Friday, March 5
Hamden, Conn.
6:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
vs
Colgate
Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com
#10/11 Bobcats Host Colgate in Final Regular Season Weekend
3/5/2021 9:06:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Men's Ice Hockey Looks to Extend Unbeaten Streak Past Seven Games
#10/11 Quinnipiac Bobcats (16-5-4, 9-3-4 ECAC Hockey) vs.
Colgate Raiders (5-9-5, 4-8-4 ECAC Hockey)
Friday, March 5 | 6 PM
Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena at People's United Center | Hamden, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. Colgate: 27-17-3
WATCH (ESPN+) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES | @QU_MIH
#10/11 Quinnipiac Bobcats (16-5-4, 9-3-4 ECAC Hockey) vs.
Colgate Raiders (5-9-5, 4-8-4 ECAC Hockey)
Saturday, March 6 | 4 PM
Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena at People's United Center | Hamden, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. Colgate: 27-17-3
WATCH (ESPN+) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES | @QU_MIH
HAMDEN, Conn. – The No. 10/11 Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team wraps up the 2020-21 ECAC Hockey Regular Season this weekend as the Bobcats host the Colgate Raiders for a pair of games beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. at Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena.
Last Time Out
The Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team extended its unbeaten streak to seven games as the Bobcats swept the St. Lawrence Saints last weekend. Quinnipiac came back to beat the Saints, 4-2, in the opener before taking them down, 3-2, the following night. The Bobcats finished the season series 4-1-1 against St. Lawrence.
Scouting Colgate
Colgate enters the weekend on a three-game losing streak and five-game winless streak after getting swept in a home-and-home series with Clarkson last weekend by a pair of 3-2 losses. The Raiders are 5-9-5 this season, and 4-8-4 in ECAC Hockey play. First Year Alex Young has been a bright spot as he is tied for the team leads with five goals and seven assists, but has sole possession of the lead with 12 points. Josh McKechney is tied for the lead with five goals, while Griffin Lunn and Pierson Brandon each have seven helpers. Colgate is scoring just two goals per game. Carter Gylander has taken the starting goaltender job and ran away with it, posting a 2.44 GAA and .910 save percentage so far in his first season.
All-Time vs. Colgate
Quinnipiac went 1-0-1 the last weekend these two teams faced off a few weeks ago, skating to a 2-2 tie in the opener before the Bobcats took the shootout. Quinnipiac came out with a vengeance the next night, dominating Colgate to a 9-0 shutout win, its largest shutout victory since March 16, 2013, in a 10-0 win over Cornell. The Bobcats are 4-0-1 against Colgate in the last five games and are 13-3-1 since the beginning of the 2014-15 season. Quinnipiac is 27-17-3 all-time against Colgate.
Cleary Cup Champions
The Bobcats entered the weekend needing just three points to clinch a share of the ECAC Hockey Regular Season Championship, but were awarded the Cleary Cup a day early for its fifth in the last nine seasons. St. Lawrence shut down, forcing Clarkson and St. Lawrence to cancel their final four games, meaning the Bobcats would be crowned Regular Season Champs.
National Rankings
Quinnipiac also moved up in the national rankings this week, as the Bobcats cracked back into the Top 10 of the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll and slid back up one spot to No. 11 in the USCHO.com Poll. The Bobcats have been in the Top 12 spots of the poll for all of the 2021 calendar year.
Weekly Awards
The Bobcats took a pair of weekly awards this week as Odeen Tufto was named the Player of the Week for the second time this season and Ty Smilanic earned his third rookie of the week award. Tufto led ECAC Hockey with nine points over the past week while Smilanic led all rookies with five.
Monthly Awards
Quinnipiac also swept the ECAC Hockey Monthly Awards for the first time ever as Odeen Tufto was named the Player of the Month for the second time, Keith Petruzzelli was named the Goaltender of the Month and Ty Smilanic was named the Rookie of the Month.
Hobey Baker Award
Odeen Tufto and Keith Petruzzelli have both been nominated for the 2021 Hobey Baker Award with the fan vote well underway. Fans are encouraged to vote daily for Odeen or Keith at hobeybaker.com/vote.
Mike Richter Award
Petruzzelli is also a nominee for the 2021 Mike Richter Award, presented annually to the nation's top goaltender. This is the first time Petruzzelli has been nominated for the Richter Award.
Senior CLASS Award
Senior captain Odeen Tufto continued his impressive string of award nominations as he was recently named a Finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, presented to the top senior student-athlete. Tufto is one of 10 finalists this season, and two in program history have received All-American Status from the award: Chase Priskie '19 and Jean-Marc Beaudoin '10.
Walter Brown Award
Tufto and Petruzzelli's award watch recognition continued this week as the pair were named semifinalists for the 69th Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the top American-born men's ice hockey player in New England. Tufto is a semifinalist for the second time in his career while Petruzzelli's is his first. No Bobcat has ever won the Walter Brown Award.
