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Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

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  • #91
    Originally posted by QUAlum2004 View Post
    Thoughts and observations from Arizona State's weekend sweep of Quinnipiac

    http://www.bobcatshockeyblog.com/201...m-arizona.html
    QU-AL, thank you. Your usual, objective overview! Yankee season finished, this becomes one of my distractions. I can read that a good goal keeper anchors a good defense, and I also see that good defense make goal-keep better. We lost a lot of very good talent back there, with Brandon Fortunato and Brogan Rafferty along with Karlis and the talented freshman and that does not include Shorty. I think at this time of last season, KP was in the net and not Shorty, so I think they should bite the bullet and make the change. I think they get their heads handed to them this weekend, and coming home the following week against Union and RPI is a toss up against 2 always tough teams. No way is this team playing to a top 3 ECAC position.

    I just do not see the depth in their rotation on D Jonathan. I also do not see physical play, good outlet passes and good spacing for offense, which you got from the upper classmen last season...their overall spacing is bad because they are always playing on their heals....I do not see the pieces on the bench OR on the ice to get this team where we all want them to be.

    So, this really becomes a lot like watching the Yankees this past season, coach a team put together on the fly, sort of, and win.

    We get to watch how coaching staff uses analytics to match lines, pair up against opposing teams strengths/weakness and give them the credit they do not get when we see loaded team like they had last season, where the team's present "stars" were the new kids on the block.

    This is a coaches year to coach and show us their stuff and I am all in on them!

    They know these kids so much better than we do on and off the ice, in season and off season so let's see if we can help them out as fans somehow.

    Comment


    • #92
      Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

      KP is a huge problem. Unfortunately, I think we will come to see that VT was a bit of an anomaly. You have to assume he is going to give up at least 1, maybe 2 soft goals a game. He is certainly cannot be counted on to steal games.
      Part of the problem lies with him, his work ethic is very, very poor. I think this past weekend was the most representative assessment to date of where this team is. We barely got by AIC and let’s face it, we split with Maine but likely get swept that weekend as well if they had started their 1st string tender. That win was a bit of a gift. Played a nice game against VT, but this past weekend brought this team back to reality. I think developing Fear at this point is far more important than trying to turn KP into something he just is not going be. He is a Major disappointment all the way around.

      Comment


      • #93
        Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

        Are we really hitting the panic button 5 weeks into the season? I'd like to think this past weekend was an anomaly. Long trip, hostile rink, still early in the season...

        Yes, the problems are real, but I think they can work through most of them. The upper classmen need to take charge. While the KP issues are real, I think Rand will do what's best for the teams success.

        This is still a very young team that I think will mature and find its identity soon.
        Quinnipiac Bobcats
        2023 National Champions
        ECAC Regular Season Champions: 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
        ECAC Tournament Champions: 2016
        East Regional: 2013 (Champions), 2014, 2016 (Champions), 2023 (Champions)
        Northeast Regional:

        West Regional: 2015, 2021
        Midwest Regional: 2019, 2022
        Frozen Four: 2013, 2016, 2023 (Champions)

        Pass complete. Lipkin has a man in front! Shot... SCORE!!!

        Comment


        • #94
          Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

          Originally posted by MarkEagleUSA View Post
          Are we really hitting the panic button 5 weeks into the season? I'd like to think this past weekend was an anomaly. Long trip, hostile rink, still early in the season...

          Yes, the problems are real, but I think they can work through most of them. The upper classmen need to take charge. While the KP issues are real, I think Rand will do what's best for the teams success.

          This is still a very young team that I think will mature and find its identity soon.
          I think there has to be a lot of concern with this team. They struggled with AIC yet got the sweep. AIC might or might not be as good as last year. They split with Maine and probably could have gotten swept had Swayman started the second game. They have one easy win over Vermont. Everything has been a struggle this season. Let's face it this isn't a top 10 team and probably shouldn't even be ranked right now.
          QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS


          ECAC Regular Season Champions
          2013, 2015, 2016, 2019

          ECAC Tournament Champions
          2016

          NCAA Tournament
          2002, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019

          NCAA Frozen Four
          2013, 2016

          https://www.bobcatshockeyblog.com/
          https://***********/QHockeyBlog
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          https://www.facebook.com/QHockeyBlog/

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          • #95
            Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

            Originally posted by QUAlum2004 View Post
            I think there has to be a lot of concern with this team. They struggled with AIC yet got the sweep. AIC might or might not be as good as last year. They split with Maine and probably could have gotten swept had Swayman started the second game. They have one easy win over Vermont. Everything has been a struggle this season. Let's face it this isn't a top 10 team and probably shouldn't even be ranked right now.
            This team needs time to gel and that time might be this entire season. We’re going to see a step back from last year. Odeen needs to score, but he can’t pass the puck to himself. Maybe leaving KP out there to sink or swim while the D figures it out is the plan.

