By David F. Pendrys

HAMDEN, CT- In a clash of top ranked teams, the Boston College Eagles and Quinnipiac Bobcats met again Saturday afternoon after tying the day before at BC. Home ice however didn’t prove to be friendly to QU as they dropped the game 4 to 1. The turning point in what had been a 2-1 game, was Caitrin Lonergan’s short handed goal in the third. Makenna Newkirk had moved into the QU zone to harass them as they tried to set up for another attempt on the power play, and she managed to get the puck and feed it out to a waiting Lonergan who was alone in front and beat QU’s Sydney Rossman for a 3-1 lead. Within 2 minutes Andie Anastos was fed the puck from a teammate exiting her zone and she rushed up swept around the back of the net and passed it to Kenzie Kent who stood on the other side uncovered and smacked it in.

“We had some great moments, and some really undisciplined moments,” Coach QU Coach Cassandra Turner said. “And when you play a good hockey team, undisciplined moments are going to catch ya and I think for us, our focus now is how do we learn from this, how do we move forward and get ready to play some tough conference play starting next weekend.”

With composure in the face of adversity a theme of the press conference Turner noted that the team “graduated a lot of leaders last year.”

BC had scored first in the second on the power play after Toni Ann Miano pounced on a rebound in front of the net and popped it through the screen to Rossman’s left. QU responded almost instantly on their own power play when Taryn Baumgardt teed it up from near the blue line past BC’s Katie Burt. Newkirk used a similar slap from deep in the QU zone past the keeper for a 2-1 lead about 10 minutes later. At that point the game was still relatively back and forth.

“They took a huge step from even yesterday to today,” Turner said complimenting BC. She especially pointed out Megan Keller and Kali Flanagan specifically as great skaters matching up against her Bobcats.

In the new NCAA penalty environment the special teams saw much action with QU having 6 power plays and converting on 1, and BC receiving 4 and converting on 2.

“I think we deserved the penalties we got today. I really think that we can be in more control and need to be. I think that’s really shifted in the second period was some undisciplined penalties. WE can’t be in a position where we’re going to rely on our penalty kill solely throughout the game.”

In goal, Rossman made 15 saves on 19 BC shots and Burt made 17 saves on 18 QU shots.

For BC, Grace Bizal had 5 blocked shots, Megan Keller and Toni Ann Miano both had 2, and Kenzie Kent and Andie Anastos had 1.

For QU, Emma Greco had 4 blocked shots, Alicia Barry had 2, Kate MacKenzie, Kati Tabin, Taryn Baumgardt, Melissa Samoskevich, and T.T. Cianfarano all had 1 each.

Noticed plays. (Plays that might not make the score sheet and are by no means exhaustive. Best to read these notes with a big “at least” in mind as more is happening than in observed.)

QU

• Melissa Samoskevich kept it in the the offensive zone preserving an attempt. She also cleared it from her end ending an Eagles attack.
• Kate MacKenzie stole it as BC tried to come into the QU zone. She also disrupted an Eagles sweep at the net. Offensively she kept it in the BC zone on an attack.
• T.T. Cianfarano stole it in the offensive zone to set up a quality opportunity.
• Miranda Lantz cleared it from her zone.
• Alicia Barry and Raquel Pennoyer disrupted an opponent’s entry, got the puck and moved it back out. Barry later cleared it from the goal mouth.
• Taryn Baumgardt kept the puck from escaping the BC zone during a power play. Later she deflected a centering pass while on a penalty kill. At another time she stole it from the visitors in the Bobcats end stopping the attack. She also cleared the puck at even strength. Even later in the game she disrupted a BC setup and eventually grabbed the puck herself.
• Kati Tabin acquired the puck in her zone and brought it out. On one of BC’s short handed tries she stopped it.
• Emma Greco interjected when BC tried to skate it in. She also had at least two clears during penalty kills. At another time she knocked it from the goal mouth.
• Kenzie Prater cleared it at even strength and also during the penalty kill. She also got it out from the goal mouth during another Boston College effort.
• Meghan Turner intercepted the puck in the offensive zone and sent it to Emma Woods for a shot.

BC

• Grace Bizal disrupted QU in the defensive zone and a teammate collected the puck. Critically she blocked a shot in front of the open side of the net as Burt was drawn to the other side. Later she cleared it from in front of the net on a penalty kill and cleared it from the zone on another kill.
• Megan Keller intercepted a QU attempt to pass it up the ice. Later she cleared it at even strength. She had a block on a penalty kill and at another point disrupted and stole the puck from a Bobcat in the BC zone. During another penalty kill she cleared it out of the goal mouth.
• Haley McLean flung it out of the Eagles zone at even strength.
• Toni Ann Miano intercepted a clearing whack from QU at center ice and skated it in for a shot. She cleared it on the penalty kill and later at even strength. She also brought the puck out to stop a QU drive into her zone.
• Caitrin Lonergan pushed the Bobcats beyond the blue line on a penalty kill. Also during a kill she acquired the puck and exited the zone. She also had a clear on the penalty kill as well.
• Kenzie Kent had at least two clears during penalty kills and a block during a kill. Offensively she stole the puck in the QU end and got off a shot.
• Kali Flanagan cleared the biscuit from the end at even strength. She also flummoxed a Bobcats effort and later stole it in the BC zone to stop another opposing effort.
• Delaney Belinskas disrupts QU zone entry and later recovers the puck.
• Andie Anastos broke in on a short handed try. Her lone block of the game came on the penalty kill. She also stole the puck in her zone and brought it out with the help of Kenzie Kent
• Makenna Newkirk cleared it at one instance and also intercepted a QU pass.