Season Preview – Forwards

Season Preview – Defense

Strong goaltending has long been a hallmark of the Quinnipiac Bobcats’ success. From Eric Hartzell to Michael Garteig to Andrew Shortridge, the Bobcats have been at their best when they have a dominant force between the pipes.

There were high expectations when Keith Petruzzelli became the highest NHL Draft selection in program history (at the time) back in 2017 before even playing a game at the collegiate level. Three years later, Petruzzelli was finally rounding into form, playing the best hockey of his NCAA career, when the season was paused and ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an unfortunate end to a promising season for the junior netminder.

One year later, Petruzzelli is still expected to be the workhorse for this Bobcats team during the 2020-21 season. He’ll look to finish what he started last year, and make one final run before turning the crease over to a new face next season.

The Starter

Petruzzelli has had an interesting career at Quinnipiac. He came in as Shortridge’s highly-touted backup before stealing the job in 2017-18, although his performance down the stretch still left something to be desired.

The next year, he opened as the starter but lost the reins to Shortridge before he authored one of the greatest goaltending campaigns in program history.

Last year, with the crease all his, Petruzzelli thrived, finally cashing in on the potential that had surrounded him since his draft year.

He was named Quinnipiac’s Most Valuable Player after starting all 34 games, winning ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week honors three times, establishing career-bests in goals-against average (2.01), save percentage (.920), wins (21), and tying a career-high with three shutouts.

Petruzzelli was an absolute workhorse for QU and was no worse for wear as the season went along. In fact, he got better with more work. He went 7-2-1 over the final 10 games of the season with a 1.40 GAA, .943 save percentage and two shutouts over that span. Going into the playoffs, he was Quinnipiac’s best and most important player.

Petruzzelli wasn’t done many favors by Quinnipiac’s defense at times last year. The inexperienced group turned the puck over plenty, forcing Petruzzelli to bail them out with highlight-reel saves.

While it was good for his confidence, a more steady path to success for Quinnipiac involves less rubber thrown at Petruzzelli’s crease. The new recruits on defense should help with that.

Petruzzelli’s Quinnipiac career was put on pause right at what was sure to be its defining moment – his third-year playoff run. Instead, Petruzzelli will have to pick up where he left off as he tries to go out as a Bobcat on top.

The Backups

Quinnipiac has two other goalies on the roster, but there’s still plenty we don’t know about them on the ice.

Sophomore Evan Fear got into four games in relief last year but was overmatched at times, posting an unsightly 6.56 GAA and .774 SV% in 64 minutes of action.

This is a big year for Fear – can he become a reliable secondary option for the Bobcats, allowing Petruzzelli a day off here and there, or will he prove that he’s still too raw to be trusted? He’s the only Bobcats goalie currently on the roster that will be here next year, so a good year could help him stake his claim for the crease in 2021-22.

Senior Josh Mayanja is also back for his fourth year with Quinnipiac but is clearly the club’s third-string goaltender. He has made one relief appearance in each of his three prior years with the team and serves a key role off the ice.

Mayanja is good insurance, but if he is seeing serious time on the ice this season, that likely means things aren’t going according to plan.

It’ll likely be a lot of Petruzzelli between the pipes in Hamden again in 2020-21. It worked last year, but some contributions from the backups could go a long way in a season that features plenty of inconsistent stops and starts and even a few three-games-in-three-days weekends.