            I wonder if he hangs around for Sr year or if Detroit takes a gamble that they can develop him.

            I also wonder how big an impact the loss of Jarred W is. KP mentioned in his interview that Eddy was much more laid back and very different from JW.

            Hope Alex is back soon, his hand was in a cast during the Skate with the Bobcats and he wasn’t in AZ from what I saw. On a positive, to me, it seemed like the first time this year Odeen looked healthy.


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            • #96
              Originally posted by MarkEagleUSA View Post
              Are we really hitting the panic button 5 weeks into the season? I'd like to think this past weekend was an anomaly. Long trip, hostile rink, still early in the season...

              Yes, the problems are real, but I think they can work through most of them. The upper classmen need to take charge. While the KP issues are real, I think Rand will do what's best for the teams success.

              This is still a very young team that I think will mature and find its identity soon.

              Mark, I hit the panic button early last season and they surprised everyone, including most of us. Much of their success last season was they played much better than anyone thought they would.

              So far, these kids are skating on last year's performance and not gelling. Yes, of course, they will get better, we all know this. So will the other teams, also and some will get worse, due to injuries - including Bobcats, too.

              As much as it is early to hit the panic button, would you not agree that the next 2 weeks are at least 'must-split' both or 1 weekend?

              I do not recall in recent years such a flat team on the ice with lot of weak spots like this team is showing me to date. Fortunately, it is early and there is plenty of time to get things right and i know the staff will make it happen. But, it will be as result of coaching, matching and putting players in the best positions, lines to succeed - the players can not get better than they already are. we know they have talent.

              Comment


              • #97
                Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

                Nice article from College Hockey News:

                Despite Losses, Quinnipiac Doesn't Need Full Rebuild
                by Thomas J. Murphy/CHN Reporter


                We spoke to Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold before last weekend's games, which wound up being two losses at Arizona State.

                CHN: Let’s summarize what has been an eventful offseason for your team. You lost two of the top defensemen in the country, Chase Priskie and Brandon Fortunato, to graduation, and a third top-flight defenseman, Brogan Rafferty, left early. Your goalie, Andrew Shortridge, one of the best in the country, also left a year early. On the offensive end, you lost three of your top four scorers. If this was any other program, this would be a quiet rebuilding year. But expectations seem to be higher with you guys. People seem to think you'll make it work, which says good things about what they think of your program.

                Pecknold: Yes, we lost a lot. We lost three-fifths of our first power play that was fantastic last year. Fortunato got hurt late last year and I really think his injury cost us the Frozen Four last year. We were good but not deep enough to offset an injury like that. Right now, we have plenty of talent. We are very young with 22 freshmen and sophomores. We play hard but we lack experience and maturity. Games have been a little chaotic and we need to settle down. It will take time and it is early in the season. I like what we have. We have two good goalies. Keith Petruzzelli has been playing well and we like Evan Fear, so we have talent there. We have a lot of young defensemen. We have taken TJ Friedman and converted him from center to D. He has been doing a nice job and that has been a big help. But we returned some good players. We have our forwards in (Odeen) Tufto, (Ethan) De Jong and (Wyatt) Bongiovanni, so our whole first line is back and better than they were last year.

                CHN: So what do you view as the strengths of your team?

                Pecknold: It has flipped. Last year, our D corps was our strength. This year, our forwards should be our strength. Our D line is a work in progress but we like what we have there.

                CHN: The general consensus seems to be that your team will sink or swim based on your goaltending. It is not just simply the goaltender but the loss of so many excellent defensemen.

