Video By: Naomi Grey
Article By: Tom Krosnowski
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18 hours after a crushing 1-0 loss to Dartmouth in which Quinnipiac dominated puck possession but just couldn’t score, the Bobcats roared back on Saturday against the Harvard University Crimson, winning 2-1. It was the Bobcats’ first ECAC win, one that they hope to build momentum from moving forward in conference play.
“Our team came out and I thought we did a good job possessing the puck today,” Head Coach Cassandra Turner said. “We continued to create opportunities. It was nice to see us capitalize in moments that were key for us today.”
“For us to answer from a loss yesterday that we weren’t happy with and get two points today is really important and a big step for us,” Turner said.
After losing to Dartmouth, and not finding the back of the net in the first frame against Harvard, Quinnipiac had taken 74 shots and had no goals to show for. That number grew to 76 shots in the second period, but would stop there. Freshman forward Taylor House scored her first career goal on a 5-on-3 power play, and sophomore defender Kate MacKenzie nabbed her first goal of the season midway through the second period. They proved to be the difference-makers the Bobcats needed to deliver Harvard its first loss of the season.
“I think Taylor [House] really wanted to get that monkey off her back,” Turner said. “She’s put a lot of pucks on the net this year. She was real close to having one yesterday, so to see one fall for her today, that was really important.”
“It’s a big confidence booster,” House said. “I’ve been getting a lot of shots on net. It’s kind of a weight lifted off your shoulders when you finally get that first one in.”
One aspect of the Bobcats’ game that was refined this weekend was their neutral and defensive zone play. They held Dartmouth and Harvard to a combined 32 shots and just 2 goals.
“I think we’re really just focusing in on the details,” MacKenzie said. “I think we just support each other, and we’re confident in one another, confident in [goaltender Abbie] Ives back there. We all knew we were going to do our job.”
“We work really hard to have great sticks all over the ice and to really have the puck on our stick,” Turner said. “That shows when you see that limited shot total from our opponents.”
Quinnipiac has just 10 upperclassmen compared to 14 combined freshmen and sophomores. Turner is able to trust her freshmen in key spots, and knows that she has found the right mixture of experience and eagerness.
“The balance is huge,” Turner said. “They’re outstanding teammates, they have tremendous character. They work, and they work, and they work, and they just love this game. They add a very fresh feel to the locker room about how much they love hockey and how much they love to play.”
“They’re doing great,” MacKenzie said, a freshman herself just a season ago. “They’re stepping into their roles so well, and we’re really confident in them.”
Quinnipiac sits at 1-1-0 in ECAC play this year and 5-4-0 overall. They will hit the road for a weekend of ECAC Hockey next Friday and Saturday at Cornell and Colgate respectively.
“It’s going to be big going on the road again,” Turner said. “For us to regroup and really understand what we did to get better this weekend and build from that.”
*This post was updated with video on Oct. 29th at 11:30 a.m.
