By: Toni Wetmore, Brandon Murdock
With the men’s ECAC postseason tournament beginning Friday, top-seeded Quinnipiac has a first-round bye as it looks for its first Whitelaw Cup since 2016.
It’s been an up and down season for the Bobcats, and likewise for their players. So as the postseason begins, we’re taking a look at which players’ stocks have gone up and which have gone down since the start of the new year before they hit the ice for the quarterfinals March 14.
Stock up:
Jeremy Wilmer – Junior Forward
13 goals – 25 assists – 38 points
Wilmer has recorded at least one point in each his last six games, with three goals and nine assists for 12 points total.
“He’s a high-end player for sure,” said head coach Rand Pecknold earlier this season. “He’s got great offensive instincts.”
His recent surge has pushed him to the top of the team leaderboard in points, surpassing Travis Treloar and Mason Marcellus, who had led all season. Wilmer also jumped to second in the ECAC in total points this season with 38.
Jack Ricketts – Senior Forward
20 goals – 6 assists – 26 points
Next is Ricketts, a senior transfer from Holy Cross. Ricketts was a bit snakebitten in the scoring department at the beginning of his Bobcat career, only scoring two goals in the first month of the season. However, he is tied for the most goals in the country since December with 15 in his last 18 games played.
“Just buying into the system, playing hard and fast, something we preach is always keeping your feet moving,” said Ricketts after the Oct. 25 game against New Hampshire.
He was shutout in the last game of the regular season, but entering the finale, had a streak of five-straight games with a goal. The surge brought him to second in the ECAC in goals, goals per game and plus/minus.
Travis Treloar – Graduate student Forward
16 goals – 18 assists – 34 points
Treloar, a graduate student, has made an impact for the Bobcats from the jump and never wavered. Treloar is first in power play goals in the ECAC and fourth in the conference in goals. He’s been on a six-game point streak since Feb. 8 against Clarkson. Quinnipiac will need to lean on Treloar’s leadership as it moves into the playoffs.
Stock down:
Dylan Silverstein – Freshman Goaltender
12-8-2 record – 2.22 GAA
Silverstein was more than solid to begin his collegiate career. With big games against UMaine, holding a high-powered Black Bear offense to just two goals with 27 saves, then the following week against New Hampshire, in which he totaled 58 saves on the weekend. He won the starting job over sophomore Matej Marinov, but over the last month, has struggled keeping the puck out of the net, allowing three goals or more three times in the last 11 games.
Silverstein has also scuffled in the big games this year, specifically against Cornell and the two games against No. 2 Clarkson. The freshman gave up five goals over the course of the last two games played against Cornell and in the last game against Clarkson on the road, gave up four goals on just 12 shots. He played well Feb. 22 against Brown, recording a shutout, but leading up to that game, had not given up less than two goals in a game since Jan. 17, coming in relief in a 6-3 win over Colgate.
Chris Pelosi – Freshman Forward
11 goals – 11 assists – 22 points
The forward found a groove in early February, scoring a goal in four-straight games. Now, Pelosi has been in a scoring drought since Feb. 15. While he has been a playmaker in that span, recording three assists, he has been unable to score. He’ll have to find a way to get the puck in the net if the Bobcats approach do-or-die territory in the playoffs. Pelosi faces high expectations, as he was a third-round draft pick by the Boston Bruins this summer.
Elliot Groenewold – Freshman Defenseman
4 goals – 5 assists – 9 points
The first-year defenseman was a ‘24 fourth-round pick of the Boston Bruins and came in with big expectations as the blue line had been depleted from the previous season. Quinnipiac lost players such as Jayden Lee, Iivari Räsänen and Charles-Alexis Legault either to graduation or the NHL ahead of the season .
Groenewold has been very disciplined over the course of the year, especially for a young player, only taking seven penalties on the season. However, since his defensive partner Aaron Bohlinger went down on Feb. 21 with a season-ending knee injury, Groenewold has struggled. Giving the puck away and being out of position at times has either cost the Bobcats goals or nearly have. In the last weekend of the season against Clarkson, and with a chance to clinch the Cleary Cup, he was a -2 in the game. Also, he has not had as much of an impact on the offensive side of the ice over the past month, only recording three points since Jan. 10.
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