QU Men's Hockey Garners Honors

At the annual ECAC Hockey Awards Reception, held on the eve of the league championship tournament, Quinnipiac men's ice hockey head coach Rand Pecknold was honored as the Tim Taylor Coach of the Year by ECAC Hockey.

In addition, Quinnipiac men's ice hockey senior Eric Hartzell was honored as the ECAC Hockey Player of the Year as well as the Goalie of the Year, while also garnering All-ECAC First Team honors. In addition to Hartzell, Zach Davies was given the Best Defensive Defenseman in ECAC Hockey, earning Third Team honors and Jeremy Langlois was also named to the ECAC Hockey Third Team.

The last goalie to win ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors was Princeton's Zane Kalemba in 2009. Hartzell's latest honors come after the Hobey Baker Award and All-American candidate was named the ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Month for November, December and January. The Bobcats goalie currently boasts a program record 26 wins and the second-best winning percentage (.792) in NCAA Division I ice hockey. In addition, Hartzell had a .935 save percentage (T-7th NCAA)and a 1.50 goals-against average (3rd NCAA). Hartzell's GAA and win percentage also lead ECAC Hockey while his save percentage ranks third in the league.

Davies earns the top defenseman honor after a year that saw the senior Bobcat emerge as a dominating force on the blue line for the nation's top defense. Davies led a defensive unit that currently leads NCAA Division I ice hockey in goals-against (1.59) and has only allowed more than two goals in just four of its 37 games to date. Davies also ranks among the national leaders in blocked shots (54-1.46/game) and plus/minus (+15). 

Langlois currently leads Quinnipiac in assists (18) and points (30) while also scoring 12 goals. For his career, the senior center has scored 55 goals and assists on 44 more for 99 career points heading into the ECAC Hockey Semifinals this weekend with the NCAA Division I Regional next weekend.  He is the Bobcats' active leader, and ranks among the national leaders, in multiple-goal games with four this year and 13 for his career. 

Pecknold boasts a career record of 363-236-66 (.595), good for ninth among all active NCAA Division I coaches. Pecknold was previously honored as the Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year in 2005 and is a two-time Spencer Penrose National Coach of the Year finalist (2002, 2005).

Yale head coach Keith Allain and RPI head coach Seth Appert were the other two finalists for ECAC Hockey's top-coaching honor.

This season, Pecknold guided Quinnipiac to the 2013 Cleary Cup for the ECAC Hockey Regular Season Championship as well as the top ranking in both national polls and the PairWise Rankings. Quinnipiac also posted a program record 21-game unbeaten streak in which the Bobcats tallied an 18-0-3 mark. 

Pecknold's top-ranked Bobcats completed the regular season with 17-2-3 ledger in ECAC Hockey play, becoming the first team in league history to win by double-digit points. Following a 2-1 series win against Cornell in an ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals series at High Point Solutions Arena, Quinnipiac currently stands at 26-6-5 overall for the year. The Bobcats rank first nationally in goals-against average (1.59) and penalty kill (91.0) while also posting the top winning percentage in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey (.770).

This season will mark the 15^th year in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey for Quinnipiac, all under the leadership of Pecknold. The Bobcats have yet to post a losing season in the last 17 years. In addition, the Bobcats' 2012-13 season will mark the 12^th time in Pecknold's 19-year career in which Quinnipiac has posted 20 wins, which have all come at the Division I level. This year, Quinnipiac swept a program-best seven teams while also posting an 11-0-0 record against ranked opponents as well as an 11-1-2 record on the road.

Tournament top-seed Quinnipiac men's ice hockey will head to Atlantic City, N.J. for the 2013 ECAC Hockey Championship Semifinals at Boardwalk Hall on Mar. 22-23, 2013. The Bobcats will take on No. 7-seed Brown on Friday, Mar. 22 at 4 p.m.