The Quinnipiac Bobcats (5-3-1, 1-1-0 ECAC Hockey) look to bounce back this Friday when they host their conference rival the Dartmouth Big Green (2-0-1, 1-0-1 ECAC Hockey) for the first time this season.
After an exciting win over the University of Massachusetts to end October, Quinnipiac traveled to upstate New York to take on Clarkson and St. Lawrence. Quinnipiac jumped up to a 2-0 lead on Clarkson behind goals from Kevin McKernan and Tim Clifton. Clarkson kept things interesting, but the Bobcats scored three more goals including another from Tim Clifton to solidify a 5-3 win.
Although the Bobcats came off of a satisfying win Friday night, the team couldn’t find the back of the net on their six power plays opportunities and allowed 34 shots on goal against St. Lawrence. Quinnipiac dropped the game 2-0 in only its third loss of the season.
Dartmouth only started its season a couple of weeks ago but has already played two games in the conference which included a tie with Cornell. After a scoreless 46 minutes, Cornell picked up the first goal of the game but Corey Kalk scored two minutes later to tie the contest at one.
The Big Green defeated the Colgate Raiders with a 2-0 win on Saturday. Goaltender Devin Buffalo stopped all 21 shots he faced while Troy Crema and Carl Hesler scored to notch the win.
Players to watch:
Quinnipiac: Brogan Rafferty. The new defenseman has had a strong nine games so far, scoring his first collegiate goal and tallying seven assists as well for a total of eight points. He’s been an offensive juggernaut so far, but he’s defensively sound too. Prepare for him to come flying out of the gate and keep your eye on him throughout the game.
Dartmouth: Grant Opperman. The senior has struggled to score so far this season, but he’s a force to be reckoned with when it comes to conference play. In his collegiate career, he’s scored 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in 63 ECAC games. There’s no doubt he’s a huge part of the offensive makeup team and they’ll be even better once he starts to find the back of the net consistently.
Between the pipes: Shortridge vs. Buffalo
Quinnipiac: Expect Andrew Shortridge to start the game in a back-to-back situation with the Bobcats playing Harvard on Saturday. Shortridge has been above average so far with only three games under his belt, a 2.34 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. He has two wins and a loss, but the freshman goaltender will need to whip a solid start out from under his belt to help the Bobcats win.
Dartmouth: Devin Buffalo will most likely start the game for the Big Green on Friday night. He’s been spectacular so far, putting up a 0.97 goals against average and a .957 save percentage through three contests. Buffalo is looking to secure his spot as the starting goaltender for Dartmouth, and a win against the Bobcats would be huge for him.
Special teams: Poor Power Plays and Dominant Penalty Kills
So far this season, neither team has been super productive on the power play. Quinnipiac has had 63 opportunities on the power play while only converting eight times. Dartmouth is a staggering 0-for-19 on the man advantage. However, both teams have been strong on the penalty kill, as the Bobcats have killed off 51 out of 58 penalties and Dartmouth has killed 12 of their 14. Look out for special teams to play a huge role in the game. If either team can get their power play rolling, it will be an interesting matchup offensively.
Previous meetings: Dartmouth seeks revenge
After being dominated by the Bobcats last season and getting knocked out of the ECAC Tournament by them as well, Dartmouth looks for revenge against Quinnipiac Friday night. The Bobcats beat the Big Green in both meetings with high scoring 6-2 and 7-5 wins, and a 3-1 win in postseason play to move on in the ECAC Tournament.
