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Tag: ECAC Hockey

  • NCAA Tournament tiers: Where does Quinnipiac men’s hockey stand as field of 16 narrows?

    NCAA Tournament tiers: Where does Quinnipiac men’s hockey stand as field of 16 narrows?


    By: Cameron Levasseur and Ethan Hurwitz

    The NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament kicked off Thursday with regional semifinal games in Toledo, Ohio, and Fargo, North Dakota. As the field of 16 narrows, QUSportsPage’s Cameron Levasseur and Ethan Hurwitz break down which teams have a realistic shot at hoisting a national championship trophy, which ones are facing an uphill battle and everyone else in between.

    TITLE FAVORITES:

    No. 1 Boston College Eagles | 26-7-2 | At-Large Bid (Hockey East)

    The country’s top team for most of the season, Boston College enters this tournament the overwhelming favorites, but there are a few question marks. Struggles on the power play plagued BC all year and an upset loss to Northeastern in the Hockey East quarterfinals sent the Eagles to Manchester on a losing streak.

    And yet, sophomore, all-conference trio of goaltender Jacob Fowler, forward Ryan Leonard (the nation’s leader with 29 goals) and forward Gabe Perreault should lead the Eagles to their 27th Frozen Four in program history with ease.

    No. 4 Western Michigan Broncos | 30-7-1 | Automatic Qualifier (NCHC Champions)

    Western Michigan has been the country’s winningest team all season. Its 31 wins tops any other program in this tournament, and it became just the second team in NCHC history to win the regular season and postseason titles in the same season. Now, a bigger trophy awaits, one that the Broncos (1-9-0 all time in NCAA Tournaments) have never hoisted. 

    After a double overtime win over Minnesota State on Thursday, the Broncos are one step closer to that goal, set to face UMass in the Fargo Regional Final on Saturday. 

    No. 3 Maine Black Bears | 24-7-6 | Automatic Qualifier (Hockey East Champions)

    What a season for Maine. After claiming their first Hockey East title since 2004, the Black Bears clawed their way to the third-overall seed in this tournament and a date with Penn State in the Allentown Regional. The favorites to advance to the Frozen Four, this is a dynamic unit that features eight 20-point scorers and a sophomore goaltender in Albin Boija that boasts a 1.76 GAA and the Hockey East Tournament’s MVP honor to boot.

    FROZEN FOUR CONTENDERS:

    Denver Pioneers | 29-11-1 | At-Large Bid (NCHC)

    Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Pioneers are back in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight season, and 34th time in program history. Winners of two of the last three national titles, head coach David Carle’s group entered the 2025 edition as an underdog to Providence, a team not unfamiliar with this bracket.

    Denver didn’t clinch the NCHC crown, falling to Western Michigan in a double-overtime thriller last Saturday. Instead, as one of the 10 at-large teams, it will be steered by forwards Jack Devine (56) and Aidan Thompson (51), two of the seven players across Division I to eclipse the 50-point mark.

    Providence Friars | 21-10-5 | At-Large Bid (Hockey East)

    The Friars — who are undefeated on neutral ice this season — will have over two weeks of rest after faltering to UConn in the Hockey East quarterfinals. They’ve also been resting from a tournament berth for over half a decade (2019).

    In the Manchester Regional, the defending national champion Denver Pioneers are up next on the docket, just the 25th time these programs have ever matched up, and second in an NCAA Tournament. It sure helps that theFriars’ two hour drive to SNHU Arena is nothing compared to Denver’s near-cross country flight.

    COULD MAKE SOME NOISE

    Quinnipiac Bobcats | 24-11-2 | At-Large Bid (ECAC Hockey)

    Just two years removed from a national title, Quinnipiac grabbed an at-large bid after leaving another conference tournament empty handed. In their way is fellow Nutmeg State program UConn, the same Huskies squad that knocked off these Bobcats in January. 

    Sophomore Matej Marinov (12-3, 1.75 GAA) has been one of the ECAC’s top goaltenders, while senior forward Jack Ricketts (team-high 20 goals) and junior forward Jeremy Wilmer (team-high 39 points) lead the offensive attack. A lucky draw to the Allentown Regional plays into the Bobcats’ hands, but losses in regional finals have plagued head coach Rand Pecknold’s team from adding to the trophy case in years past.

    UConn Huskies | 22-11-4 | At-Large Bid (Hockey East)

    This is the season UConn has been waiting for since it joined Hockey East in 2014. A program-record 22 wins, 12 wins in conference, a trip to the NCAA Tournament and the chance to grow the school’s pedestal of dominance beyond basketball. 

