NEW HAVEN — With Quinnipiac’s 5-1 win against Sacred Heart in the CT Ice Semifinals, the Bobcats are one win away from being crowned the 2026 CT Ice Champions. In a matchup characterized with physicality, grit and speed, the Bobcats look to mirror its dominance against the Pioneers with hopes of claiming the title.

Here’s the keys to success the Bobcats must execute in its finals matchup. 

PRESSURE 

A major attribution to the Bobcats win Friday night against Sacred Heart comes down to the intense, constant pressure they applied to the Pioneers. 

From opening puck drop, Quinnipiac wasted no time putting the pressure on the Pioneers defensive lines and freshman goaltender Teagan Kendrick, with sophomore forward Tyler Borgula laying a hard puck on net five seconds into the matchup. 

Quinnipiac continued to pound Kendrick with shots the entire game, outshooting the Pioneers 39 to 25, while posting a .128 shot percentage to its opponents .040.

The Bobcats first goal would come from this sustained pressure, as a loose puck thrown in front by junior forward Matthew McGorarty would find the stick of a kneeling senior forward Anthony Cipollone to net the first goal of the game. 

Yet, the Bobcats pressure could be seen all across the offensive and defensive side of the puck, barely allowing the Pioneers to maintain puck control deep into the Bobcats defensive zone, breaking up many plays before they even got past the neutral zone.

“Ever since we came back from break we’ve been rolling and guys are starting to buy-in and really get in our systems,” sophomore defenseman Elliott Groenewold said.

Frequently, the Bobcats pressure would force the Pioneers to turn over the puck or generate confusion by Pioneer defenseman in front of the net, leading to Bobcat chances. 

Quinnipiac’s pressure would even generate opportunities for them to go on the man advantage, drawing two penalties for hooking and one for cross checking. 

WIN THE SMALL BATTLES

Along with the constant pressure, Quinnipiac found success in winning the small battles, along the boards and at the faceoff circles. 

The Bobcats set up well in the offensive and defensive zones, having a Bobcat hangout on the battles along the boards to pick up a loose puck and generate opportunities. 

Moreover, Quinnipiac prioritized winning its faceoffs, winning 42 to its opponents 22. 

One of these faceoff wins even resulted in the Bobcats second and game winning goal, as senior forward and captain Victor Czerneckianair would win the puck back to Groenewold, sending a low snipe past Kendrick.

The Bobcats continued to find trust in their defenseman throughout the game, with senior defender Will Gilson recording himself a goal and two assists on the night. 

“Typically we’re top three every year in the nation in offense from our defenseman…so we always rely on that if we’re going to create offense,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. 

Quinnipiac’s triumph over the small battles, gave them an extra edge over Sacred Heart, pushing the games momentum over to the Bobcats.

CAPITALIZE ON WEAK SPOTS

Consistently, the Bobcats took advantage of the Pioneers weak spots on the ice, giving them the advantage they were searching for against a physical Sacred Heart squad. 

Coming into the matchup, Sacred Heart statistically held a negative five goal differential against opponents in the second period, being out scored 20 to 15 during the second frame. 

And while it’s natural for a team to come out with less energy in the second period than the first, Quinnipiac took charge and no time to act. 

The Bobcats put up two goals on the Pioneers, while junior goaltender Dylan Silverstein stood strong in net allowing nothing past him in the second. Quinnipiac’s two goals would give them a comfortable three goal lead going into the third, while Sacred Heart was in a hole too deep to dig itself out of. 

Yet, the Bobcats didn’t fall to the comfortability of a three goal lead, continuing to dominate on the Pioneers slow play, with freshman forward Ethan Wyttenbach using his wheels to blow by the Pioneers defensive line and net Quinnipiac’s fourth goal, and inability to connect passes. 

Quinnipiac will look to take the CT Ice Champion title back up the road to Hamden tomorrow night at Ingalls Rink. Puck Drop is set for 7:30 p.m.