By: M.J. Baird
For the second season in a row, the Quinnipiac men’s hockey team underwent a mid-season roster change.
Bobcats’ junior forward Thomas Aldworth is no longer listed on the Quinnipiac men’s hockey roster.
The last time the junior winger saw the ice in a Bobcats’ uniform was in the second game of a weekend series with Maine on Dec. 9.
So far this season, Aldworth had appeared in only 11 of 21 games. He missed a short amount of time due to injury, but the rest were healthy scratches. The junior had only three points to show on the season, one goal and two assists.
Aldworth’s time on the team at Quinnipiac was quite interesting, having major ups and downs since the beginning. He was best known for his blazing speed to beat defenders when he had the puck, but found himself in and out of the lineup fairly regularly.
Playing in 32 of 43 games his freshman season, Aldworth notched six goals and seven assists for 13 points amidst Quinnipiac’s run to the national championship game.
However, six of his 13 points came in the teams first three games of the season, with sporadic production coming the rest of the way.
In his sophomore season, Aldworth saw more time on ice playing in 35 games, and also an increase in goals with 10 and overall points with 16.
Much of his success in 2016-17 came in the latter half of the season, with eight of his points coming in February and March, as Quinnipiac advanced to the ECAC championship game but fell short of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012.
The Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team has struggled so far in 2017-18, with a lack of scoring talent and instability on defense contributing to an uncharacteristic 8-11-2 (4-6-1 ECAC) record.
Head coach Rand Pecknold has repeatedly displayed frustration in his teams inability and/or lack of desire to buy into the “Quinnipiac identity”, to which he attributes much of the team’s struggles.
It was discovered on Tuesady, Jan. 9 that number 12 no longer appeared on the roster, however it is unclear how long Aldworth has been removed.
It is also unclear what the status of academic enrollment at Quinnipiac is for the Keller, Texas native.
Last February, Quinnipiac junior Andrew Taverner was removed from the Quinnipiac roster, and has since transferred to Arizona State University.
BREAKING: Andrew Taverner no longer with the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team. Taverner had 3 goals and 5 assists this season #ECACHockey
— Kyle Levasseur (@kyle_levasseur) February 11, 2017
This is a developing story. Stay with Q30 Sports for updates.
