HAMDEN — A scrappy University of Maine team nearly bested No. 10 Quinnipiac in Friday night’s women’s ice hockey game. Despite the Black Bears efforts, the Bobcats were able to start the season off on the right foot, ultimately taking the game 3-2.
Expectations were high coming into this matchup. In its single exhibition game, Quinnipiac put on a dominant performance against a visiting University of Connecticut team one year removed from topping Hockey East regular season standings.
Only adding to the expectation, the Black Bears have failed to earn a single point from the Bobcats since 2019, with Quinnipiac winning nine straight bouts.
In the first period, it looked to be more of the same. Quinnipiac applied heavy pressure early. Before Maine could even get its bearings on Bobcat ice, Quinnipiac had turned a botched Black Bear keep-in into a two on one in the opposite direction.
Freshman center Jade Barbirati would sauce a perfect tape-to tape pass to sophomore winger Bryn Prier, who would tip the puck in for the first Quinnipiac goal of the evening.
Quinnipiac’s offense would continue to soar as the period continued, with crisp passing being the key to beating the physicality that was only ramping up from Maine after the first goal. Once again, an odd-man rush because of sharp passing would allow Quinnipiac a good scoring opportunity. Three clean passes in the offensive zone would free up sophomore defender Ella Sennick, whose backhand shot would find a near empty net for Quinnipiac’s second straight score.
The problems started in the second. For the first time in the young season, Quinnipiac’s offense didn’t seem in sync. Passes were failing to connect, and Quinnipiac was unable to keep the same possession that it had easily sustained in the first.
A Black Bear goal from junior forward Haley Ryan only further deflated the Bobcats. A rattled Quinnipiac, who was initially passing around the staunch pressure from the Black Bears, was now drowning it. More than once, that led to Maine’s dump-ins devolving into a Quinnipiac turnover rather than a simple break out of the defensive zone.
“I think we can manage the puck better,” head coach Cass Turner said.
Managing the puck would continue to be a problem, especially on special teams. Despite a whopping seven opportunities to score with the man-advantage, Quinnipiac would fail to record a shot on four of seven opportunities.
Even worse, the ineptitude on the power play would extend beyond simply not scoring. Sophomore center Gracie Hanson would have a clear path to the net on the penalty kill, tying the game on a short-handed shot over the left shoulder of sophomore goaltender Felicia Frank.
However, against all game momentum, Quinnipiac would string together a good offensive sequence in the closing minutes of the second, finally facilitating movement on the power play with five left to play.
Just seconds after sophomore Maine defender Sophia Johnson barrelled out of the box, junior winger Alex Law would thread the puck past two Black Bear defenders and sophomore goaltender Kiia Lahtinen for the go-ahead goal.
Both chippiness and urgency increased in the final frame, but it was Quinnipiac’s ability to stay out of the penalty box, as well as some timely stops by both Frank and the Bobcat defense, that would be the difference maker.
Even when Maine pulled its goalie with 68 seconds remaining in the contest, it was over. The 3-2 score would hold.
Although the win didn’t come as easily as the Bobcats might have hoped, this early in the season it’s all about that final result. The synergy and execution? That will come with time.
“We can improve some of our decisions,” Turner said. “But for the beginning of the year, it’s nice to play in a game where we win.”
Quinnipiac returns to home ice on Sept. 27 in hopes of winning its second straight against the University of Maine Black Bears. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.
