In the wake of a major snowstorm that barreled in on Hamden, Connecticut the day before, the No. 19 Quinnipiac Bobcats (16-11-2, 10-6-1 ECAC) are set to take on the Clarkson Golden Knights (12-12-4, 7-7-2 ECAC) in an Eastern College Athletic Conference matchup.
This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season as the Bobcats traveled up to Potsdam, New York in the beginning of November where they defeated the Golden Knights by a score of 5-3. Tim Clifton registered two points in the contest including a power play goal in the first period.
Last time out:
Quinnipiac is coming off a perfect weekend after beating Brown 1-0 and in-state rival Yale 5-2 both on the road. Bo Pieper was the lone scorer in the Brown win while Andrew Shortridge earned his first career shutout stopping all 21 of the shots he faced. Down the road at Ingalls Rink the following evening, the Bobcats closed out the weekend on two goal performances from two different players. Chase Priskie netted two power play while freshman forward Nick Jermain put home both his first collegiate and one for good measure. Chris Truehl was given the start in the game and made 18 saves on his way to his tenth win of the campaign.
Clarkson on the other hand is rolling off a 3-1 upset victory over close proximity rival St. Lawrence. Nico Sturm scored two goals in the third period to seal the deal while goaltender Jake Kielly made 21 saves in the in-conference effort.
Predicted starters:
Quinnipiac: After registering his first shutout last weekend at Brown, expect Andrew Shortridge to be in the crease for this one. Since the turn of the new year, Shortridge has appeared in seven games garnering a 4-2-0 record. He currently holds on a 2.16 goals against average and a .917 save percentage and his recent performances would leave one to believe he’ll get the nod tonight.
Clarkson: Freshman Jake Kielly has received the vast majority of minutes between the pipes thus far and should be a lock for this game. After making 21 saves on 22 shots the weekend before against a talented team in St. Lawrence, it will be important for Kielly to stand tall in order to keep his team on track.
Players to watch:
Quinnipiac: After an electric performance last Saturday at Yale, it’s hard not to choose Chase Priskie as this game’s player to watch for the Bobcats. The sophomore defenseman has put up a productive line thus far scoring six goals and adding 16 helpers for tie for a team-leading 22 points. Priskie has launched four power play goals in four games and continues to be a force on both sides of the puck.
Clarkson: Senior forward Jordan Boucher has collected five points in five games including a two goal performance against Cornell on January 20. Boucher has tallied 23 total points during the campaign, good enough for second on the team. His ten goals are tied for first with Troy Josephs, so look for him to be an offensive impact in this matchup.
Side note: This is Quinnipiac’s only game of the weekend while Clarkson will have to travel south to Princeton to play the Tigers the following evening. It will be interesting to see how both teams handle this small scheduling note.
