The No. 6 ranked Boston College Eagles will travel to Hamden, Connecticut Saturday night to take on the defending National Champions, the No. 2 ranked Quinnipiac University Bobcats, at M&T Bank Arena at 7 p.m. in their first matchups of the season.
It’s the Bobcats’ first game back since an unforgettable last season. Quinnipiac is coming off a hot streak after winning four straight games in last year’s NCAA Tournament to claim victory of the championship. The Bobcats defeated several top teams at the Division 1 level including Ohio State, Michigan and Minnesota.
There are many returning members of the championship team including Collin Graf, newest captain Jayden Lee, national championship game-winning assist maker, Sam Lipkin, and game-winning goal scorer Jacob Quillan. These players are looking to make just as big of an impact as they each did last year in an attempt to secure another National Championship.
You may have noticed one big name not mentioned among the faces returning for the Bobcats — Yaniv Perets. Only a sophomore last year, Perets led the team in saves as their star goalkeeper. After their championship victory, Perets signed a two-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
How much of an effect will the loss of Perets have on this Bobcats team this season? Who will be in goal for the Bobcats this season? Quinnipiac currently has three goaltenders on their roster: junior Noah Altman, first-year Matej Marinov and senior Vinny Duplessis, a transfer from Boston University.
In three years with BU, Duplessis has played in 40 games and only allowed 43 goals overall. He could be a large asset to this team in taking over for Perets. This is also Altman’s third year with the Bobcats. Although he has only played in one game for Quinnipiac, he made two saves in that game, showing his strength on this team.
Boston College had a very disappointing end to their season last winter with more losses than wins. Boston College was shutout against Merrimack College, ending the season earlier than they had hoped. The Eagles hope to turn this season into a better one with star returners and newcomers, some of whom are top prospects of the 2027 graduating class.
Two out of their three top goal scorers from last season are returning: Cutter Gauthier and Andre Gasseau, who are both entering their sophomore seasons. Gauthier had 15 goals and 20 assists in 30 games played last year while Gasseau had 10 goals and 17 assists in 32 games. Both players have been working hard to prepare for their sophomore season.
Several first years on this Eagles team have already been drafted by NHL teams in the first round. These same players also played on the same line in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. These players include Will Smith, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault.
Last year, each of these men played for the U.S. National U18 Team. Smith played 60 games and scored 51 goals, Leonard played in 57 games and scored 51 goals and Perreault played in 63 games and scored 53 goals. Together, they average 1.16 goals per game. If each of these players brings this talent to the Eagles team, they will have a strong season ahead of them.
In their meetings together, Quinnipiac has never lost against Boston College – they have only ever won or tied. Last year, the Bobcats shut out the Eagles at Boston College 4-0. Although these two teams have only played once at M&T Bank Arena, the Bobcats have never lost at home against the Eagles.
Saturday night’s game is sold out due to this much-anticipated matchup. Both the Bobcats and the Eagles fans will be showing up in full form to support their teams. The puck will drop at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN. This event will also be live-tweeted on X by @QBSN and viewers can also listen to live broadcasting on theqbsn.com/listen.
