By Nick Dench, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac Bobcats defeated the Colgate Raiders 4-1 on Senior Night. Kelly Babstock recorded her 75th and 76th career goals, as well as her 150th and 151st career points in the win.
The Bobcats honored six seniors today in their final home game of the 2012-13 regular season: Breann Frykas, Felica Vieweg, Kristen Eklund, Brittany Lyons, captain Regan Boulton and goaltender Victoria Vigilanti. The six seniors started and ended the game on the ice together.
“They’ve been instrumental in the turning around of this program,” coach Rick Seeley of the six seniors said.
Bobcats outshot the Raiders 10-1 in the first period in a period where neither team could sustain offensive pressure. Quinnipiac killed the only penalty of the period after Amanda Colin took an interference penalty.
Colgate goaltender Ashlynne Rando was the star for the Raiders in the first period making multiple saves to keep the game scoreless. The highlight save was on a shorthanded chance by the Bobcats as she stopped Babstock and Nicole Kosta.
Quinnipiac opened up the scoring just less than five minutes into the second period on the power play, on Babstock’s. Boulton found Lyons in the slot, Lyons took a quick shot and Babstock picked up the rebound near the side of the net and buried it to take a 1-0 lead.
Vieweg added to the scoring minutes later with a wrist shot for her fourth goal of the season. Eklund won the faceoff to Nicole Brown who passed the puck to Vieweg on the point, shooting it on net past the screened Rando to make the score 2-0 Bobcats.
Colgate came out of the locker room in the third period with a lot of energy, scoring just 23 seconds into the third period. Megan Wickens stole the puck in the offensive zone took a shot that popped off of Vigilanti and ended up in the back of the net.
The Bobcats answered nine minutes later after Miriam Drubel slashed a Bobcats player giving the Bobcats a power play. Eight seconds into the power play Kosta took a pass from Erica Uden Johansson and roofed it over Rando’s blocker giving Quinnipiac a 3-1 lead.
Boulton recorded both of her assists on power plays by finding players open in the slot. Quinnipiac went 2-2 on the power play totaling 21 seconds combined on both power plays.
“We moved the puck well and took quick shots, and I think that’s what produced the goals for us,” Seeley said on the effectiveness of the power play.
The Bobcats ended the scoring on an empty net goal from Babstock after Kosta caught a clearing attempt and found her counterpart for an easy goal with seven seconds left in the game.
The Bobcats head up to St. Lawrence and Clarkson next weekend in a crucial weekend for ECAC standings, as Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence are tied for fourth place in the conference. Both teams are looking for home ice in the first round of the ECAC playoffs.
“We don’t want this to be our last home ice game,” said Lyons with a smile.
“This isn’t going to be our last home game, for sure,” Boulton said confidently. “We just need to win the next few games and we’ll be right back in this building.”
