February 17, 2011

Friday, February 18, 2011 - 7 p.m.
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (20-10-2) (12-8-0 ECAC Hockey) vs.
Yale University Bulldogs (8-16-3) (7-11-2 ECAC Hockey)
Ingalls Rink - New Haven, Conn.

Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 4 p.m.
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (20-10-2) (12-8-0 ECAC Hockey) vs.
Brown University Bears (2-22-3) (1-16-3 ECAC Hockey)
Meehan Rink - Providence, R.I.

Regular Season Wraps Up
The Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team (20-10-2, 12-8-0 ECAC Hockey) plays its final two games of the regular season this weekend when it travels to face ECAC Hockey opponents Yale (8-16-3, 7-11-2 ECAC Hockey) on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. and Brown (2-22-3, 1-16-3 ECAC Hockey) on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m.

Follow The Bobcats
Live Stats for this weekend's games can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate links on the women's ice hockey schedule at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com.

About Yale University
Yale hosts Quinnipiac after coming off a 4-2 win on Tuesday, Feb. 15 against Brown. Junior forward Aleca Hughes led the way, scoring two goals for the Bulldogs, while freshmen forwards Jenna Ciotti and Jackie Raines each tallied one goal. Raines leads Yale with nine goals and 10 assists on the season, while senior forward Bray Ketchum ranks second on the team overall with seven goals and 11 assists. The Bulldogs are led by senior goaltender Jackee Snikeris, who has a 1.96 goals against average and a .941 save percentage on the season.

All-Time Against The Bulldogs
Friday's game at Ingalls Rink will be the 21^st time the two sides face each other. While Yale owns the all time series record (12-6-2) Quinnipiac has won the last four contests and is looking for its first season sweep against the Bulldogs. The Bobcats' first victory over the Bulldogs this season came on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010, in the Nutmeg Classic Championship Game, when Quinnipiac skated to a 2-1 win. The following weekend, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010, Quinnipiac defeated Yale 3-1. Freshman forward Erica Uden Johansson (Sundsvall, Sweden), freshman forward Kelly Babstock (Mississauga, Ontario) and junior defender Jordan Elkins (Wasilla, Alaska) each scored a goal for Quinnipiac in the victory. Sophomore goaltender Victoria Vigilanti (Woodbridge, Ontario) made 22 saves on the evening.

About Brown University
The Bears are in the midst of an unfortunate season-long 13 game losing streak, which began on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011 against Cornell. Brown has not enjoyed a victory in a much longer time period, however, with its last victory coming on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010 in a 1-0 win over Rensselaer. In its last contest on Tuesday, Feb. 15 against Yale, Brown was defeated, 4-2. Sophomore forwards (and team leaders in overall points) Laurie Jolin (nine goals, five assists) and Alena Polenska (eight goals, seven assists) each scored, while sophomore goaltender Katie Jamieson made 19 saves in net for the Bears. On the season, Jamieson carries a 3.27 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.

All-Time Against The Bears
Saturday's game will be the 14^th time the two sides face each other. While Brown holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 6-5-2, Quinnipiac has soundly thumped the Bears in its last two meetings. In their last contest on Friday, Dec. 3, 2010, the Bobcats shutout Brown 4-0. Four different skaters scored on the evening for the Bobcats, including junior defender Bethany Dymarczyk (Hamden, Conn.), senior forward Kelley Davies (Chesapeake, Va.), junior forward Chelsea Illchuk (Lockport, Manitoba) and freshman forward Kelly Babstock (Mississauga, Ontario). The goal for Babstock (her team-high 16^th) made her the program's all-time leader in goals scored in a single season, as she passed Haley McMeekin's 2006-07 15-goal season. Vigilanti earned her fifth shutout of the year, turning away 17 shots on the evening.