                Pecknold: I get the general consensus but that is true of every team. If you don’t have goaltending, you are not going to win. You can’t have an .880 (save percentage) goalie and win hockey games. Goaltending is important for every team but we have faith in Keith. He is now a junior and it is his time to take a step. He has been good so far.

                CHN: You played a tough American International team a couple weeks ago. You swept them and the goaltending and the team looked good.

                Pecknold: AIC is good. And we were good in every area. Our special teams are not where they need to be. Our PK needs to be better. Over the last eight to 10 years, we have always been number one in college hockey in the penalty kill. We have lost a lot of guys but we will get that back to where it needs to be. Our power play needs to be better. It is a small sample size but our power play has not been very good. But we will keep working on that and it will come around.

                CHN: And this is a young team. Is this the youngest team that you have had?

                Pecknold: Ten freshmen and 12 sophomores. My second year at Quinnipiac I had 19 freshmen. That was my first recruiting year. My first year, we didn’t have enough players to play and we sometimes did not have enough guys to dress. But, since my Division I days, this is probably the youngest team I have had.

                CHN: This will be another interesting year in the ECAC. The consensus seems to be that Cornell and Clarkson are the teams to beat. Quinnipiac and Harvard are right behind them. What I am intrigued with is that there are several teams that no one really knows what to expect. Teams like Brown, Colgate and Dartmouth all had decent years last year and all those programs are returning nearly their full teams. How do you see things shaking out this year in the ECAC?

                Pecknold: Out of the gate, I think Cornell and Clarkson are the teams to beat with everything they bring back. Clarkson got Frank Marotte, a grad transfer from Robert Morris. He is a great goaltender and that will really help them. Harvard has the best talent of any team in our league. We will have to fight to keep up with those three. I agree with you that there is going to be another team that will have a player who will pop but it is too early to tell. Someone else will be good. We just don’t know yet who that will be.

                CHN: It seems like we have two competing team models among the top tier programs. There are those programs who build around the high-profile, first-round draft picks. These players are great while you have them but they are one-and-done or will maybe stay for a second year and then they are gone. The other model is a team like yours that, while you are obviously getting talent, you don’t have the glitzy first-round picks. But your guys develop and stay for at least three years. Your program is of such a high stature that the first-round picks must be interested in your program but you don’t have them. Why is that? Are you actively looking for the first-round picks?

                Pecknold: We are not going to turn away a first-round draft pick. I am looking for players with talent, character and high hockey IQ. Those are the three things we want. We get in battles with the “big boys” and we win some of them but it is hard to beat them consistently.

                CHN: But there is a great benefit in having players stay for the full four years.

                Pecknold: In 2016, we had four juniors who were offered (pro contracts). Two left, two stayed. We have plenty of kids who get offers but we don’t have the one-and-done’s. But Matt Peca could have left after his sophomore year but he stayed all four years because he loved the program. And the Tampa Bay Lightning were ecstatic over his development and they left him. They said you can sign if you want or you can stay where you are because they could see he was developing.

                CHN: With the great year that Shortridge had last year, you probably figured he would be gone?

                Pecknold: Yes. Absolutely. He had a .940.

                CHN: Will the new recruiting rules impact the way you are recruiting?

                Pecknold: They will. I think it will change for everyone but I am not sure. There will always be unintended consequences. We will look back in two years where we will see that there are things that we did not think through. I don’t know what those unintended consequences will be. I don’t know if that will help us (against) major junior or not. I think it will hurt us and we will decide to switch the rule back. But we will have to adapt and adjust as to how we recruit.

                CHN: With such a young team, who is most likely to have a breakout season?

                Pecknold: The sophomore class has a lot of guys who played well last year. Bongiovanni, De Jong or (Peter) DiLiberatore could take a jump and have that big year. Keith Petruzzelli is now carrying the mail for us and he will be good. And we have plenty of guys who have looked good early such as Desi Burgart. TJ Friedman is doing a good job of converting to D. And there are many others we are happy with.

