Bobcats, Team USA Take Home Bronze from 2023 World Juniors
1/6/2023 12:52:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold and six more Bobcats, past and present, are bringing back bronze from the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships, as Team USA knocked off Sweden 8-7 in overtime in a thrilling Bronze Medal Game on Thursday afternoon in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Current first-year forward Sam Lipkin finished the day +2, one of two Americans with that mark or better on the day as Team USA rallied from a third-period deficit to take the lead, only to see it disappear with 22 seconds left before rallying to win in overtime.
"I'm really proud of our group," said Pecknold. "To come back today and earn a medal for our country is something everyone can share in and a moment we'll take with us the rest of our lives." It is the 14th overall medal for Team USA at the tournament and the sixth in the last eight tournaments.
Pecknold and Lipkin were joined by current director of operations Shawn Roche and head equipment manager Rob "Bubba" Kennedy at the tournament, while former Bobcats Reid Cashman, Jared Waimon and Jessica Thibault were also on staff. Cashman, a former captain and assistant coach, will quickly become opposition as the Bobcats face his Dartmouth Big Green on Friday night at M&T Bank Arena.
Waimon served as a goaltending coach under Pecknold and currently is a scout with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Thibault, a former student manager and graduate assistant at Quinnipiac, serves as the director of operations at Sacred Heart University.
For an inside look at the Quinnipiac men's ice hockey program, be sure to follow it on social media @QU_MIH or go to gobobcats.com/mih.
MEDAL THEM!
— Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey (@QU_MIH) January 5, 2023
So proud of our guys taking home Bronze from #WorldJuniors 🥉#BobcatNation x @usahockey https://t.co/vfb2a6EMTk
Current first-year forward Sam Lipkin finished the day +2, one of two Americans with that mark or better on the day as Team USA rallied from a third-period deficit to take the lead, only to see it disappear with 22 seconds left before rallying to win in overtime.
That medal looks good on ya, 2️⃣8️⃣#BobcatNation x @usahockey pic.twitter.com/NSxByQ96CH
— Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey (@QU_MIH) January 5, 2023
"I'm really proud of our group," said Pecknold. "To come back today and earn a medal for our country is something everyone can share in and a moment we'll take with us the rest of our lives." It is the 14th overall medal for Team USA at the tournament and the sixth in the last eight tournaments.
Pecknold and Lipkin were joined by current director of operations Shawn Roche and head equipment manager Rob "Bubba" Kennedy at the tournament, while former Bobcats Reid Cashman, Jared Waimon and Jessica Thibault were also on staff. Cashman, a former captain and assistant coach, will quickly become opposition as the Bobcats face his Dartmouth Big Green on Friday night at M&T Bank Arena.
Waimon served as a goaltending coach under Pecknold and currently is a scout with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Thibault, a former student manager and graduate assistant at Quinnipiac, serves as the director of operations at Sacred Heart University.
For an inside look at the Quinnipiac men's ice hockey program, be sure to follow it on social media @QU_MIH or go to gobobcats.com/mih.
Players Mentioned
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