Going Streaking
Quinnipiac takes a season-best seven-game unbeaten streak into the weekend as well as a four-game winning streak, tied for its longest winning streak of the season which it matched two other times. The Bobcats have dominated of late, outscoring opponents 31-9 in the month of February. Quinnipiac has not lost since Jan. 24 at Clarkson.
Senior Spotlight
This is the final regular season weekend in a Quinnipiac uniform for the Class of 2021 for the Bobcats. Quinnipiac's senior class features four seniors: Joe O'Connor, Josh Mayanja, Keith Petruzzelli and Odeen Tufto. This class has helped guide Quinnipiac to two Cleary Cups in four seasons, and is well on its way to reaching its second NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats have won 79 games and counting during this class' reign, going 79-44-12 in 135 games.
Rising in the Record Books
Odeen Tufto is close to breaking one program record as he propelled himself into a tie for first in program history with Reid Cashman '07 by recording his 125th assist on Peter DiLiberatore's game-winning goal last season. Tufto needs just one assist this weekend to set the record. The senior captain is also just eight points shy of tying the Division I program record for points, tallying 161 in his career and trailing only Bryan Leitch '09 and Brian Herbert '03 with 169.
Tufto Beat
Tufto recorded nine points over the last weekend to really make a statement in the national scoring race. He remains second in the nation with 40 points, and leads the country with a career-high 35 assists. Tufto is just the second Bobcat, joining Cashman, to record three career 40-point seasons.
Petro's Powerful
Petruzzelli remained hot between the pipes at St. Lawrence as he swept the weekend to earn his 50th career win, becoming the fifth goaltender in program history with 50 career wins. He is second in the nation this season with 16 wins while his 1.68 GAA is good for fifth and his .931 save percentage is eighth. Petruzzelli has not allowed more than two goals in a game in his seven-game unbeaten streak and has allowed two goals or fewer in 20 of 25 games this season.
On a Roll
Ethan de Jong has heated right back up for the Bobcats as he takes a four-game point streak into the weekend, and has points in eight of his last nine games. de Jong had two goals and an assist at St. Lawrence, and is now second on the team with a career-high 13 goals this season. He also had 24 points, one shy of tying his career-high from 2018-19. de Jong is tied for eighth in the nation in goals.
Lombardi Trophy
Since moving up to the top line, Michael Lombardi has shined with a four-game point streak and also had points in six of his last seven games. Lombardi had a goal and two assists over the weekend, including a two-assist game in the weekend finale. He has a career-high 13 points this season on four goals and nine assists.
How I Met Your Mother
Zach Metsa is riding a five-game point streak of his own entering the weekend, recording two goals and five assists in that span. He has launched himself into a two-point lead for the national scoring lead among defenseman with 24 points, and also leads the nation's blueliners with 19 assists. His 19 helpers is also tied for seven in the nation overall.
Dilly Dilly
Peter DiLiberatore also has a four-game point streak for the Bobcats as he has pulled within two points of his second straight 20-point season. DiLiberatore had a goal and an assist last weekend at St. Lawrence, including the game-winning power-play goal in the third period on Saturday. DiLiberatore is tied for sixth among the nation's defensemen with 18 points and fourth with 14 assists. He is two career points away from becoming the 13th defensemen in Division I program history with 60 points.
Destination Desi
Desi Burgart had a three-game point streak snapped Saturday after picking up his 10th goal of the season on Friday night. Burgart's 10-goal season is the first of his career, tied for 32nd in the nation and ranks third on the team.
Ty's Alright
Ty Smilanic also had a three-game point streak snapped Saturday, but he was on quite a run with six points in three games, including a goal in all three of those games. Smilanic is now tied for sixth in the nation with 14 goals, and leads all rookies, while his 20 points are tied for fifth among all rookies.
Smilanic is tied with Wyatt Bongiovanni's 2018-19 season and Bryan Leitch '09 in 2005-06 for the eighth-most goals by a Quinnipiac first year. Brandon Wong '10 owns the Quinnipiac Division I Rookie record with 27 goals.
Matty Magic
Matthew Fawcett picked up his fifth helper of the season on Desi Burgart's goal Friday night to give him nine points, pulling within one of his first 10-point season. Fawcett has come onto the scene as a sophomore and provided valuable depth scoring. Friday night was the first time Fawcett recorded just one point in a game after recording two points in each of the first four games he had a point.
Iivari's At It
Iivari Räsänen had a four-game point streak come to an end after he was held without a point Saturday night. Räsänen had assists in three straight in that streak after recording his first career goal at Colgate on Feb. 12. Räsänen now has a goal and five assists for six points, tied for third among the team's rookies in points.
