By: Phil Akre
After a battle with Boston College on the road that resulted in a 0-0 tie, the Quinnipiac’s women’s ice hockey team returned home to square off with the Eagles again.
The Bobcats ultimately fell to the Eagles 4-1 as they were unable to find any real offensive groove. It was an entirely different game from the tie just a day before.
“They (Boston College) played a great game,” Quinnipiac defenseman Emma Greco said. “I just think that they outplayed us a bit. We know how to attack; we just couldn’t do it.”
From the start, it was a physical, back and forth battle from both sides. Boston College was able to continually put pressure on Quinnipiac’s offense.
“They’re an aggressive hockey team,” Quinnipiac head coach Cass Turner said. “Megan Keller and Kali Flanigan, they’re great skaters and they really pressured our offense. I think it showed that we don’t really separate the puck as well as we need to yet.”
Keller and Flanigan were just a small part of what made it so hard for Quinnipiac to score the entire day. In the first period, the Bobcats had just six shots on goal, with 18 by the end of the game. By comparison, Boston College had 19 total shots on goal, but was able to tally four scores.
In the second period things looked a little brighter for Quinnipiac as Taryn Baumgardt evened the score at 1-1 with a power play goal immediately following a Boston College score.
The momentum from the goal was short-lived as the third period was highlighted by the Eagles offensive explosion. With two goals in the last 12 minutes of the game, Quinnipiac’s hope for a comeback was slim to none.
“It’s something that we have to learn,” Quinnipiac senior captain Emma Woods said. “It’s about winning those individual battles. From there we can build confidence and recognize it on the bench, who’s doing a really good job.”
Senior right wing Danielle Marmer took a brutal hit from a Boston College defender which resulted in her being taken out of the game. Cass Turner said she was unaware of her status after the game.
Emma Greco summed up the tough loss with a simple, but powerful message.
“The coaches have given us everything. We just have to learn to execute.”
The team will look to rebound when they go on the road next Friday to face Yale University in their first ECAC game of the season.