    The Huskies didn’t just make their first tournament, they asserted their ability to compete. They’re the No. 6 overall seed, set to face in-state rival Quinnipiac — which they beat en route to a Connecticut Ice Championship — in Allentown on Friday. 

    Penn State Nittany Lions | 20-13-4 | At-Large Bid (Big Ten)

    Two years ago, Penn State came up one goal short of its first Frozen Four appearance in an overtime loss to Michigan in the Allentown Regional Final, a regional it hosted. This year, the Nittany Lions are back in Allentown, again the hosts, and perhaps a better team than they were in 2023. 

    After a slow start to the season, Penn State is 13-4-4 since the start of the new year, led by Hobey Baker finalist Aiden Fink’s 52 points. The Nittany Lions face No. 3 Maine Friday night. 

    Boston University Terriers | 21-13-2 | At-Large Bid (Hockey East)

    BU won the Beanpot in Boston’s TD Garden in February, but couldn’t replicate that success on the same ice in the Hockey East Tournament in March, exiting with a three-goal loss to eventual runner-up UConn. So an at-large bid to the big dance for a second-straight year, the Terriers are looking to overcome their defensive shortcomings with an electric offense and power their way to a third-consecutive Frozen Four. They did so Thursday, powering past Ohio State with a five-goal third period to set up a date with Cornell in the Toledo Regional Final. 

    The team is led by Quinn and Cole Hutson (47 and 41 points, respectively). The latter Hutson, a freshman defenseman, has taken up the mantle left by his brother Lane, now with the NHL’s Montreal Canadians. 

    Cornell Big Red | 18-10-6 | Automatic Qualifier (ECAC Hockey Champions)

    Few teams in the tournament are as hot as Cornell, which came back to reality in the ECAC Tournament after a disappointing regular season hampered by injuries that left it as the conference’s No. 6 seed. The Big Red knocked off No. 3 Colgate, No. 1 Quinnipiac and No. 2 Clarkson en route to a second-consecutive Whitelaw Cup and an automatic berth. 

    Cornell head coach Mike Schafer will retire at the end of this season. He has made just one Frozen Four (2003) in his 30-year career. The Big Red took a step closer to making his second on Thursday, knocking off No. 2-overall seed Michigan State with a goal in the final ten seconds of regulation. 

    UMass Minutemen | 20-13-5 | At-Large Bid (Hockey East)

    The final of six at-large bids out of the Hockey East, UMass enters its sixth NCAA Tournament as an underdog. The Minutemen are 1,500 miles from home in Fargo, North Dakota, and faced a heavy crowd disadvantage against Minnesota Thursday. 

    Regardless, UMass battled the Gophers to overtime, an Aydar Suniev winner powering the Minutemen into the regional final for the first time since 2021, when they won  the national championship. They’ll face the indomitable No. 4 Western Michigan on Saturday with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line. 

    NEEDS A MIRACLE

    Bentley Falcons | 23-14-2 | Automatic Qualifier (Atlantic Hockey America Champions)

    Bentley won a program-record 23 games this season en route to an Atlantic Hockey Championship and its first NCAA Tournament Appearance. The Falcons, led by former Quinnipiac forwards Ethan Leyh (41 points) and Nick Bochen (29 points), stormed their way through the AHA Tournament as the No. 3 seed. They swept No. 2 Sacred Heart on its home ice in the semifinals and erased a two-goal deficit to top Holy Cross in the championship game. 

    The odds are stacked against Bentley, the No. 16 seed who will face overall No. 1 seed Boston College Friday, but such an upset is not out of the realm of possibility. Three Atlantic Hockey teams (RIT in 2015, Air Force in 2018 and American International in 2019) knocked off the tournament’s top seed as its lowest-ranked entrant. 

  • Revisiting Quinnipiac men’s hockey’s season series vs. Cornell ahead of the ECAC semifinals

    Revisiting Quinnipiac men’s hockey’s season series vs. Cornell ahead of the ECAC semifinals

    By Zachary Carter and Cameron Levasseur

    Quinnipiac and Cornell met three times in three different venues throughout the 2024-25 regular season, with the Bobcats holding a 1-0-2  advantage following a win in Ithaca and ties at Madison Square Garden and in Hamden.

