St. Lawrence: 17-15-5 (Won last meeting, 6-1, on Feb. 15, 2020)
WATCH (U.S.) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES | @QU_MIH
HAMDEN, Conn. – The No. 12/13 Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team opens up ECAC Hockey play this week as the Bobcats take on the St. Lawrence Saints in a home-and-home series beginning New Year's Eve at 4 p.m. at Appleton Arena in Canton, N.Y., before both teams return to Hamden Sunday for a 1 p.m. puck drop.
Last Time Out
Quinnipiac completed a weekend sweep of then-No. 19 AIC to extend its season-best winning streak to four games as the Bobcats won Saturday night in Hamden, 8-3, and Sunday afternoon in Springfield, 3-2. Odeen Tufto had a team-best six points in the two games while Ty Smilanic led all skaters with three goals over the weekend. Keith Petruzzelli stood tall between the pipes with 58 saves.
Scouting St. Lawrence
The Saints have yet to play in the 2020-21 season as they begin with the first ECAC Hockey game since the postseason was cancelled after they were swept in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals on March 6 and 7. In fact, Thursday's game will be the first home game at Appleton Arena for the Saints since a 6-3 win over Harvard on Feb. 22 over 10 months ago. This year is a new-look St. Lawrence team as the top three scorers all left after last season and starting goaltender Daniel Mannella graduated. Jordan Steinmetz is the top leading scorer returning with five goals and eight assists as a first year.
All-Time vs. St. Lawrence
The Bobcats enter this weekend's home-and-home series with the Saints with a 17-15-5 record in 37 meetings. Quinnipiac has won eight straight games against St. Lawrence and are 8-2-1 in 11 games against the Saints over the past four seasons. It is the longest winning streak either team has had against each other since their first meeting on Nov. 3, 2000.
Stars of the Week
Quinnipiac took the top two spots in the ECAC Hockey Stars of the Week awards once again as Odeen Tufto was named the league's first star and Ethan de Jong was named the second star. Tufto recorded a nation-leading 10 points on a goal and nine assists over the past week along with a .701 faceoff percentage. de Jong was among the most prolific scorers, tied for the most goals, all four on the power play, in the nation.
National Rankings
Quinnipiac used its four-game winning streak to make a steep climb back up the national rankings as the Bobcats moved up four spots in the USCHO.com Poll to No. 12 in the nation. The Bobcats also re-entered the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll at No. 13 after one week receiving votes.
A Week to Remember
The Bobcats had a week they will never forget with the four-game winning streak including sweeps of Holy Cross and AIC in home-and-home series as they boasted the top six point-getters in the nation and the top three scorers. Four Bobcats each had four points over the past week while three Bobcats tallied four goals to lead the nation.
Power Play Power
Quinnipiac has among the most lethal power-plays in the country through the first portion of the season as the Bobcats have scored a nation-leading 14 power-play goals at a clip of 29.8 percent, good for fifth in the nation and the highest among teams to play at least eight games. Quinnipiac enters the weekend 14 for 47 on the power play after picking up power-play goals in five straight games, including five power-play goals vs. AIC on Dec. 26 for its first game with at least five power-play goals since Feb. 28, 2014 in an 8-0 win at St. Lawrence.
On a Tear
The Bobcats have been among the most impressive offensive teams in 2020-21 to date, tied for third in the nation averaging 4.25 goals per game and are first among teams with at least eight games played. The Bobcats have scored eight or more goals in a game twice this season, the first time they've done that since the 2013-14 season when they had eight goals twice in wins at Dartmouth on Jan. 31, 2014 (8-0) and St. Lawrence on Feb. 28, 2014 (8-0).
Faceoff Force
Quinnipiac is once again among the top faceoff teams in the nation, entering the weekend with a .570 faceoff percentage that ranks fourth in the nation. The Bobcats are led by Odeen Tufto's .674 faceoff percentage that is the highest among skaters with eight games played and ranks fourth among centers overall this season. Skyler Brind'Amour is second on the team and tied for 26th in the nation at .600.