Colgate Raiders (5-9-5, 4-8-4 ECAC Hockey)
Friday, March 5 | 6 PM
Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena at People's United Center | Hamden, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. Colgate: 27-17-3
WATCH (ESPN+) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES | @QU_MIH
#10/11 Quinnipiac Bobcats (16-5-4, 9-3-4 ECAC Hockey) vs.
Colgate Raiders (5-9-5, 4-8-4 ECAC Hockey)
Saturday, March 6 | 4 PM
Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena at People's United Center | Hamden, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. Colgate: 27-17-3
WATCH (ESPN+) | WATCH (INTERNATIONAL) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES | @QU_MIH
HAMDEN, Conn. – The No. 10/11 Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team wraps up the 2020-21 ECAC Hockey Regular Season this weekend as the Bobcats host the Colgate Raiders for a pair of games beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. at Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena.
Last Time Out
The Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team extended its unbeaten streak to seven games as the Bobcats swept the St. Lawrence Saints last weekend. Quinnipiac came back to beat the Saints, 4-2, in the opener before taking them down, 3-2, the following night. The Bobcats finished the season series 4-1-1 against St. Lawrence.
Scouting Colgate
Colgate enters the weekend on a three-game losing streak and five-game winless streak after getting swept in a home-and-home series with Clarkson last weekend by a pair of 3-2 losses. The Raiders are 5-9-5 this season, and 4-8-4 in ECAC Hockey play. First Year Alex Young has been a bright spot as he is tied for the team leads with five goals and seven assists, but has sole possession of the lead with 12 points. Josh McKechney is tied for the lead with five goals, while Griffin Lunn and Pierson Brandon each have seven helpers. Colgate is scoring just two goals per game. Carter Gylander has taken the starting goaltender job and ran away with it, posting a 2.44 GAA and .910 save percentage so far in his first season.
All-Time vs. Colgate
Quinnipiac went 1-0-1 the last weekend these two teams faced off a few weeks ago, skating to a 2-2 tie in the opener before the Bobcats took the shootout. Quinnipiac came out with a vengeance the next night, dominating Colgate to a 9-0 shutout win, its largest shutout victory since March 16, 2013, in a 10-0 win over Cornell. The Bobcats are 4-0-1 against Colgate in the last five games and are 13-3-1 since the beginning of the 2014-15 season. Quinnipiac is 27-17-3 all-time against Colgate.
Cleary Cup Champions
The Bobcats entered the weekend needing just three points to clinch a share of the ECAC Hockey Regular Season Championship, but were awarded the Cleary Cup a day early for its fifth in the last nine seasons. St. Lawrence shut down, forcing Clarkson and St. Lawrence to cancel their final four games, meaning the Bobcats would be crowned Regular Season Champs.
National Rankings
Quinnipiac also moved up in the national rankings this week, as the Bobcats cracked back into the Top 10 of the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll and slid back up one spot to No. 11 in the USCHO.com Poll. The Bobcats have been in the Top 12 spots of the poll for all of the 2021 calendar year.
Weekly Awards
The Bobcats took a pair of weekly awards this week as Odeen Tufto was named the Player of the Week for the second time this season and Ty Smilanic earned his third rookie of the week award. Tufto led ECAC Hockey with nine points over the past week while Smilanic led all rookies with five.
Monthly Awards
Quinnipiac also swept the ECAC Hockey Monthly Awards for the first time ever as Odeen Tufto was named the Player of the Month for the second time, Keith Petruzzelli was named the Goaltender of the Month and Ty Smilanic was named the Rookie of the Month.
Hobey Baker Award
Odeen Tufto and Keith Petruzzelli have both been nominated for the 2021 Hobey Baker Award with the fan vote well underway. Fans are encouraged to vote daily for Odeen or Keith at hobeybaker.com/vote.
Mike Richter Award
Petruzzelli is also a nominee for the 2021 Mike Richter Award, presented annually to the nation's top goaltender. This is the first time Petruzzelli has been nominated for the Richter Award.
Senior CLASS Award
Senior captain Odeen Tufto continued his impressive string of award nominations as he was recently named a Finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, presented to the top senior student-athlete. Tufto is one of 10 finalists this season, and two in program history have received All-American Status from the award: Chase Priskie '19 and Jean-Marc Beaudoin '10.
Walter Brown Award
Tufto and Petruzzelli's award watch recognition continued this week as the pair were named semifinalists for the 69th Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the top American-born men's ice hockey player in New England. Tufto is a semifinalist for the second time in his career while Petruzzelli's is his first. No Bobcat has ever won the Walter Brown Award.
Going Streaking
Quinnipiac takes a season-best seven-game unbeaten streak into the weekend as well as a four-game winning streak, tied for its longest winning streak of the season which it matched two other times. The Bobcats have dominated of late, outscoring opponents 31-9 in the month of February. Quinnipiac has not lost since Jan. 24 at Clarkson.
