Quinnipiac Preview
Clarkson (6-20-3 overall, 2-13-2 ECAC Hockey) has had something in common with each of its opponents this weekend.
The Golden Knights defeated Princeton 4-3 last night. They shared in common with the Tigers the issue of dealing with injuries, as both teams have played a handful of games without the full compliment of skaters available.
Today the Golden Knights face Quinnipiac (15-12-2, 9-8) at 4 p.m. at Cheel Arena and both teams share the experience of waiting a long time between wins. Clarkson snapped a nine-game winless streak (0-8-1) on Friday with its win. Quinnipiac's 5-0 win over St. Lawrence University on Friday was the second in a row for the Bobcats, who previously had been (0-9-1) in a 10-game stretch.
Friday's Games
Clarkson 4, Princeton 3: The Golden Knights rallied with a three-goal third period to upend Princeton. Defenseman Dan Reed, back after missing six games with a knee injury, scored his first career goal and also picked up an assist. He, along with defensive partner Bryan Rufenach, each finished with a plus-two rating. Matt Beca also had one goal and one assist. Corey Tamblyn extended his goal-scoring streak to four games and Adam Pawlick tallied his fifth power-play goal of the season.
Quinnipiac 5, St. Lawrence 0: The Bobcats went 2 for 5 on the power play and scored three goals on just six shots in the third period to blank the Saints. Greg Holt assisted on three of Quinnipiac's goals. Mike Atkinson, D'Arcy Oakes, Mike Dlahuisen, Brandon Wong and Clay Harvey had the goals for the Bobcats. Goalie Dan Clarke finished with 23 saves.
Stat of the Night: The odds are with either team tonight if it leads after two periods. Clarkson, which has led after two just three times this season, is 54-0-4 in its last 58 games with a two-period lead. Quinnipiac is 41-0-4 in its last 45 games with a lead after 40 minutes. The last time the Bobcats blew a two-period lead was when it fell 4-2 to Clarkson in the 2007 ECAC Hockey championship game.
Who to Watch
Clarkson: Lauri Tuohimaa has two goals and four assists in five career games against the Bobcats. Matt Beca and Scott Freeman each have one goal with five assists. Beca has faced Quinnipiac eight times and Freeman five. Bryan Rufenach has three goals in three career games against Quinnipiac. Paul Karpowich is 0-2 with a 4.10 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage against Quinnipiac and Richie LaVeau is 0-1 with a 3.10 and a .900 save percentage.
Quinnipiac: Mike Atkinson has only 12 points this season and just seven goals, but he recorded a hat trick against Clarkson back in November. Brandon Wong leads the Bobcats in overall scoring with 14 goals and 15 assists. Eric Lampe has 11 goals and 16 assists and Scott Zurevinski has 11 goals with 13 assists. Dan Clarke is 9-10-2 with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
Last Meeting: As mentioned above, Mike Atkinson was the difference in the first matchup this season, scoring three straight goals to help the Bobcats overcome a 2-1 deficit and pick up a 4-2 win on Nov. 6 in Hamden, Conn. Scott Freeman and Adam Pawlick scored goals for Clarkson.
Stats and Notes: Quinnipiac has three straight wins over the Golden Knights. ... Clarkson was able to dress six defensemen for the first time in six games Friday night. During the six-game stretch where Clarkson had to use some forwards on defense, the Golden Knights allowed an average of 5 goals-per game. In the other 23 games, using only defensemen, Clarkson is giving up 3.65. ... Quinnipiac likes to pounce on its opponents early, outscoring the opposition 31-15 in the first period.