    Ahead of their fourth and final matchup in the ECAC Semifinals in Lake Placid, New York, on Friday at 4 p.m., QU Sports Page’s Zachary Carter and Cameron Levasseur analyzed each meeting, taking moments from the past that inform the upcoming battle between the conference’s reigning tournament champion and its perennial regular season champ. 

    What’s to glean? Let’s evaluate.

    Nov. 22 at Cornell: Quinnipiac 3, Cornell 1

    Quinnipiac’s sole triumph over Cornell came in arguably the hardest environment to do so. The Bobcats went into Lynah Rink — a place they hadn’t won a game since 2018 — and handed the then-ranked No. 7/8 Big Red their second loss of the young season. Aaron Bohlinger opened the scoring in the first and Chris Pelosi secured the game-winning goal in the third. Mason Marcellus iced the win with an empty-net goal with 1.3 seconds remaining, while Dylan Silverstein stopped 15 of 16 shots on net. 

    Limiting opposing chances and maintaining puck possession were the Bobcats’ keys. Quinnipiac outshot Cornell 23-16, playing its best defense by sustaining offense. Though Quinnipiac is one of the worst shot-blocking teams in the ECAC (ranked second-to-last ahead of Cornell) the team put bodies in the way of 14 shots to lighten Silverstein’s workload. 

    The Bobcats cashed in once on the power play on two chances and have continued to be the league’s best through the end of the regular season — ranked first in power play conversion rate at 32.4%. 

    Looking ahead to this weekend, the path to a win remains the same. Though, the Bobcats will take the ice against a reformed Cornell team, one that looks much like the first-place finisher the ECAC coaches predicted it would be in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Big Red have 36 goals over their last nine games for an average of four per match. If Quinnipiac can replicate the defensive success they displayed in Ithaca and keep Cornell out of its offensive rhythm, they can find a win in March much like they did in November. 

    Nov. 30 at Madison Square Garden: Quinnipiac 3, Cornell 3 (Cornell wins SO)

    Barely a week after their meeting in Ithaca, the Bobcats and Big Red squared off at MSG in a seesawing affair that ended in a 3-3 tie. 

    Their trip to The World’s Most Famous Arena was a part of The Frozen Apple, one of two series of alternating bi-annual games hosted by Cornell to capitalize on its large alumni base around New York City. That materialized in the form of 16,593 fans and the closest thing to a playoff atmosphere a team can get in November. 

    Quinnipiac learned its share of lessons that night, facing the deafening roar of the near-sold out crowd after a series of unforced errors put the Bobcats in a 2-0 hole in the first period. 

    But they battled back in the second, finding and riding momentum to take a 3-2 lead in what head coach Rand Pecknold called “probably our best period of the year,” at the time. 

    In its semifinal exits in 2023 and 2024, Quinnipiac scored one total goal. It struggled to build momentum and capitalize on it. The Bobcats’ surge at MSG proved they can do so, especially against a Cornell defense that is allowing more than two goals per game for the first time in three seasons. 

    Herb Brooks Arena is no Madison Square Garden; its capacity is 7,700 and if history is any indication, Friday’s attendance will be around 4,000. But as history also suggests, much of that crowd will be a sea of red. 

    Quinnipiac proved it can counter that on a bigger stage in November. Now it has a second chance to do so with more than bragging rights on the line. 

    Jan. 18 at Quinnipiac: Quinnipiac 2, Cornell 2 (Cornell wins SO)

    It would be two months before the two rivals met for the final time, and in the roughly six-week period, each team’s season ventured down different paths. Following the tie in downtown Manhattan, Quinnipiac’s record was 6-6-1. It resembled one of a middling team, but in the nine games following the Frozen Apple, the Bobcats went 8-1. Between Nov. 30 and Jan. 18, Cornell went just 3-3-1. 

    Quinnipiac’s young roster at last bought into the Pecknold system, something the head coach said had taken a bit longer than it had in previous years. When it clicked, and the Bobcats found their groove, they would meet Cornell at the height of their hottest stretch of the season. 

    And yet for the 60 minutes that followed, Cornell stayed poised and cooled Quinnipiac down on its home ice. The Big Red struck first, knocking in a power-play goal late in the first period. Though Quinnipiac would score twice in the second to take the lead, Cornell remained undeterred, tying the game halfway through the third period. After an unsuccessful overtime ended the game in a tie, Cornell had the upper hand on Quinnipiac in shots (25-24) and faceoff wins (32-31). 

