HAMDEN — Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey punched its ticket to the ECAC Quarterfinals, besting the Harvard Crimson in its final home game of the year Saturday afternoon 2-0.
Eight minutes into the contest, senior forward Maya Labad opened up the scoring with a shot through the legs of Harvard year goaltender Emily Davidson, assisted by first-year defensemen Makayla Watson and junior forward Emerson Jarvis. It was her 14th on the year, as Labad leads all Bobcats in scoring this season.
Thirteen minutes later, Labad returned the favor, setting up Watson to sneak in the Bobcats’ second and final goal of the night. Davidson salvaged her performance, saving the next 22 Quinnipiac shots, including some fancy work with the glove.
In its first two matchups against Harvard, Quinnipiac did not score at all in the first period. This game was to put it plainly, the opposite.
“Getting two (in the first period) I think was huge,” Quinnipiac head coach Cass Turner said. “I thought we played from a place of confidence after that, which was great.”
The Bobcats had a chance to tack on late, receiving three power play chances in the third period, including a five-on-three matchup.
However, Harvard killed all three penalties.
Quinnipiac graduate goaltender Kaley Doyle was more than solid, saving all 26 Crimson shots, her third highest save total this season. Doyle also earned her eighth shutout on the season, and 14th of her career.
“It’s obviously like a testament to our team,” Doyle said. “I think we might have faced more shots than usual, but if you’re looking at where they’re coming from, they’re mostly from the outside.”
“I think we do a really good job of keeping pucks, one, where I can see, and two they’re pretty far out, so I can keep them nice and controlled.”
Turner expressed the importance of this single game playoff, citing how it can help the Bobcats close out big games further down the line, and potentially in the NCAA tournament.
“It’s a new season every single game,” Turner said. “I think in some ways it was nice to play this week. Not having a week off, having another win under our belt for the national tournament, is not going to hurt us.”
This win completed the season sweep against Harvard, as Quinnipiac has won 10 out of 11 against the Crimson dating back to January 2020.
The Bobcats will head to Potsdam, NY on Feb. 28 to take on Clarkson University in a best-of-three series in the ECAC Quarterfinals.
