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Men's Hockey November 18, 2014

Clarkson Returns to Cheel with Weekend Series vs Quinnipiac & Princeton

Sophomores Ville Runola and Steve Perry have split the Clarkson goaltending duties in ECAC Hockey play - photos by Mike Tansey
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After a four-game ECAC Hockey season-opening road trip the Clarkson University Hockey team returns to Cheel Arena this weekend, hosting league foes Quinnipiac and Princeton Universities. Both games on Friday and Saturday nights are 7:00 p.m. faceoffs.

Guided by fourth-year head coach Casey Jones and assistant Phil Roy '00 and Andy Jones, the Golden Knights stand at 3-5-4 overall and hold down eighth place in the ECAC Hockey standings with a 1-1-2 conference mark. Clarkson, led by junior captain Paul Geiger (Stouffville, ONT) and assistants, senior James Howden (Edgeley, SASK) and Jeff DiNallo (Aurora, ONT), earned four of a possible eight points on the just completed road trip.

This past weekend in central New York, the Green and Gold lost a heartbreaker to Cornell 2-1 in overtime when the Big Red scored shorthanded for the game-winner at Lynah Rink. The Knights came back strong on Saturday, jumping out to a 2-0 lead over 6th-ranked Colgate at Starr Rink before settling for their fourth 2-2 tie of the young season. 
 
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Scouting Quinnipiac
Ranked 14th in the latest national polls, Quinnipiac comes into Cheel Arena with the second longest current winning streak in the country at six games. Guided by 21st-year head coach Rand Pecknold, the Bobcats own a 7-2-1 overall record and stand in first place in ECAC Hockey at 4-0. This past weekend in New York's Capital Region, Quinnipiac knocked off defending national champion Union 4-3 in Schenectady and skated past Rensselaer 3-1 in Troy. The Bobcats opened league play with a pair of shutouts at the TD Bank Sports Center over Colgate (5-0) and Cornell (1-0) on November 7-8. Quinnipiac boasts the second-best power play in the country, clicking at 30.4% (14-46). One of Division I's top scorers, Sam Anas has tallied 15 points (7-8), including a nation-high five goals on the man-advantage.

Scouting Princeton
Former Clarkson assistant coach Ron Fogarty guides Princeton this season along with help from former Knight assistant coach Brad Dexter. The Tigers, who opened ECAC Hockey play with a 2-1 victory over Cornell in New Jersey on November 7, are 1-4-1 overall and hold a 1-3 conference mark. Princeton, is looking to snap a three-game losing skid as it enters the North Country, playing at St. Lawrence on Friday night.

 
•Eight of the first 12 games of the season have been decided by one goal or less for the Golden Knights and two others were two-goal decisions. The Green and Gold are 3-3-4 in the close games. Clarkson has played in five overtime games (0-1-4) and has skated to four 2-2 draws. The program record for ties is seven.
•Friday's game will be the 22nd meeting between Clarkson and Quinnipiac. The Bobcats, who are on a seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1) in the rivalry, lead the series 11-8-2. Quinnipiac also holds a 5-4-1 advantage over the Knights at Cheel Arena.
•Clarkson and Princeton have played 113 times in their series, which began in 1928, with the Green and Gold holding a commanding 79-29-5 lead. The Knights, who defeated the Tigers in last year's first-round playoff series (2-1) in Potsdam, hold a 25-5 advantage over Princeton at Cheel Arena. 
•The Knights are still struggling offensively, averaging just 1.83 goals per game, but are getting different players on the score sheet. Juniors Pat Megannety (Oakville,ONT) and Christian Powers (Carlisle, ONT) tallied their first goals of the season over the weekend and freshman Sam Vigneault (Baie-Comeau, QUE) netted his second career goal.  Twelve different Knights have scored at least one goal this season and 20 players have recorded at least one point.  The Knights have scored over three goals in just one game this season and have been shut out twice.
•The Knights got another solid effort from its goaltending tandem over the weekend.For the second consecutive week, sophomores Steve Perry (Ligonier, PA) and Ville Runola (Raisio, Finland) both earned a start in the Clarkson crease. Perry was the tough-luck loser in Friday's overtime game at Cornell, finishing with 27 saves on 29 shots.  Runola made 30 saves in the 2-2 tie at Colgate. Perry has started nine games and holds a .902 save percentage, a 2.25 GAA and a 3-4-1 record. Through four games, including three starts, Runola posts a .933 sv. %, a 1.80 GAA and a 0-1-3 record.
•Senior Joe Zarbo (Grand Island, NY), who did not play in Friday's game at Cornell, leads the Knights in scoring with nine points on a team-high five goals and four assists. Zarbo has 55 career points (27-28) in 115 games. 
•Sophomore defenseman James de Haas (Mississauga, ONT) has recorded four assists in the past four games. He leads the Knights in scoring from the blueline and is second on the team with seven points, including two goals.
•Defense is projected to be Clarkson's strength this season with five veterans and three freshmen, including three NHL Draft picks, anchoring the unit. The Knights are allowing only 24.92 shots per game, which is sixth-best in Division I, and are allowing only 2.25 gpg, which is tied for 18th in scoring defense. Clarkson is second in ECAC Hockey scoring defense, allowing just 1.75 gpg in conference play.
•In each of the previous four seasons Clarkson was ranked among the 11 most penalized teams in the country. Through 12 games of the 2014-15 campaign, the Knights are the third least penalized team, averaging only 7.3 minutes in the box. Clarkson and St. Lawrence skated to a penalty-free 2-2 tie in Canton on October 31.
•Clarkson has just two seniors, defenseman James Howden and forward Joe Zarbo on the roster. Eight juniors, eight sophomores and nine freshmen make up the remainder of the 2014-15 Golden Knight roster.
•Brandon DeFazio '11 became the latest former Knight to reach the NHL when he was called up from the AHL to the Vancouver Canucks on November 9.  He played in two Vancouver wins before being sent back down to Utica. He joined Mark Borowiecki '11 (Ottawa), Grant Clitsome '08 (Winnipeg), Erik Cole '00 (Dallas) and  Willie Mitchell '99 (Florida) among former CU players skating in the NHL in 2014-15.
•Four current Golden Knights have been selected in the NHL Draft - James de Haas (2012 Detroit - 6th rd, 170), Terrance Amorosa (2013 Philadelphia - 5th rd, 189), Troy Josephs (2013 Pittsburgh - 7th rd, 209) and Kelly Summers (2014 Ottawa - 7th rd, 189).
•In its 93rd season, Clarkson boasts 70 winning campaigns and a 1,366-805-145 all-time record for a .621 winning percentage since 1920-21.
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