Quinnipiac University Men's Ice Hockey

Rand Pecknold just finished his 31st season at the helm of the Quinnipiac men's ice hockey program in 2024-25 after being hired to the position on May 5, 199...

Brijesh Patel joined Quinnipiac University in August 2008 as the athletic department's Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. Patel previously held the title of Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. Patel primarily works with the men's and women's basketball and ice hockey teams at Quinnipiac, but also oversees the strength and conditioning development for all 21 varsity sports at Quinnipiac. He was named 2024 NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, as announced by the The National Strength and Conditioning Association. The award annually recognizes the best Strength and Conditioning coaches in collegiate athletics around the country. Patel was also nominated for the National Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award in both 2016 and 2018. Since joining the Bobcats staff, Patel has enhanced the strength and conditioning program at Quinnipiac University behind his philosophy of "year-round preparation." Patel spearheads a department where each student-athlete is given his or her own individualized program that is designed to improve movement skills, core strength, power, speed, strength, balance and flexibility. Patel graduated with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology in 2002 and a master's degree in sport management in 2004 from the University of Connecticut.

Boon joined the Quinnipiac Athletic Department in September 2022 after four years at Stony Brook University. He currently heads up the creative content department and social media efforts for the Bobcats, as well as serving as the sports information contact for men's ice hockey, men's and women's cross country/track and field, women's lacrosse and acrobatics and tumbling. In Boon's first year, he helped revamp the social media presence for the school's 21 programs, bringing an influx of photo/video content to the team's channels, websites and helping to enhance the gameday experience. It also helped give fans a deeper connection and in-depth look at the student-athletes, coaches and staff that make up Quinnipiac Athletics. His first season was highlighted by the 2023 men's ice hockey national championship run, in which the team culminated a historic 34-4-3 season with the program's first NCAA title in their third trip to the Frozen Four in 10 years. Boon was in charge of spearheading the content and media efforts that saw the Bobcats featured on ESPN's SportsCenter on multiple occasions, including an in-depth interview with head coach Rand Pecknold, a full-feature interview on the popular hockey podcast Spittin' Chiclets and trips to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park and join President Joe Biden at the White House. Before joining Quinnipiac, Boon served as the men's basketball, women's soccer, women's lacrosse and baseball contacts at his alma mater, Stony Brook Univer

Rand, Joe, and Justin, and I look forward to learning from them and continuing upon all the success that they have had." Sommer joins the Bobcats with a standout resume at Holy Cross, most recently helping Holy Cross to its first AHA Regular Season title since 2006. The squad also appeared in a pair of AHA title games, also their first two since the 2006 season. He mentored at least one player in all three recruiting classes to the AHA All-Rookie team and coached a total of 21 players to the All-Atlantic Hockey teams, including a two-time AHA Scoring Champion, AHA Player of the Year and Hobey Baker finalist.The teams' special teams also thrived under Sommer, with the penalty kill finishing top in the nation at 91 percent and the power play finishing ninth in the country at 25 percent.

Dan Smith was named Quinnipiac’s Head Athletic Trainer in May 2023. Smith oversees the 11 fulltime staff members while also over seeing the the day-to-day ca...

Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer, journalist, nutrition and fitness consultant and author of 9 cookbooks. Dana is the sports dietitian and associate clinical professor of Athletic Training and Sports Medicine at Quinnipiac University. She has been practicing as a dual credentialed certified athletic trainer and registered dietitian for nearly 20 years. She is a member of the USOC Sports Dietitian Registry and National Athletic Trainers' Association liaison to the Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness nutrition subgroup of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dana is the nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com and has served on advisory boards for Verywell, Greatist, Applegate, Chobani and has worked as a spokesperson for Gatorade, National Honey Board, National Mango Board and Cooking Light Magazine. She has made appearances on Good Day Street Talk, Food Network.com, Access Hollywood, ABC Nightly News, NBC Connecticut, GMA Health, New York Live and Better Connecticut. Dana's work has been featured on Food Network.com, Verywell.com, Cooking Light.com, Today's Dietitian, SHAPE, SEVENTEEN, Prevention, Muscle & Fitness, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Maxim. Dana earned her master's degree in nutrition education from Teachers' College-Columbia University and bachelor's degree in Sports Medicine from Quinnipiac.

