Yale and Quinnipiac are in the process of interviewing candidates for vacated assistant coaching positions. Both schools have received numerous applications, and decisions are expected within the next week or two. We'll keep you posted.

Also expecting to get the official word on recruits at both schools soon.

The Bulldogs are enrolling nine freshmen, eight of whom are known (Thomas Fallen, D; Nick Weberg, F; Anthony Day, F; Connor Wilson, G; Matt Killian, D; Alan Thompson, D; Trent Ruffolo, F; Bennett Carroccio, F). Not sure who the ninth is at the moment.

Quinnipiac has six players coming in, one of whom is ineligible until 2012, and another is in a holding pattern. Goalie John Nauta spent some time in the Quebec Major Junior League, and can't play this season. But he'll be enrolled at school and can practice with the team. Winger Zach Luczyk is the contingency plan in case Scott Zurevinski signs a pro contract. But it's expected that Zurevinski will stay and Luczyk will enroll next fall.

Here's the official release and schedule:

The Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team has announced the schedule for the upcoming 2011-12 season. The Bobcats will play five home games in the month of October, including a season-opening exhibition against Acadia at High Point Arena at the TD Bank Sports Center on Oct. 2, 2011. Quinnipiac's non-conference home schedule includes tilts against Massachusetts, Canisius, Bentley, Holy Cross as well as Nutmeg State, and former Atlantic Hockey rival, Sacred Heart for the first time in TD Bank Sports Center history.

Bobcat fans can purchase tickets by contacting the TD Bank Sports Center Ticket Office at 203-582-3905 or at the Official Website of Quinnipiac Athletics, www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com. Bobcat fans are urged to check the Bobcats' schedule as the season approaches for any schedule changes.

Following their scrimmage at home against Acadia on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m., the Bobcats will travel to Ohio State for a two-game series on Oct. 7-8. Quinnipiac swept the Buckeyes two years ago in Columbus, Ohio before splitting with Ohio State at the TD Bank Sports Center last season.
The Bobcats will them host four-straight home contests including a non-conference tilt against Holy Cross on Wed., Oct. 12 at 7 p.m., followed by a two-game set against Canisius on Oct. 15-16 as part of Quinnipiac's Parent's Weekend. Saturday's game is set for a 4 p.m. start while Sunday's will be played at 1 p.m. The Bobcats then host Bentley on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.

Quinnipiac hits the road to close-out October and open November with a two-game series at Robert Morris on Oct. 21-22 followed an ECAC Hockey match-up at Princeton on Tues., Nov. 1.

They will then head North to face Dartmouth on Nov. 4 and Harvard on Nov. 5. Quinnipiac returns home on Nov. 11-12 with games against Clarkson and St. Lawrence, respectively, with Saturday's game against the Saints scheduled for 4 p.m. Nov. 18-19 finds Quinnipiac at Colgate and Cornell, respectively, before closing out November at home on Saturday, Nov. 26 against UMass at 4 p.m.

December will feature four home games, with Union and Rensselaer coming to High Point Arena on Dec. 2-3 followed by Sacred Heart on Friday, Dec. 9 and Princeton on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. The Bobcats close-out 2011 with games at Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 30-31.

The Bobcats open the New Year at Yale on Jan. 6 and at Brown on Jan. 7 before returning to their home ice on Jan. 13-14 to host Cornell and Colgate. Saturday's game against Colgate is slated for a 4 p.m. start. After a two-weak break, the Bobcats resume ECAC Hockey play against Harvard and Dartmouth on Feb. 3-4 at High Point Arena.

The Bobcats close-out the 2011-12 season with four straight road games in February with trips to St. Lawrence and Clarkson on Feb. 10-11 and Rensselaer and Union on Feb. 17-18. The Bobcats will return home for a Senior Day match-up against Brown on Friday, Feb. 24 and the 10th Annual Heroes Hat game against Yale on Saturday, Feb. 25.

