The lights will be bright and the stakes will be high when the Quinnipiac woman’s ice hockey team (1-4-2, 1-0-0 ECAC) welcomes longtime rival Yale (0-1-0, 0-1-0 ECAC) to the People’s United Center Saturday afternoon for the first time this season. Quinnipiac is coming off their first win of the season, a 4-0 thrashing of Brown, and Yale is looking to start their season strong after tying in their only preseason game.
Players to Watch
Quinnipiac University: Lexie Adzija
The freshman from St. Thomas, Ontario has enjoyed much success in her hockey career but has enjoyed little success thus far with the Bobcats. Adzija may be in her first year with this team, but she has already developed into a key leader on this struggling Bobcat offense. Adzija ranks second on the team in shots (25) and leads the team in points (5) and assists (3). She has become an important cog in this offense and needs to get the rest of the team to perform at the same intensity she brings to the ice.
Yale: Greta Skarzynski
A sophomore from Lake Forest, Illinois, Skarzynski led Yale as a freshman in the following categories: goals (14), power play goals (6), game-winning goals (4), multi-goal games (3) and multi-point performances (6). Along with her impressive first year stats, Skarzynski was named to the All-Ivy Second Team and the Academic All-ECAC Hockey team. It will be tough for Bobcats head coach Cassandra Turner to keep her off the puck, being as dangerous as she is.
Keys to the Game:
Quinnipiac: Score on power plays
A feat that the Bobcats have rarely accomplished this year has been scoring on the power play. Quinnipiac has only converted one goal on power play opportunities this season, going 1-for-21. The offense needs to run through Lexie Adzija and Taylor House if Quinnipiac is going to be productive with the puck.
Yale: Come out firing strong
There isn’t much to scout about Yale this season, as this will only be their second official contest of the season. Look for Yale to play through their young star Greta Skarzynski and get the puck to senior Emma Vlasic who led the team in total points last season with 29.
The Game
Make sure to tune in to QBSN’s live broadcast of Quinnipiac vs. Yale from thePeoples United Center on York Hill in Hamden, Connecticut. Matt McAuliffe and Jack Main will be on the call of the game, with the puck set to drop at 3pm. For live updates throughout the game, make sure to follow @QBSN on Twitter.
