Athlete of the Week: Kelly Babstock

Athlete of the Week: Kelly Babstock

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

It’s easy to forget that she’s only a sophomore and still has two more seasons with the Bobcats.  In spite of this, Kelly Babstock’s (Mississauga, Ontario) offensive prowess has already captured attention within ECAC Hockey.  Most recently, Babstock put together a five-goal weekend, providing more than enough tallies for her to lead all Bobcats, past and present, as the program’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Babstock sat two goals away from history for over a month, going on an unusually quiet stretch after scoring against Harvard on Jan. 7.  Being silenced for the first two periods of Feb. 17’s game against Union was what it took for Babstock to unleash her skill as a scorer. 

In a matter of one minute and 12-seconds, Babstock managed to put the puck in the back of the net – twice.  Both scores came on the team’s solid power play.

“We rely on her, and I know she’s been frustrated,” head coach Rick Seeley said after the game.  “Hopefully this eases that pressure a bit, and she plays her own game.”

The following day Babstock confirmed Seeley’s hope that she was back in her groove with her first hat-trick of the season against RPI. 

The three goals came in all variations.  The first on a power play, the second was unassisted and the third as an empty netter. 

With the Babstock fueled offensive surge, the Bobcats took both games on the weekend.  The correlation of a Quinnipiac win and a Babstock score is undeniable.  In the games in which Babstock was held goalless, the team suffered a 2-6 overall record with only one win coming in conference play.  In this time, the Bobcats suffered a season-long five-game losing streak.

With the two-game set and history in the books, Babstock tally reached 47 career goals.  On the season, she has notched 17 goals and 36 points in just 33 games played.