National Champion Quinnipiac Hockey Team Invited To White House

HAMDEN, CT — The national champion Quinnipiac University men’s hockey team has been invited to the White House by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, the school announced Wednesday.

Quinnipiac will be among the NCAA men’s and women’s national championship teams being recognized as part of “College Athlete Day.” The teams will be honored on the South Lawn of the White House at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, June 12.

“Championship teams being honored at the White House is one of the great traditions in our sports culture, and we are very excited to be invited,” Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold said in a news release. “We embraced the grind from day one and our players and staff continue to be rewarded for it. I can't wait to be part of yet another once-in-a-lifetime experience with our Bobcat family.”

Quinnipiac won its first NCAA Division I title on April 8 after beating Minnesota 3-2 in overtime at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

“We're delighted that our championship team will have the honor of visiting with President Biden at the White House, an occasion that will add to the indelible memories of the win for the coaches and the student-athletes,” Quinnipiac University President Judy Olian said. “We are most grateful to the governor, and to our Congressional delegation for advocating for this visit after a season that has brought so much pride to the Bobcat community, and to the entire state of Connecticut.”

The Bobcats' historic 2022-23 campaign ended in thrilling fashion with Jacob Quillan scoring 10 seconds into overtime as Quinnipiac erased a 2-0 deficit against the top-seeded Gophers en route to the program's first national championship.

Quinnipiac won a program-record 34 games and earned its third trip to the Frozen Four in the last 10 seasons. The Bobcats were led by First Team All-American Collin Graf, who tied the Division I program record with 59 points on the season, scoring 21 goals and dishing 38 assists.

Yaniv Perets and Zach Metsa also earned All-American status, with the two being selected to the Second Team. Each of them signed professional contracts after the season, with Perets inking a deal with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and Metsa signing with the AHL's Rochester Americans.

This latest honor at the White House continues the national championship celebration that has included events at Fenway Park before a Boston Red Sox game, ringing the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange, and earning celebratory mentions at the Connecticut State House as well as a visit to Gov. Ned Lamont's office.