    The Bobcats took a penalty in each of the three periods, one of which led to the first Big Red goal. Cornell took just one all game. Quinnipiac beat itself, something it can’t afford do come Friday. An inability to match tempo from the two teams’ initial meeting while giving up too many man-advantage opportunities could lead to more than just a shootout loss. It could mark the end of Quinnipiac’s Whitelaw hopes. 

    Of note, Silverstein was in net for all three games against Cornell this season. If Pecknold is to stick with Matej Marinov, who has played and excelled in each of Quinnipiac’s last three games, it will be an entirely new look in net for the Big Red. 

    Marinov has allowed just one goal in his last three games, stopping 84 of his last 85 shots against. Against Brown in Quinnipiac’s most recent game March 15, he made 34 saves, the most in a Bobcat shutout since November 2015. 

  • Women’s ice hockey battles for playoff positioning

    Women’s ice hockey battles for playoff positioning

    By Khalise Harris and Jake Baskin

    Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey enters the final weekend of the regular season with two crucial home games against RPI Friday Feb. 14 and Union Saturday Feb. 15.

    Before these matchups, the Bobcats sat at No. 5 in the conference standings, which makes every remaining game critical in their pursuit of a home playoff game. This past weekend, they traveled to the North Country for key conference battles against St. Lawrence and Clarkson. 

    Ice Insights

    Quinnipiac’s trip up north was filled with intense moments, as the Bobcats battled St. Lawrence and Clarkson in two pivotal matchups. With playoff positioning at stake, every play and goal mattered. The team encountered both challenges and opportunities throughout the weekend.

    Here’s a closer look at what stood out from the team’s performances against the Saints and Golden Knights.

    St. Lawrence (L, 1-2)

    In a tightly contested, low-scoring game in Canton, N.Y., St. Lawrence’s Abby Hehl netted the game’s decisive goal in the first period. Quinnipiac goalie Kaley Doyle had another strong performance with 24 saves, while the Bobcats’ penalty kill was a flawless 4-for-4. However, Quinnipiac struggled and couldn’t break through until the final minute of the game, after the Saints had already sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.

    Clarkson (L, 1-3)

    Quinnipiac came up short once again in a tightly contested defensive battle, as Clarkson’s victory pushed them ahead of the Bobcats in the race for fourth place. Sophomore forward Kahlen Lamarche provided an early answer for Quinnipiac, tying the game at one with a first-period goal, but the Golden Knights regained the lead in the second period on a goal from graduate defenseman Nicole Gosling.

    An empty-netter in the final seconds sealed the win for Clarkson, leaving the Bobcats still searching for crucial points in the standings.

    Playoff Picture

    Quinnipiac exited its North Country weekend trip tied for No. 5 in the ECAC standings, holding the tiebreaker with Yale and sitting just two points behind Clarkson for the coveted No. 4 seed and a first-round bye. As the final weekend approaches, Yale visits Colgate and Cornell this weekend, while Clarkson takes on Dartmouth and Harvard. If the Bobcats don’t secure a top-four finish, they are guaranteed to host a first-round playoff game on February 21st or 22nd.

    On the national stage, Quinnipiac enters its last two regular-season games ranked No. 9 in the PairWise rankings. With only 11 teams making the NCAA tournament — and the automatic bids for the Hockey East and NEWHA likely going to teams outside the top 11 — the Bobcats currently hold the final at-large spot. As they aim for their third NCAA tournament appearance in the previous four seasons, every game down the stretch carries significant weight.

    Award Watch

    Last week, graduate student Kaley Doyle was named one of nine semifinalists for the NCAA Goalie of the Year award. The Livonia, Michigan, native has been a standout in the net this season, posting a 12-8-3 record while ranking in the top five nationally in save percentage at an impressive .944%. The list will be narrowed to three during the conference tournament, with the winner to be announced during the Frozen Four.

  • Five takeaways from top ECAC clash between Quinnipiac, Dartmouth

    Five takeaways from top ECAC clash between Quinnipiac, Dartmouth

    By: Cameron Levasseur and Tyler Platz

    Quinnipiac men’s hockey and Dartmouth entered Friday’s matchup in Hanover, N.H. separated by just three points atop the ECAC Hockey standings, the Big Green one win away from possession of the No. 1 spot. 

    The teams left the ice with a four-point gap between them, the Bobcats winning a back-and-forth affair 5-4 in overtime thanks to a hat trick from graduate student forward Jack Ricketts.

    With just one month left in the regular season, the win gives Quinnipiac breathing room from its biggest challenger as they look for a fifth consecutive Cleary Cup as ECAC regular season champions. 