TufTo Beat
Odeen Tufto has been among the most exciting players to watch this season as he leads the nation with 15 points and 13 assists, as well as nine power-play points and eight power-play assists. He has recorded a point in five straight games, and seven of eight games this season, to take over the scoring lead in the nation. He is coming off a six-point weekend, including a four-assist game in the Bobcats' 8-3 win vs. AIC for his first four-assist game since recording four assists at Princeton on Dec. 1, 2018.
History Maker
Tufto also hit a significant milestone over the weekend as he became the eighth Bobcat in program history and fifth at the Division I level to record 100 career assists. He now has 103 assists in his career after the six-assist weekend, putting him all alone for seventh in program history and fourth at the Division I level. Tufto is 22 assists behind Reid Cashman '07 for the most assists in program history at 125.
Tufto is also climbing the points charts as well as he ranks 11th in program history and seventh in Division I program history with 136 points after his high scoring start. Brian Herbert '03 and Bryan Leitch '09 share the Division I lead with 169 points as Bobcats while Chris Cerrella '01 is the all-time leader with 205 career points.
de Jong and de Restless
Ethan de Jong has had a start to the season like no other as he leads the nation with five power-play goals and is tied for 12th in the nation with five goals overall. de Jong has scored a power-play goal in each of his last five games, good for the longest goal-scoring streak of his career. de Jong has also recorded multiple points in three straight games with a goal and an assist in each.
Ty's Touch
Ty Smilanic has found his scoring touch and is lighting the lamp in bunches with three goals against AIC and four goals in his last four games. Smilanic is tied for 12th in the nation with his five goals and is fourth among rookies nationally. Smilanic is tied for ninth among rookies with seven points. He has recorded two points each in three of his last four games, including back-to-back in the sweep of AIC.
St. Lawrence Saints (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey)
Thursday, Dec. 31 | 4 PM
Appleton Arena | Canton, N.Y.
All-Time Series vs. St. Lawrence: 17-15-5 (Won last meeting, 6-1, on Feb. 15, 2020)
WATCH (U.S.) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES | @QU_MIH
#12/13 Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) vs.
St. Lawrence Saints (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey)
Sunday, Jan. 3 | 1 PM
Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena at the People's United Center | Hamden, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. St. Lawrence: 17-15-5 (Won last meeting, 6-1, on Feb. 15, 2020)
WATCH (U.S.) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES | @QU_MIH
HAMDEN, Conn. – The No. 12/13 Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team opens up ECAC Hockey play this week as the Bobcats take on the St. Lawrence Saints in a home-and-home series beginning New Year's Eve at 4 p.m. at Appleton Arena in Canton, N.Y., before both teams return to Hamden Sunday for a 1 p.m. puck drop.
Last Time Out
Quinnipiac completed a weekend sweep of then-No. 19 AIC to extend its season-best winning streak to four games as the Bobcats won Saturday night in Hamden, 8-3, and Sunday afternoon in Springfield, 3-2. Odeen Tufto had a team-best six points in the two games while Ty Smilanic led all skaters with three goals over the weekend. Keith Petruzzelli stood tall between the pipes with 58 saves.
Scouting St. Lawrence
The Saints have yet to play in the 2020-21 season as they begin with the first ECAC Hockey game since the postseason was cancelled after they were swept in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals on March 6 and 7. In fact, Thursday's game will be the first home game at Appleton Arena for the Saints since a 6-3 win over Harvard on Feb. 22 over 10 months ago. This year is a new-look St. Lawrence team as the top three scorers all left after last season and starting goaltender Daniel Mannella graduated. Jordan Steinmetz is the top leading scorer returning with five goals and eight assists as a first year.
All-Time vs. St. Lawrence
The Bobcats enter this weekend's home-and-home series with the Saints with a 17-15-5 record in 37 meetings. Quinnipiac has won eight straight games against St. Lawrence and are 8-2-1 in 11 games against the Saints over the past four seasons. It is the longest winning streak either team has had against each other since their first meeting on Nov. 3, 2000.
