HAMDEN, Conn. — After turning a one-goal deficit into a three-goal lead in under 13 minutes in the third period, the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team rallied to a 4-1 win over Providence Friday evening.
Held scoreless through the first 45 minutes of play, four different Bobcats netted goals in the final frame to beat the Friars in Hamden for the first time since 2017.
The undefeated No. 8 Bobcats seemed poised to dominate the winless Friars from the get-go. But two things stood in their way: a slow start and a hot Providence goaltender.
At one point in the first period, the Bobcats went more than six minutes without recording a shot.
Amid the Bobcats’ early offensive struggles, Friars freshman forward Audrey Knapp went bar-down on a shot from the low slot roughly ten minutes into the first period to score Providence’s first and only goal of the game, as well as the only goal for the next half-hour.
The scoreless second period wasn’t for lack of trying — Quinnipiac put nearly twice as many shots on Providence senior goaltender Mireille Kingsley in the second frame.
But it still wasn’t until five minutes into the third period that the tables finally turned in the Bobcats’ favor.
With just over 15 minutes remaining in the final period, graduate student winger and Boston University transfer Julia Nearis tucked a pass from sophomore defender Zoe Uens behind the Providence netminder to tie the game at one.
Senior forward — and apparent sharpshooter — Nina Steigauf put the puck top-shelf on an awkward-angle shot from the bottom of the circle to put the Bobcats up 2-1 with less than nine minutes to play.
Why take the odd-angle shot? According to her, it was simply because she was starting to get tired.
“I had the puck at the goal line, and I saw no one was coming at me,” Steigauf said after the game. “I was quite tired, so I just decided to throw it on net, and it hit the corner I wanted it to.”
Graduate student center Jess Schryver found the back of the net less than 45 seconds later, extending the Bobcats’ lead to two.
Fellow graduate student center Sadie Peart sealed the Bobcats’ 4-1 victory — and her 100th career point — with an empty-netter roughly five minutes later.
“Honestly, I think the support from the team has been surreal,” Peart, one of the team’s captains, said when asked about the milestone. “It’s a lot to take in, but I’m really grateful for the team that I have.”
Immediately after seeing Peart’s shot hit the open net, Steigauf went to retrieve the puck.
“For her to set such a milestone in her career — it’s just exciting to be a part of,” Steigauf said. “I just wanted to get that puck for her because it means a lot to not only her but the team as well.”
Head coach Cass Turner said Steigauf’s reaction showed “just how well-respected” Peart is among her teammates.
But Peart wasn’t the only player who marked a major career milestone in Friday’s game — she wasn’t even the only player to celebrate a 100th milestone.
The matchup in which Peart scored her 100th point also happened to be puck-retriever Steigauf’s 100th career game. Evidently, she didn’t find that out until the post-game press conference, though.
“I didn’t even know that I had played in 100 games tonight,” Steigauf said with a laugh. “That’s cool. I mean, it’s awesome to be a part of such a great program that supports you.”
Despite Quinnipiac’s admittedly slow start Friday night, Turner was nothing but complimentary of the Bobcats’ third-period performance.
“We figured some things out through the first two periods,” Turner said. “We’re happy with how our team adjusted today.”
The Bobcats’ wild four-goal campaign closed out the first leg of the team’s home-and-home series against the Friars. The puck drops in Providence at 3 p.m. Saturday.