    Here’s five takeaways from the marquee battle as both sides gear up for the home stretch. 

    Dartmouth takes tie-breaker

    Because they lost in overtime instead of regulation, the Big Green took a point from Friday’s contest. That gives them four out of a possible six points from the season series with Quinnipiac after a 4-2 win over the Bobcats in November. 

    This is the first time since 2017-18 that Dartmouth has taken the season series against Quinnipiac. More importantly, it also means the Big Green hold the tiebreaker if the teams end up deadlocked in the ECAC standings at the end of the regular season. 

    –Cameron Levasseur

    The Bobcats’ penalty kill will be a strength down the stretch

    Quinnipiac’s power play might draw more attention, as the Bobcats have a 28.9% scoring percentage with the man advantage. Still, the poise Quinnipiac displayed on its penalty kill against Dartmouth could be a key strength for this team in the final month of the regular season.

    Quinnipiac already boasts the second-best penalty-killing percentage in the ECAC, quelling power plays 88% of the time. Against Dartmouth, Quinnipiac’s penalty killers showed attention to detail, consistently clearing pucks from the defensive zone. 

    During the second penalty kill following a hooking minor by Ricketts, sophomore forward Mason Marcellus made a strong hustle play, creating a breakaway opportunity in the second period. As Ricketts’ penalty expired, the Quinnipiac defense knew to clear the puck into the offensive zone, setting up Ricketts for another shorthanded opportunity.

    -Tyler Platz

    Youth in net shows again

    No team in the ECAC has a younger goaltending presence than Quinnipiac. The only program on par is Dartmouth, whose tandem of freshman Emmett Croteau and sophomore Roan Clarke matches the Bobcats’ duo of freshman Dylan Silverstein and sophomore Matej Marinov. 

    Both sides have struggled in net at times this season, but it was for Silverstein and Quinnipiac that those issues showed the most this weekend. 

    All four goals Silverstein allowed snuck through his pads after it looked like he made the initial save. And his shake in composure nearly got worse, as a likely fifth goal off a flubbed save was prevented thanks to an early whistle from an official in the third period. 

    But it’s the first lapse in a month for Silverstein, who gave up just eight goals in his previous five starts. The Bobcats must hope that this is an outlier and not a trend. 

    –Cameron Levasseur

    Dartmouth’s big guns are dangerous 

    There are few forward lines in the ECAC that compare to Dartmouth’s top unit of juniors Cooper Flinton and Luke Haymes and sophomore Nikita Nikora. There are fewer defensive pairings that can match the offensive prowess of sophomore CJ Foley and senior Ian Pierce, with the former leading the conference in points among blueliners. 

    Put all five players on the ice together and you’ve got an attacking juggernaut that utilizes every inch of the offensive zone to work the puck from low to high and create high-quality scoring chances. 

    That’s exactly how the Big Green struck first against Quinnipiac. Nikora threaded a centering pass from the right corner to Pierce, who shoveled the puck past a defender and delivered a shot for Haymes to finish the rebound. 

    In order to beat Dartmouth, those five have to be taken out of the equation. To do that, opposing teams have to limit their time and space. The Bobcats figured that out as Friday’s game went on, a piece of the puzzle that ultimately led to the win. 

    –Cameron Levasseur

    Regroup and respond

    Each time Dartmouth scored, Quinnipiac responded with energy, refusing to let the momentum swing entirely in the Big Green’s favor.

    After Dartmouth’s first goal, scored with just over two minutes remaining in the first period, Quinnipiac quickly regrouped in the defensive zone and surged up the ice on the next rush. It created  back-to-back opportunities—a shot from first-year forward Chris Pelosi that just missed wide, followed by Marcellus firing low, stick-side off a shot from the point.

    Following Dartmouth’s second goal midway through the second period, the Bobcats won the ensuing faceoff. They then dumped the puck into Dartmouth’s defensive zone and senior defenseman Davis Pennington’s forecheck forced a turnover in front of the net. Croteau barely was able to swipe the puck off Ricketts’ stick to prevent Quinnipiac from getting right back on the board.

    Dartmouth’s third goal tied the game at 3-3 with about nine minutes left in regulation. On the following shift, Quinnipiac once again dumped the puck into the offensive zone before making a line change. As Dartmouth attempted to break out, junior forward Victor Czerneckianair disrupted the play, nearly forcing a turnover behind the net before tucking the puck out front for a scoring opportunity.

    –Tyler Platz