February 15, 2010

Victoria Vigilanti Named ECAC Rookie Of The Week

HAMDEN, Conn. - For the second consecutive week, Quinnipiac University women's ice hockey freshman goaltender Victoria Vigilanti (Woodbridge, Ontario) was named the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week. The goaltender earns the weekly award after earning a win against St. Lawrence and tying the No. 4- ranked Clarkson this past weekend at the TD Bank Sports Center. Vigilanti matched her season-high save mark (37) in the 1-1 tie with the Golden Knights. This is the fifth time Vigilanti has been recognized by the conference for a weekly award, and its her third Rookie of the Week title.

Vigilanti allowed just two goals on the weekend, playing all 125 minutes between the pipes and stopping 55 total saves on the weekend. The rookie picked up her 15th win of the season on Feb. 12 against St. Lawrence, holding the Saints scoreless until they earned a six-on-four advantage and scored with 53 seconds remaining in regulation. The following day, Vigilanti turned 37 shots by the No. 4-ranked Clarkson, a season-high record she set the week before against Cornell.

After her weekend performance, Vigilanti boosted her save percentage to .946 overall, solidifying her ranking as first in the conference in the category. She also ranks second in the conference in goals against average, with a 1.36 mark. The rookie's performance in net anchors the Bobcats' national defensive standing as Quinnipiac ranks first in the nation in the Scoring Defense category, allowing just 1.44 goals per game. Vigilanti also ranks fourth nationally in both the goals against average and save percentage categories.

The Bobcats return to action next weekend in their final regular-season weekend series, battling for a host position in the ECAC Hockey Playoffs. Quinnipiac has already secured a position in ECAC postseason play for the first time in program history, as they have enough points (25) to stay within the top eight conference teams. The Bobcats will host Yale on Friday at 7 p.m., and Brown on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center.