The No. 10 Quinnipiac Bobcats (19-8-6, 12-6-3 ECAC) will close the door on the regular season when they welcome Union College (5-27-1, 2-18-1 ECAC) on Saturday afternoon.
This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season, with the Bobcats blanking Union 4-0 on the road back in December behind two goals from sophomore Kenzie Lancaster. The ice was slanted towards Union goaltender Kate Spooner the entire game as the Bobcats outshot Union 43-12. The victory was Quinnipiac’s eighth in a row against Union. In fact, it has yet to suffer a regulation loss at the hands of Union, boasting a 26-0-4 all-time record against them.
Last time out:
Quinnipiac: The Bobcats rolled through RPI 5-0 as Sydney Rossman tied the program’s all-time shutouts record. Meanwhile, the Bobcats thoroughly dominated on the offensive end, outshooting RPI 57-15. Five different Bobcats found the back of the net in a balanced and convincing home win.
Union: The Dutchwomen were handled by ninth ranked Princeton in a 4-1 road loss. The only scoring for Union was a power play goal from first year forward Katelyn Russ, as the Dutchwomen continue to struggle with generating offense. Union found itself in a 3-0 hole by the second period, and could never recover despite the goal from Russ.
Expected starters in net:
Union: In all likelihood, Spooner will be between the pipes on Saturday. Amelia Murray was in net in last night’s loss, perhaps because of the quick turnaround with Saturday being an afternoon game. The reigning ECAC Rookie of the Week was peppered relentlessly by the Bobcats in their December matchup, yet she still managed to make an impressive 39 saves. Spooner earned the Rookie of the Week honors after an impressive weekend in which she stopped 74 out of 77 shots for a save percentage of .961.
Quinnipiac: Freshman Abie Ives was in net when Quinnipiac last faced Clarkson. However, this is Senior Day and senior Sydney Rossman has been the clear starter all season, so there’s not much to look into here. Rossman, owner of the best save percentage in program history, will be in net when the puck drops on Senior Day looking to break the program’s all-time shutouts record after last night’s shutout performance.
What to watch for:
If the Bobcats find themselves on the power play, watch out. Quinnipiac is ranked second in the ECAC in power play goals, and tops in the conference in power play percentage. Meanwhile, Union comes in as the worst shorthanded team in the ECAC. Look for Union coach Josh Sciba to cover his eyes if one of his players is escorted to the penalty box.
Quinnipiac is 16-1-3 when scoring first this season. Given the fact that Union is last in the ECAC in goals and goals per game and the Bobcats are second in the country in team defense, it will be an extremely tall order for Union to rebound and give themselves a chance to win if the Bobcats are able to pounce and light the lamp first.
Who to watch for:
Quinnipiac: I’m going to go the sentimental route here and say to watch for all the seniors. Meghan Turner, Taryn Baumgardt, Danielle Marmer, Emma Woods, Emma Greco, Mika Nervick and Sydney Rossman will all be honored before the game for their part in the program’s rise to prominence. Considering Union is 11th in the conference in goals allowed with 102 going against them this season, I would say that almost every senior has an opportunity to score on Saturday and make their Senior Day that much more special (okay, Rossman might have trouble finding the back of the net from the other side of the ice. Sorry Sid).
Union: The first thought would be to go with Spooner, but Union will desperately need some type of offense to have a chance in this game. I’ll go with first year forward Haley Shugart. The former ECAC Rookie of the Week leads the team with seven goals and 124 SOG this season. She better add to those totals on Saturday if her team is to pull off the upset.
