After coming off an impressive season during the challenging Covid-19 pandemic, the Bobcats finished the 2020-21 season with a 10-6 record overall in the conference.  The class of 2025, along with the current players, have a lot of work to do in the offseason. With seven seniors graduated, the focus needs to shift to the season ahead if they want to remain on top of the ECAC conference. Staying on top should come easy with a seasoned coaching staff and the addition of a new Assistant Coach, Brent Hill. Hill comes to Quinnipiac with an extensive background in coaching the Selects Academy (U16 & U19) in Rochester, NY, with an overall record of 173-51. Hill’s years at the collegiate hockey coaching level will add to the Bobcats solid leadership. On the ice, Olivia Konigson will serve as captain for the second year. Renee Saltness (5th year senior), Lexie Adzija, and Zoe Boyd (both rising seniors) will lead as alternate captains on and off the ice. 

Three members from the class of 2021 will be returning as graduate students next season: Konigson, Saltness, and Taylor House. Konigson, a defenseman, will return to the team she led during a season that some thought would never happen. She only played in seven games in her senior season, as she was sidelined for most of the season with an injury, but she still captained her team to an impressive 10-6 season. Saltness, a forward, comes off an impressive 15 point, nine assist season playing in all 16 games. House, another forward, will also be returning after a solid 15 point season. With this seasoned trio on the ice, the Bobcats have a chance to certainly make waves in the ECAC.    

Rising seniors Adzija and Boyd will add to the leadership on and off the ice as alternate captains. Adzija, a forward, is coming off one of her best seasons as a Bobcat, leading the team in both shots, goals, and assists playing in all 16 games last season. Adzija’s ability to win faceoffs and offensive scoring was a key to the Bobcats success. She led the team with 18 points on six goals and 12 assists. Boyd, a defenseman, did not see any action on the ice last season due to an injury. Her presence around her teammates is resilient. During her first year at Quinnipiac, in 2018-19, she played in all 36 games for the team, totaling 12 points on two goals, along with ten assists.  She was ranked second on the team in defensive scoring. Her sophomore season followed a familiar script, playing in all 37 games in 2019-20, where she recorded three goals and had nine assists for 12 points once again. Boyd looks to come back on the ice this season as an alternate captain and a strong defenseman.  

The Bobcats have a lot to prove this season with returning players, rising seniors, and a fresh incoming class. If they were able to pull off such an impressive season during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, they may very well do the same this year. Cass Turner has a strong group of goalies to pick from, as well as a solid leadership team of Konigson, Adzija, Saltness, and Boyd, who were named to the ECAC 2020 All-Academic Team. Impressive leadership off the ice as well as talent on the ice is exactly how the Bobcats want to start the season. Quinnipiac starts off the 2021-22 season with ECAC conference play on the road against Yale (Oct. 29th) and Brown (Oct. 30th). With 20 conference games on the schedule, the Bobcats must remain at the top of their game and focused to remain a force in the ECAC.