The No. 8 Quinnipiac Bobcats salvaged their weekend across the pond on Saturday morning, earning their first win of the new year in a 3-1 victory over the No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth University Bulldogs.
From the opening puck drop, it became apparent that the teams were digging into a battle between the netminders, with freshman Sophia Villanueva being tested first by the Bobcat offense.
Junior forward Kahlen Lamarche, receiving a pass from graduate student defender Mia Lopata in the neutral zone, would drive to the Bulldog end with her linemates by her side. After receiving a backhanded pass from Lamarche, graduate student winger Laurence Frenette would rip a shot that Villanueva picked out of the air.
The Bulldogs would respond immediately after with a chance of their own.
After sophomore forward Caitlin Kraemer won the face-off against freshman forward Jade Barbirati, the Bulldogs found themselves deep in the Bobcat end on the man advantage. Kraemer would launch the puck past a diving Bobcat defender, but sophomore goaltender Felicia Frank would fall on it, keeping the Bulldogs out of the net.
That wouldn’t be the only offense Kraemer would produce.
With freshman forward Linnea Natt och Dag sent to the penalty box, the Bobcats were seemingly in the driver’s seat. That was until Lamarche failed to connect on a no-look pass, giving Kraemer nothing but open ice in front of her. Kraemer would miss her initial shot, but bury the rebound puck past Frank, putting the Bulldogs on the board.
In the closing minutes of the first, the Bobcats responded.
Sophomore defenseman Ella Sennick launched a shot off the pad of Villanueva, which sophomore forward Taylor Brueske would pick up and snipe into the back of the net for her second of the weekend, tying the game at one a piece.
The second period was more of the same for both squads. With the exception of a Bulldog goal from senior forward Danielle Burgen, which was later called back after a lengthy replay due to an offsides call, both offenses stayed quiet.
Quinnipiac continued to knock on the doorinto the final frame. Five minutes into the period, they knocked the door down.
Sophomore forward Avery Bairos found herself with a passing lane near the bench-side boards l sandwiched between two Bulldog defenders. She would find the gap between freshman forward Rae Myer and senior forward Mary Kate O’Brien to the stick of senior center Emerson Jarvis. Jarvis would find a gap on Villanueva’s glove side and give the Bobcats the lead.
The score would stay the same until the closing minutes of the game. Head coach Laura Schuler would pull Villanueva in a last ditch effort to tie the game for the Bulldogs. Minnesota-Duluth would get close, but Frank would continue her goaltending dominance, keeping the Bulldogs out of the net.
An empty net goal from Lamarche would seal the win for the Bobcats, as the 3-1 score became final and sealed the Bobcats’ upset over the Bulldogs
Quinnipiac will resume conference play in the states next week against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers on Friday, Jan. 9. Puck drop is set from Troy, N.Y. for 6 p.m.
