HAMDEN, Conn. – On Friday evening, No. 9 Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey got back in the win column, besting Dartmouth 3-2. The victory marked head coach Cass Turner’s 100th ECAC Hockey win.
The win also extends Quinnipiac’s winning streak against Dartmouth to five years to the day, with the Big Green last claiming victory on November 3, 2018.
Entering the game both teams were on a two-game losing streak. The Bobcats lost to then-No. 8 Clarkson and then-No. 10 St. Lawrence last week, while the Big Green fell to Brown and No. 6 Yale.
“In practice this week, we focused a lot on the little details that were going to find us a win today,” junior defender Mia Lopata said. “We can’t get ahead of ourselves. Just take it one shift at a time.”
As puck drop approached, there were two notable absences on the Bobcats’ bench. Graduate student forward Jess Schryver and sophomore forward Emerson Jarvis were not dressed for the game.
The absence of Schryver and Jarvis forced Turner to make a few adjustments, having senior forward Nina Steingauf move to center and fellow senior forward Sophie Urban act as a flex player going between offense and defense.
“I think Nina really adjusted at center … she did what she needed to do,” Turner said.
The first period started off slow for both teams as they felt one another out.
Just over five minutes into the period, the Bobcats had their first threatening chance in the offensive zone. After intercepting an errant Dartmouth pass, Steigauf and graduate student Julia Nearis sped into the offensive zone.
Off a pass from Steigauf, Nearis let off a wrist shot. However, Big Green freshman goaltender Eleanor Rogers stretched out her right pad and knocked the puck into the corner.
Bobcats fans became concerned the team was heading for a repeat of last weekend where they kept finding themselves in the penalty box, as the team was called for too many players on the ice halfway through the period. Ultimately the team’s penalty-killing unit did its job as play returned to five-on-five.
With just over seven minutes left in the first period, Lopata netted her first career collegiate goal, beating Rogers blocker side and putting the team up 1-0.
“We’re at our best when our defense is active on the offensive blue line,” Turner said.
A shot in the closing seconds of the period by Quinnipiac sophomore forward Madison Chantler almost gave the team a two-goal lead, but the puck bounced off the knob of Rogers’ stick.
The second period got off to a shaky start for the Bobcats. Not even a minute into the period, while going behind the net to handle a puck, Bobcats graduate student goaltender Logan Angers fell, leaving the net wide open. Thankfully for Angers and company, the Big Green were in the middle of a line change.
Moments later senior forward Kate Villeneuve was assessed a slashing minor. She was only in the penalty box for 12 seconds before Dartmouth senior forward Jenna Donohue sent a shot through the five-hole of Angers to even the score.
With just over seven minutes elapsed in the period Dartmouth sophomore defender Maura Fiorenza was assessed a hooking minor. Fiorenza had a longer stay in the box than Villeneuve but the result was the same.
Deflecting a shot from freshman forward Kahlen Lamarche, graduate student forward and co-captain Sadie Peart scored 52 seconds into the power play, giving the Bobcats a 2-1 lead.
Then 56 seconds before the intermission, a shot from Big Green junior forward Laura Fuoco that had Angers going for a glove save was redirected by junior defender Kenzie Bachelor, finding the back of the net and sending the teams into their locker rooms tied 2-2.
The third period quickly turned into a battle of goaltenders: Angers vs Rogers.
Quinnipiac was given a golden opportunity to seal the win with four minutes remaining in the period. Dartmouth sophomore forward Cally Dixon was sent to the box for interference.
While Rogers had held off the Quinnipiac assault the entire period, it was senior defender and alternate captain Kendall Cooper firing a shot into the top right corner of the net with just under three minutes in the game that put the Bobcats up 3-2.
Quinnipiac was able to hold on and as the final horn sounded, collected its ninth win of the season to move to 9-2-0.
The team will be back in action tomorrow at 3 p.m. as it faces off against Harvard at home.