Senior Spotlight
This is the final regular season weekend in a Quinnipiac uniform for the Class of 2021 for the Bobcats. Quinnipiac's senior class features four seniors: Joe O'Connor, Josh Mayanja, Keith Petruzzelli and Odeen Tufto. This class has helped guide Quinnipiac to two Cleary Cups in four seasons, and is well on its way to reaching its second NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats have won 79 games and counting during this class' reign, going 79-44-12 in 135 games.
Rising in the Record Books
Odeen Tufto is close to breaking one program record as he propelled himself into a tie for first in program history with Reid Cashman '07 by recording his 125th assist on Peter DiLiberatore's game-winning goal last season. Tufto needs just one assist this weekend to set the record. The senior captain is also just eight points shy of tying the Division I program record for points, tallying 161 in his career and trailing only Bryan Leitch '09 and Brian Herbert '03 with 169.
Tufto Beat
Tufto recorded nine points over the last weekend to really make a statement in the national scoring race. He remains second in the nation with 40 points, and leads the country with a career-high 35 assists. Tufto is just the second Bobcat, joining Cashman, to record three career 40-point seasons.
Petro's Powerful
Petruzzelli remained hot between the pipes at St. Lawrence as he swept the weekend to earn his 50th career win, becoming the fifth goaltender in program history with 50 career wins. He is second in the nation this season with 16 wins while his 1.68 GAA is good for fifth and his .931 save percentage is eighth. Petruzzelli has not allowed more than two goals in a game in his seven-game unbeaten streak and has allowed two goals or fewer in 20 of 25 games this season.
On a Roll
Ethan de Jong has heated right back up for the Bobcats as he takes a four-game point streak into the weekend, and has points in eight of his last nine games. de Jong had two goals and an assist at St. Lawrence, and is now second on the team with a career-high 13 goals this season. He also had 24 points, one shy of tying his career-high from 2018-19. de Jong is tied for eighth in the nation in goals.
Lombardi Trophy
Since moving up to the top line, Michael Lombardi has shined with a four-game point streak and also had points in six of his last seven games. Lombardi had a goal and two assists over the weekend, including a two-assist game in the weekend finale. He has a career-high 13 points this season on four goals and nine assists.
How I Met Your Mother
Zach Metsa is riding a five-game point streak of his own entering the weekend, recording two goals and five assists in that span. He has launched himself into a two-point lead for the national scoring lead among defenseman with 24 points, and also leads the nation's blueliners with 19 assists. His 19 helpers is also tied for seven in the nation overall.
Dilly Dilly
Peter DiLiberatore also has a four-game point streak for the Bobcats as he has pulled within two points of his second straight 20-point season. DiLiberatore had a goal and an assist last weekend at St. Lawrence, including the game-winning power-play goal in the third period on Saturday. DiLiberatore is tied for sixth among the nation's defensemen with 18 points and fourth with 14 assists. He is two career points away from becoming the 13th defensemen in Division I program history with 60 points.
Destination Desi
Desi Burgart had a three-game point streak snapped Saturday after picking up his 10th goal of the season on Friday night. Burgart's 10-goal season is the first of his career, tied for 32nd in the nation and ranks third on the team.
Ty's Alright
Ty Smilanic also had a three-game point streak snapped Saturday, but he was on quite a run with six points in three games, including a goal in all three of those games. Smilanic is now tied for sixth in the nation with 14 goals, and leads all rookies, while his 20 points are tied for fifth among all rookies.
Smilanic is tied with Wyatt Bongiovanni's 2018-19 season and Bryan Leitch '09 in 2005-06 for the eighth-most goals by a Quinnipiac first year. Brandon Wong '10 owns the Quinnipiac Division I Rookie record with 27 goals.
Matty Magic
Matthew Fawcett picked up his fifth helper of the season on Desi Burgart's goal Friday night to give him nine points, pulling within one of his first 10-point season. Fawcett has come onto the scene as a sophomore and provided valuable depth scoring. Friday night was the first time Fawcett recorded just one point in a game after recording two points in each of the first four games he had a point.
Iivari's At It
Iivari Räsänen had a four-game point streak come to an end after he was held without a point Saturday night. Räsänen had assists in three straight in that streak after recording his first career goal at Colgate on Feb. 12. Räsänen now has a goal and five assists for six points, tied for third among the team's rookies in points.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Ice HockeyCoaches Road Show at Bears BBQ
Thursday, September 04
Alumni Game Mic'd Up (pres. by Aunt Chilada's) - Chris Cerella and Mike Lombardi
Thursday, August 21
Quinnipiac Athletics 2024-25 Highlight Video
Tuesday, May 20
2024-25 Men's Ice Hockey Senior Tribute
Friday, February 21
