The Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team punched its ticket to Lake Placid and the ECAC Semifinals on Sunday afternoon with a hard fought victory over the Brown Bears in a winner-take-all game three. 

After an unexpected loss the day before put them in this win-or-go-home game three, the Bobcat offense got to work early.

Following a strong chance from the Brown attack, senior center Emerson Jarvis corralled a pass around the blue line and slid a shot just under the pad of sophomore goaltender Anya Zupkofska to open the scoring just 32 seconds in.  

“That was huge. It was nice to see us start with that kind of offense,” Head Coach Cass Turner said postgame. “We’re strong when we score first.”  

Senior defenseman Zoe Uens and junior wing Kahlen Lamarche added assists on the Jarvis goal. 

Uens continued the early onslaught, cashing in with help from Jarvis and graduate wing Laurence Frenette. Frenette was able to find Uens around the blue line, who whipped a shot just past a screen set by Lamarche. 

Seven minutes in, the Bobcats had a two-goal advantage. 

Feeling an early sense of urgency, the Bears went on the attack and scored just before the midway point of the period. 

Lyons took a perfect pass from junior wing Ava DeCoste and beat Frank to her left. Sophomore wing Olivia Fantino also picked up an assist. 

On the other end, the Brown defense stood strong. Freshman defenseman Avery Lian recorded blocks on back-to-back shots. 

The Bobcats also didn’t shy away from putting their bodies on the line as graduate defenseman Mia Lopata recorded multiple blocks in a game where Quinnipiac led 17-4 in the category.

“She’s been like this since she got here,” coach Turner said, commending Lopata’s grit. “I believe wholeheartedly she’s a big reason why we won that game.” 

Lopata herself also commented postgame, saying, “I wanted that win maybe more than anyone.”

The Bobcats capitalized on the penalty kill, as Lamarche took a brilliant pass from sophomore defenseman Aynsley D’Ottavio through the neutral zone and beat Zupkofska to her left side for the shorthanded score. 

Still, the Bears kept pace as junior center Sam Broz had an answer. Broz knocked in a loose puck to bring the game back within a goal. Fantino and freshman defenseman Isabella Gratzl added assists. 

Kahlen Lamarche is never fully done though. Following assists from D’Ottavio and sophomore defenseman Ella Sennick, Lamarche once again found the top left corner for her second goal of the game, a mark she hit in each of the two games prior. 

Things got even more interesting late in the second period, as a sliding D’Ottavio tried to prevent sophomore wing Monique Lyons from taking a breakaway opportunity toward Frank. 

In doing so, D’Ottavio was caught tripping Lyons, presenting the Bears with a rare penalty shot opportunity. Frank read the shot perfectly and fought it off to her left. 

Brown began the third period with a more aggressive pace of play, firing quick shots on Frank and pulling further away in shots on goal as Quinnipiac’s pace slowed. Brown outshot Quinnipiac 18-5 in the third.

“She’s been our backbone,” coach Turner said about Frank. “I think we could’ve helped her a lot more but I’m glad she was back there to help us when we needed it.” 

However, the third period dam broke in favor of the Bobcats. In an unassisted fashion, Lamarche drove in toward Zupkofska and found the bottom right corner of the net, sealing her fourth hat trick of the season. 

This goal marked her 60th point of the season, and placed her atop Quinnipiac’s all-time single-season point scorers list.  

“No one comes in here to try and break people’s records, it’s just something that happens with time,” Lamarche humbly said. “Breaking records is fun, doing it with this team is especially fun. Going to get a ring in Lake Placid is going to be even better.”

Brown executed a five-on-three to perfection as Iginla placed a perfect pass through the five-hole to cut the Bobcat lead to two. Lyons and freshman defenseman Cadence Richards added assists. 

The Bears continued to inch closer as senior wing India McDadi was in the right place at the right time and backhanded a shot over the left shoulder of Frank. With that, the Bears made it a one-goal affair once again. 

Zupkofska was pulled from the net with 90 seconds to go in regulation. Brown was all in. 

In the dying seconds, the puck trickled loose on the outskirts of the crease as both teams flooded the area. It didn’t go. 

With the puck cleared, Quinnipiac put the finishing touches on a nerve-wracking 5-4 victory to punch a ticket to the ECAC semifinals in Lake Placid.

“We are not scared to battle, we are not scared to make other teams uncomfortable,” said Lamarche. “When we want something, and we want something right now, watch out. We are going to fight for it.” 

Quinnipiac will take on Princeton in Lake Placid in a single-elimination game on Mar. 6 for a spot in the ECAC Championship.