By: Matt Corso
After outshooting Colgate Friday night 44-22 en route to a scoreless tie the Quinnipiac womens ice hockey team knew it had to be better Saturday against Cornell. T.T Cianfarano and Melissa Samoskevich were eager to get their points streaks started again as the scoreless tie against Colgate ended each of their seven game points streak.
After a wide open Hanna Bunton put a nice backhand shot past Quinnipiac goaltender Sydney Rossman, Rossman didn’t let any others by her recording 19 saves in the win.
“It was definitely a defensive breakdown for us,” Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner said after the game.
Rossman stopped all 22 shots she faced Friday night, she had done her job. It was up to the offense to do its job. Many players had good looks Friday night against Colgate, but none were good enough to get past Raiders’ senior Goaltender Ashlynne Rando.
Although the Bobcats outshot the Big Red in the first period 11-8, it was Cornell’s pace of play that dictated the second half of the period. Cornell’s forwards beat Quinnipiac’s defensemen to every puck in the first period.
After being held scoreless for four periods, Turner’s message to her players after the first period in the locker room was simple.
“We can score, we have a lot of scorers… It wasn’t always going to be a highlight reel goal.” Tuner continued to say, “We need to be hungry and gritty around the net.”
The second period was a one sided affair as the Bobcats outscored the Big Red 3-0. Nicole Kosta struck first for the Bobcats to even the game up at one. Minutes later it was Kosta to Meghan Turner for Kosta’s second point of the game.
With just under five minutes remaining in the third period, Cianfarano ripped a shot top shelf past Cornell goaltender Paula Voorheis for her eighth goal of the season to give the Bobcats a 3-1 lead.
“It just brings an edge, an uncertainty for the opponent that you never know whats going to happen when she’s on the ice,” Turner said of Cianfarano.
Three different Bobcats scored Saturday in Kosta, Turner and Cianfarano. The Bobcat’s ability to score when they need to has earned them a 6-1-2 record so far.
The Big Red had no answer for the Bobcat’s three unanswered goals in the second period as both teams were held scoreless in the third.
Quinnipiac looks to improve to 3-1-1 in ECAC play as it travels to Princeton this Saturday to take on the Tigers. Cornell looks to bounce back as it travels to Syracuse this Saturday to take on the Orange.
