By Kevin Noonan, QBSN Staff Writer

The No. 9 Quinnipiac Bobcats (13-3-2, 8-0-0 ECAC) takes on the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (11-7-1, 7-4-1 WCHA) in the second game of the weekend series on Sunday looking to extend their unbeaten streak to 12 games.

Quinnipiac started the second half of the season by defeating UNO on Saturday 5-4 in an afternoon thriller.  The Bobcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead within the first four minutes of the game with goals from junior Jordan Samuels-Thomas (Windsor, Conn.) and sophomore Matthew Peca (Petawawa, Ontario).

Nebraska-Omaha clawed its way back with three second-period goals from Matt White, Brian O’Rourke and Johnnie Searfoss on the power play.  It was not enough, as the Bobcats ended the period with a 4-3 lead thanks to goals from junior Ben Arnt (Oakdale, Minn.) and Kevin Bui (Edmonton, Alb.)

Just 38 seconds into the third period, the Mavericks tied the game with Ryan Walters’s lone goal of the game.  Quinnipiac would take the lead for good with Samuels-Thomas’ second goal of the game and the game winner.  Senior Eric Hartzell (White Bear Lake, Minn.) finished with 28 saves while his counterpart Anthony Stolarz had 19 saves

Keys to the Game:

Quinnipiac

• Eric Hartzell:  Hartzell needs to play much better in net, just as he has all season long.  The Bobcats aren’t going to score five goals every game, so Hartzell needs to return to his 1.29 GAA form.
• Jordan Samuels-Thomas: JST scored two goals and assisted another one, starting the second half of the season in similar fashion to the first.  The Bobcats will need Samuels-Thomas’ to continue his hot play to propel the offense.
• Penalty Kill: Despite allowing a power-play goal Saturday, the Bobcats still kill 93.7 percent of their penalties while UNO only scores on 15.9 percent of power plays.  This advantage favors the Bobcats.

Nebraska-Omaha

• Defense: The Mavericks allowed three of their five goals within the first four minutes of periods in the game, showing that it takes time for them to get going.  They need to stop the Bobcats early to keep themselves in the game.
• Score First: UNO played catch-up the entire game against the Bobcats, never claiming the lead.  If the Mavericks can score first, it would put them in a position force Quinnipiac to play the chasing game.
• Ryan Walters: On the season, he has 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points to lead the Mavericks.  In the game on Saturday, Walters only managed one goal in the loss.  He needs to be more involved on Sunday to give UNO an offensive advantage over the Bobcats.