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5 Reasons for a 5 game Unbeaten streak: Ryan Flaherty

It took almost every minute, but the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey  team (9-6-3, 3-5-2 ECAC Hockey) picked up their first win against the Colgate Raiders (9-7-3, 3-3-1 ECAC Hockey) in over two years on Friday night. Lexie Adzija scored the game winning goal, her team leading eighth of the season, with just over three minutes left in the game to send Quinnipiac home with a 2-1 win on home ice. With the win, Quinnipiac moved into a tie for fourth with Clarkson in the ECAC Hockey standings and kept an important unbeaten streak alive. 4-0-1 in their last five games, the Bobcats are unbeaten since Nov. 16 when they lost 4-2 at Union. In what’s been a roller coaster of a season, the Bobcats are clearly on the upswing so let’s take a look at five reasons for Quinnipiac’s five game unbeaten streak.

1. Confidence is Key

After a 2-2 tie against No. 5 Clarkson, Head Coach Cassandra Turner told her team they needed to realize that they’re a good team that can compete with anyone in the country. Since that day they’ve won three straight games including a 4-2 win against No. 10 Minnesota Duluth and a Nutmeg Classic Championship. “Confidence is Key,” said coach Turner. “They’re really believing in themselves and each other and you feel that in practice, you feel it on the bench, and it’s the reason we’re executing at such a greater level. They believe they’re a good team.” Whether it was Turner’s words or not, this team is the most confident it’s ever been and that confidence is directly translating to a higher level of play on the ice.

2. Offensive Explosion

In their first 13 games of the season, the Bobcats averaged just 2.3 goals per game. In this five-game stretch, they’ve scored an average of 3.2 goals per game and have found a combination of lines that is finally clicking. The offense is led by Sarah Eve Couto-Godbout who has been a point per game player in her last eight games with six goals and two assists. The Senior co-leads the team in goals with sophomore Lexie Adzija who has made a big difference for this team as she leads the team in points in just her second season in Hamden. Taylor House, who was second in points among returning players last year, returned from a 3-week absence and is already contributing once again. With the forwards back to 100% health and the depth this team has, you can expect the offense to keep producing at a high level.

3. The Great Wall of Abby Ives

The back to back reigning and defending ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Week and NCAA Second Star of the Week, Ives has been nothing short of impressive. Just ask her teammates. “She’s been incredible, and I think it definitely gives us a lot confidence,” said sophomore forward Lexie Adzija. “Our game revolves around defense and obviously when our goalie is super strong it works its way up…we’re playing a great team game and it definitely starts with her”. Ives has stopped 151 of 157 shots over this five-game stretch including a career high 42 saves against No. 10 Minnesota Duluth. She has a .961 save percentage, a goals allowed average of just over 1, and has been far and away the best player on the ice over these last five games.

4. Neutral Zone Pressure

Playing in such a fast-paced conference like ECAC Hockey, you can’t allow teams clean entries into the offensive zone. The Bobcats have been focusing all year on playing a complete game in all three zones and we’re finally starting to see a result. After another dominant performance in the neutral zone tonight, it was clear neutral zone pressure was a point of emphasis. “Thank you for noticing,” said Coach Turner. “What we do with our sticks and how we look to turn teams over is a big part of Quinnipiac hockey and something we take a lot of pride in and it was a big focus today in our pre-game meeting”. If the Bobcats can stay aggressive on the forecheck and continue to turn pucks over in the neutral zone, they’ll put ECAC Hockey on alert in no time.

5. Puck Possession

Simply put, you can’t score goals if you can’t control the puck. During this unbeaten streak, the Bobcats have consistently been winning the battle in the faceoff dot including a dominant performance tonight winning 30 of 43 faceoffs against Colgate. The offense has had more time than ever to create chances and it all starts from being able to possess the puck.

The Bobcats will look to keep their streak alive tomorrow afternoon with a tough test against the No. 4 Cornell Big Red. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. at the Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena in Hamden.

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