Playoff hockey continued for the Quinnipiac women’s hockey team as it traveled to New Haven on Friday to face off with the No. 5 Colgate Raiders in the ECAC semifinals. 

These two teams had their fair share of history coming in with this being the 46th all-time meeting between them. It was a semifinal rematch from last year during the 2020-21 season. 

As expected, the intensity of play was high as both teams came out aggressive and scrappy throughout the opening period. Much like last weekend’s playoff series, the Bobcats were outplayed in the first 20 minutes of action, but stood their ground with great defensive play. 

Quinnipiac graduate goaltender Corinne Schroeder was flashing the leather early as she recorded 15 saves in the process as the Raiders were getting lots of shots to the net. 

The Bobcats broke through in the second period when junior forward Sadie Peart trickled one past Colgate freshman goaltender Hannah Murphy for her 13th of the season. 

Peart has had a remarkable 2021-22 campaign, tallying 31 points in total. Last weekend against Clarkson, she became the first player in the women’s program with a 30-point season since 2016.  

It didn’t take long for Colgate to respond as minutes later, a 2-on-1 breakaway opened up, allowing for senior forward Eleri MacKay to beat Schroeder on the right side, evening the game up at 1-1. 

The third period was bound to be a thriller, and it certainly delivered. Quinnipiac was able to regain the lead just minutes in when sophomore forward Olivia Mobley rifled one through for her team-leading 17th goal of the season. It had quickly become a 2-1 game.

The Raiders came storming back down the stretch when it mattered the most. They scored twice in a span of 1:55 to dash the Bobcats hopes of an ECAC Championship appearance. Sophomore forward Kalty Kaltounkova and junior defenseman Allyson Simpson both found the net and quickly powered Colgate to a 3-2 lead, draining the momentum from Quinnipiac.

Simpson took note of the momentum that Colgate was able to take into the final period in an effort to neutralize the Quinnipiac offensive attack.

“We look to each other for support…we really pride ourselves on having a super loud, fun bench and keeping everything positive,” Simpson said. “I think having that kind of culture is really important for our team and helped us win tonight.”

One of the consistencies of this Colgate team is its offensive success. The Raiders are 27-1-0 on the season when scoring three or more goals. They have also shown how to execute in late game situations as they hold an 11-2-0 mark in one-goal games, performing well under late game pressure. 

Colgate head coach Greg Fargo was ready for a test against a strong Quinnipiac team once again.

“We knew this was going to be a very tough test for us tonight,” Fargo said. “I think the way that Quinnipiac plays and the way we play really match up well with each other for a good hockey game.”

Despite the loss, what once again helped the Bobcats stay in this game were the efforts of Schroeder. She recorded another stellar performance, racking up 38 saves. In three meetings against Colgate this season, she made at least 30 saves each time, continuing to stifle the offensive attacks. 

Quinnipiac fell just short of its first ECAC Championship appearance since 2016 when it defeated Clarkson. With hope going forward for the NCAA Tournament, Bobcats head coach Cass Turner realizes the disappointment but emphasized her confidence in the resiliency of the team.

“There’s just no doubt in my mind that we’re gonna come back and be so ready to play next week in the tournament,” Turner said. “I know that they’re hungry, they certainly wanted an ECAC Championship and I’m sad they don’t get the chance to compete for that tomorrow.”

While the Bobcats may have come up short, they still have come a long way this season and have a chance to make some noise as they look to gain an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, which is set to begin next week. 

The women’s college hockey selection show will be televised for the first time ever this season in a half-hour special Sunday at 9 p.m. on ESPN News. Quinnipiac will wait for its name to be announced with its opponent.