The Quinnipiac Bobcats (4-4-0 overall, 0-1-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference) will take on the Harvard Crimson (2-0-0 overall, 2-0-0 ECAC) Saturday afternoon in the second home game of the weekend for the Bobcats.
After playing seven straight games against Hockey East opponents, Quinnipiac opened conference play against Dartmouth last night. Despite outshooting the Big Green 61-16, they lost 1-0. The Crimson will come to Hamden coming off two straight wins against ECAC opponents Dartmouth and Princeton.
Players to Watch
Quinnipiac – Sarah-Eve Couto-Godbout & Abby Cleary
Through the first seven games of the season, there have been many stand out performances by many different Bobcats. In this game, the consistency of their leaders will help them get past a tough Crimson team. Sophomore Forward Sarah-Eve Couto-Godbout has arguably been the Bobcats most productive player this season, leading the team in goals (3) and overall points (4). Another standout sophomore, Abby Cleary, has had a great 2017 season so far. She has notched two goals and an assist on 11 shots in six games. Watch for these two forwards to make a big impact on the game this weekend.
Harvard – Brooke Jovanovich & Lexie Laing
Freshman forward Brooke Jovanovich is already making an impact for the Harvard Crimson. In her first collegiate game, she had seven shots, scored a goal, and was a plus-2 on the night. If she can replicate that performance, she will certainly be tough to handle for the Bobcats. Similarly to Quinnipiac, Harvard will also look for the consistency of some of their key players. One of those players is captain Lexie Laing. Earlier this summer, Laing became the fifth member of the Harvard Crimson to be drafted into to the National Women’s Hockey League. Laing will join her two sisters, Brianna and Denna, on the Boston Pride after the completion of her senior year. In addition to being drafted, Laing was also the leading points scorer for the Crimson last year with 21 points in 29 games. Laing is most definitely someone the Bobcats will have to game plan for.
Keys to the Game
Quinnipiac – Play a full 60 minutes
It may sound cliché, but playing a complete 60 minute game is going to be a huge factor if Quinnipiac wants to win this game. This Harvard team is well-known for playing better in the third period and winning close games that go down to the wire. The Crimson only lost once in seven game last season when leading after two periods, and outshot their opponents 298-266 in the third period.
Harvard – Limit scoring chances
Quinnipiac has only lost once in Hamden this season. One of the major reasons why has been their ability to capitalize on scoring chances. If Harvard wants to get a win, they need to play very strong defensively and keep the Bobcats to the perimeter of the offensive zone. If Quinnipiac can create some chances in and around the slot, Harvard could be in for a long night.
The Game
Make sure to tune in Saturday at 3 p.m. to QBSN’s live broadcast of Quinnipiac vs. Harvard from the TD Bank Sports Arena in Hamden, Connecticut. Jake Ziegler and Ryan Flaherty will be on the call of the game. For live updates throughout the game, follow @QBSN, @jakeziegler18, and @RyanFlaherty18 on Twitter.
