Entering this weekend, the Quinnipiac Bobcats (4-2-0, 0-0-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference) knew that they had to leave with a series sweep of the Vermont Catamounts (2-3-0, 1-1-0 Hockey East) if they wanted to live up to their preseason No. 9 ranking. With a 4-1 win on Friday and a 2-1 victory yesterday, that’s exactly what they did as they recorded their first weekend sweep of the season.
Game two began in a similar fashion as game one, with both the Bobcats and the Catamounts fighting for possession early. Neither side was able to grasp any real advantage, and the battle for the puck continued to the end of the period as the two teams entered the intermission scoreless.
The Bobcats, however, didn’t keep the game scoreless for much longer. Brooke Bonsteel continued her torrential goal-scoring tear just two minutes into the second period. Bonsteel took the puck around center ice and steered it all the way down to the goal, then sent a shot flying past Catamount goaltender Melissa Black’s left shoulder.
The production from Bonsteel’s line continues to have a big impact in games, but what may make it more impressive is that it’s a line that consists of all freshman.
“They get excited to get on the ice. They love hockey, and they want to get to the net. I think Brooke has been doing great things on the power play for us this weekend, and I’m excited about them going forward. They’re learning and growing so quickly, and that’s exactly what we need at this point,” head coach Cassandra Turner said on her young third line.
Kenzie Lancaster was the next Bobcat to get in on the action. The junior center netted her first goal of the season just under four minutes later on a power play. Positioned right in front of goal, she redirected a shot that was heading towards the boards right through Black’s five-hole. The goal doubled the Bobcat lead, and it looked like they were well on their way to a repeat performance.
The Catamounts were not going down without a fight, though. Sammy Kolowrat fired a slapshot from the top of the right faceoff circle that was tipped into the net. It was the defender’s second goal of the season, and it trimmed the Bobcat lead to one heading into the intermission.
The third period was the Allison Small show, as she made save after save to preserve the slim Bobcat lead. Only a freshman, she displayed the demeanor and skill set of a senior, as she continuously stifled any Catamount breakaways that could have potentially leveled the game.
“She’s a competitor. We’ve been really excited to have her and to have her come to Quinnipiac,” Turner said on her freshman goalie. “We watched her last year compete through a season, in games where she had a lot of shots and games where she didn’t have a lot of shots, and in both of those types of games, she was in positions where she was making saves, and you saw that true competitive mentality in her today.”
Arguably Small’s most impressive save of the day came with eight minutes to go in the third period. Catamount Eve-Audrey Picard came across the face of goal, tried to deke out Small, and place the puck in the bottom left. Small stuck with the play the whole way, and by the end of the breakaway, she was laying across goal, on her side, with her stick in the air. But, the puck had found its’ way into her glove.
The Catamounts pulled their goalie and added an extra skater in the final minute of the period, but once again, it was Small protecting the Bobcats’ lead. She made two crucial saves in the final seconds to preserve the lead and give the Bobcats their first weekend series sweep of the season.
“We needed to kick in a little more grit, and I think we did that. [Vermont] definitely pushed back and they played a good game, and that was really good experience for us… to be in a position where we had to compete and battle,” Turner said on her team’s showing.
The Bobcats, now on a three- game winning streak, look to continue their great play Tuesday, Oct. 17 when they head to the Conte Forum to take on the No. 3 Boston College Eagles (2-0-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East).
