The Syracuse ice hockey team closes the non conference portion of its schedule this weekend as the Orange heads to Hamden, Conn. to battle Quinnipiac, beginning Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at TD Bank Sports Center. SU is in search of its first win since Dec. 2, and has gone 0-5-3 since defeating Lindenwood in overtime, 2-1.

Storylines Vs. The Bobcats
Quinnipiac University holds an overall record of 14-9-2 with 10-4-2 in ECAC play.  The Bobcats won their most recent contest against Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., 4-1 following a loss against Cornell, 4-1. 

Quinnipiac’s prime offensive forward, Kelly Babstock is a sophomore featuring 12 goals and 28 points this season. Babstock is ranked 36th nationally with 0.82 points per game and third in the ECAC in scoring. Last season, Babstock was named Conference Player of the Year. Freshman forward, Nicole Kosta has made an impact in the offense with 0.68 assists per game. 

Between the pipes, junior Victoria Vigilanti is tied for first in the nation with six shutouts, and has an 11-8-2 record with a 2.21 goals against average (18th in the country) and .907 save percentage (29th in the country). Last season, head coach Rick Seeley led the Bobcats to the ECAC Semifinals. Seeley’s squad is last in the country with 7.2 penalty minutes per game.

Up Next: Robert Morris
The Orange will return home for the first of six straight conference games to close the regular season as SU hosts Robert Morris on Feb. 3-4 at Tennity Ice Pavilion. Saturday afternoon’s game with RMU will be Senior Day at Tennity Ice Pavilion as the Orange will honor its four seniors: Stephanie Jones, Taylor Metcalfe, Lisa Mullan and Megan Skelly.

SU is 0-1-1 against the Colonials this season in two games played in Moon Township, Pa. The RMU Island Sports Center is this season’s location for the CHA Tournament, which will be held on March 2-3.  After dropping a tight 2-1 decision to Robert Morris on Dec. 9 in the first conference game of the season, the Orange responded with a 1-1 draw against the Colonials the next night behind 23 saves from Kallie Billadeau and a goal from Holly Carrie-Mattimoe.

Last Time Out: Niagara Takes Three Of Four Points From SU In CHA Play
The Niagara Purple Eagles visited Tennity Ice Pavilion last weekend, taking three of four possible conference points from the Orange with a 3-3 tie on Friday and 2-1 overtime victory on Saturday.

Trailing 2-1 entering the third period on Friday, the Orange scored twice in a span of 57 seconds with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, and Niagara potted the tying score with 39 seconds left to earn a 3-3 draw on Friday night at Tennity Ice Pavilion. Margot Scharfe, Allie LaCombe and Shiann Darkangelo scored for SU, while Jenesica Drinkwater made 21 saves in goal. On Saturday, Kristin Richards’ goal with 1:26 left in overtime was the difference as Niagara (8-11-6, 1-2-1) skated past SU (8-15-3, 0-3-3) at Tennity, 2-1. Kaillie Goodnough scored the lone goal for the Orange, while Kallie Billadeau made 28 saves in goal.

Carrie-Mattimoe Ties Rising’s Power Play Goal Record
Junior forward Holly Carrie-Mattimoe scored her team-leading 10th goal of the season last week against No. 3 Cornell, and her fifth power play tally. Carrie-Mattimoe now has 15 career power play goals in her three seasons with the Orange, which ties Julie Rising’s school record. Carrie-Mattimoe is tied for 15th in the nation, and tied for fourth in the conference.

Scharfe Hitting Her Stride When It Counts
Since the start of the New Year, sophomore center Margot Scharfe has six points is as many games (three goals, three assists). She has two multi-point games, both coming recently in the past three games. Scharfe leads the team with 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists, and has 34 points (16 goals, 18 assists) in 82 career games played. Her 18 career helpers are tied for seventh on the all-time SU record list.