Welcome to “Bobcat Report,” the Chronicle’s weekly column that breaks down all the recent games, facts and lesser-known stories surrounding Quinnipiac athletics this year.
Championship Banner Has A Nice Ring To It
The season opener for the Quinnipiac men’s hockey season was one for the ages, even before the puck dropped.
Since April, the talk surrounding the Bobcats was their new NCAA Division I national championship banner and despite all the hoopla pregame, the defending champions came in prepared.
“I thought the guys were pretty professional, I thought we did a good job tonight,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “It was a great ceremony. It was nice. It was awesome to have all our alumni show.”
Despite the 2-1 overtime loss to the Boston College Eagles, the fans in the student section got to get face-to-face with Pecknold. The coach hyped up the crowd pregame and showed up his newest championship ring.
“I really was reluctant to go down there,” Pecknold said with a laugh. “I didn’t want to do it. It was good. I thought it was just a great event in terms of celebrating a national championship.”
Previewing Golf’s Local Tournament
Ahead of tomorrow’s Quinnipiac Classic in Wallingford, the Quinnipiac golf team is looking to continue its strong showing in the local tournament.
The two-day event has been hosted by the Bobcats for the last three seasons and will play host to 12 other schools from across the northeast.
“This will be the best field we’ve had for the Quinnipiac Classic and I’m looking forward to seeing how we stack up against them,” head coach John O’Connor said in the team’s preview. “The weather should be awesome, and the golf course is in amazing condition.”
This will be the fifth time the Bobcats play this season since last year’s NCAA Tournament, where they will return seven golfers from the 2022 MAAC Championship team.
Sloan Advances in ITA Regionals
Women’s tennis graduate transfer Jenna Sloan beat opponents from UConn and Dartmouth Saturday to advance to the Round of 16 in this year’s ITA Regionals.
The Rancho Palos Verdes, California, native, improves her record to 4-0 with the Bobcats. Her two wins against UConn junior Maria Constantinou (6-1, 7-5) and Dartmouth freshman Michela Moore (5-7, 6-2, 10-5) helped propel her to the Round of 16, hosted at Harvard this weekend.
Game of the Week: Women’s Soccer vs Marist (Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m.)
Coming off a strong 2-0 win over conference rival Iona, the Bobcats are looking to continue their four-game winning streak against the Red Foxes. Marist, who is 2-3-1 in MAAC play, will seek its first win over Quinnipiac since Oct. 2, 2019.
