WORCESTER, Mass. - Holy Cross men's ice hockey is set to face reigning national champion no. 3/3 Quinnipiac on Saturday, Dec. 30, at M&T Bank Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. in Hamden, Conn., and will stream on ESPN+.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HOLY CROSS (9-7-3, 4-7-2 ATLANTIC HOCKEY):

• The Crusaders' closed out the first half of the season with a tie and win over Hockey East opponent UMass Lowell. On Friday, Dec. 8 in Lowell, the Crusaders skated to a 2-2 tie, before taking Saturday, Dec. 9's matchup in Worcester, 4-1.
• Holy Cross benefited from 12 different point scorers over the weekend set, including five different goal scorers. Three players had a multi-point game on the weekend in senior Matt Guerra (1g, 1a), senior Jack Ricketts (1g, 2a), and junior Liam McLinskey (2g, 1a). Senior netminder Jason Grande stopped 28 shots on Friday, while junior Thomas Gale recorded 26 saves on Saturday. The Crusaders blocked 29 shots in Saturday's game, the highest mark in a single game since March 7, 2020 (34 at Robert Morris).
• This season, Holy Cross is 5-0-1 against non-conference opponents and 3-0-1 against Hockey East teams. The remaining two wins came against LIU (independent) and Brown (ECAC).
• Holy Cross has played six one-goal games this season, holding a 1-5 record. In their ten games decided by 2+ goals, Holy Cross is 8-2. In their five overtime games this season, the Crusaders are 0-2-3.
• The Holy Cross penalty kill unit has successfully denied the last 36 opportunities by opponents, dating back to Nov. 10, against AIC. The PK unit entered the holiday break with an 88.1% success rate, good for fifth in nation, behind only Union, Boston College, Quinnipiac, and Wisconsin.
• Junior netminder Thomas Gale's 1.99 goals-against average places him seventh in the nation, while his .931 save percentage is the fifth-highest mark in the country. Senior goalkeeper Jason Grande's 2.06 goals-against average ranks him tenth nationally, while his .926 save percentage places him eighth in the national rankings. Holy Cross owns the nation's seventh-best scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 2.21 goals per game.
• Senior Jack Ricketts and junior Liam McLinskey are tied for the Atlantic Hockey lead in points this season, accumulating 19 each over the first half of the season. Ricketts is tied for third in the league with nine goals, while McLinskey sits in fourth in assists with 13. Junior Matt Shatsky and Ricketts sit in a tie for seventh with 10 assists each.
• Junior Thomas Gale leads Atlantic Hockey in both goals-against average (1.99) and save percentage (.931). Senior Jason Grande sits in third in goals-against (2.07) and second in save percentage (.926). 
   

SCOUTING #3/3 QUINNIPIAC (12-4-1, 7-0-1 ECAC):

• The Bobcats have shared three opponents with Holy Cross so far this season in AIC, Brown, and LIU. Quinnipiac defeated AIC, 3-2 in overtime, and 8-0 over consecutive games (Oct. 13-14), defeated Brown 5-1 (Nov. 10), and closed out the first half of their season with a 4-2 win over LIU (Dec. 9).
• Quinnipiac is undefeated in ECAC play, having only lost to Hockey East opponents (then-no. 2 Boston College, New Hampshire, Maine, and then-no. 5 Boston University). All four losses were decided in regulation by one goal.
• The number two team in the country in scoring offense with an average of 4.4 goals per game, Quinnipiac is 11-1-0 when they score four or more goals.
• The Bobcats return 15 players from their national championship run, while adding six freshmen and five transfers.
• Junior Collin Graf leads the team in points with 23, while graduate student captain Jayden Lee leads in assists with 15. Graf and fellow junior Jacob Quillan share the lead in goals with ten each. Senior transfer Vinny Duplessis holds an 8-3-1 record with a 1.97 goals-against average, .918 save percentage, and two shutouts.

LAST TIME THEY MET:

• Quinnipiac holds a dominant 31-4-4 record against the Crusaders.
• The last time the two teams met was on Dec. 30, 2023, when the then-no. 2 Bobcats defeated the Crusaders, 4-1, at the Hart Center. Senior Lucas Thorne scored the lone goal for Holy Cross, assisted by sophomore Matt DeBoer and junior John Gelatt. Senior Jason Grande recorded 24 saves, while allowing three goals.
• The last time the Crusaders defeated the Bobcats was on Dec. 5, 2004, 4-3 in overtime.
   

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
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