Team Notes: Bobcats Off to the Capital District

The Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team (6-3-1) (1-2 ECAC) will travel to New York's Capital Region to face Union (1-7-0) (0-2-0 ECAC) on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. and Rensselaer (2-5-2) (1-1-0 ECAC) on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 4 p.m.

Follow The Bobcats
Live Stats for this weekend's game can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate links on the women's ice hockey schedule at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com.

About Union College
Union welcomes Quinnipiac to Messa Rink following a 1-0 loss against ECAC opponent St. Lawrence on Saturday, Oct. 30. Junior goaltender Kate Gallagher made 46 saves on the evening, including 21 stops in the first period. The Dutchwomen are led offensively by junior forwards Lauren Cromartie (one goal, two assists) and Lauren Hoffman (two goals). Sophomore forwards Chelsey Heinhuis and Rhianna Kurio are the only other players who have at least two points, as each has collected two helpers on the season. 

All-Time Against The Dutchwomen
Friday's game against Union will be the 18th time the two teams have faced each other, as Quinnipiac's 14-0-3 record against the Dutchwomen is the best mark against any of its ECAC opponents. In their last meeting on January 30, 2010, Quinnipiac skated to a 3-1 victory as three different Bobcats scored on the evening. Junior forward Kelley Davies (Chesapeake, Va.) and sophomore forward Kate Wheeler (Oakville, Ontario) highlighted Quinnipiac's victory by scoring two goals just eight seconds apart in the second period.

About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
The Engineers welcome Quinnipiac to Troy, N.Y. after enduring a 2-1 defeat against ECAC opponent Clarkson on Saturday, Oct. 30. Junior defender Sierra Vadner's lone goal for Rensselaer in the second period was not enough, as the Engineers were unable to prevent a third period goal from Danielle Skirrow to give the Golden Knights the victory. Junior forward Jill Vandergrift leads the charge with two goals and four assists for Rensselaer. Sophomore forward Taylor Horton is the team leader in goals with three, while junior defender Katie Daniels leads all defenders in points with four (one goal, three assists). Senior goaltender Sonja van der Bliek has compiled a .863 save percentage and a 3.87 goals-against average on the season.

All-Time Against The Engineers
Saturday afternoon's game will be the 15th time the two squads have faced each other and the first time since their historic 2-1 game-three matchup in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals at the end of last season. On Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010, in what was the final game of the season for the Bobcats, Quinnipiac and Rensselaer needed five overtimes to decide which team would continue on to the Semifinals of the ECAC Hockey Tournament. The 144:32 minutes played was the second-longest game in NCAA Division I Ice Hockey History and the longest women's ice hockey game since it became a NCAA sport in 2001. Sophomore defender Bethany Dymarczyk (Hamden, Conn.) scored Quinnipiac's goal to tie the game, 1-1, with just 5:22 remaining in the third period. In the epic contest, freshman goaltender Victoria Vigilanti (Woodbridge, Ontario) made a season-high 57 saves.

Last Time Out
Quinnipiac halted its two-game losing streak with an emphatic 5-2 victory over ECAC opponent Princeton on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The victory over for the Bobcats was the first in 13 attempts against the Tigers, as Princeton has previously dominated the all-time series history. In Tuesday's game, the Bobcats found themselves down, 2-0, midway through the first period when senior forward Kelley Davies (Chesapeake, Va.) began the comeback when she netted her first goal of the season at the 13:43 mark of the first period. Sophomore defender Regan Boulton (Brandon, Manitoba) scored the game-tying goal just minutes later at the 17:37 mark. Freshman forward Kelly Babstock (Mississauga, Ontario) and sophomore forward Brittany Lyons (Canton, Mass.) each potted a goal in the second period to extend Quinnipiac's lead to 4-2 by the end of the second period. Boulton picked up her final goal of the evening on an empty net score with just 46 second left to go in the third period. Vigilanti had a solid night between the pipes, turning away 25 shots.

Boulton Buries Her Opportunities
With the two goals on Tuesday, the sophomore defender is now in a four-way tie for the team-lead in goals with six. Her presence on the power-play unit has made a national impact, as her four power-play goals ranks her second in Division I NCAA Women's Ice Hockey.

Unprecedented Start
Freshman phenom Kelly Bastock is the first Quinnipiac women's ice hockey skater to record at least one point in the first eight games of her career. She has registered a point in nine of the team's ten games overall and has recorded six multiple-point efforts thus far on the season.

Assisting Her Way To The Record Books
Babstock is just one assist away from breaking Quinnipiac's freshman all-time assists record of 14, set by both Vicky Graham in 2003-04 and Heather Hughes in 2009-10. Babstock's 13 assists are the most by any Division I Women's Ice Hockey player, while her 1.30 assists-per-game ranks sixth in the nation. The Mississauga native is also tied for first in the nation with 19 points scored, as her 1.90 points-per-game ranks third in the country among freshmen skaters. Babstock is also tied for first with 3 game-winning goals.

Double Trouble
Babstock and fellow freshman Erica Uden Johansson (Sundsvall, Sweden) are emerging as one of the most powerful forward forces on the ice. Uden Johansson, tied for fourth among all Division I rookies in points with 12, and Babstock each recorded three straight multiple point games against Niagara on October 2, Northeastern on October 9, and Sacred Heart on October 10. No two Quinnipiac teammates have ever accomplished this feat before.

A Look Ahead
Quinnipiac returns home next weekend when it hosts Harvard on Friday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. and Dartmouth on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center.