Stars of the Week
Quinnipiac took the top two spots in the ECAC Hockey Stars of the Week awards once again as Odeen Tufto was named the league's first star and Ethan de Jong was named the second star. Tufto recorded a nation-leading 10 points on a goal and nine assists over the past week along with a .701 faceoff percentage. de Jong was among the most prolific scorers, tied for the most goals, all four on the power play, in the nation.
National Rankings
Quinnipiac used its four-game winning streak to make a steep climb back up the national rankings as the Bobcats moved up four spots in the USCHO.com Poll to No. 12 in the nation. The Bobcats also re-entered the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll at No. 13 after one week receiving votes.
A Week to Remember
The Bobcats had a week they will never forget with the four-game winning streak including sweeps of Holy Cross and AIC in home-and-home series as they boasted the top six point-getters in the nation and the top three scorers. Four Bobcats each had four points over the past week while three Bobcats tallied four goals to lead the nation.
Power Play Power
Quinnipiac has among the most lethal power-plays in the country through the first portion of the season as the Bobcats have scored a nation-leading 14 power-play goals at a clip of 29.8 percent, good for fifth in the nation and the highest among teams to play at least eight games. Quinnipiac enters the weekend 14 for 47 on the power play after picking up power-play goals in five straight games, including five power-play goals vs. AIC on Dec. 26 for its first game with at least five power-play goals since Feb. 28, 2014 in an 8-0 win at St. Lawrence.
On a Tear
The Bobcats have been among the most impressive offensive teams in 2020-21 to date, tied for third in the nation averaging 4.25 goals per game and are first among teams with at least eight games played. The Bobcats have scored eight or more goals in a game twice this season, the first time they've done that since the 2013-14 season when they had eight goals twice in wins at Dartmouth on Jan. 31, 2014 (8-0) and St. Lawrence on Feb. 28, 2014 (8-0).
Faceoff Force
Quinnipiac is once again among the top faceoff teams in the nation, entering the weekend with a .570 faceoff percentage that ranks fourth in the nation. The Bobcats are led by Odeen Tufto's .674 faceoff percentage that is the highest among skaters with eight games played and ranks fourth among centers overall this season. Skyler Brind'Amour is second on the team and tied for 26th in the nation at .600.
TufTo Beat
Odeen Tufto has been among the most exciting players to watch this season as he leads the nation with 15 points and 13 assists, as well as nine power-play points and eight power-play assists. He has recorded a point in five straight games, and seven of eight games this season, to take over the scoring lead in the nation. He is coming off a six-point weekend, including a four-assist game in the Bobcats' 8-3 win vs. AIC for his first four-assist game since recording four assists at Princeton on Dec. 1, 2018.
History Maker
Tufto also hit a significant milestone over the weekend as he became the eighth Bobcat in program history and fifth at the Division I level to record 100 career assists. He now has 103 assists in his career after the six-assist weekend, putting him all alone for seventh in program history and fourth at the Division I level. Tufto is 22 assists behind Reid Cashman '07 for the most assists in program history at 125.
Tufto is also climbing the points charts as well as he ranks 11th in program history and seventh in Division I program history with 136 points after his high scoring start. Brian Herbert '03 and Bryan Leitch '09 share the Division I lead with 169 points as Bobcats while Chris Cerrella '01 is the all-time leader with 205 career points.
de Jong and de Restless
Ethan de Jong has had a start to the season like no other as he leads the nation with five power-play goals and is tied for 12th in the nation with five goals overall. de Jong has scored a power-play goal in each of his last five games, good for the longest goal-scoring streak of his career. de Jong has also recorded multiple points in three straight games with a goal and an assist in each.
Ty's Touch
Ty Smilanic has found his scoring touch and is lighting the lamp in bunches with three goals against AIC and four goals in his last four games. Smilanic is tied for 12th in the nation with his five goals and is fourth among rookies nationally. Smilanic is tied for ninth among rookies with seven points. He has recorded two points each in three of his last four games, including back-to-back in the sweep of AIC.
Players Mentioned
Forward
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Forward
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Goaltender
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/ Men's Ice HockeyCoaches Road Show at Bears BBQ
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