Team Notes: Quinnipiac Visits No. 3/3 Cornell and Colgate
ECAC Hockey Road Tests
The Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team (13-8-2) (9-3-2
ECAC Hockey) heads to upstate New York to face ECAC Hockey
opponents No. 3/3 Cornell (13-2-0) (9-1-0 ECAC Hockey) and Colgate
(8-12-1) (3-6-1 ECAC Hockey) this coming Friday, Jan. 13 and
Saturday, Jan. 14. Friday's contest against the Big Red will start
at 7 p.m., while Saturday's game against the Raiders will begin at
4 p.m.
Multimedia
Live stats and video for this weekend's games can be
accessed by visiting the Official Website of Quinnipiac
Athletics,www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com.
About Cornell
Cornell is coming off its third-straight victory with a
3-0 shutout victory over Colgate on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Senior
Rebecca Johnston scored two goals, while Lauriane Rougeau netted
the Big Red's third goal. Prior to Tuesday's game, Cornell earned a
weekend sweep over Union and Rensselaer on Friday, Jan. 6 and
Saturday, Jan. 7. The Big Red skated to a 9-1 victory over Union
before shutting out Rensselaer, 3-0, the following afternoon.
Junior Laura Fortino added a goal and an assist in Saturday's
victory, while senior Kendice Ogilvie and sophomore Brianne Jenner
tallied the other two scores. Sophomore Lauren Slebodnick turned
away 15 shots in goal for her sixth victory of the season.
Overall, Jenner leads the squad with 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists), followed by freshman Jillian Saulnier (14 goals, 11 assists) and Johnston's (eight goals, 17 assists) 25 points. Senior Amanda Mazzotta has split time with Slebodnick and accumulated a 2.23 goals against average to go along with a .895 save percentage. Slebodnick has a 1.30 goals against average and a .932 save percentage.
All-Time Against The Big Red
Friday's game will be the 17th time two
sides face each other, as Cornell holds a 5-3-5 all-time series
lead. Cornell defeated Quinnipiac, 7-1, in the team's first meeting
of the season on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. Cornell's steady attack
led to three goals in both the first and second periods, while
sophomore forward Megan
Hagg (Ajax, Ontario) netted the Bobcats goal in the third
period of play.
About Colgate
Colgate is coming off a 3-0 loss to Cornell on Tuesday,
Jan. 10. Prior to Tuesday's game, the Raiders earned a 2-1 overtime
win against Union on Saturday, Jan. 7. Taylor Volpe netted the
game-winner on a power-play opportunity with 1:50 remaining in the
extra frame, while Brittany Phillips scored the Raiders' first goal
of the game in the third period of play. Overall, Phillips leads
the squad with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists), followed by
freshman Melissa Kueber (10 goals, five assists) and Jocelyn
Simpson's (six goals, nine assists) 15 points on the year. Senior
goaltender Kimberly Sass has a .913 save percentage to go along
with a 2.44 goals against average.
All-Time Against The Crimson
Saturday's contest will be the 22nd time
the two sides matchup against each other. The Bobcats have taken
control of the recent history, winning three of the previous four
games and are 4-2-1 in the teams' last seven meetings. In their
most recent game earlier this season on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011,
Quinnipiac skated to a 6-2 victory over Colgate. With two goals and
two assists in the game, sophomore forward Kelly
Babstock (Mississauga, Ontario) became the program's
all-time points leader, collecting 75 career points in just 50
games played. Juniors Regan
Boulton (Brandon, Manitoba) and Brittany
Lyons (Canton, Mass.) and freshman Nicole
Kosta(Mississauga, Ontario) all added a goal in victory, while
junior goaltender Victoria
Vigilanti (Woodbridge, Ontario) made 25 saves in
net.
Last Time Out
The Bobcats skated to a 3-3 tie against nationally ranked
No. 8/10 Harvard on Saturday, Jan. 7. Sophomore forward Erica
Uden Johansson (Sundsvall, Sweden), senior forward Kate
Wheeler (Oakville, Ontario) and sophomore forward Kelly
Babstock (Mississauga, Ontario) each scored for Quinnipiac, while
junior netminder Victoria Vigilanti made 26 saves in
goal.
Clean Play
Quinnipiac remains the least penalized team among all
NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey programs, as they have been
sentenced to the penalty box 78 times for a mere 6.8 penalty
minutes a game.
Three's Company
Saturday's 3-3 tie against No. 8/10 Harvard marked the
eighth time this season Quinnipiac has scored exactly three goals
in a game. The Bobcats are now 6-1-1 this season when it scores
exactly three goals in a game.
Near The Top
Mississauga native Kelly Babstock currently ranks tied
for second in ECAC Hockey points with 16, while ranking tied for
second in goals (eight) and tied for fourth in assists (eight).
Babstock leads all skaters with three game-winning goals in league
play and is one of four women to score a short-handed goal in
league play.
Back With The Bobcats
Freshman forward Nicole Kosta (Mississauga, Ontario) returns to
the Quinnipiac lineup this weekend after spending last week in
Germany with Canada's Under-22/Development Team which competed for
the 2012 Meco Cup. Kosta, the team's second leading scorer with 16
points (three goals, 13 assists), currently ranks tied for sixth
among ECAC Hockey skaters in league assists (seven) and is tied for
fifth among all freshman skaters with eight points in ECAC Hockey
contests (one goal, seven assists).
ECAC Hockey Offensive Hierarchy
Quinnipiac, which holds a 2.39 goals per game average
overall, has scored the second-most goals in league play (37),
behind Cornell's league high 58 goal total. The Bobcats also rank
in second behind Cornell in assists, with 54 in league
play.
What A Month
For her efforts during the month of December, which
included three shutouts in three starts, Victoria Vigilanti was
named ECAC Hockey/Fischer-Hockey Player and Goaltender of the
Month. The junior netminder was also honored as Quinnipiac
University Female Athlete of the Month, marking the third time in
her career she has earned the honor.
Perfect December
Quinnipiac finished the month of December with an
unblemished 4-0 record, allowing only two goals (both against
Yale), while earning three shutout victories. The Bobcats are one
of the hottest teams in the country, as they have a 12-2-1 record
in their last 15 games played.
Contact: Ross Bennett, rsbennett@quinnipiac.edu
