Team Notes: Quinnipiac Hosts Final Regular-Season Games
Senior Day Saturday
The Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team (18-10-2, 10-8-0 ECAC
Hockey) hosts its final regular season home games against ECAC
Hockey opponents Rensselaer (10-12-7, 8-8-2 ECAC Hockey) and Union
(2-25-3, 1-15-2 ECAC Hockey) this weekend, Friday, Feb. 11 and
Saturday, Feb. 12. Friday's game against the Engineers is set for a
7 p.m. start, while Saturday's game against the Dutchwomen starts
at 4 p.m. Prior to puck drop on Saturday, Quinnipiac will honor its
two senior skaters, Kelley
Davies (Chesapeake, Va.) and Kelsey
Britton(Ashland, Mass.), as well as its one senior student
athletic trainer, Joeseph Murad, with an on-ice rose ceremony.
Follow The Bobcats
Live Stats for this weekend's games can be accessed by clicking on
the appropriate links on the women's ice hockey schedule atwww.quinnipiacbobcats.com.
About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer comes to Hamden after going 1-0-1 last weekend against
ECAC Hockey opponents Brown and Yale. The Engineers began the
weekend with a 4-2 comeback win over Brown on Friday, Feb. 4. After
falling behind 2-0 heading into the third period, Rensselaer
exploded for four goals in the frame to take the victory. On
Saturday, Feb. 5 against Yale, Rensselaer tied the Bulldogs, 2-2.
This time it was the Engineers who gave up a two goal lead heading
into the third period, as Yale scored its two goals just 39 seconds
apart from each other in the third frame. Sophomore forward Taylor
Horton leads the Engineers with 19 points (10 goals, nine assists),
followed by junior forward Alisa Harrison (six goals, 10 assist)
and freshman forward Jordan Smelker (nine goals, six assists). In
goal for Rensselaer is senior goaltender Sonja Van der bliek, who
has seen action in 26 games this season. The senior has compiled a
.898 save percentage and a 2.65 goals against average on the
year.
All-Time Against The Engineers
Friday's game will be the 16th time the two sides
face each other, with Rensselaer leading the all-time series,
4-10-1. In their last meeting earlier this season on Saturday, Nov.
6, 2010, the Engineers skated to a 2-0 victory on their home ice in
Troy, N.Y. Sophomore forward Clare Padmore scored the first goal
for Rensselaer at the 16:15 mark into the second period of play,
while Alisa Harrison added an insurance empty netter with 22
seconds remaining in the third period to seal the win.
About Union College
The Dutchwomen are coming off a rare weekend split against Yale
and Brown on Friday, Feb. 4 and Saturday, Feb. 5. On Friday against
Yale, Union was defeated, 5-0. After skating to a scoreless
first period, the Bulldogs opened up a three goal lead in the third
period, only to add two more tallies in the third frame en route to
victory. On Saturday against Brown, Union came away with its first
ECAC Hockey win of the season, and its first overall victory since
October 15, 2010 when it defeated Sacred Heart. The Dutchwomen's
3-2 comeback victory was sparked by two third period goals, one by
sophomore forward Jeannie Sabourin and another by freshman defender
Ashley Johnston. Junior forwards Lauren Cromartie (two goals, eight
assists) and Lauren Hoffman (four goals, six assists) are tied for
the team-lead with 10 points on the season. Junior goaltender Kate
Gallagher has a .918 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against
average on the season.
All-Time Against The Dutchwomen
Saturday's game will be the 19th time the two
sides face each other, with Quinnipiac owning a perfect 15-0-3
all-time record against Union. In their last meeting on Friday,
Nov. 5, 2010, Quinnipiac skated to a 3-2 victory. Led by three
first period goals, Quinnipiac staved off a Union comeback attempt
to win its second ECAC Hockey victory of the season and seventh win
overall. Freshman forward Kelly
Babstock (Mississauga, Ontario) scored a goal and an
assist in that first period, while freshman forwards Lindsay
Burman (Stanchfield, Minn.) and Amanda
Colin (Burnsville, Minn.) netted the other two goals for
the Bobcats.
Last Time Out
Quinnipiac last played on Tuesday, Feb. 8 in a 1-1 tie against
non-conference opponent New Hampshire, in a re-scheduled game
originally slated for Tuesday, Jan. 18. Freshman forward Amanda
Colin netted the lone goal for Quinnipiac, coming off an
assist from fellow freshman forward Kelly
Babstock. The Wildcats tied the game at the 12:45 mark into the
third period, as senior defender Courtney Birchard put away her
seventh goal of the season. Sophomore goaltender Victoria
Vigilanti (Woodbridge, Ontario) turned away 24 shots on
the evening.
Blanking The Opposition
Tuesday's game marked the sixth straight game in which
Quinnipiac's penalty-kill unit prevented the opposition from
scoring on its extra skater advantage. During that time span which
dates back to Saturday, Jan. 22, teams have gone 0 for 20 against
the Bobcats. On the season overall, Quinnipiac has an 89.3 percent
penalty-kill success rate and has allowed only 11 power play goals
against.
Streak To Six
With an assist on Tuesday, Feb. 8 against New Hampshire, freshman
forward Kelly
Babstock extended her point streak to six games. Babstock
has now recorded at least one point in 23 of the Bobcats' 30 games
played this season, accumulating 25 goals and 23 assists along the
way.
New Career High
Vigilanti's seventh shutout of the season in a 4-0 victory against
Dartmouth on Friday, Feb.4 marks a new career-high for shutouts in
a season. The sophomore netminder currently ranks third among ECAC
Hockey goaltenders with a 1.74 goals against average and is fourth
with a .932 save percentage.
Typical Babstock Brilliance
With three goals and one assist over the weekend against Dartmouth
and Harvard on Friday, Feb. 4 and Saturday, Feb. 5, the freshman
once again regained the NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey freshman
lead in goals, assists and points, as she holds an incredible 1.60
points per game average on the year. The freshman netted the first
and third goals of the contest on Friday, Feb. 4 against Dartmouth,
earning her league-high eighth game-winning goal of the season. The
eight game-winning tallies are also second best in NCAA Division I
Women's Ice Hockey.
Hear Her Callin'
Freshman forward Amanda
Colin (Burnsville, Minn.) collected a goal and an assist
over the weekend against Dartmouth and Harvard. The freshman is
just the eighth skater on the team to have double digit points (six
goals, five assists).
What A View
Sophomore defender Felica
Vieweg (Port Orange, Fla.) netted her first goal of the
season on Friday, Feb. 4 against Dartmouth. The sophomore now has
nine points on the season (one goal, eight assists), while the goal
was her third career tally.
Leading By Example
Junior forward Kate
Wheeler (Oakville, Ontario) netted an empty-net goal for
the Bobcats in its 4-0 victory over Dartmouth, giving her 12 goals
on the season. Wheeler (12 goals, 13 assists) has scored at least
one point in five of the last seven games for the Bobcats.
Final Regular Season Road Games
Quinnipiac heads out on the road to finish its ECAC Hockey regular
season schedule, when it faces Yale on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.
and Brown the following Saturday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m.
