QU Men’s Ice Hockey Season Preview
Photo: Liz Flynn
November 15, 2020
After a rocky end to a shortened season, the ECAC Hockey world is eager to start again. In a world of unknowns, the hockey season is no different. ECAC Hockey has yet to release an official schedule for the 2020-2021 Season. With the shocking season cancellation from the Ivy League, many fans were concerned about the possibility of a hockey season. However, ECAC Hockey announced that they still plan to put on an electric season in a safe way.
“ECAC Hockey is committed to conducting a season in 2020-2021 with those institutions that are able to play,” ECAC Hockey announced on Twitter.
So, what does this mean for the Bobcats? Well, Rand Pecknold announced that the Quinnipiac men’s hockey team was back on the ice for practice in hopes of a season.
Let’s get into what we can expect for the 2020-2021 season.
After an upsetting end to the 2019-20 college hockey season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was good news for the Quinnipiac Men’s Ice Hockey Team as they were ranked 14th in the USA Today Magazine’s Preseason Poll heading into this year’s season.
At the reigns, Odeen Tufto, Wyatt Bongiovanni, and Peter DiLiberatore will attempt to lead the Bobcats to victory. Tufto has led the Bobcats with 121 points and 90 assists over his last three years with Quinnipiac. Bongiovanni and DiLiberatore have both ranked highly in their prospective roles with Bongiovanni ranked third with four game-winning goals and DiLiberatore being sixth in goals (6), assists (15), and points (21). The three look to lead the Bobcats to their seventh NCAA tournament.
Ty Smilanic is a key player to watch this season coming in as a first-year forward from Denver, Colorado. In the last year, Smilanic recorded seven goals and 15 assists with the US National Team. Smilanic has also spent the previous two season with the United States Team Development Program.
Another player to watch this season is Skyler Brind’Amour. After playing in all 34 games as a first-year, the now sophomore forward has been named to the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team, received the Quinnipiac Men’s Ice Hockey’s Rookie of the Year Award, and is ranked ninth among rookies nationally. Brind’Amour excels in faceoffs being the second most in ECAC rookies with 230 faceoff wins.
Junior Keith Petruzzelli will stand in the net once again for the Bobcats this season. After recording a .920 save percentage with 761 saves. Petruzzelli is ranked third in ECAC Hockey wins and fifth in save percentage.
The Bobcats are anxious to start the season and it’s looking to be an exciting one. After a rough end to the 2019-20 season, the Bobcats hope to get back to the NCAA tournament for their seventh time in Quinnipiac history.
While there is no official schedule for Men’s Hockey yet, scheduled games have been slowly trickling out from various universities. Long Island University is entering its inaugural season in Division 1 hockey and has announced that LIU will face off against Quinnipiac on November 25th. It is still an unknown time for the rest of the Bobcats season.
