Photo Courtesy: Quinnipiac Athletics
By: Andrew Weiss
After a disheartening 4-3 loss to Yale last Saturday, Sydney Rossman and Quinnipiac looked to bounce back against Colgate on Friday night. Rossman held her end of the bargain. The rest of the Bobcats struggled to help her out as the Raiders forced a 0-0 tie.
Rossman finished with 22 saves in the scoreless tie. She picked up her second shutout of the young season.
After allowing four goals on nine shots in the Bobcats loss to the Bulldogs questions arose surrounding her play. She responded well, keeping the Bobcats around while stopping the few quality chances that came her way.
“As a team, we played well defensively,” said Rossman. “There was a lot of blocked shots out there, from our (defense) and our forwards. I think we just played well as a team.”
“I thought she made some key saves for us,” said head coach Cassandra Turner. “Exactly what we needed to hold that to a scoreless tie. That’s what she’s capable of, and I think she showed it today.”
However, the story of the game was between the pipes on the other end of the ice. Colgate goaltender Ashlynne Rando stopped all 44 Quinnipiac shots sent her way en route to her second shutout of the year. The Bobcats doubled up the Raiders in shots, a 44-22 advantage. But Rando refused to yield, stopping over 20 quality Quinnipiac chances.
“Their goalie played well,” said Turner. “But I do think also that we had chances to score that we should’ve capitalized on.”
There were few positives for No. 7 Quinnipiac (5-1-2, 1-1-1 ECAC), in its tie against unranked Colgate. Although it dominated in shots it was unable to crack Rando and got shut out for the first time this season.
Colgate (4-1-4, 0-0-3) picked up its third tie in three ECAC games. It leaves them tied with Quinnipiac in conference play.
Special teams were a non-factor for both sides, as neither team picked up a goal on any advantage. Quinnipiac was 0-4, while Colgate was 0-5. Neither side looked good while on the power play. Both sides had solid shorthanded chances while killing off every penalty.
Quinnipiac hosts Cornell Saturday evening, looking for its second ECAC win this season. Meanwhile, the Raiders head back home for the week before traveling to face the RIT Tigers next Thursday.
