Photo Courtesy: Ashley Kulik
By: Andrew Weiss
Melissa Samoskevich was shifting around all night against Harvard. After injuries shook up the defensive pairings for the Bobcats, Samoskevich was called upon to flip between forward and defense all night. Her play would leave a lasting impact, as she scored the game’s final tally with 55 seconds left in overtime.
Emma Woods added her fifth goal of the year and Sydney Rossman made 21 saves as Quinnipiac (13-1-3, 7-1-2 ECAC) knocked off Harvard (8-4-1, 5-3-1 ECAC) 2-1 in overtime in an ECAC matchup Saturday night in Hamden.
Samoskevich, a natural defender, started out the game as the seventh defender for Quinnipiac before flipping back to forward, her position all year, in the third period. Her flexibility of play allowed head coach Cass Turner to rest her banged up players on the bench. Samoskevich also played very well on the blue line for the Bobcats, not allowing a goal when she was on the ice as a defender.
“I think ‘Samo’ did fantastic. She played defense on the under 18 national team for the (United States), and so she has a lot of experience back there,” Turner said. “We thought putting her back there was smart for us.”
“I haven’t played (defense) in three years,” said Samoskevich. “I had to get the feel for it first, but I always enjoy it.”
Woods tallied her goal late in the first period for Quinnipiac, stealing the puck in the Harvard zone and going from her forehand to her backhand. She roofed the puck over the left shoulder of Emerance Maschmeyer to give the Bobcats the 1-0 lead.
“It’s been a few games since I’ve scored, (and I) kind of had a monkey on my back,” Woods said. “It’s good just to get that off.”
The Crimson answered later in the third period, with Karly Heffernan scoring her second goal of the year on a shot in the slot. After the Bobcats couldn’t clear the puck, it flopped out of the corner and right to the stick of Heffernan, who sniped it blocker-side past a screened Rossman.
Samoskevich’s overtime goal was her eighth of the season, and was also her ECAC leading fourth game-winning goal. The play was setup after line-mate T.T. Cianfarano hustled into the Harvard zone and used a spin move to get open. She sent a cross ice pass to Nicole Kosta. Although Kosta was tied up by a defender, she was able to kick it to a wide open Samoskevich, who buried it.
“(Kosta) made an amazing play in front of the net to kick that puck,” Turner said. “(and) ‘Samo’ has learned a lot about how we want to attack on our team, and she was really patient on the backdoor.”
The game was another classic Quinnipiac-Harvard matchup, ending 2-1 for the fourth time in the last five games. The past four games all finished in favor of the Crimson, as Quinnipiac hadn’t beaten Harvard since 2010, a 4-1 victory in Hamden. Since that game, the Bobcats had gone 0-9-2 against the Crimson, including 0-4-0 last season.
This time, however, Quinnipiac picked up its 3rd victory all time against Harvard on the back of solid defensive play. Coming into the game, the Bobcats were facing injuries to Cydney Roesler and Alicia Barry after both were roughed up against Dartmouth the night before. However, Quinnipiac limited Harvard to only 22 total shots on net, including only 2 in the first period.
“It was really neat to see our seniors, how genuinely excited they were,” Turner said. “Kristen Tamberg was in tears after that game, (she was) so happy, so excited.”
The other major factor in the game was the play of both net minders. Between the pipes for both sides were two solid goaltenders in Rossman and Maschmeyer, the elite in the ECAC. Both played well, combining for 52 saves in a matchup that saw both goalies stopping solid chance after chance.
“There’s no question. From the beginning of the season, Harvard has been a game that’s on our schedule that our players are looking forward to,” Turner said. “Given what happened last year, they were the team that ended our season.”
Quinnipiac extends its lead in the ECAC with 16 points in conference play. Meanwhile, Harvard stays tied with Dartmouth for second with 11 points in the ECAC. Both teams play next on Friday, with the Bobcats hosting New Hampshire in a nonconference game, while Harvard welcomes Cornell in an ECAC matchup.
