The No.10 Quinnipiac Bobcats (3-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) faced off with a new opponent to begin 2021, but the result remained the same. The Bobcats defeated the Long Island University Sharks (0-1-0, 0-0-0 NEWHA) by a 6-0 score.

The game marked the first-ever meeting between Quinnipiac and LIU, whose Division-I hockey program debuted in 2019.

“It’s great to be back after break,” head coach Cass Turner said. “I think it was certainly a great mental shift for our team to get back and play so quickly before we prepare to play some ECAC games. I love the depth in our lineup today, I like what we’re able to see top to bottom.”

Final Score in Hamden
Quinnipiac: 6 LIU: 0 pic.twitter.com/OrZPvglXo7

— Quinnipiac Bobcats Sports Network (@QBSN) January 4, 2021

Quinnipiac played aggressively throughout the first period by generating offensive chances in LIU’s zone to take control of the game early.

After a tripping call led to a power play opportunity for LIU midway through the first, Bobcats forward Grace Markey collected the puck off a loose faceoff and flew down the length of the ice to score a shorthanded breakaway goal, giving the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.

“Right before the draw, I was trying to keep it light on the penalty kill. I said to [Brooke Bonsteel], ‘Let’s get a shorty here’, kind of joking around,” Markey said. “When the puck squirted free and I had that, I looked behind me and I took it down. I kind of blacked out from there… I don’t really know what happened!”

Several minutes later, first year defenseman Maddy Samoskevich scored her first goal as a Bobcat on a wrist shot that flew past LIU goalie Kenzie Harmington, extending Quinnipiac’s lead to two.

Maddy, the sister of former Quinnipiac captain and Connecticut Whale forward Melissa Samoskevich, achieved her first multi-point game with QU after picking up an additional assist.

“It was such a cool experience,” Samoskevich said. “It was probably one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t think I would have wanted to go through that special experience with any other team.”

In the second period, Quinnipiac deployed their power play unit on several occasions, with Laura Lundblad capitalizing on a five-on-three advantage to put Quinnipiac ahead 3-0. Despite this, the Bobcats only went 1-6 on the power play in the game, which Tuner recognized as an area for future improvement.

“I thought we were OK on the power play today,” Turner said. “There were a lot of pucks loose that we didn’t get a handle on. A little bit more composure would have helped us to create a better look.”

The Bobcats doubled their lead in the third period, as Quinnipiac found goals from the sticks of Kate Reilly, Markey again and Alexa Hoskin. The game finished a 6-0 victory for QU, extending their win streak to three consecutive games.

Quinnipiac’s goaltending remained solid throughout the match, as Logan Angers, Catie Boudiette and Allie Kelley played one full period each, collectively shutting out LIU and stopping a combined 16 shots on goal. Boudiette and Kelley made their first appearances of the 2020-21 season in the contest.

“We have depth through our lineup, and goaltending is no different,” Turner said. “Looking at how they’ve all been battling in practice, wanting to give them all a look. I think that they all performed.”

Looking ahead, Quinnipiac enters their first ECAC Hockey games of 2021 with a series scheduled against No. 5 Colgate next Saturday and Sunday.

“We’ve been preparing for our conference this whole time,” Markey said. “I don’t feel like this will be that big of a jump. We acted like this was going to be one of our conference teams, and we came out flying. I think we’re ready for that conference play.”

QU takes on Colgate next Saturday with a puck drop set for 4:00 PM.