Bringing in a large group of new players yields uncertainty in the early going, but can also yield tremendous opportunity. The Quinnipiac Bobcats lost two of the nation’s top scorers last season in Bryan Leitch and David Marshall and have as many as eight freshmen in the lineup on a given night. Those factors have contributed to a Bobcat team that has taken on a new attitude and personality, resulting in a 6-1-0 record through seven games.

New attitudes at Quinnipiac have been helped by veteran players like Brandon Wong doing their part.

“Our skill level might not be as high. When you lose guys like those guys, we might have relied on them to make all of the big plays at the big times. This year we realized it doesn’t need to be just one or two guys, but everyone on the ice is making little plays like making a good back check or blocking a shot,” senior forward Mike Atkinson said. “We’ve found ourselves learning a different style game. All of us have relied on that. It’s cool to find different ways to win.”

Atkinson is the eldest statesman on this Quinnipiac team. He’s been on campus four full years after spending a redshirt season in 2005-06 following a transfer from Vermont. He scored three straight goals in Quinnipiac’s 4-2 win over Clarkson on Friday. Atkinson’s short-handed goal in the second period tied the game 2-2 and he added another shorty in the third to put Quinnipiac ahead with 7:39 left to play. His empty-netter completed a hat trick. With four goals already this season, Atkinson matched his goal total from all of last year, in which he appeared in 36 games.

“He’s been excellent. He made a decision last spring that he was going to make his final year count. He’s been great on and off the ice. He’s become a leader and has been outstanding all seven games,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said.

Atkinson and Pecknold both referred to the Bobcats being committed to following systems and doing the right things in the defensive end of the rink. They blocked 28 shots in a 5-2 win over St. Lawrence last weekend.

“There’s no question that bringing in 13 freshmen brings in a ton of energy and helps mold your culture in a different way,” coach Rand Pecknold said. “The returning players have been great. I think their energy level has been great and they’re buying in to what we’re trying to do.”

With the exception of Quinnipiac’s only loss of the season, an 8-5 defeat by Robert Morris, the Bobcats have allowed two goals or fewer in their other six games, all wins. That doesn’t mean they’re sitting back and playing a completely defensive style. Veterans like Brandon Wong (4-7-11), Eric Lampe (6-4-10) and Atkinson (4-2-6) have helped the team average better than four goals per game.

UPS AND DOWNS AT HARVARD

Doug Rogers

Harvard has a young and talented team that has shown an ability to score goals in bunches … and allow goals in bunches. It’s an early-season trend, but a trend nonetheless. The Crimson scored five straight goals in a season-opening win at Dartmouth and built a three-goal lead at Colgate. They led Cornell 3-1 late in the second period. But Colgate scored four third-period goals to win and Cornell rattled off five straight goals the following night.

“It’s great to see that we have explosive offense. I don’t think any team would complain about that, so it’s a real positive,” senior Doug Rogers said. “I think we have to get used to playing with the lead. The game changes when you have the lead, and I think we have to tighten up, start playing a little smarter and I think that comes with experience.”

The Crimson have a total of 12 freshmen and sophomores in its lineup most nights.

“We are young, but that’s not an excuse. There are areas where we need to get better. We need to be able to finish games, we need to be able to play a complete game, and we’ve got to be more comfortable in our own zone,” Harvard coach Ted Donato said.

THREE MORE THINGS WORTH KNOWING

• Quinnipiac isn’t the only team off to a strong start with a lineup laced with new faces. St. Lawrence is 5-3-1 on the year and picked up a 5-2 win at Princeton last weekend. Freshman Kyle Flanagan leads the Saints with 11 points and sophomore defenseman Peter Child has seven points. Child was on the St. Lawrence roster as a freshman, but didn’t crack the lineup on a veteran-laden defense corps.

• Colgate’s David McIntyre (finally) scored his first goal of the season in the Raiders’ eighth game of the year. His power-play marker in the first minute of the third period of last Friday’s win over Harvard ignited a four-goal outburst and Colgate rallied from a three-goal deficit to win 5-4. McIntyre added his second of the year in Saturday’s win over Dartmouth. McIntyre has contributed in other ways. He has a team-high nine assists and the Colgate team is averaging 3.11 goals per game through nine contests after averaging 2.41 goals per game last season.

• The Good: Highly-touted RPI rookies Brandon Pirri (6-4-10) and Jerry D’Amigo (3-6-9) are off to great starts for RPI in helping the Engineers to a 6-3-1 start through 10 games … The Bad: Dartmouth has been outscored 13-6 in its three games this year … The Ugly: Clarkson is 0-6-0 in six road games, and has allowed four goals or more in all six of them.