University of Connecticut Women’s Hockey lost to Quinnipiac University 3-2 on Saturday, just days after being ranked seventh in the nation.
On Wednesday, Sept. 16, UConn was ranked seventh by both the U.S. College Hockey Online and USA Hockey polls for its highest-ever preseason ranking in program history.
The Huskies did not start their game against the Bobcats on the right foot, going down 2-0 in the first period.
The two goals were scored by sophomore Avery Bairos and senior Keara Parker. The first goal by Bairos was scored after a blunder by UConn goalie Taylor Belchetz, who left a wide-open net for Bairos to score in. The second goal, by Parker, was a close-range shot slotted in the bottom left corner of the goal.
Besides the two goals, UConn was thoroughly outplayed by Quinnipiac on the attack in the first period, being outshot 15-6. Despite that, the Huskies won nine out of the 15 faceoffs, proving that they had some fight.
UConn’s fight would be further revealed later in the second period, when freshman Laurie Aubin put UConn on the board with a long-range shot just in front of the Hockey East logo in Quinnipiac’s half.
But just as things were looking up for UConn, Quinnipiac would once again go up two goals after senior Kahlen Lamarche scored from the right outer side of the goal crease.
After the first two periods, UConn was outshot 18 to 23 but won 16 face offs compared to Quinnipiac’s 11. Quinnipiac also had more blocks with nine, compared to UConn’s eight.
The third period was relatively tame with UConn scoring their second goal of the game. This time it was junior Ellie Markakis who slotted in the goal in a 2-on-1 scenario with senior Martha Mobarak delivering the assist.
The Huskies had another couple of chances at tying Quinnipiac at three apiece late in the third period, but none of the shots were able to get past sophomore Casey Clausen.
In the end, the Huskies would fall just short of the win 3-2, but they played well despite being outshot 37-28.
A positive for UConn was their faceoffs, which they won two out of every three, and their blocking ability, blocking 13 shots over the course of the game.
UConn’s best player versus Quinnipiac was Mobarak, who assisted the Huskies’ second goal and won six out of her 11 faceoffs.
Quinnipiac’s best player was Bairos who scored and assisted over the course of the game.
The Huskies’ first official matchup of the season is this upcoming weekend when they face off against St. Cloud State away.