QU Men's Hockey Number One in Country

For the first time in program history, the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team has been ranked No. 1 in the USCHO.com Division I poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, as announced on Feb. 11, 2013.

Not only is the Bobcats’ No. 1 ranking a first in program history, but it is also the first time a Quinnipiac athletic program has been nationally-ranked No. 1.

“I think, looking back, to me it’s more than impressive that in only our 15^th year as a Division I program, that we’re the No. 1 team in the country,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “I think it’s something our fans, alumni and our administration can enjoy. For us, as players and coaches, we’ll enjoy it for about 15 minutes and get ready to play St. Lawrence.”

Quinnipiac is currently 21-3-4 overall and 14-0-2 in the ECAC Hockey standings. With a pair of wins at Cornell, 4-1, and Colgate, 3-2, this past weekend, the Bobcats extended its NCAA-leading unbeaten streak to 21 games, posting an 18-0-3 record, with their last loss coming on Nov. 6, 2012. . In addition, Quinnipiac also clinched a bye in the first round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament, and can finish no lower than second place in the league standings. 

Quinnipiac received 983 points and 41 of the 50 first-place votes and 983 total points in the USCHO.com Top-20 poll, which consists of 28 NCAA Division I head coaches as well as 22 media members from across the country. The Bobcats also received 28 of the 34 first place votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. Quinnipiac cracked the Top-5 in both polls on Dec. 31, 2012 and have been receiving first-place votes in both polls over the past five weeks. In addition to the two national polls,

Quinnipiac remains in the lead in the PairWise Rankings, a system which mimics the NCAA selection committee’s criteria for the seeding of the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats have held the top spot in the PWRs since Jan. 19, 2013.

Quinnipiac returns to action this weekend with a pair of ECAC Hockey contests when it hosts St. Lawrence on Friday, Feb. 15 and Clarkson on Saturday, Feb. 16, with both games set for a 7 p.m. start at High Point Solutions Arena at the TD Bank Sports Center.