Quinnipiac Preview
With an 0-4 record on the road this season, the Golden Knights will hope to pick up their first away victory in the ECAC Hockey opening game for both teams.
Clarkson (3-4) has played national powers Michigan State and Minnesota-Duluth in its first four road games. Quinnipiac (4-1) has also played four road games, sweeping Ohio State 4-2 and 3-1 and splitting a series last weekend at Robert Morris (5-0 and 5-8).
Clarkson Coach George Roll on the Weekend
"Both Quinnipiac and Princeton will be looking to begin league play with wins on their home ice. It will be two battles. We want to play better on the road and get the momentum back we lost this past weekend. In both road series, we spent a lot of time in the penalty box. We were shorthanded a lot at Michigan State and again this past weekend at UMD. We have to play with more discipline on the road."
Stat of the Night
This is another game where having the lead after two periods will be important. Clarkson has a 58-game unbeaten streak when it leads after two (54-0-4). Quinnipiac is 33-0-3 in its last 36 games with a lead after two periods. Clarkson fans may remember the last time the Bobcats blew a second-period lead, it came in the 2007 ECAC Hockey championship game when Clarkson rallied from a 2-0 deficit to claim the championship with a 4-2 win.
Who to Watch
Clarkson
Junior forward Lauri Tuohimaa has had the most success against the Bobcats, with two goals and four assists in four career games. Senior forward Matt Beca has one goal with five assists in seven games and junior captain Scott Freeman, another forward, has five assists in four career games. The only Clarkson goalie who has faced Quinnipiac is sophomore Paul Karpowich, who is 0-2 with a 4.10 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage. Sophomore Richie LaVeau has had most of the Friday starts this season, however.
Quinnipiac
Senior forwards Brandon Wong and Jean-Marc Beaudoin each have two goals and two assists against the Golden Knights. Another senior forward, Eric Lame, has one goal and one assist. Junior defenseman Zach Hansen has two assists. Sophomore goalie Dan Clarke started one game against Clarkson last year and picked up the win, stopping 18 of 21 shots.
Last Meeting
The Bobcats used a three-goal second period to earn a 5-3 win over Clarkson in the TD Banknorth Center on Feb. 14. Clarkson took an early lead with a goal from defenseman Bryan Rufenach in the first period. Quinnipiac outshot the Golden Knights 28-14 in the final two periods, however.
Stats and Notes
Clarkson was picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams by the league's coaches in the preseason poll. ... Clarkson has not trailed after the first period yet this season, but has been outscored 12-3 in the second period. ... Rufenach will miss tonight's game after picking up a game disqualification penalty last Saturday at Minnesota-Duluth. His offensive presence will be missed. He leads the team with 28 shots on goal and 15 of his shots have come during power plays. ... Like Clarkson, Quinnipiac has struggled in the second period this year, being outscored 4-1. But the Bobcats have outscored the opposition 10-3 in the third period.
