The Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team’s winless streak continues.
Granted, the Bobcats’ Friday afternoon matchup against Harvard officially ended in a 1-1 tie, but it was another tough game in a streak of three that really feels like a loss.
That feeling extends beyond the unofficial shootout loss in the box score.
The most frustrating part of this game was that everything seemed to go right. Sophomore goaltender Felicia Frank was once again rock-solid, allowing just a single goal in 65 minutes of play. The power play scored, with help from the active second-pair on defense.
A recipe for success.
Yet, no one on Quinnipiac brass would call the hockey on display in Cambridge, Mass. today a success.
Early in the first, Quinnipiac’s typical offensive MO was on display. Junior forward Kahlen Lamarche, who is still searching for her elusive 31st goal of the season, would drive the puck to the net for her first of 15 shots on the night.
After sophomore goaltender Ainsley Tuffy turned away each of the Bobcats’ opening shots, Harvard would take the puck the other way. Junior forward Angelica Megdanis would be the benefactor of a careless turnover by Quinnipiac in the defensive end, beating Frank bar-down to give Harvard the early lead.
After the giveaway, both teams’ defenses settled in, with the goaltenders making six saves apiece going into the intermission.
However, chippiness from both sides slowly began to creep into the course of play. The ECAC is known to be physical, especially in conference play, but both sides seemed to have just a little bit more of an edge for this high-stakes conference matchup.
It began late in the period with a scrum in front of the Harvard net. The catalyst? Senior defender Kate Kasica cross-checking Lamarche into Tuffy in the closing minutes of the period, to no response from the officials.
The ref’s affinity to swallow their whistle would become pertinent as the game continued.
In the second, Quinnipiac’s offense finally seemed to start clicking. For the first time all game, Quinnipiac was able to create chances off the rush, throwing pucks on Tuffy throughout the middle twenty minutes.
Nineteen minutes and 59 seconds into the period, it looked like the score was going to stay 1-0 Crimson going into the final frame, with the Bobcats’ only solace coming from the fact they’d start the third on the power play.
Then, Quinnipiac won a faceoff. The second period was the only regulation frame where the Bobcats were more successful than the Crimson at the dot, winning 11 faceoffs to Harvard’s 12.
The difference in that single faceoff was that Quinnipiac executed a perfect set piece from it. Freshman forward Ella Johnson won the faceoff, finding sophomore defender Ella Sennick behind her. Sennick found a waiting sophomore defenseman Aynsley D’Ottavio, whose shot from the blue line was tipped past Tuffy by sophomore forward Taylor Brueske.
The goal invigorated the Bobcats even further in the final frame, but no amount of physicality or offensive prowess was enough to crack the Duxbury, Mass. native again.
The only solace that the Bobcats could take after regulation ended was that their powerplay, which had served them right before, could once again make magic on the 3-on-3 overtime period.
Purely looking at the numbers, the overtime was anything the Bobcats could’ve asked for. They won 4-5 faceoffs, put five shots on goal to their opponents’ zero and kept themselves out of the penalty box.
But, like has been the consistent problem in its last three games, the Bobcats just couldn’t score.
Lamarche missed two open looks right at the end, even hitting a crossbar in the closing stages, before the final buzzer made the 1.5 point finish final.
Even in the unofficial shootout, the Bobcats would fail to find the back of the net, going scoreless in their second straight shootout dating back to Nov. 8 against Clarkson at home.
Although disappointing, the tie will keep the Bobcats fighting for a first-round bye in the ECAC tournament, currently at fourth in the conference with 37 points.
Quinnipiac looks to finally snap its winless streak against Dartmouth College on Feb. 7, taking on the Big Green in Hanover, N.H. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.