Quinnipiac vs. Yale on Feb. 9 in New Haven, (Photo by Steve Musco/Yale Athletics)
By Cliff Nadel
The ninth-seeded Quinnipiac University men’s hockey team will make the short trip down Whitney Avenue to New Haven to face its rival, No. 8 seed Yale, at 7 p.m., Friday night at Ingalls Rink.
It is the first game of a best-of-three series in the first round of the East Coast Athletic Conference men’s hockey championship tournament.
The last time Quinnipiac and Yale faced off in the postseason was in the 2013 NCAA national championship game in Pittsburgh, where the Bulldogs won, 4-0.
The Bobcats hold a 17-7-5 advantage all-time over Yale, and are 16-2 in ECAC first-round games having never lost an opening series.
You can watch game one here, or listen to the game here.
The sports center on York Hill has been going through some name changes over the past few months. This past weekend, Quinnipiac unveiled the new name for the hockey arena and the men’s ice hockey locker room.
The ice hockey arena was renamed after Frank Perrotti Jr., who passed away on December 10, 2016. Perotti is said to have been a loyal and devoted fan to the program, showing a lot of support over the years. Perrotti was a Hamden resident and also served his country in the U.S. Army.
In an article published by the Quinnipiac Chronicle, Donald Weinbach, the president of Development and Alumni Affairs, noted that Perotti was a “huge benefactor to the university.”
Frank Perrotti Jr.
Source: Legacy.com
High Points Solution was the sponsor and had naming rights over the arena after they agreed to donate $1 million to Quinnipiac for the next five seasons. The contract was not renewed for this year.
The men’s ice hockey suite, also known as the locker room, was renamed after TJ Baudanza, who was important to Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey and the program’s growth.
TJ Baudanza
Source: Chapman Cole & Gleason
Baudanza was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2011 and passed away in 2015. Baudanza’s father, Tony Baudanza, requested the program rename the team’s suite in his son’s memory.
The family had a lot of support behind them. Numerous people and some of Baudanza’s close friends came to honor his name and memory during the ceremony and suite reveal.
In an article written by Jamie Deloma, the associate director of social media at Quinnipiac, Baudanza’s father said, “We feel so honored to have his name there.”
Baudanza graduated from Quinnipiac in 2006 with a business degree in entrepreneurial studies. After he graduated, he contributed to the making of what we once knew as the TD Bank Sports Center.
Earlier this year, it was announced that TD Bank would no longer be the sponsor of the TD Bank Sports Center. The partnership between Quinnipiac and TD Bank began in 2007, but ended after the bank chose not to renew its contract.
Weinbach told the Quinnipiac Chronicle that for 14 months Quinnipiac had been “aggressively looking for either TD Bank to renew or for another corporate entity to put their name on the arenas.”
A lot of growth is still in the works for the rest of the sports teams and facilities at Quinnipiac, mainly on the Mount Carmel campus. Weinbach noted that the university is already pursuing some companies and individuals to put their names on the field hockey and soccer/lacrosse venues.
In March, the school signed an official partnership with Adidas. With newly updated facilities and Adidas supplying the school’s athletic program’s gear, there is an expectation that the teams will now be taken seriously by big-time schools. It’s all about growth and exposure for Quinnipiac.
An uproar has taken place at Quinnipiac University, and it’s coming from all of the Bobcat hockey fans. The university’s longtime hockey rival, Yale University is set to play in Hamden on Saturday, Nov. 18. This is during the mandatory Thanksgiving vacation for Quinnipiac students.
Students should not be discouraged until they know the outcome of the online ticket portal, which is known to be a high-intensity moment for most student fans. The Quinnipiac Bobcats’ ticket office releases a hyperlink to students that leads them to an online queue. From there, the student is prompted to generate a ticket for the game. Due to the popularity of the event, tickets go quickly. This also becomes an issue for some students due to the high traffic on the website, while using the same WiFi network.
This year, students will be sent a link in the evening of Nov. 5. According to Quinnipiac’s Assistant Director of Residential Life Mike Guthrie, students with a valid ticket will be able to file a late-stay request. They will be able to submit a plea to stay for the game taking place during the start of the break period. Requests must be made on the My Housing portal through the Quinnipiac student website, no later than Friday, Nov. 10. The late-stay request sign-up form will be released on Monday, Nov. 6.
A Quinnipiac issued ticket must be presented to one of the 20 volunteer resident assistants that are completing the room checks on Friday evening. The number on the ticket must match the student’s name that has requested to stay. Student’s will not be able to sell their tickets to others. That tactic has been popular amongst fans on campus in the past.
In a poll posted on HQ Press’s Twitter page, presented some potential results of involvement.
Do you plan on staying at school for the Quinnipiac-Yale game on the first weekend of Thanksgiving break?
Some students might also be sticking around campus for the game set to take place on Friday night. The Quinnipiac Bobcats will be playing Brown University in Hamden. A late-stay request is also available to students with a valid Quinnipiac generated ticket. Students granted permission for just this game must be out of the dorms no later than noon on Friday.
Another event that could potentially impact attendance is happening right down the street. One of the biggest rivalries in Ivy League history will be held at the Yale Bowl in New Haven. The Harvard vs. Yale football game is set to take place on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
According to Guthire, the Eastern College Athletic Conference, ECAC, had made the hockey schedule far in advance. No changes would be made due to the university’s recess.
