The undefeated Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team stayed perfect Friday night, securing a 4-1 victory over the Cornell Big Red behind two goals from sophomore forward Maya Labad. 

The Bobcats’ offense didn’t skip a beat against Cornell in the first period, scoring two early goals to set the tone. Almost halfway through the period, first-year forward Madison Chantler broke the ice after a slew of passes from junior forward Olivia Mobley and graduate forward Shay Maloney put the puck in position for Chantler to score. 

Less than two minutes later, a shot on goal sent a sea of bodies toward the Cornell net, only for the puck to trickle away right to the stick of Maloney, who stuffed in Quinnipiac’s second and final goal of the period. Mobley was once again credited with an assist.

Cornell flipped the switch in the second period, turning its offensive production up a notch. Three minutes into the period, senior forward and captain of the Big Red Gillis Frechette cut Quinnipiac’s lead in half, finding a rare hole in the armor of Bobcat goalie Logan Angers, bringing the game’s score to 2-1.

In a game that was poised to see high-scoring numbers, the box score told a different story. Angers and Deanna Fraser of Cornell stood tall in their respective nets, combining 17 total saves in the second period alone. 

Quinnipiac put itself in prime positions all throughout the period to score. A big reason for its high offensive production was the ability to win faceoffs. In the period, the team won 15 faceoffs as opposed to Cornell’s six. The Bobcats squandered multiple possessions as well as two power-play opportunities in their scoreless period.

In the third and final period of play, there was no action until there were less than five minutes to play in the game. Senior forward Alexa Hoskin picked up a botched pass and raced ahead on a 2-on-1 opportunity alongside Labad. A quick touch pass from Hoskin to Labad set up Quinnipiac’s much-needed insurance goal.

With two minutes left to play in regulation time, Cornell head coach Doug Derraugh pulled his netminder for a 6-on-5 man advantage. With 2.8 seconds to play, Labad launched her second goal of the game into the Cornell empty net. Angers was staunch in her defense yet again, and the game ended with a 4-1 Quinnipiac victory. 

Quinnipiac bounced on Cornell early in the first period mostly behind production from their Chantler-Maloney-Mobley line. Bobcats head coach Cass Turner praised the line and their abilities in the offensive zone.

“They’re confident with the puck and they make really good decisions with the puck,” Turner said. “Each of them brings their own unique skill set and they fit so well together.” 

The ability for a team to come out of the locker room already in stride is something that most players only hope to have, but tonight, the Bobcats had it. Labad complimented her squad on its ability to put pressure on early.

“Every goalie in the NCAA is good,” Labad said. “But we keep pressure on and keep scoring.” 

The win brings the No. 7 ranked Bobcats’ record to a remarkable 8-0-0. They will remain at the M&T Bank Arena moving into Saturday to take on Colgate in their third ECAC matchup of the season. The team looks to maintain its dominance as the drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.