Devin Markle, Psy.D., M.Ed joined the Quinnipiac Athletic department in the fall of 2021 as the Clinical Sports Psychology Coach. She is responsible for all of the athletic programs and works to create individual, team and coaches workshops related to sports psychology. Markle comes to Quinnipiac with over seven years of experience with working with all athletes, ranging from professional to youth. She most recently was a psychological assistant for the Fulton Psychological Group where she specialized in working with 4 to 18 year olds, counseling for mental health concerns as well as performance psychology. In 2018, she started her own private practice which specialized in helping athletes and business people to reach their highest level of performance. From August 2015 to 2018, Markle served as the Co-Director of Mindset Development at the Mamba Sports Academy. She was responsible for training athletes of all ages and levels and implementing mental skills training with individuals. In addition, she helped design the NBA and NFL Pre-Draft Training Program while working with the Mamba Sports Academy. Markle earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and English at the University of Vermont in 2010. She then went on to earn her Master's in Education in Counseling and Sport Psychology from Boston University in 2013. By 2020, Markle had also earned her PsyD in Clinical Psychology from California Southern University.

Former Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey captain Joe Dumais ’06 finished his ninth season as the Bobcats' associate head coach in 2024-25. Since Dumais assumed the role, Quinnipiac has recorded 220 wins with Dumais on the staff, including the 2023 National Championship and each of the last five Cleary Cups. They have also qualified for each of the last six NCAA Tournaments. Quinnipiac led the nation at the faceoff dot, winning 55.2 percent of draws and were again a prolific special teams unit, ranking second on the power play (29.3 percent) and third on the penalty kill (87.7 percent). During that 2023-24 campaign, the Bobcats again were one of the most prolific teams at the faceoff dot, winning 55 percent of draws, a mark good for tops in the ECAC and third in the country. They also posted the fourth-highest scoring offense in the country, potting 4.10 per contest. This attack was led by San Jose Sharks signee Collin Graf, who earned Hobey Baker Top 10 accolades for the second consecutive season as once again one of the top players in college hockey. He was sixth in the country in goals per game and eighth in points per contest. Overall, Quinnipiac has won six of the seven five Cleary Cups as ECAC Hockey Regular Season Champions. He was a key component of the Bobcats’ title run, engineering the faceoff play that helped clinch the program’s first national championship. Under his guidance in 2022-23, the Bobcats had the second-highest success rate at the faceoff dot during their tit

Justin Eddy ’04 enters his eighth season as the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey goaltending coach, and tenth overall, when the 2025-26 season begins in October. ...

Lori Onofrio has served as men's and women's ice hockey secretary since 2007 after previously serving as a secretary in Quinnipiac's alumni and development office, beginning in 2004. In her previous role, Onofrio was involved in parent relations, as well as alumni engagement and various day-to-day clerical responsibilities. Before joining Quinnipiac in 2004, she was a medical assistant at Cardiology Associates of New Haven. A native of Hamden, Connecticut, Onofrio attended Quinnipiac from 1973 through 1975 before attending Stone School of Business in New Haven, Connecticut. Onofrio has two sons, Bill and Michael, and one daughter, Cherie, as well as five grandchildren. She currently resides in Hamden with her husband Bill, the deputy chief of police in Hamden.

Mike LaZazzera is a veteran hockey coach whose career spans multiple decades, guiding players at every level of the game—from aspiring youth prospects to NHL professionals. Known for his ability to blend technical instruction with mental performance training, Mike has held leadership roles in some of the sport’s most competitive environments, including the NHL, AHL, ECHL, OHL, USHL, NCAA, and premier junior leagues. His diverse coaching journey includes serving as Video Coach for the New York Islanders, Assistant Coach for the Portland Pirates (AHL), Assistant Coach for the University of Maine (Hockey East/D1), Assistant Coach for the Plymouth Whalers (OHL) and Head Coach/General Manager for the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL). He has been behind the bench for multiple Kelly Cup Finals appearances in the ECHL and has also played a key role in player development for Quinnipiac University. Mike’s expertise extends well beyond X’s and O’s—he is a sought-after skating and skills coach as well as a video development coach who has worked with amateur and professional players on fine-tuning their game, building mental resilience, and achieving peak performance. His passion for player development is matched by a commitment to fostering a winning culture, where accountability, preparation, energy, and a growth mindset drive success. Academically, Mike holds a Master’s degree in Athletic Counseling and has completed PhD’s (ABD) in both Sport & Exercise Psychology and Leadership. His uni

From the worst in DIII to DI National Champions 🏆 The story of Rand Pecknold & Quinnipiac | Game OnFrom the worst in DIII to DI National Champions 🏆 The story of Rand Pecknold & Quinnipiac | Game On Tuesday, March 31