After a disappointing first-round exit in the NCAA tournament, Quinnipiac has gotten back to work in hopes of rebuilding for the future.
Rand Pecknold and his staff have reeled in five players from the NCAA transfer portal, including UMass senior forward Oliver Chau, who was the second leading scorer for the national champions. In addition, the Bobcats have gained the services of defensemen Tony Stillwell, Griffin Mendel and Brendan Less and goaltender Dylan St. Cyr.
Chau, from Oakville, Ontario, will be a graduate transfer. As a senior at UMass in 2020-21, Chau scored five goals and added 22 assists. His four-year total in a Minutemen jersey was 28 goals and 56 assists for 84 points in 135 games. For Quinnipiac, Chau is a playmaker who could help soften the blow of losing Hobey Baker Award finalist Odeen Tufto.
Stillwell and Less lost their senior seasons at Brown and Dartmouth, respectively, thanks to the Ivy League cancelling its winter sports season. Stillwell was scheduled to captain the Bears this season. In three years at Brown, the Green Bay, Wis., native scored three goals and 29 assists in 80 games. Less, from Kinnelon, N.J., posted two goals and 14 assists in 86 career games with the Big Green.
St. Cyr played four seasons at Notre Dame. The Las Vegas native was a backup in his first three years with the Fighting Irish. As the starter in 2020-21, he went 11-9-1 with a .921 save percentage. The USA Hockey NTDP alum stands 5-foot-8, almost a foot shorter than Keith Petruzzelli, who has been the Quinnipiac goaltender the past three seasons. News of St. Cyr’s addition solidifies the rumor that Petruzzelli will not opt in for a fifth season. The Wilbraham, Mass., native is likely to pursue NHL free agency on Aug. 15. The former Springfield Cathedral and South Kent Selects Academy star was a third-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2017 NHL draft.
Terriers finding new homes
A few Boston University players have found new homes. Forwards Jake Wise and Jack DeBoer have announced their intention to transfer to Ohio State and Niagara, respectively. Both ’00s were juniors. Wise, a Reading, Mass., native and third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, had never lived up to lofty expectations. In 50 career games, Wise scored three goals and 14 assists. DeBoer, a NTDP teammate of Wise, scored five goals and seven assists in 57 career games.
While not official, it is expected that classmate Matthew Quercia will be transferring to Michigan Tech. The Andover, Mass., native compiled nine goals and nine assists in 81 career games. He had a breakout season as a sophomore by scoring six times. He didn’t have the role many expected this past season with BU.
Other NCAA transfer portal news
Justin Wells will be the third former Bowling Green player on the 2021-22 Boston College roster. The big defenseman joins goaltender Eric Dop and left wing Brandon Kruse in transferring from the Falcons to the Eagles. Wells had two goals and seven assists in 31 games for the Falcons this season. Like Dop and Kruse, he’ll be a graduate transfer at BC.
After three seasons at Minnesota State-Mankato, Chris Van Os-Shaw is heading to American International. The 2017-18 Alberta Junior Hockey League MVP had four goals and six assists in 44 games in three years for the Mavericks.
Washington Capitals prospect Benton Maass will leave New Hampshire to be a graduate transfer at Minnesota State. In 120 career games at UNH, Maass had 10 goals and 27 assists.
Joey Matthews will leave Dartmouth for Canisius. He had a goal and 18 assists in 82 games for the Big Green.
After playing just 13 games as a freshman at Merrimack, center Jake Lee has chosen to transfer to RPI.
UMass sophomore defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro is transferring to RIT. He had a goal and two assists in 30 games as a freshman before appearing in just 10 games this season. Senior Philip Lagunov, who scored a beauty of a shorthanded goal in the national championship game, will not be returning to UMass for a fifth season. He entered the transfer portal and will be spending his graduate transfer year at Vermont.
