There was media availability today at Quinnipiac in anticipation of this weekend's series with UMass-Lowell. A few notes and quotes:

• The series, and home-and-away that begins Friday night in Lowell, lost a bit of luster. Sacred Heart stunned UML last weekend, and the RiverHawks dropped from No. 1 in the nation to ninth. Quinnipiac's loss at Alaska-Anchorage sent it from 10th to 14th. So, while technically no longer a match-up of top 10 schools, these are still two talented teams coming off Frozen Four berths.
• I've heard conflicting reports about whether Quinnipiac will raise its Frozen Four banner on Saturday night. There will be a meeting Wednesday to make a final determination. The new scoreboards still aren't a full-go, and the video board may not be ready in time for puck drop.
• The home-and-away contract with UMass Lowell is a two-year deal, so the team's will do it again next season. Rand Pecknold is working on extending the agreement.
• The trip to Alaska is taxing on a body. I woke up at 3:15 a.m. (Alaska time) to catch a 5:45 a.m. flight. After a three-hour layover in Minneapolis, I was at LaGuardia by 9 p.m. and home just before 11. Quinnipiac took the red-eye after its Saturday win over Alaska Fairbanks, leaving at 11:45 p.m., through Denver, and reaching LaGuardia at 2:20 p.m. before a bus ride back to Hamden. The team had a light, 75-minute practice Monday to refresh before a full practice Tuesday. "We didn't get to sleep in a bed Saturday night, we were on the plane," Quinnipiac captain Cory Hibbeler said. "So it was a good way to shake off the jet lag. We were tired (Monday) but we looked pretty sharp."
• Rand Pecknold, channeling his inner Paul Pasqualoni, referred to the Bobcats' freshman class as "a work in progress." The young players are talented and smart, but at times looked completely lost in Alaska. "They still have to learn to play at this level," Pecknold said.

Yale, it was just announced, plans to have media availability on Thursday. I'll be there.