Bobcats Travel to #5/5 Colgate to Begin ECAC Hockey Play

Saturday, January 9

Hamilton, N.Y. / Class of 1965 Arena

4:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Colgate

Lexie Adzija skates through the hand shake line after scoring

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

Bobcats Travel to #5/5 Colgate to Begin ECAC Hockey Play

1/8/2021 11:06:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey

Top Ten matchup on deck for #10 Quinnipiac at #5/5 Colgate

By: QU Athletic Communications

HAMDEN, Conn. - The No. 10 Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team is set to take on the No. 5/5 Colgate Raiders on the road Jan. 9-10. This will be the first conference game either team has played since February 2020, and the Bobcats will look to win its fourth-straight game of the 2020-21 season. Quinnipiac is coming off a 6-0 shutout against the LIU Sharks on Jan. 3. Colgate's last game was played on Dec. 5.

Game 1:
#10 Quinnipiac Bobcats (3-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) at #5/5 Colgate Raiders (4-1-1, 0-0-0 ECAC)
Saturday, Jan. 9 | 4 PM
Class of 1965 Arena | Hamilton, N.Y.
WATCH (U.S.) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LIVE STATS | QU GAME NOTES | COLGATE GAME NOTES

Game 2:
#10 Quinnipiac Bobcats (3-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) at #5/5 Colgate Raiders (4-1-1, 0-0-0 ECAC)
Sunday, Jan. 10 | 2 PM
Class of 1965 Arena | Hamilton, N.Y.
WATCH (U.S.) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LIVE STATS
All-Time Series vs. Colgate: 14-18-5

Last Time Out
The Bobcats hosted the LIU Sharks (NEWHA) on Jan. 3 and won 6-0. Quinnipiac outshot LIU 53 to 16 and five different Bobcats scored in the win. Senior Grace Markey tallied two goals, including the game-winner, and first-years Maddy Samoskevich and Kendall Cooper notched their first career points. Redshirt-sophomore Logan Angers got the start in the net, and first-year Catie Boudiette and sophomore Allie Kelley both made appearances in the net later in the game. The 6-0 win was the Bobcats' first shutout of the year.

Quinnipiac continued its strong penalty kill, allowing just two shots and zero power play goals for LIU. The Bobcats went 1-6 on the power play with 14 shots on net.

Scouting #5/5 Colgate
The No. 5/5 Colgate Raiders hold a 4-1-1 overall record. The Raiders' six games were played from Nov. 20-Dec. 4 against Syracuse and Clarkson. The Raiders won its first three games, including a 3-1 win against No. 5 Clarkson in Potsdam, N.Y. Colgate and Clarkson would meet three more times in 2020; the Raiders and Golden Knights split the next two games and later skated to a 2-2 tie.

First-year Kalty Kaltounkova and junior Rosy Demers both lead the Raiders with seven points each. In the net, first-year Kayle Osborne has started all six games for the Raiders. She holds a .907 save percentage and a 1.82 goals against average. The Raiders went 1-21 on the power play against the Golden Knights.

Last Time Against the Raiders
Quinnipiac split the season series with Colgate during the 2019-20 season. The last matchup came on Dec. 6, 2019 and the Bobcats defeated the Raiders, 2-1 at home. Senior Grace Markey and junior Lexie Adzija both scored in the win.

Scoring All Around
Sixteen different Bobcats recorded at least a point through the first three games of the 2020-21 season. Quinnipiac's nine goals scored against Sacred Heart was the most since Feb. 22, 2020 when the Bobcats scored nine against Brown. Four different Bobcats have a three-game point streak including senior Renee Saltness, junior Lexie Adzija, sophomore Kate Reilly and first-year Nina Steigauf.

Offense on Fire
The Bobcats have outscored opponents, 21-2, through the first three games of the season. Quinnipiac's 7.00 goals per game is ranked number one in the nation.

Shots on Goal
Quinnipiac tallied 68 shots on goal in the home opener against the Pioneers. Sixty-eight shots tied the record for shots on goal when the Bobcats tallied 68 shots against RPI on Feb. 27, 2016.

Saltness' Solid Start
Senior Renee Saltness has tallied seven points through three games to start the 2020-21 season. The senior forward currently leads the nation with 2.33 points per game. The Rochester, Minn. Native was awarded the Hockey Commissioners Association's Player of the Month award for her play through December. Saltness is already closing in on her season-point total from the 2019-20 season (4g-5a-9pts), which was a career-high.

