MADISON, Wisconsin — The last time the Bobcats were in the NCAA tournament in 2022, they lost in the semifinals to the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes team that went on to lose in the National Championship Game. Thursday, they had the chance to go back to the semifinals and rewrite history.
The Bobcats would face off against the Franklin Pierce Ravens, champions of the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA). The Bobcats took care of business in Madison as they would go on to win by a final score of 4-0.
Despite giving up four goals, Ravens goaltender Jill Hertl saved 49-53 on the night and kept the Ravens in the game the whole way through this one.
“Jill is the most important factor of our team, I’m able to play with so much confidence knowing that Jill has my back,” teammate Maggie Korneta said when talking about her goaltender. Hertl won the NEWHA Goaltender of the Year and she also has the best save percentage in the NCAA.
Both teams took turns trading great danger scoring chances, but both goaltenders would be able to shut the door on multiple breakaways for both sides to keep the score even at the end of the first. Hertl worked a lot more in the first period, saving 19 shots faced.
Head Coach Cass Turner said, “We knew she had some of the best numbers in the country, if not the best, we knew it was gonna be a challenge.” Hertl stood on her head and was the sole reason this game was tied heading into the first intermission.
About halfway through the second period, Zoe Uens shot a rocket into the Ravens zone from the Wisconsin logo and it would beat Hertl blocker side, giving the Bobcats a 1-0 lead, or so they thought. The officials would review the play and rule the goal offside as there were multiple Bobcats in the offensive zone when the shot was released. The game would remain 0-0.
With 4:10 left in the second period, Emerson Jarvis would score a highlight reel goal, dangling around one defender and slipping by a second, firing the puck on her backhand and squeaking it by Hertl and the Bobcats would finally get the scoring started as they took a 1-0 lead.
With a little over 30 seconds left in the second period, the Bobcats would find themselves in a two-on-one in the offensive zone as Bryn Prier would saucer a pass over to Kahlen Lamarche and she would shoot it farside on Hertl. It would deflect off of Prier’s skate and into the back of the net, making it 2-0 Bobcats heading into the third period.
It’s was do or die for the Ravens as they were down with one last period left in their season. The Ravens would have a number of great chances on the Quinnipiac net, but Sophomore phenom Felicia Frank would stand tall, shutting the door. Frank would have a 29-29 save night, securing her 10th shoutout of the year. She would also go on to set a new program record for most saves ever recorded in a season (990).
The Bobcats would add two more goals in the third period, coming from a Peyton Cormier one-on-one top shelf shot against Hertl and a Laurence Frenette feed out in front that went five hole, making the score 4-0, sealing the win for Quinnipiac
Now the stage only gets bigger. With the shutout victory, the Bobcats move on to face the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers on their home ice in Madison on Saturday at 2 p.m. EST/ 1 p.m. CST.. It will be Quinnipiac’s toughest test yet, but also the program’s biggest opportunity. One more win will send them to the Frozen Four for the first time in team history and put them just steps away from college hockey’s ultimate prize.
Head Coach Cass Turner said “Wisconsin is so deep and so talented, we are going to really need to be together and play resilient and tough.”
