The Quinnipiac Bobcats (3-2-0 overall, 0-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference) were playing without kay players T.T. Cianfarano, Abby Cleary, and Allison Roethke today. But if you took the names off the back of the jerseys, it would have looked like business as usual as the Bobcats stomped out the Vermont Catamounts (2-2-0 overall, 1-1-0 Hockey East) in the first game of their weekend series, 4-1.
The game started off even, as most of the first period consisted of a back-and-forth between the Bobcats and the Catamounts, which kept the puck near center ice for most of the period. Both teams had their own chances, but it wasn’t until the end of the period that the Bobcats grabbed the lead. Defenseman Anna Kilponen broke the goalless tie as she found the back of the net during a Bobcats power play.
Kilponen’s response when asked about how first goal of the season felt was simple: “Scoring is fun. I don’t do it too much.”
The goal would put Quinnipiac up 1-0, and they would carry that lead into the break.
The second period was the first time that a momentum swing of any kind occurred, as the Bobcats were able to keep the puck in the Vermont zone for a large majority of the period. Their dominance showed, as they outshot the Catamounts 14-4. Freshman Brooke Bonsteel capitalized on the Bobcats’ strong offensive showing and eventually doubled the Bobcat lead with the first goal of her collegiate career. With five minutes left in the second period, she wrapped around the back of goal and squeezed the puck in the bottom right.
“I just tried to put the puck on net and go to the net hard,” Bonsteel said on her first collegiate goal.
The two-goal lead was short lived, however, as Catamount winger Val Caldwell got it back just thirty-five seconds later. Caldwell brought the puck down the ice and placed the puck in the same that Bonsteel scored hers.
That was all the Catamounts would get back, however, as the second period would end with the Bobcats still maintaining their one goal lead.
In the third period, it was all Bobcats. Brooke Bonsteel scored again, her second of both the game and her college career. Forward Sarah-Eve Coutu-Godbout put the nail in the coffin with an empty-net goal with 45 seconds remaining. The Bobcats, despite missing three of their most influential players, didn’t skip a beat as they not only defeated Vermont 4-1, but also outshot the Catamounts, 40-16. Their depth was shown off in full tonight, as they received huge contributions from players who were not afraid of filling the injured players’ shoes.
“We believe very strongly that it doesn’t matter what line you’re playing on, who you’re playing with, we all play one way, and that’s hard to play against,” Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner said. “And that goes for both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck. I think you saw our depth because of that approach.”
The Bobcats will not have too much time to relish their victory, however, as the Catamounts will be hungry for revenge tomorrow. Round two takes place on Saturday, Oct. 14 at TD Bank Sports Center at 7:30 p.m.