The Queen of Faceoffs
Junior Lexie Adzija was stellar in the faceoff circle for Quinnipiac through the first three games. Adzija won 43-of-53 faceoffs taken against the Pioneers (81%). In the Bobcats' second game against Sacred Heart, the St. Thomas, Ontario native only lost one faceoff (19-of-20).

Defense Getting in on the Action
Sophomore Kate Reilly and redshirt-sophomore Courtney Vorster, both leaders of the Bobcats' defensive core, have been stellar in the QU offensive zone. The pair leads the nation in defensive points per game – Reilly averages 1.67 (2g-3a-5pts) and Vorster averages 1.33 (1g-3a-4pts).

First-Year Frenzy
In the Bobcats' last game vs LIU, first-year Maddy Samoskevich scored her first career goal as a Bobcat and later tallied an assist for two points in her collegiate debut. First-year Kendall Cooper also tallied her first points as a Bobcat with two assists in her debut. In the net, first-year Catie Boudiette went into the game in the second period for her first appearance as a Bobcat.

Bobcats Breaking Free
The 2020-21 start for the Bobcats is continuing to be a historic one. Quinnipiac has scored 21 goals, which is the best start in program history through the team's first three games. The Bobcats have also held opponents to just two goals and 49 shots on goal through three games (averaging 15.0 shots against).

A Look at the 2020-21 Bobcats
Quinnipiac has returned a solid group of veterans to the squad this year. After losing five seniors at the end of last season, 18 letter-winners return to Hamden ready to take on this unprecedented season. Of those 18 returners, three of the top five-point scorers will be back – Lexie Adzija (11-18-29), Sadie Peart (12-12-24) and Taylor Girard (6-12-18). The Bobcats will also welcome seven first years to the team.

Captains in Command
Four seniors will lead the 2020-21 Bobcats as captains. Olivia Konigson will wear the "C" and will guide the defensive core as a standout veteran. Brooke Bonsteel, Laura Lundblad and Grace Markey will all wear "As". The alternate captains recorded a combined 48 total points last season and look to continue their momentum on the offensive side of the puck with a strong group of returners and newcomers.

First Years Fired Up
The Bobcats welcome seven first years to the team – five Americans and two Canadians. Olivia Mobley hails from St. Louis Park, Minn., and looks to bring her strength and powerful scoring presence to the team after an excellent career at Breck High School where she earned the prestigious Ms. Hockey Minnesota award. Kendall Cooper brings national team experience to the team; the Burlington, Ontario native served as the captain of the U18 Hockey Canada National Team and most recently won gold at the 2019 World Championships in Japan.

Samoskevich, Ever Heard of Her?
First-year Maddy Samoskevich has a last name you have probably heard before. Her older sister, Melissa '19, served as a two-year captain for Quinnipiac and was a 100-point scorer and ECAC Regular Season and Tournament Champion during her time as a Bobcat. Maddy Samoskevich comes to Quinnipiac with a similar path like her sister – she went to Shattuck-St. Mary's and returned home to Connecticut to start her collegiate hockey career. She will join the Bobcats' defensive core alongside Kendall Cooper.

Returners Looking to Continue Momentum from Last Season
Nine returning Bobcats scored double-digit points last season, and six of those tallied career-best point totals. Junior Lexie Adzija led the team with 29 points last season with a +10 on-ice rating. Sophomore Sadie Peart will return as the team's top power play scorer after netting four last season. Peart's first-year campaign (12-12-24) was the best by a first year since Melissa Samoskevich recorded 32 points her rookie season. Sophomore Kate Reilly tallied 17 points as a first-year defenseman in 2019-20 and earned a spot on the ECAC All-Rookie Team.

ECAC Hockey Update
The ECAC released the conference schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Four teams make up the conference this year, as many programs decided not to play amidst the pandemic. Quinnipiac, Clarkson, Colgate and St. Lawrence will make up ECAC Hockey in 2020-21. On the women's side, all four teams will play each other four times total during the season. After playing 12 conference games each, the teams will face off in the playoffs with a semifinal and championship game March 5-7.

National Poll
Quinnipiac is ranked as the No. 10 team in the nation in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll and is also receiving votes in the USCHO.com Poll. Within the ECAC, Clarkson is ranked #7/7 and Colgate is ranked #5/5.

Cassandra Turner Earns 100 Wins
Head coach Cass Turner earned her 100th career win as a head coach after a 9-1 win against Sacred Heart on Dec. 13, 2020.

Non-Conference Matchups
The Bobcats will play four non-conference games this season. Quinnipiac will open the season against Sacred Heart and will later face the LIU Sharks (NEWHA) in January 2021.