Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey returns to a familiar position in its final stretch of the regular season: fighting for the top spot in the ECAC standings. The Bobcats are pushing for more than just the highest seed in the conference tournament — they’re trying to win the ECAC championship for the first time since 2016 and return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2023.
However, with equally talented teams at the top of the conference, the Bobcats’ road to Lake Placid, N.Y., will be anything but easy. Success in the ECAC playoffs will be dependent on a few key facets.
Special Teams
Quinnipiac’s special teams are both the squad’s biggest weakness and its greatest strength.
On the offensive end, the Bobcat power play has faced its fair share of struggles in execution. Inconsistency has been the name of the game, with the Bobcats enduring many multi-game scoreless streaks on the man-advantage.
After a stretch of stability in the middle of January, it appeared the power play problems were beginning to subside. In a Jan. 23 contest against Colgate, head coach Cass Turner praised the development of the squad’s powerplay.
“There’s been a lot of games where they’ve created some really good chances,” Turner said.
But after the four-game scoring streak ended at the hands of Cornell the following night, the question remains. Will the Bobcats be able to find that special team stride in time for playoffs?
A strong power play has been a key to success in the ECAC tournament, with each of the last four champions boasting a top five powerplay by the regular season’s end. As of publication, Quinnipiac’s powerplay percentage is 0.165, good for a mere ninth-best in the conference.
Conversely, the Bobcat penalty kill has been one of the strongest in the nation, only allowing seven goals on the opposing man-advantage.
Maintaining that 90% success rate on the penalty kill is essential for the Bobcats success. In games where Quinnipiac has allowed the opponents’ power play to get on the board, the Bobcats are 2-4. Comparatively, Quinnipiac is 19-2-3 when the opposing team fails to capitalize with the man-advantage.
“There’s real depth on our PK,” head coach Cass Turner said on Oct. 24.
Even three months later, the sentiment still rings true. The depth of the penalty kill, and its ability to swing momentum in the Bobcats’ favor with crucial stops, is an undeniable key to going far into this tournament.
Goaltending
Speaking of crucial stops, you would be remiss to ignore the Bobcats’ best penalty killer: sophomore goaltender Felicia Frank. The sophomore goaltender out of Falkoping, Sweden, has proved to be a standout this season. Her nationally ranked statistics speak for themselves, and there have been multiple games where a well-timed flash of the glove has been the difference between going home empty-handed and squeaking out a game with a couple of points in ECAC standings.
“She’s been the backbone of our team this year,” sophomore defenseman Makayla Watson said on Jan. 23.
Her performance against Clarkson on Nov. 8 showcases how Frank can drag the Bobcats’ back from the brink of total defeat. Despite Quinnipiac not scoring a single goal through the entirety of regulation or overtime, Frank’s 32 save performance pushed the game to the unofficial shootout, earning 1.5 points in conference standings in spite of the abysmal offensive output.
“She has so much poise and confidence,” Turner said after the Nov. 8 game.
Frank has been the workhorse for this team in more than just the magnitude of saves. She has the most starts of any goaltender in the conference at 29, starting all but one of the Bobcats games so far this season, and her stats back up Turner’s choice to run the hot hand.
History says the choice to keep running Frank could be a fruitful one. Out of the last four ECAC championship winning teams, two decided to run their starting goaltender for every game of the tournament, with a third only utilizing their backup once.
Her reliability in the crease opens the door for her teammates to make plays they wouldn’t otherwise try, which will become crucial for the Bobcats final key to winning the ECAC.
Defensive Scoring
It’s easy to see a team as talented as the Bobcats and gravitate toward the offensive flash. Quinnipiac’s leading goal-scorer, junior forward Kahlen Lamarche, is on the cusp of breaking the Bobcat’s single season goal record and is second in the nation in goal-scoring.
Her linemates, forwards graduate student Laurence Frenette and senior Tessa Holk, stacked the top line for much of the season. Quinnipiac’s offensive identity was clear — let the top-flight talent thrive together.
But running an offense through a single line is a recipe for disaster in the long run. Once teams begin to catch on, neutralizing top-scorers, no matter how talented, is just a matter of time.
The key adjustment here? Getting the defense involved in scoring. That comes with trust, both in Frank and the forward core, to cover for the blue line if they get caught in the offensive zone.
“I feel safe when I can go, and I trust that someone will cover back,” sophomore defender Ella Sennick said on Jan. 23. “(Which is) why we have so many D goals and D stepping up to contribute to the wins.”
Quinnipiac’s defense already shows up on the scoresheet. Watson, powered by the program’s first career hat-trick by a defenseman in 15 years, is tied for third on the team in points. Another defenseman, sophomore Anysley D’Ottavio, rounds out the top five point scorers.
By spreading the scoring around and getting the defense involved, Quinnipiac can revitalize an offense that, as of late, is marred with inconsistency.
