The Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team’s home stand continues on Friday night when the Bobcats host the Harvard Crimson at 7 p.m. at the High Point Solutions Arena. The Bobcats are currently ranked sixth in the USCHO.com poll and are unbeaten in 10 consecutive games. Harvard comes to Hamden having lost three games in a row.

Keys for Quinnipiac:

• A 60-minute effort is a must for the Bobcats on Friday night. Last weekend against Brown, Quinnipiac was sloppy in the third period and relied on Michael Garteig to hold the lead. Against Yale, the Bobcats dominated for most of the game, outshooting the Bulldogs 50-21, but three goals by the Bulldogs just over three and a half minutes in the second period was the telling point of a 3-3 tie. The Bobcats cannot take the Crimson lightly and will need to play its game for an entire 60 minutes.
• Quinnipiac’s power play has struggled over the past couple of weeks including going 0-for-13 last weekend. At times it appears the Bobcats try to do too much with the man advantage, therefore the key is to keep it simple out there. Both Quinnipiac and Harvard have strong penalty kill units, ranked second and fifth in the nation respectively. If the Bobcats can capitalize on the power play on tonight, they should come away with the win.

Keys for Harvard:

• Harvard needs to find a way to manufacture goals. Through six games this season, the Crimson have only scored 12 goals. Harvard needs to get players to the areas in front of Quinnipiac’s net and capitalize on opportunities like Yale did last weekend. The team is young but talented and a couple of quick goals could jump start the team and its confidence.
• Harvard’s penalty kill unit is ranked fifth in the nation and has only allowed two goals on 24 chances by the opposition. Quinnipiac has struggled on the power play of late but Harvard cannot underestimate the talent on the Bobcats power play units. The Crimson will need to continue their strong start in the penalty-killing unit in this game.

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