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
Sun., Oct. 2, 2011 Acadia (Ex.) TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 4:00 PM
Fri., Oct. 7, 2011 @ Ohio State at Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio 7:00 PM
Sat., Oct. 8, 2011 @ Ohio State at Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio 7:00 PM
Wed, Oct. 12, 2011 Holy Cross TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Fri., Oct. 14, 2011 Bobcat Madness TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Sat., Oct. 15, 2011 Canisius TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. (Parent's Weekend) 4:00 PM
Sun., Oct. 16, 2011 Canisius TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. (Parent's Weekend) 1:00 PM
Tues., Oct. 18, 2011 Bentley TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Fri., Oct. 21, 2011 @ RMU RMU Island Sports Center, Pittsburgh, Pa. 7:00 PM
Sat., Oct. 22, 2011 @ RMU RMU Island Sports Center, Pittsburgh, Pa. 7:00 PM
Tue, Nov. 1, 2011 @ Princeton at Hobey Baker Rink, Princeton, N.J. 7:00 PM
Fri., Nov. 4, 2011 @ Dartmouth at Thompson Arena, Hanover, N.H. 7:00 PM
Sat., Nov. 5, 2011 @ Harvard at Bright Center, Cambridge, Mass. 7:00 PM
Fri., Nov. 11, 2011 Clarkson TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Sat., Nov. 12, 2011 St. Lawrence TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 4:00 PM
Fri., Nov. 18, 2011 @ Colgate at Starr Rink, Hamilton, N.Y. 7:00 PM
Sat., Nov. 19, 2011 @ Cornell at Lynah Rink, Ithaca, N.Y. 7:00 PM
Sat., Nov. 26, 2011 Massachusetts TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 4:00 PM
Fri., Dec. 2, 2011 Union TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Sat., Dec. 3, 2011 Rensselaer TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Fri., Dec. 9, 2011 Sacred Heart TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Sun., Dec. 11, 2011 Princeton TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 12:00 PM
Fri., Dec. 30, 2011 @ Nebraska-Omaha at Qwest Center, Omaha, Neb. 8:00 PM
Sat., Dec. 31, 2011 @ Nebraska-Omaha at Qwest Center, Omaha, Neb. 3:00 PM
Fri., Jan. 6, 2012 @ Yale at Ingalls Rink, New Haven, Conn. 7:00 PM
Sat., Jan. 7, 2012 @ Brown at Meehan Auditorium, Providence, R.I. 7:00 PM
Fri., Jan. 13, 2012 Cornell TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Sat., Jan. 14, 2012 Colgate TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. (Skate with the Bobcats)4:00 PM
Fri., Feb. 3, 2012 Harvard TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Sat., Feb. 4, 2012 Dartmouth TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. 7:00 PM
Fri., Feb. 10, 2012 @ St. Lawrence at Appleton Arena, Canton, N.Y. 7:00 PM
Sat., Feb. 11, 2012 @ Clarkson at Cheel Arena, Potsdam, N.Y. 4:00 PM
Fri., Feb. 17, 2012 @ Rensselaer at Houston Field House, Troy, N.Y. 7:00 PM
Sat., Feb. 18, 2012 @ Union at Messa Rink, Schenectady, N.Y. 7:00 PM
Fri., Feb. 24, 2012 Brown TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. (Senior Day) 7:00 PM
Sat., Feb. 25, 2012 Yale TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn. (10th Annual Heroes Hat) 7:00 PM
Fri., Mar. 2-4, 2012 ECAC Hockey 1st Round @ Highest Seed 7:00 PM

Fri., Mar. 9-11, 2012 ECAC Hockey Quarter Finals @ Highest Seed 7:00 PM
Fri., Mar. 16, 2012 ECAC Hockey Semi - Finals at Atlantic City 7:00 PM
Sat., Mar. 17, 2012 ECAC Hockey Championship at Atlantic City 7:00 PM

Bold – Home Game
* - ECAC Hockey League Game

Matt Peca, a forward who helped his Pembroke team to the prestigious Royal Cup championship this winter, was selected in the seventh round (201st overall) by Tampa Bay. Peca, who had 72 points during his junior season and made the all-tournament team at the Royal Bank Cup, will join Quinnipiac this fall.

Colin Sullivan, a defenseman from Milford scheduled to enroll at Yale in 2012, was taken by Montreal in the seventh round of the NHL Draft. He was the 198th player selected. Sullivan, who played at Fairfield Prep for two years, will be a senior at Avon Old Farms in the fall.

Josh Manson, a defenseman for Salmon Arm in the British Columbia Hockey League, was taken in the sixth round by Anaheim. Manson, 19, is 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds and scheduled to enroll at Quinnipiac in 2012. He had 12 goals and 35 assists this winter, and is the son of ex-NHL player Dave Manson.

Rob O'Gara, a Yale recruit scheduled to enroll in the fall of 2012, went to the Boston Bruins as the final selection of the fifth round of the NHL Draft. O'Gara is a defenseman at Milton (Mass.) Academy.

Ben Syer, as assistant at Quinnipiac the past eight seasons, was hired as an assistant at Cornell by Big Red coach Mike Schafer. Syer will fill the vacancy left when Cornell assistant Casey Jones took the head position at Clarkson.

Syer is well-liked around the ECAC and, much like former Yale assistant Kyle Wallack, considered an outstanding recruiter. Wallack, of course, left a couple of weeks ago for a head coaching position in the United States Hockey League. So add Quinnipiac to the list of team's looking for an assistant.

Yale's Kenny Agostino, coming off an impressive freshman season, was one of 40 players invited by USA Hockey to attend its evaluation camp for the Junior National team this August in Lake Placid, N.Y.

It's an audition for a spot on the U.S. entry into the annual World Junior Championships, to be held in late Deember and early January in Alberta, Canada. Nebraska-Omaha coach Dean Blais will coach the U.S. this year. Former Yale coach Tim Taylor is once again serving as the director of player development.

Here's the full list of invitees:

Kyle Wallack, associate head coach at Yale the last two seasons and a key figure as the team's recruiting coordinator, is leaving to become head coach and general manager of the USHL's Indiana Ice.

It's a blow for Yale, but a great opportunity for Wallack, who aspires to be a college or pro head coach. He told me today he's happy in New Haven, and had no reason to leave other than to pursue his career goals.

"Being a head coach and GM should open more doors," Wallack said. "I'd love nothing more to come back to Yale in 15 years as the head coach."

Wallack, outgoing and funny, was a major asset as a recruiter and well-liked, if not loved, in the locker room. He said he's spent much of the last two days contacting players and recruits to update the situation. His deal with Indiana is for three years.