Slighted, But Not Ignored

By: Luke Devoe

Chalk it up as a victory.  Today, Quinnipiac received 22 of 50 first place votes in USCHO.com's Top 20 poll.  They went on to gather 11 of 34 first place votes in USA Today/USA Hockey's Top 15 poll.  They retained their #2 national standing in both polls and missed out on #1 in USCHO's by a mere 8 voter points.  This is noteworthy.  This is special.  Our beloved Bobcats are among the nation's elite.  They've scaled the old boy's network walls and nearly landed at number one.  Many in Bobcat Nation are disappointed today and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't one of them to a certain degree.  That #1 next to Quinnipiac University would certainly evoke a feeling of pride, accomplishment and vindication.  But it's okay and really what would it prove?  The Bobcats are still sitting atop the PairWise Rankings with those pesky Gophers nipping at our heels, they still boast the best winning percentage in all of Division I hockey, are rocking a sexy 18-3-3 overall mark and more importantly they boast an even sexier 11-0-1 mark in ECAC play.  Boomer the Bobcat, the sky is not falling.  If the Bobcats tank either of this weekend's games it wouldn't matter if they were #1 or #2, they still have to go out there and do what they've done every game since Obama sat down on November 6th, and briefly, after being surprised by a certain final of a certain college hockey game, realized he had to work another four years.  For nearly every stubborn, thick headed, old guard protecting journalist out there (cough, John Buccigross) there were many who were swayed to believe that the boys from Hamden were for real and belonged with the Minnesotas, Boston Colleges, Notre Dames and New Hampshires of the college hockey world.

This is for the better.  The bulls-eye on the back of a #2 and a #1 are similar but the ego that accompanies a #1 far outweighs the chance of a team landing one dead center.  I have little doubt that a #1 ranking would cause complacency, lack of drive and a hunger to win.  Rand, Reid, Billy and the whole crew have a better track record than to think that, but a #2 guarantees that a thirst for the pinnacle of college hockey recognition is still there.  With that, respect, recognition and acknowledgment is all that a #1 ranking would give these boys and I can guarantee that every member of that locker room would trade a shot at a national title for a meaningless ranking mid-season.  Enjoy your #1 Minnesota, the Bobcats and our humble, steadily growing faithful will worry about you at another time.  For now, it's Brown and Yale.  Quinnipiac faces a Brown squad Friday that knows they aren't the team circled on many QU fan's calendars this weekend (Know, they are certainly circled on Rand's).  The Bears come in erratic, currently tied for the 8th spot in the league and are winning and then losing just about every other tilt.  The Bears' senior class has seen the growth of the Bobcats' program first hand, have suffered many losses over their four years, a stretch where the Bobcats are (7-2-3) against Bruno, and will be eager to have a chance to deny the Bobcats a special opportunity at Ingalls the following night.  This game can not be overlooked and it goes without saying that I don't think this will be a problem in this year's dressing room.

This year's group is a collective.  If at the beginning of the season Bobcat fans were told that senior Clay Harvey would be second on the team in points, only one Bobcat would be at a point a game (Jeremy Langlois 23 pts. in 23), the Joneses would've combined for 20 points in 24 games, and senior goalie Eric Hartzell would have a realistic shot at the Hobey Baker Award no one would have listened and more likely would've laughed off those ideas.  But this team has shocked many and done so in a very unorthodox way.  A fine example, take this into account... senior Russell Goodman has four game winning goals and leads the team in that statistical category.  They are all contributing and you'd be hard pressed to find a weak link on this squad.  The list of unheralded players encapsulates them all but I'd be remiss to not mention sophomores Bryce Van Brabant and Danny Federico, as well as our talented senior class and the steady contributions on special teams by the Joneses and sophomore Matthew Peca, players who've shown how versatile they can be.

The Bank is different as well.  For a few years after the Bank's opener the place wreaked of complacency and a minor league vibe.  The arena, fan base and students have done a 180.  This past week on a bone chilling Tuesday, against an Atlantic Hockey foe, the Bank was filled to capacity, lining people up three deep along the rails.  The previous home game, Quinnipiac shushed aside two mediocre periods, killed off a 3 minute five on three and some bad officiating and came back to score three third period goals to beat a nationally ranked Union team.  With students still on break, the Bank erupted.  The normally, quiet, subdued, common place fans were screaming, causing the Bank to vibrate with certainly warranted boos directed at the officials.  When the Bobcats scored each of the three goals to come back, the feeling of joy, anticipation and passion started to crescendo ultimately hitting a fever pitch.  Ushers were running along the top walkway with arms raised, husbands were hugging wives and fans who normally sought a good atmosphere and a nice night out were leaving proud, energized and eager for their next trip to the Bank.  The feeling was palpable.

I digress,  Minnesota, enjoy your #1 ranking, the writers sure do love you.  Bobcats, go feast on some Bear and Bulldog... your fans are through the roof and quite thankful of the year you've given them so far.  They've got a long way to go, but the ride has been excellent so far.