By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor
The calendars were marked months ago, but the final “X” has been placed over Feb. 22. The countdown is over; the Heroes Hat is here.
The No. 1 Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey (22-4-4, 15-1-2 ECAC) team hosts the No. 13 Yale Bulldogs (13-9-3, 9-8-1 ECAC) in the one of the most anticipated games of the year. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. and the game will be aired on NBC Sports Network.
Keys for Yale
The Bulldogs skid into Hamden losing five of their last six games, all against ECAC Hockey opponents. Yale’s last win came against Princeton on Feb. 1, but the following day, it received a beat-down Quinnipiac style, falling 6-2 on its home ice.
Ultimately, the Bulldogs need slow down the Bobcat scoring tirade before it gets out of hand. The Bobcats proved that they can open the floodgates if a team lets them. The Bulldogs need to hold them down as long possible in order to silence the crowd early on.
Scoring for the Bulldogs is concentrated on a trio of upperclassmen. Kenny Agostino, Andrew Miller and Antoine Laganiere split evenly 36 of the team’s 73 goals. If the Bobcat defense zones in on these three, Yale will need to create opportunities for others to break through.
Keys for Quinnipiac
With the victory over Yale earlier this season and the snap-end to the undefeated streak last Friday, the Bobcats will need to battle their own minds. A 6-2 victory at the beginning of the month does not guarantee a win of the same magnitude at the end, just as a the end of a nation-leading streak does not doom a team to failure for the remainder of the season.
Senior goaltender Eric Hartzell (White Bear Lake, Minn.) provides a dominant presence in net, but with Agostino, Miller and Langiere bearing much of the scoring weight for Yale, Hartzell’s defense will need to help in the fight.
The Bobcats proved on Feb. 2 that scoring early and often discourages this Yale team. Scoring for the Bobcats has come from all over as 18 scorers have contributed this season, nine of them notching five or more goals. A strong offense means more scoring opportunities. Even if the Yale defense shuts down one or two scorers, there are others to pick up the slack.
Broadcast tonight:
Brian Farrell and Marty Joseph have the call on the Quinnipiac Bobcats Sports Network today. Pregame coverage starts at 7:00, while puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm. Follow the “CLICK TO LISTEN HERE” link on the top right corner of the home page to listen to the game live. If you are unable to tune in make sure to follow QBSN on twitter @QBSN.