                Comment


                • #98
                  Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

                  Weekend Preview: Dartmouth/Harvard

                  http://www.bobcatshockeyblog.com/201...thharvard.html
                  Last edited by QUAlum2004; 11-08-2019, 11:18 AM.
                  QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS


                  ECAC Regular Season Champions
                  2013, 2015, 2016, 2019

                  ECAC Tournament Champions
                  2016

                  NCAA Tournament
                  2002, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019

                  NCAA Frozen Four
                  2013, 2016

                  https://www.bobcatshockeyblog.com/
                  https://***********/QHockeyBlog
                  https://www.instagram.com/bobcatshockeyblog/
                  https://www.facebook.com/QHockeyBlog/

                  Comment


                  • #99
                    Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

                    I’m cautiously optimistic about this weekend. The team does need to learn to play on the road, but maybe the travel and deplorable rink conditions were the reason for last week’s nightmare. It won’t be easy but if the team that we saw against Vermont shows up, I like our chances. After thinking about it, I’m also not sure I mind letting KP play and figure it out. While he hasn’t been great, I’m not sure he’s totally responsible for any of the losses either. They need to get the PP going and just score in general. Let’s Go Bobcats!


                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                    • Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

                      Nice performance tonight. Obviously lots to work on, but the compete level was there. Big test tomorrow against Harvard.

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by ZYanksRule View Post
                        Nice performance tonight. Obviously lots to work on, but the compete level was there. Big test tomorrow against Harvard.
                        Having Alex back in the lineup was big. The energy on that line with Whelan and Jermain was great, and he didn’t appear too rusty or to be hampered by the injury. Odeen got a few good looks, and they left a few pucks in the blue paint, but so did Dartmouth. KP also made a few nice stops at both ends.

                        Both of the Dartmouth goals were at the other end of the ice from us, so we didn’t get a great view. The first one looked like a very soft goal that should have been stopped. The second goal looked like a lot of chaos in front of the net. One or two bounces that go QU’s way in the 3rd and they have the win. Hopefully it was a step forward. I don’t think anyone is happy with the tie but I agree it was a much better performance than the debocle in the desert. Again, cautiously optimistic about tonight at Harvard.

                        Comment


                        • Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

                          I was at the other end of the ice from you. ^

                          The first Dartmouth goal was through the (gaping) five-hole. I was concerned about that given what has been said here about Petruzzelli's confidence and the team's trust in him! The second went underneath him with, as you say, a lot going on in front. I think the team's protest was probably goalie interference (Thinking he was pushed? He kind of fell backwards into the net as the puck went in.).

                          What did you see of our non-goal toward the end of the third? To me, it looked like the puck was directly in the back of the net and bounced out. The Dartmouth fans right next to me thought it was in, as did their friend who came over to check what they had seen from our angle. No goal light and play continued without incident.

                          I didn't think there was really any sustained puck possession from either team all night, other than on the power play.

                          Comment


                          • Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

                            I was right there. Hit the post/crossbar and straight down, no goal. Rand actually delayed the icing face off to see if he wanted to protest that as well but waved it off. That was a good call, definitely no goal. There was another that dribbled through the goalies legs but their D swiped it to the corner. Couple missed opportunities



                            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                            Last edited by QUFan; 11-09-2019, 09:09 AM.

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                            • Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

                              They did look better last night and I agree that Whelan added something to the chemistry. KP looked good other than the 1st goal.

                              Need to score in order to win. If the offense can find ways to finish they should be ok. As soon as Tufto buries one, watch out!

                              Tonight will be interesting.

                              Go Q!
                              Quinnipiac Bobcats
                              2023 National Champions
                              ECAC Regular Season Champions: 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
                              ECAC Tournament Champions: 2016
                              East Regional: 2013 (Champions), 2014, 2016 (Champions), 2023 (Champions)
                              Northeast Regional:

                              West Regional: 2015, 2021
                              Midwest Regional: 2019, 2022
                              Frozen Four: 2013, 2016, 2023 (Champions)

                              Pass complete. Lipkin has a man in front! Shot... SCORE!!!

                              Comment


                              • Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 2019 ~ 2020 Season

                                Originally posted by MarkEagleUSA View Post
                                They did look better last night and I agree that Whelan added something to the chemistry. KP looked good other than the 1st goal.

                                Need to score in order to win. If the offense can find ways to finish they should be ok. As soon as Tufto buries one, watch out!

                                Tonight will be interesting.

                                Go Q!
                                Mark, I feel the same way about Tufto, he was so close last night. Had a good look in front of me and misfired into the goalies chest. He did sort of laugh and shrug it off so it hasn’t impacted him yet. Maybe TONIGHT!


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