HAMDEN – No. 6 Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey continued its winning ways against Harvard University Saturday afternoon, overpowering the Crimson 4-1 for its fifth straight victory. The win also keeps Quinnipiac unbeaten in 2026 and marks its second conference sweep in as many weekends.
“I think it’s a great (two-win) weekend,” head coach Cass Turner said. “Our group is in such a good place.”
The scoring story belonged to the group of young defenders, who stepped up with three goals in the four-goal victory. The first of which came after a barrage of shots on Harvard’s freshman goaltender Izzy Whynot.
Halfway through the opening frame, junior forward Kahlen Lamarche took her fifth of seven total shots. The puck would deflect off Whynot’s pad, and sophomore defensemen Aynsley D’Ottavio backhand her third goal of the season into the net, opening the scoring for the Bobcats.
However, the Crimson didn’t stay down for long.
25 seconds after D’Ottavio’s goal, freshman winger Elle Sproule would beat sophomore defensemen Ella Sennick down the boards. With the puck on her stick, she’d drive down the ice, weaving around sophomore goaltender Felicia Frank’s crease and beating her stick side to tie the game at one.
The Bobcat’s blue line would pay dividends once again in the closing minutes of the frame. With graduate student forward Laurence Frenette circling on the right side of the net, there was an opening on the other side of Whynot’s net. Frenette would find sophomore defensemen Makayla Watson in the backdoor who would bury the puck behind Whynot, giving Quinnipiac the lead once again.
Both offenses would stay quiet for the entirety of the following period, as Whynot and Frank would make 15 combined saves in the second.
Harvard’s best chance came seven minutes into the period. Sophomore center Ella Lucia would maneuver through two Bobcat defenders and take a shot on Frank. The puck would deflect off the Swede’s pad. With the puck loose in front of the net, senior center Emerson Jarvis would clear the puck away and keep the Crimson out of the net.
“(Felicia Frank) knows that she’s our go to kid,” Turner said. “She has a ton of confidence and our group has a ton of confidence in her.”
The scoring drought would continue for both squads until deep into the final period, when Quinnipiac’s blue line struck once again.
With time expiring on the Bobcats sixth power play of the game, Lamarche would skate around the net, and find sophomore forward Bryn Prier just shy of the blue line. Prier would connect with senior defensemen Zoe Uens, who would launch the puck into the back of the net for the sixth time this year, furthering Quinnipiac’s lead to two.
In a last ditch effort to climb back into the game, Harvard head coach Laura Bellamy would pull Whynot for the last 80 seconds of the contest. But a pass from junior forward Angelica Megdanis would be intercepted by Prier. The Juno Beach, Florida native would send the puck to the net from over 120 feet away, burying it to ice the game for the Bobcats.
Quinnipiac returns to action next Friday, Jan. 23 against the Colgate Raiders. Puck drop is set from Hamden for 6 p.m.
