The Quinnipiac Bobcats women’s ice hockey team won its sixth Nutmeg Classic Championship on Saturday. Taylar Cianfarano recorded a goal and two assists and goaltender Sydney Rossman stopped all 15 shots she faced for her fourth consecutive shutout (tying Chelsea Laden’s program record) to lead Quinnipiac (11-1-3, 5-1-2 ECAC) to the championship over the Yale Bulldogs.
The scoreless first period saw a lot of action and opportunities for both teams. Rossman made two saves for the Bobcats, while Hanna Mandl made nine for the Bulldogs (2-7-1, 1-2-1 ECAC). Yale’s skaters also blocked eight shots in the first, the Bobcats blocking three of their own. The scoreless deadlock would be broken when Cianfarano received a pass from Lindsey West and found herself in the offensive zone. She took on the Yale defenders 1-on-2, and, after a swift move past one into the slot, shot a sharp wrist shot that beat Mandl low on her blocker side to put Quinnipiac up 1-0.
The scoring would pick up again in the middle of the third period, when Cianfarano found herself in a scrum in front of the Bulldogs’ net with Nicole Connery. The initial shot was saved but Connery poked the loose puck under Mandl to put the Bobcats up 2-0.
The Bulldogs weren’t going away easy though, ripping off nine shots on goal over the course of the period and battling the Bobcats every which way, but the Quinnipiac defense stood strong, continually clearing the puck and returning with some shots of their own down the other end on Mandl.
“[Our defense] has a lot of pride…when they get those moments when they’re tired, and they need to make a play, they know it’s about their teammates, and they know it’s about Quinnipiac and making those pride plays,” Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner said.
Rossman helped lead the Bobcats to another Nutmeg Classic victory, much like she did her freshman year when the Bobcats defeated RIT for the championship with Rossman in net.
She was also named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player—just like her freshman year.
“She’s is just a competitor, and she wants to find a way to keep that puck out of her net, and she’s done that,” Turner said.
Samoskevich added an insurance empty net goal, assisted by Cianfarano, to seal the Bobcats’ third consecutive Nutmeg Classic Championship.
Cianfarano was named the tournament MVP and was named to the All-Tournament team along with West and Rossman.
The Bobcats have three more games in 2015, all on home ice, before a 20-day break. They’ll take on Dartmouth and No. 8 Harvard next Friday and Saturday (respectively) and then the University of New Hampshire on Friday December 11. After the break, the Bobcats return to action on New Years Day against Yale for their fourth and final regular season meeting.
