After a break for the holidays, No. 3 Quinnipiac University took the ice for the last time in 2023 and came away with a hard-fought victory over Holy Cross.
It was the third-ever matchup between Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold and Holy Cross head coach Bill Riga, Pecknold’s former assistant of 13 years. Also returning to Hamden were former Bobcats forwards Tyler Ghirardosi and Liam McLinskey who transferred to Holy Cross after the 2020-21 campaign.
Quinnipiac struggled to finish on its high-danger chances in the first two frames. A power play blast from McLinskey tied the game 2-2 heading into the second intermission, but the Bobcats took care of business with a three-goal third period.
Andon Cerbone and Mason Marcellus’ chemistry showed as the first-year forwards connected twice on the scoresheet. Cerbone buried two Marcellus feeds throughout the night, including the game-winner. Sam Lipkin and Collin Graf also had multi-point performances en route to a 5-2 final in favor of the Bobcats.
Here are three takeaways from Quinnipiac’s final tilt of 2023; a roller coaster night to cap off a triumphant year.
No nonsense in non-conference games :
It’s tough being the king of the hill.
The defending national champions have played games all season long against under-the-radar teams who are looking to make a name for themselves in the NCAA. Quinnipiac has fallen into traps before — two October non-conference losses to now-ranked New Hampshire and Maine. Holy Cross never made it easy for Quinnipiac, a message made clear with game-tying goals on two separate occasions.
The Bobcats were on the receiving end of the Crusaders’ game plan, as Holy Cross won the majority of face-offs 34-31 and blocked 21 shots. The Bobcats struggled to keep up with a mirror of its brand of defensive hockey, a style that Riga helped Pecknold construct in Hamden and carried over to his regime in Worcester, Massachusetts. Sporting the seventh-best scoring defense and fifth-best penalty kill in the country, Riga has quietly built a contender in the Atlantic Hockey Conference.
“I thought Coach Riga and his staff did a phenomenal job of getting his guys ready, confused us with a few things tonight, we didn’t handle things as well as should have,” Pecknold said. “We’re a little rusty after the layoff but we’ll take the win and move on.”
Saturday night’s tilt could have been straightforward, but the Crusaders were insistent on creating chaos, nearly upsetting the Bobcats. There are no nights off for the champs
Youth continues to drive Quinnipiac’s offense:
Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Cerbone and Marcellus have grown a connection on and off the ice. Their duo has evolved from playing against one another as rivals in the USHL to close teammates in Hamden.
“He’s such a skilled guy, so it’s not hard to play with him,” Marcellus said. “it’s been really easy with me, he talks to me on the ice, he talks to me on the bench, so we have a really good friendship.”
With swift passing from below the red line, Marcellus fed Cerbone the puck at the top of the crease for the game-winning goal in the third period. The win over Holy Cross was Cerbone’s sixth multi-point performance as a Bobcats and Marcellus’s fourth.
The duo has also been a positive force in conference play. Marcellus leads ECAC Hockey in plus/minus with a +18 and is sixth in points with 17 and just behind him at eighth points in Cerbone with 16.
With more electric performances for the two first years on the horizon in 2024, Marcellus and Cerbone have stepped up to become the present and future driving forces of the Bobcats forward corps.
The return of Treloar and the push to 2024:
A familiar face was back on the bench for the Bobcats after missing nine games. Travis Treloar was reactivated for the Bobcats as its second line center and a member of the primary power play unit.
The former Ohio State Buckeye’s return to the lineup was welcomed by Pecknold and gave Quinnipiac flexibility with its top nine forwards. The hot trio of Marcellus, Cerbone and Zach Tupker can slot down to line three, letting Treloar center line two with Christophe Tellier and Christophe Fillion.
“He’s a really good hockey player,” Pecknold said when describing Treloar. “He’s got to get his legs back under him. He’s going to be really good for us in the second half.”
The push for 2024 and a chance to defend the program’s first national title will not only be based on the team’s momentum but also Quinnipiac’s depth and lineup health. By bringing back an essential cog in Treloar for the first time since November, Quinnipiac is set to plunge into the second half of the season at full strength as Pecknold’s team eyes trophy season in the new year.
After a challenging night against Holy Cross, Quinnipiac hits the road in Boston, Massachusetts for a non-conference clash with Northeastern on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. before returning to ECAC action.
