Trail native Travis St. Denis of the Quinnipiac University Bobcats was named Player of the Week in the NCAA ECAC division last week.
St. Denis netted a hat trick, scoring all three goals for the Bobcats in a 3-1 victory over RPI on Nov. 15. He also scored the game-winner the previous night in the last minute of play for a 4-3 win over Union, the defending national champions. The pair of game-winners for the Trail product are two of six goals he’s scored so far this season and he’s fourth in team scoring with eight points.
“It was kind of just one of those games where I was in the right position at the right time, and you don’t always have those games so it was nice,” St. Denis told Inside ECAC Hockey last week. “It’s definitely nice to get the hat trick but overall a better feeling getting the win.”
St. Denis played three years for the Trail Smoke Eaters before moving on to Penticton where he helped the Vees to the 2011 RBC Cup.
He was awarded Quinipiac’s rookie of the year in his freshman campaign in 2011-12, and has been named to the NCAA All-Academic Team in each of his first two seasons.
The Bobcats went to the NCAA Frozen Four championship game two years ago but lost to Yale in the final.
St. Denis said the transition to playing in Quinnipiac was made much easier with Montrose natives Connor and Kellen Jones already playing in Hamden with the Bobcats when he committed.
Over two seasons his production continues to improve. He almost doubled his freshman point total, 15, with 28 points in his sophomore year. However, with the graduation of the Jones’ twins, St. Denis will look to play even a bigger offensive role for the Bobcats in his third year.
“Confidence is a huge thing, and coming in as a junior I knew I had to step up my game, and we lost a couple of key big players from last year. So I took it upon myself to work hard and train hard . . . and it’s gone real well so far, and I’m enjoying my junior year.”
In 203 BCHL games, 149 of them with the Smoke Eaters, St. Denis notched 99 goals and 127 assists for 226 points.
The Bobcats are currently tops in the ECAC with an 8-3-1 record overall and rank 14th in the nation.
NCAA bites:
Michigan Tech, with former Smoke Eater Brent Baltus, fell to number six after topping the national polls last week. The Huskies, at 10-2-0, dropped a pair of one-goal games to Minnesota State on the weekend, making way for 8-1-1 Boston University to rise to the top following wins over Maine, 3-2, and Connecticut, 5-2.
In Women’s Div. 1 hockey, defenceman Daniella Matteucci is having one of her most productive years scoring a goal and adding four assists with the University of Clarkson Knights which are ranked number 6 in the nation with a 10-4-1 record. The Knights are looking to repeat as NCAA champions this season.
Meanwhile in Div. III hockey, St. Norberts Green Knights are ranked number 1 in the USCHO polls, with former Smoke Eaters Cullen Bradshaw second on the team in scoring with three goals and five assists in seven games, and Erik Cooper with a goal and five points.
See more on NCAA hockey at uscho.com.