QUINNIPIAC MEN’S ICE HOCKEY 2015-16 MEDIA CLIPPINGS 3/30/2016 Sam Anas in position to pass on lessons to younger Quinnipiac teammates New Haven Register (http://www.nhregister.com) Sam Anas in position to pass on lessons to younger Quinnipiac teammates By Chip Malafronte, New Haven Register Thursday, October 1, 2015 HAMDEN >> His role as a talented and integral part of Quinnipiac’s success the past two seasons is undeniable. Take a national rookie of the year award, 45 goals and two NCAA tournament appearances as verification. Still, Sam Anas was an underclassman. And like all good underclassmen, he understood much could be learned by observing the example older players, especially franchise­ caliber forwards like Matthew Peca and Kellen and Connor Jones. “If you’re injured, if you’re tired, if you’re sick, when you’re on the ice you’re on the ice,” Anas said prior to the Bobcats’ Thursday morning practice session. “You can be sick, but once you’re out there, no one cares that you’re sick. As long as you’re working hard on the ice, good things will come your way.” Anas, as an upperclassman, now finds himself in position to impart some of that acquired wisdom. Quinnipiac’s six­man freshman class can look back to last March to see the Bobcats’ scoring star practices what he preaches. A sprained knee ligament suffered in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals against Union should have ended Anas’ season. He missed the semifinals in Lake Placid, New York and was doubtful for the NCAA West Regional opener at North Dakota. The thought of watching from the stands was too much to bear. So, after testing the knee at practice a day earlier, Anas decided to play through the pain. His role was limited early, but when Quinnipiac fell behind he talked his way into more ice time in what would be a North Dakota victory. “I probably shouldn’t have played, but it was to the point where it wasn’t going make the injury any worse, it was just going to be painful,” Anas said. “At the morning skate, it was up to me and our trainer as to whether I wanted to play. And I wanted to play. That’s just who I am.” Rest and rehabilitation got Anas through most of the summer. Eventually, he dropped the knee brace and was at full strength by the time he joined the New York Islanders at their developmental camp in July. He capped the week with two goals at the team’s intra­ squad scrimmage at the Barclays Center. Anas has NHL aspirations, and should have pro opportunities given his offensive skill. Parts of his game still need polishing. http://www.nhregister.com/article/NH/20151001/SPORTS/151009957&template=printart 1/3 3/30/2016 Sam Anas in position to pass on lessons to younger Quinnipiac teammates “He’s not a defensive liability at all. But he’s an average defensive hockey player,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. “He knows if he wants to reach the NHL one day, he needs to get to get where Peca was and become an elite defensive hockey player.” Peca, recently sent down to the AHL despite shining in his first NHL training camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was so good offensively that many overlooked the fact that he was one of the top defensive forwards and penalty killers in the ECAC, much like the Jones’ twins before him. Quinnipiac, expected to compete for a third straight NCAA bid, won’t be able to replicate Peca’s role with one person this season. The lost offense will likely be spread out among sophomores in larger roles and the freshmen. Anas, ever the observer, is committed to improving other areas of his game to pick up the slack. “Defense, skating and some decision­making,” Anas says. “Obviously, I’m an offensive player but there’s time I try and do too much or make the perfect play instead of the simple play. It may not be the flashiest play, but in the end it’s the right play. It’s being a little more mature with the puck, and possessing it more.” ONE MORE YEAR Alex Miner­Barron was granted an NCAA waiver and is eligible to play this season. The only catch: he must sit out the season’s first five games. A fourth­year defenseman, he has re­enrolled at Quinnipiac as a graduate student. Quinnipiac knew it had Miner­Barron for only three seasons when he arrived because he’d made the decision to play five USHL playoff games after turning 21. According to NCAA rules, playing even one Junior hockey league game after one’s 21st birthday costs a full season of college eligibility. But Quinnipiac filed a waiver claiming Miner­Barron was under duress after receiving a concussion just prior to his decision to compete in the playoffs, a provided medical documentation to support the claim. The NCAA agreed, docking only the five games he’d played in after turning 21. Miner­Barron can play in Sunday’s exhibition, and will return to the lineup on Oct. 24 against St. Cloud State. The Glendora, California native, who went by Alex Barron his first three seasons, also requested the school use his legal last name Miner­Barron this season. NEW FACES Chris Truehl, starting goaltender at Air Force the past two seasons, joins Quinnipiac this fall as a transfer. So does Kevin Duane, a New Canaan resident and forward who spent the past two seasons at Boston University. Both must sit out this season, per NCAA rules, and will have two years of eligibility starting next fall. Truehl, from Madison, Wisconsin, was an Atlantic Hockey all­rookie selection as a freshman who won 21 games during his time at Air Force. Duane, at 6­foot­5, 210 pounds, saw playing time dwindle from 32 games to just four last season at BU. http://www.nhregister.com/article/NH/20151001/SPORTS/151009957&template=printart 2/3 3/30/2016 College Hockey News: Quinnipiac At The Forefront Again October 7, 2015 QUINNIPIAC AT THE FOREFRONT AGAIN New Season Brings More High Expectations For Talent­Laden Group Recommend 8 people recommend this. by Joshua Seguin/Staff Writer College hockey programs are all built differently. In the ECAC, the differences in the makeup and playing styles of teams makes change at the top of the standings almost inherent. The one constant among all the ebbs and flows in recent years has been Quinnipiac. The Bobcats will look to defend their regular­season championship this season and look to continue the consistency that has been evident since coming into Division I. "It is great for our University (the constant success)," Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. "Our players take it seriously and they know there is a lot of pressure to succeed and we welcome that pressure. We recruit highly competitive and character kids that enjoy the pressure and want to succeed. Our kids understand that we need to do certain things to win hockey games and they buy into it. That is why we are as good as we are." The Bobcats have won the ECAC's Cleary Cup, as conference regular season champion, two of the last three seasons. Since joining the ECAC, Quinnipiac now in its 10th season, has finished no lower than ninth. That finish came in its first season Related Articles in the league and it still achieved 20 overall wins, a feat it has achieved in 13 of its 16 D­I seasons. Since that finish, its lowest finish is seventh. In the last four seasons the Bobcats have Quinnipiac finished in the top four. "It definitely starts with the coaching staff," Quinnipiac captain College Hockey News Soren Jonzzon said. "From a player's perspective, once they get Announces All­CHN Teams here, a lot of it is making them feel part of the team. We try to Thrills and Redemption incorportate everyone into everything we do, on and off the ice. Mental Block There's no real seperation from a freshmen to a junior on this Anas Contributes in Win team." Matching that success in the ECAC tournaments has often proved elusive. it has yet to win a Whitelaw Cup, and it has bowed out in the semifinals each of the past three seasons, making only one final in 10 years. Last season, no one expected the Bobcats to be near the top at the end of the season. The success even surprised its coach, as he constantly reminded us that his team was overachieving. The results on the ice didn't match those statements. Quinnipiac ran away with the league in the regular season, but faltered in the tournament. The Bobcats now return all but two key pieces from that team. They also return consistent goaltender Michael Garteig. His experience gives them advantage that some teams in the ECAC lack. This season will mark the smallest team turnover since making the national championship game in 2013. http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2015/10/07_quinnipiac_at_the_forefront.php 1/2 3/30/2016 College Hockey News: Quinnipiac At The Forefront Again "We emphasize details," Jonzzon said. "Making sure that we are ready to go and we make sure we are ready for every puck battle in all three zones. When we keep possession of the puck it frustrate teams and it makes us tough to play against, which is what we want." The success over the past two seasons has come amid the largest roster turnover in the ECAC.