A two-goal lead is the worst lead in ice hockey.
Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey proved just that this evening in Belfast, Ireland, conceding two straight goals against the Boston University Terriers in the eventual 2-2 tie, with the Terriers completing the comeback in the unofficial shootout.
The Bobcats’ first contest after the holiday break was a microcosm of the team’s struggles heading into the second half of the season.
In the opening period, everything looked positive. Quinnipiac was quick to every puck, with a strong forecheck maintaining Bobcat possession and maximizing Terrier turnovers. Even with a careless bench penalty seconds after puck-drop, the Quinnipiac penalty kill remained air-tight.
The momentum surge from killing off its tenth consecutive opposing power play seemed to seep into the Quinnipiac offense. Already bombarding junior goaltender Mari Pietersen with quality chances, the Terriers were on their heels, spending the majority of the period pushed back in their own defensive end.
Halfway through the first, it would be graduate student forward Laurence Frenette’s shot halfway through the period, tucked around the skate of Pietersen, that would bring the Bobcats their first goal of the new year.
Going into the second, Pietersen remained a steady roadblock between the Bobcats and a significant lead. Power play struggles continued to plague Quinnipiac, being held scoreless on the man advantage for the third straight game.
However, Pietersen’s heroics could only keep the Bobcats off the board for so long. Boston’s turnovers would prove costly. Sophomore forward Taylor Brueske picked the pocket of Boston junior forward Neely Nicholson in the Terrier defensive zone before zipping the puck past Pietersen to double the Bobcat lead.
2-0. Seemingly, the Bobcats were in control.
After an ineffective Boston power play midway through the second period, there was no reason to suspect that control would slip.
That was until two Quinnipiac defenders were caught puck watching, and the Terriers were able to score on sophomore goaltender Felicia Frank from close range, virtually uncontested.
After Boston cut the lead to one, little mistakes seemed to pile on for the Bobcats. Missed stretch passes and off-cue shots seemed to increase as Boston began to find its legs.
The resistance appeared to frazzle the Bobcats further, and another failed power play did nothing to settle the squad down. A hooking call on graduate student defenseman Mia Lopata only invigorated Boston further. Shortly after the penalty ended, the Terrier’s leading scorer, senior forward Sydney Healey, would put away her second goal of the evening to even the score at two.
Quinnipiac would survive into the three-on-three overtime period and would seemingly get a stroke of luck two minutes in. A penalty on Boston gave the Bobcats a full two minutes of four-on-three hockey to take advantage of.
Shots were 6-0 in favor of Quinnipiac by the end of the overtime period, but Pietersen remained unfazed, stopping every last one of them.
In the end, the player of the game for the Boston Terriers would do it again in the unofficial shootout, stopping all three Bobcat shooters to advance to the Friendship Series final.
For the Bobcats, it was a disappointing showing for a team with a lot to prove coming out of the break. Even though the contest will go on the record as a tie, the loss removes them from contention for the Belpot Trophy.
Instead, the Bobcats will take on the No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the consolation game of the Friendship Series on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 10 a.m.
