Quinnipiac’s Alex Whelan off to a hot start

Quinnipiac University forward Alex Whelan is off to a pretty good start as a sophomore.

As a freshman last season, Whelan didn’t notch his first career goal until he was almost 20 games into his collegiate career. After sitting out his first few contests, he finished with six goals and 10 points in 36 outings.

This year, the Ramsey, N.J., native wasted no time in getting his name on the scoresheet, as he connected for the Bobcats’ first goal of the campaign, on a laser from the left circle in a seasonopening 1-1 tie at Boston College on Oct. 6. He then lit the lamp again two days later in a 3-2 overtime home loss to Boston University.

“I think it’s all about confidence, really,” he said. “Also important are the guys I’m playing with, and it’s nice to start out strong for the team.”

An entrepreneurship major at Quinnipiac, Whelan, 20, was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team last year. Despite a slow scoring start to his rookie season, he notched six points in six ECAC tournament contests, as the Bobcats came up just short of a fifth consecutive NCAA tournament berth.

His goal against BU gave him six goals in nine games overall dating back to March.

“It’s all about pace,” said Whelan of transitioning from juniors/high school to NCAA Division 1. “The speed is way faster. That’s the biggest part, and also the size of the guys. It’s important to get into it quicker, and I got more acclimated as last year went on.”

The 6-foot, 212-pound right wing played almost all his formative hockey in his home state with the Jersey Hitmen club, topped off by a 2015-16 junior season in the USPHL where he tallied 18-35-53 points.

“It was a really good experience,” said Whelan, about growing up in the Hitmen organization. “I played there my whole life until college, not having to move away from home. Everything I learned has helped at Quinnipiac, and it was really important to play there.”

He also starred with his hometown Ramsey High School, where he collected 145 goals and 265 points in four seasons and earned numerous accolades with the Rams, including a public school state title as a senior.

Quinnipiac came up short in the ECAC last spring, after winning both the league regular-season and tournament crowns the previous year. It also played in the 2016 national championship game, and is definitely seeking a return to that lofty level.

“I think everyone would agree that we want to win a national title,” offered Whelan. “We feel we’re good enough, with our compete level, and we want to get better every game. We want to win the ECAC and the tournament, and then make the tournament to win the NCAAs.

“It’s our big goal, and we think we can do it.”

The undrafted Whelan has almost three full college seasons to go and wants to keep going after his tenure at Quinnipiac ends.

“I guess I’d like to keep playing as long as I can, wherever that takes me,” he chuckled. “My goal is to ultimately play professionally, and a lot of our guys are here for that. It’s a great spot to be in here, and it’s a stepping stone to where I want to be.”

THE CLASH

Rensselaer vs. Clarkson (Ireland) Friday, Nov. 24, 2 p.m.

The two New York state rivals will face off in a nonconference contest across the Atlantic Ocean, in the first round of the 2017 Friendship Four in Belfast. The tournament also will include Hockey East schools Maine and Providence, with the Friday winners meeting Saturday night following the consolation contest. Brown and Colgate represented the ECAC in Belfast in 2015, while Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence skated in Ireland last year.

THE NOTEBOOK

Clarkson opened the new campaign with wins over Penn State and Michigan, before recording a tie and a win at Western Michigan. …

Colgate started off the year at 2-2-1 overall, including a 1-2-1 mark against Hockey East. The Raiders bested Merrimack and also recorded a tie against the Warriors, but were swept at New Hampshire. …

St. Lawrence started off at home with a 3-1 loss to Michigan and a 4-1 setback to Penn State. The Saints then lost twice at North Dakota. …

Rensselaer opened the Dave Smith head coaching era at Ohio State, Smith’s alma mater, with a pair of ties in Columbus, Ohio. …

Union got off to a rough start, with five losses in its first five outings. The Dutchmen were bested at Boston University, and then lost to Michigan Tech and Minnesota at the Icebreaker invitational in Duluth, before falling to Massachusetts and Vermont. …

Cornell opened with 5-1 and 3-0 wins against Alabama-Huntsville, with freshman Matthew Galajda earning both wins. Cornell junior defenseman Matt Nuttle (Marilla, N.Y.) scored in the 3-0 shutout.

Quinnipiac quickly has established one of the best goaltending combinations in college hockey. Sophomore Andrew Shortridge has been rotating starts with freshman Keith Petruzzelli. Petruzzelli was a third-round pick by Detroit in June’s draft, the second highest a Quinnipiac player has been drafted. Shortridge was 1-0-1 after two starts with a 1.41 GAA and .940 save percentage. Petruzzelli took the loss in his first start, allowing three goals with 31 saves in a loss to BU. …

Defending ECAC Hockey champion Harvard boasts arguably the most talented group of freshmen, including a pair of third-round picks from June’s NHL entry draft in forward Jack Badini and defenseman Reilly Walsh. Badini was selected 91st overall by Anaheim after playing for the USHL champion Chicago Steel last season. Walsh was selected 81st overall by New Jersey after playing prep hockey at Proctor Academy and USHL hockey with the Chicago Steel.

THE QUOTE

‘We’re expecting a top-four finish. … If that’s not your goal, you’re lost right out of the gate.’
— Rensselaer senior defenseman Jared Wilson, at RPI’s preseason media day (Schenectady Daily Gazette)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Joe Snively, Yale It won’t count in his official NCAA stats, but Snively had a hand in every score in Yale’s seasonopening 6-4 exhibition win over visiting Western Ontario on Oct. 13. The junior from Virginia tallied two goals, one shorthanded, and set up the other four for the Bulldogs that night.

Willie Brooks, Colgate The native of Locust, N.J., posted four assists in his first three games as a junior. He also led the Raiders in scoring early on as Don Vaughan’s team bested Niagara and then recorded a win and a tie against Hockey East opponent Merrimack to start off the 2017-18 campaign.

Chase Perry, Rensselaer The Minnesota junior set a personal best by recording 56 saves in a season-opening 1-1 tie at Ohio State on Oct. 13. He then stopped 27 shots the next night, in another 1-1 tie against the Buckeyes, and was subsequently voted ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week.