With the remaining of the season being all conference games, the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team started its remaining schedule facing off against the No. 5 team in the country, the Clarkson Golden Knights. In a back and forth intense game, Quinnipiac fell to its conference rivals 3-2 on Friday night.

Clarkson (21-5-1 overall, 12-3 ECAC Hockey) managed to edge out Quinnipiac (9-15-3 overall, 6-8-1 ECAC Hockey) with the help from its scoring leader, senior forward Loren Gabel who picked up a hat trick this game. Clarkson continues its dominance as it picked up its seventh straight win which is currently the most in NCAA women’s hockey.  

[media-credit id=2177 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]“I’m really proud of our hockey team today,” Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner said. “We keep getting better and better and we just showed so much heart and grit and played well with the puck… And we have to stay on course because the course is putting us in a great position right now.”

Quinnipiac got the scoring started with a goal 15 seconds in the first period, goal scored by senior center Randi Marcon picking up her third goal of the season. But shortly after the great offensive pressure Quinnipiac was displaying, Clarkson came rushing down the ice and quickly tied the game up at 1-1. Gabel found the back of the net for her 26th goal this season, assisted by her line mate, sophomore forward Elizabeth Giguere. By the end of the first period the game was tied up at one and the shots were in favor for Clarkson 10-7.

Then just seven seconds into the second period, Gabel passed through the defense with ease to pick up her second goal of the game and take the lead at 2-1. Quinnipiac then had a quick response of its own, tying the game at 2-2 three minutes later on the powerplay courtesy of freshman Lexie Adzija. Quinnipiac had a second period push by out shooting Clarkson 11-8 in the period.

At the start of the third period, Clarkson’s top line struck again in the third period, scoring to take the lead at 3-2 just 27 seconds into the third. It was Gabel, who capped off the hat trick with the goal. Quinnipiac would start firing shots left and right, none of which found the back of the net, out shooting Clarkson in the third 16-7. By the end of the game, Quinnipiac had 34 shots on net with 14 of them being on the power play.    

“I thought our defense was unreal, I thought we played great.” Quinnipiac’s junior goaltender Abbie Ives on her team’s performance.

Clarkson was held to two shots on its only power play opportunity of the game. And only let off a maximum 10 shots in a single period.

“We’re starting to expect to win, we’re starting to believe we can win,” Turner said. “Starting from the beginning of the game and for us to bounce back like that and that showed the strength of character of our group.”

Quinnipiac’s next game is on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. as it looks to take down St. Lawrence in an ECAC Hockey showdown home in Hamden.