The Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team fell flat Saturday afternoon after they surrendered three straight goals in a 3-2 loss to the Providence Friars for their second loss of the season. 

In the aftermath of a 3-2 win Friday, it seemed as if the Bobcats wanted no part of another close game with the Friars, as they scored not once but twice in the first 10 minutes of the opening period.

With six minutes elapsed, Quinnipiac’s second line converted a turnover into a 3 on 2 man advantage. First-year Madison Chantler used some sweet stick skills to get around a defender before dishing the puck to junior forward Olivia Mobley, who back-handed a second pass across the crease to junior defender Kendall Cooper for an easy chip-in goal.

 A short time later, sophomore left-winger, Maya Labad reached a full extension to keep a sailing puck in the offensive zone. As she quickly turned and fired, Labad lasered a bullet pass to her winger counterpart Nina Steiguf, who slapped in a quick one-timer for Quinnipiac’s second goal in three minutes. At the end of the first period, Quinnipiac sat comfortably in the driver’s seat with a 2-0 lead.

Down two goals after 20 minutes, Providence reinvigorated themselves to prove they can hang with the No. 3 ranked team in the nation. Graduate forward Caroline Peterson brought the puck into the Quinnipiac zone and dropped a quick pass to a trailing Rachel Weiss who, using Peterson as a screen, fired a wrist shot through Quinnipiac goaltender Logan Anger’s five-hole. The goal swiftly cut the Bobcat’s lead in half.

Later in the period, Providence’s Naomi Neubauerova would lead the attack into the Quinnipiac offensive end. As she attempted a shot on goal, she whiffed on the puck but reacted by kicking it back to her trailing teammate Sara Hjalmarsson, who then took a shot of her own, and found the back of the net with the game-tying goal. The period would end in a stalemate, with both teams locked at two goals apiece.

As the two teams raced to a third goal, it would ultimately be the Friars finding themselves ahead in the final period. A blocked shot from the point of the Bobcats’ offensive zone sailed over the net, crashed off the boards behind the goal and bounced back out in front of the crease. An already crashing Neubauerova slid at the puck and batted it past Angers to give the Friars a 3-2 lead. 

Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner pulled Angers with just 1:40 left to play in the game, hoping a man advantage would generate some offense. Quinnipiac would do no such thing, as the final horn sounded, which solidified the team’s loss.

Despite the loss, Turner reflected on the game with a glass-half-full mentality. 

“Nobody likes to lose but there’s so much for us to be proud of,” she said. “We’re so proud of where we are and what we’ve accomplished this first half of the season.” 

Giving credit where credit was due, Turner gave Providence its flowers, complimenting them on their success tonight. 

“Providence played a strong game,” she said. “They took advantage of their opportunities when they had them.” 

A rare loss for the Bobcats, they drop just their second game this season in 19 total played, bringing their cumulative record to 17-2. They will now get some time off to rest and reflect on this weekend before taking on the Wisconsin Badgers on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.