Students lined up for hours yesterday afternoon leading up to the Battle of Whitney Ave, but they will still be in full form tonight as the tickets are once again sold out. After a very exciting game against Yale last night, the No. 4 Quinnipiac Bobcats (21-5-1 ECAC Hockey) look to extend their ECAC Hockey run against the Brown Bears (9-10-3 ECAC Hockey). Brown looks to have a winning record in the ECAC after tonight.
Key Players
Quinnipiac – Chase Priskie, Peter DiLiberatore
Chase Priskie is almost always one of the key players for Quinnipiac to win hockey games. The captain has 34 points on the season (second most on the team) and is the backbone of power plays and leadership. A bigger factor tonight may be Peter DiLeberatore this time. With Brandon Fortunato, the third-leading point getter on the team, being out for the season, DiLiberatore needs to step up. The freshman defenseman will continue to fill in the BIG role of a lethal Fortunato.
Brown – Zach Giuttari and Max Gottlieb
Brown must rely on experienced defense tonight. Quinnipiac has a dominant offense that had 19 shots in 10 minutes on Yale last night. If both Giuttari, a junior, and Gottlieb, a senior, can lead the defense in slowing down Quinnipiac, that will guide the offense.
Keys to Victory
Quinnipiac – Explosive battle
Quinnipiac has so many options to score. The way they win this game is by keeping unrelenting pressure. If they tire out the defense and take countless shots on the goalkeeper, it is quite difficult to stop. They have a very deep bench and if they go full force from the beginning, Brown may be caught on their back skate.
Brown – Smart and Slow Hockey
Brown must create the pace of this hockey game. They won’t beat Quinnipiac on speed or high level intensity. If they slow the puck down and have smart passes and defense, they can turn defense into offense. They must try to utilize the absence of Fortunato as well. Tiring out DiLiberatore may give them an upper edge.
The puck drop is tonight at 7 p.m. at the People’s United Bank Center. Quinnipiac is shooting for the top rank in the ECAC and Brown wants to have a big weekend after their defeat over Princeton.