Last Time Out
Quinnipiac earned its first home ECAC Hockey weekend sweep of the season last weekend, when it defeated both Rensselaer, 5-1, and Union, 4-0, on consecutive nights. On Friday, Feb. 11 against Rensselaer, Quinnipiac came out firing, scoring three goals in the first period en route to a solid 5-1 victory. The Bobcats offense was led by Babstock, who figured in all five goals (two goal, three assists) and junior forward Kate Wheeler's (Oakville, Ontario) three assists, while sophomore goaltender Victoria Vigilanti (Woodbridge, Ontario) anchored the defense with 13 saves. Quinnipiac's 4-0 shutout victory the following night, Saturday, Feb. 12 against Union, gave the women's ice hockey program new all-time season highs in both overall (20) and ECAC Hockey (12) wins. Babstock again led the way with two goals scored, while Vigilanti earned her league-high eighth shutout of the season in the win.

ECAC Hockey/MLX Skates Weekly Award Winner
After collecting a total of eight points during the week (four goals, four assists) Babstock was awarded with both ECAC Hockey/MLX Skates Player and Rookie of the Week honors, as announced by the league on Tuesday, Feb. 13. This is the second time Babstock has been named Player of the Week and the fifth time she has collected Rookie of the Week honors. Her five Rookie of the Week selections are by far the most among ECAC Hockey rookie skaters, while Babstock joins fellow teammate Kate Wheeler as the only other skater in ECAC Hockey to receive multiple Player of the Week accolades.

Streak To Eight
Babstock is currently in the midst of her second eight-game point streak of the season. Beginning on Saturday, Jan. 22 against Wayne State, Babstock has accumulated 15 points (nine goals, six assists) during that time span. Babstock leads all ECAC Hockey skaters in goals (29), assists (26) and points (55). Babstock ranks near the top among all NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey skaters as well, ranking fifth overall in points, fifth in goals, and tied for eighth in assists. The Mississauga native is tied for first in the country with nine game-winning goals. Babstock has now recorded at least one point in 25 of the Bobcats' 32 games played this season, putting together 16 multiple-point efforts along the way.

Skill On The Penalty Kill
Saturday's game marked the eighth straight game in which Quinnipiac's penalty-kill unit prevented the opposition from scoring on its extra skater advantage. During that time span which dates back to Saturday, Jan. 22, teams have gone 0 for 24 against the Bobcats. On the season overall, Quinnipiac has an 89.7 percent penalty-kill success rate and has allowed only 11 power play goals against.

No Sophomore Slump Here
Sophomore goaltender Victoria Vigilanti (Woodbridge, Ontario) is turning in another spectacular season in net for the Bobcats, as she has compiled a 19-10-2 record on the year. Vigilanti leads ECAC Hockey goaltenders in wins (19) and shutouts (8) and ranks third in the league in goals against average (1.66) and fourth in save percentage (.934).

95 And Counting
Quinnipiac has scored a program-high 95 goals thus far on the season, contributing to its incredible 2.97 goals per game average. If the Bobcats crack the century mark, they would be just the second ECAC Hockey team to do so this season.

Colin Finds Her Groove
With an assist on Saturday, Feb. 12 against Union, freshman forward Amanda Colin (Burnsville, Minn.) extended her career-high point streak to five games. Colin has three goals and two assists during the streak, increasing her season totals to seven goals and six assists, which rank her seventh on the team in overall points.

The Thrilla From Wasilla
Aside from being a force defensively, junior-captain defender Jordan Elkins (Wasilla, Alaska) is also of high value offensively. With her fifth goal of the season on Friday, Feb. 11 against Rensselaer, Elkins has now led Quinnipiac to victory in every game (5-0-0) in which she finds the back of the net.

Production Up Front
Sophomore forward Brittany Lyons (Canton, Mass.) netted two goals and two assists over the weekend, giving her 10 goals and seven assists on the season. Lyons is third on the team in goals and fifth overall in points.

Burman 2, Union 0
Freshman forward Lindsay Burman (Stanchfield, Minn.) has scored only two goals on the season; however, both goals have come in two separate games against the Dutchwomen of Union. Burman netted her second career goal this past Saturday, Feb. 12, following her first career goal against Union on Friday, Nov. 5, 2010.

ECAC Hockey Playoffs
Following the completion of the regular season on Saturday against Brown, Quinnipiac must wait and see what seed it will earn in the playoffs. The Bobcats can finish no worse than a tie for sixth in the conference, as they are currently in fourth place overall. The first round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs begins on Friday, Feb. 25^th.