With the postseason looming, Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey seeks revenge in ECAC Hockey, looking to punch its ticket back to the NCAA tournament after narrowly missing the threshold last March.
Finishing the season with a record of 11-8-3 in the conference (20-10-4 overall), the Bobcats placed No. 5 in the ECAC — arguably the most competitive conference in women’s college hockey.
The ECAC is stacked with highly nationally ranked teams like Cornell which is ranked No. 3, Colgate which is No. 5 and St. Lawrence which is ranked No. 8.
After struggling up north against St. Lawrence and Clarkson on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8 respectively, the Bobcats closed their regular season by defeating RPI 7-1 and Union 3-1 to secure their spot in the top five, just missing a first-round bye.
“I think that it was a good weekend, and good information for us in areas that we can keep getting better with that are going to help us like we want to win a championship,” head coach Cass Turner told ESPN+ after losing to St Lawrence on Feb. 7. “We’re going to continue to dive in and stay in the fight and be in a position where you look to figure our best hockey at the end of the season.”
During the regular season, the Bobcats have been figuring out their best hockey utilizing their quick decision-making, speed and grit to excel offensively and defensively throughout the season.
Offensively, Quinnipiac has outscored its opponents 90-46 this season, with a .520 faceoff percentage. Quinnipiac has also outscored its opponents 15-8 on the power play, showing its strong man-advantage and penalty kill lines.
“I think it’s just the consistency, practicing your little things, the skills that you do in practice, and then building that confidence and doing it into the games,” graduate student defender Kendall Cooper told ESPN+ on Feb. 14.
These lines are composed of many of Quinnipiac’s veteran athletes, who have helped the program excel this season.
Cooper has proved to be an asset for the Bobcats this season, recording seven goals and 18 assists, totaling 25 points. Cooper’s way of seeing the ice excels her game beyond others, being able to make the right play at the right time.
“She’s such a humble person and a humble player that she’s really started to do more on the ice, because she started to realize what she’s truly capable of and what she can create,” Turner told ESPN+ on Feb. 14. “And I think that really took her getting outside her comfort zone to see that and pushing to be confident to make those plays.”
Quinnipiac is set to play Harvard in a single elimination matchup in the ECAC Hockey Opening Round. Quinnipiac played Harvard to open the playoffs last year, beating it 9-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Bobcats have had success against the Crimson this season, winning both matchups during the regular season. Cooper played a key role in both, scoring the game-winning goals.
“I will say I think my offensive ability has grown a lot more, and that also just comes with trusting my teammates,” Cooper told ESPN+.
Graduate student forward Maddy Samoskevich has also been a standout player for the Bobcats this season. After playing her first four years at Quinnipiac as a defender, Samoskevich switched it up for her last year, opting to play as a forward — a position that has suited her this season.
“I think just her ability to win face-offs tells you a lot about her personality,” Turner told ESPN+ “She’d never taken a face-off before this year, and now she’s one of our absolute best at taking draws and figured out a completely new skill.”
On the season, Samoskevich has recorded eight goals and 12 assists, totaling 20 points. Of Samoskevich’s eight goals, five off the power play, demonstrating her importance for the Bobcats on the power play.
Offensively, senior forward Maya Labad has stepped up her game, recording 13 goals and eight assists for the Bobcats while appearing in all 34 games. Labad recorded her first career hat-trick against Syracuse, earning a natural hat-trick with two goals coming off the power play.
“She plays the game fast and we really like her game over the last few weeks, playing with (junior forward) Tessa Holk and (junior forward)Emerson Jarvis,” Turner said to ESPN+. “She’s at her best when she gets to play the game fast. And she has a knack around the net.”
In both regular season matches against Harvard, Quinnipiac came out on top — but only by a goal difference. Despite being statistically better than the Crimson, based on previous matchups, the Bobcats can not take this game for granted.
Puck drop against Harvard on Feb. 22 is set for 2:30 p.m.
