This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed, limited-edition bobblehead commemorating Quinnipiac University’s 2023 Men’s Hockey Division I National Championship. The bobblehead features Quinnipiac’s mascot, Boomer the Bobcat, and celebrates the hockey team’s first national championship. The release comes ahead of Quinnipiac’s two home games against New Hampshire this weekend before conference play starts next week. The special edition bobblehead is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of Quinnipiac University.
Wearing a gold No. 00 Quinnipiac jersey with his name on the back, the bobblehead features Boomer the Bobcat giving the No. 1 signal with his right hand and holding a hockey stick with his left hand. Boomer is standing on a blue and gold base which reads: “2023 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey National Champions” along with the Quinnipiac logo.
Each bobblehead is individually numbered to only 2,023 to commemorate the championship season. The bobbleheads are now available for pre-order exclusively through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in February, are $40 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
Under 29th-year head coach Rand Pecknold, the winningest active NCAA Division 1 coach, Quinnipiac capped a season to remember with a 3-2 overtime victory over Minnesota in the 2023 NCAA Division I title contest on April 8th at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Trailing 2-0 in the second period, the Bobcats scored three unanswered goals with Jacob Quillan netting the game winner just 10 seconds into overtime. It was the quickest overtime goal in championship game history. The sophomore was named the Most Outstanding Player after scoring five goals in the tournament. Quinnipiac captain Zach Metsa assisted on all three goals, while Sam Lipkin had two assists. Collin Graf’s goal tied the game with 2:47 left in the third period. Cristophe Tellier got Quinnipiac on the board in the second period.
Making its third trip to the Frozen Four since 2013, Quinnipiac, the No. 2 overall seed, advanced to the title game for the third time in that span with a 5-2 semifinal victory over Michigan. Quillan scored the team’s first two goals and assisted on the third. Lipkin, Metsa and Ethan de Jong also scored goals, while Yaniv Perets had 29 saves. In its 25th season playing at the NCAA Division I level (47th overall), Quinnipiac finished with a record of 34-4-3, including 20-2 in conference play. The 34 victories were the most in program history.
“Bobbleheads are the ultimate way to celebrate a championship season, and we’re excited to be unveiling this bobblehead celebrating Quinnipiac’s remarkable 2023 Hockey National Championship,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “This bobblehead will be a must-have for Quinnipiac alumni, students, faculty, staff, and fans and a treasured keepsake.”