The teams are coming out of a holiday break that both needed desperately. The two teams start up the second half of their season Thursday afternoon as part of the Three Rivers Classic. The tournament also features Robert Morris and Ferris State along with the two New England schools.

Coming in:

The Bobcats finished the first half of their season in uncommon fashion, losing three straight Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference games including being swept by Princeton in a home-and-home series. The Bobcats were only able to muster up a lone goal against Princeton in the second game when Kevin Duane scored a breakaway goal that looked like it would give the Bobcats some momentum, but they never seemed to get anything else going offensively.

Boston College is starting up the second part of their season after also limping into the holiday break. The Eagles have dropped four out of their last seven, including a 3-2 loss to Notre Dame on December 10. They are led by Matthew Gaudreau, brother of 2013 Three Rivers Classic Most Valuable Player Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames, who has struck for six goals and 16 assists in 20 games so far for the Eagles. He will be someone the Bobcats must contain to find themselves in the championship come Friday night.

Head to head:

Quinnipiac and Boston College have only met once in the two programs’ history.

The matchup came last year in the semifinals of the Frozen Four. The Bobcats came out victorious winning 3-2 to advance to the program’s second National Championship in four years. Quinnipiac was propelled by Kevin McKernan, Andrew Taverner and Landon Smith who all struck for goals, while Travis St. Denis assisted on two of the goals for the Bobcats. On the other side of the ice, Michael Garteig stood strong the entire game but shined in the final 90 seconds for the Bobcats as the Eagles laid on a plethora of shots that were all denied by the former Bobcat.

Prediction:

Brosh: The Bobcats have won games against strong opponents this year and have also struggled against the same kind of the teams through the first three months of the season. However, they are coming off of a much needed period of rest and a week of practice that could build into the Bobcats getting back to their identity. Quinnipiac goaltender Chris Truehl should stay strong between the pipes and with the Bobcats’ team-first attitude when it comes to their defensive forwards and their ability to block shots, I can see them advancing to the finals of the Three Rivers Classic. 3-1 Quinnipiac.

Clouts: Quinnipiac has lost four out of their last five games, and that is a stat that is quite unusual to Bobcat fans who have enjoyed the spoils of winning these past few seasons; I expect the Bobcats to break that streak strictly because of that stat. While the rest of us enjoyed our holidays, this Bobcats team was in Connecticut ready to work. This team has a drive that is amazing to witness. This would be a statement win over Boston College and it is absolutely possible. The Eagles sent five players to the World Junior Championships including their number one goaltender, so expect a tough game but a Quinnipiac win over the watered down Boston College side by a score of 5-3.

Players to watch:

Brosh:

Boston College: For the Eagles, David Cotton is my player to watch. The freshman skater has tallied six goals this year, three of them coming on the power play and the other half have came in clutch times for Boston College, standing as game winners. This could be someone that Tommy Schutt looks to lock down defensively come the third period.

Quinnipiac: Sophomore Scott Davidson has been quiet during the first part of the season, but look for the forward to make a stronger impact in this game to propel himself into a very strong second half of the season. With his ability to find areas to score in front of the net while battling in the corner, Davidson could find himself on the score sheet a few times this weekend to get his scoring going, something the Bobcats could certainly use.

Clouts:

Boston College: Matthew Gaudreau has to be a player to watch in this matchup. The little brother of Hobey Baker award winner and Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau will have to play his part in defeating this Bobcats team. The speedy winger has 22 points in 20 games during his Hobey Baker campaign, and do not expect him to let up against a struggling Bobcats team even with his line-mate Colin White being away with Team USA at the World Junior Championship. If this game has a lot of penalties, expect Gaudreau to be the ultimate difference maker between the two teams and their power plays.
Quinnipiac: Connor Clifton is second on the team in blocked shots this season with 34 and he is going to need to get in front of a lot of pucks for the Bobcats to win. With the team leader in blocked shots, Karlis Cukste, playing for Latvia as an assistant captain in the WJC, Clifton’s already large role becomes larger. In any Bobcat game. Clifton is a player to watch because of his highlight reel play, but he needs to have nearly a perfect game for the Bobcats to defeat this high powered offense Boston College has. If Clifton and his defensive core can earn a win over Harvard, whose offense has been scoring at an astounding rate, then they can defeat Boston College.