The Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team battled to a 3-1 victory over the Syracuse Orange on Saturday at M&T Bank Arena.
This matchup was the second of a two-game series between the Bobcats and the Orange.
The previous night Quinnipiac won 4-0 with nine different Bobcats registering a point on the score sheet, highlighted by graduate forward Maddy Samoskevich’s nation-leading fourth powerplay goal of the season.
The first period was back and forth throughout with neither side able to find the back of the net. After 20 minutes of play, both teams were nearly identical in shot attempts and faceoff wins, but the Orange held a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal.
Just under three minutes into the second period, Syracuse freshman center Rylee McLeod fired a shot past the outstretched blocker of Quinnipiac graduate goaltender Kaley Doyle to give Syracuse the first goal of the game.
The Bobcats found their footing and answered with a goal of their own to tie the game three minutes later by way of senior winger Maya Labad burying the loose change after a shot by Samoskevich was blocked in front.
“I don’t think I ever expect anyone to score before us, I don’t want to expect that,” Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner said. “…I thought we responded really well from that.”
The Bobcats found themselves with a big opportunity to break the game open as Syracuse winger Charlotte Hallett was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for contact to the head on Bobcats first-year defenseman Aynsley D’Ottavio.
56 seconds into the advantage Quinnipiac capitalized with Labad firing a shot from the top of the circle past the Orange graduate netminder Allie Kelley.
Labad’s second tally of the game gave the Bobcats their first and only lead they would need on the day. Quinnipiac erupted for 23 shots in the middle frame compared to just six from Syracuse.
“I mean they knew it; they knew they had more in them. I think it was just a little more grit and commitment to have the puck,” Turner said on her team’s play in the second period. “…Once we started to do that, things happened.”
With just over 12 minutes remaining in regulation, Labad cashed in on the opportunity to give the Bobcats some insurance on another power play. Her shot from the left circle deflected off a Syracuse body in front and bounced straight into the net, marking a hat-trick on the day for the senior.
“She’s a special offensive player,” Turner said, on Labad. “I think for me, the things I liked a little bit more about her game were just the battles she had. I thought that was one of her better games this year in terms of the things she was doing to win pucks back.”
Sophomore forward Kahlen Lamarche put the exclamation point on the win with an empty net goal to secure the 4-1 victory for the Bobcats.
Syracuse drops to 2-5 on the season and will host the Boston University Terriers next weekend.
Quinnipiac moves to 6-2 and will travel to Brown on Friday in a conference matchup.
“I think we were just all working together. Good passes, and good screens. It just makes it easier.” Labad said.
