As the season heats up, the UConn women’s hockey squad met their match against Quinnipiac in their eighth week of gameplay.
Despite the Huskies’ fantastic early season record of 10-4-1 and their possession of the top spot in the conference standings, the Bobcats were one of the few to topple UConn this season in the first round of the Nutmeg Classic. The Bobcats went on to win the series for the fourth year in a row.
The Huskies are not the only ones having a fantastic season. Quinnipiac is on par with UConn’s level of gameplay. Their 14-3-0 record and .824 shooting percentage speak to their intensity on the ice. However, the Bobcats’ dominance in the rink was no surprise: the Huskies have lost nine straight games against them (with the exception of one tie) since 2009. Although that pattern did not change this past weekend, UConn made several steps in the right direction.
Quinnipiac came flying onto the ice and fired off shot after shot, but couldn’t find the back of the net until later in the period. In the first three minutes of the contest, the Bobcats nailed eight shots unanswered by UConn. In the next two minutes, the Huskies found their footing and let three shots rip, but then were quickly dismantled by Quinnipiac’s relentless offensive forces.
UConn was almost able to capitalize on the first power play of the contest. The Huskies managed five shots but were ultimately unsuccessful in finding the back of the net. Despite this, nearly every player was able to get a shot off, demonstrating the team’s versatility.
Just before the 14-minute mark, Quinnipiac locked in their first goal to get on the board. Despite this, the Huskies maintained their composure and continued their attempts to answer the goal. The end of the first period featured several shots by both groups but left UConn trailing.
The second period put the Huskies under the spotlight and brought the match to a tie. After a first half of unsuccessful shots, Claire Peterson found the net just past the 12-minute mark to even the score. Just 50 seconds later, Camryn Wong pushed UConn into the lead with another goal.
However, UConn’s dominant position did not last long. Quinnipiac answered, bringing the score up to yet another tie of 2-2. The rest of the period was defined by shot after shot from both sides of the ice.
The final period was defining for the Huskies. While both teams fought for a scoring margin, Quinnipiac was ultimately able to seal the deal. Just after the 13th minute, Quinnipiac found the back of the net, punching their ticket to victory. Despite the Huskies’ response efforts, the Bobcats nailed another shot to double their score 4-2.
While UConn had the advantage of two power plays at the end of the period, they were ultimately unsuccessful in making a play out of it.
Despite their loss, the Huskies geared up to face Sacred Heart. The Pioneers and their 6-12-0 season record posed less of a threat to UConn’s favorable rankings.
The Huskies immediately dominated on the ice and swiftly squashed any advances Sacred Heart tried to make. In the first five minutes alone, UConn had eight shots to Sacred Heart’s one. From there, the Huskies relentlessly capitalized on every opportunity to rush the net. Undoubtedly, UConn was offensively and defensively stronger than the Pioneers and it was only a matter of time until they got on the scoreboard.
That time came as the period was nearing its end. With an assist by Emma Eryou and Ashley Allard, senior Jada Habisch sent the puck flying for a 1-0 Huskies lead.
Going into the second, Sacred Heart made successful efforts to tie the score 1-1, but UConn immediately answered this challenge. Habisch fired off another goal, and less than a minute later Brooke Campbell did the same.
With the score sitting at 3-1, both teams were unsuccessful in scoring during the third period. Despite this, UConn remained a relentless force and continuously challenged the Pioneers’ goaltender.
Overall, the Huskies remained successful in their weekend sequence and added another victory in the books. Looking ahead, the Huskies will face Merrimack and Boston College next weekend.