By David F. Pendrys

HAMDEN, CT – If one watched the first period of the Quinnipiac v. Providence women’s hockey game, they would have questioned whether QU was in a position to win that day. The Friars swarmed the Bobcats zone with shot after shot and miscues created more opportunities. The shorthanded QU team righted the ship though in periods two and three and scored the only goal of the game to defeat PC. “In the beginning of the year, so many teams are very fragile. It was huge for us to get that first goal today,” Quinnipiac Head Coach Cassandra Turner explained. “I think we grew up a lot in the third period,” she had said earlier of the team’s rebound from the rough start.

QU netminder Abbie Ives did a great job to keep her team in the game shutting out her opponents, by making critical saves including during several breakdowns in the defense. Early on she was the rock keeping PC from capitalizing on a rough first frame for the Bobcats. All in all Ives made 37 saves en route to the win. “Abbie Ives played such a great day today,” Head Coach Turner said. “She was there when we needed her. We had some pretty big breakdowns in moments. She did an excellent job.”

Her counterpart Madison Myers made 28 saves, but let in the game winner.

Abby Cleary was the difference in the game. Raquel Pennoyer lofted a shot on Myers from the edge of the blue line, but the rebound bounced right to Cleary who lofted the puck over the keeper late in the second period. Pennoyer snagged the assist.

“She [Cleary] put so much into her summer to improve. I’m excited to see her have so much success right away,” Turner said post game.

The goal was illustrative of how the game went. There were a lot of sudden chances for both squads. Each team had plenty of power plays but could do nothing with them.

QU did this all without key pieces like T.T. Cianfarano, Kenzie Lancaster, Kenzie Prater, and Anna Kilponen in the lineup. The team only deployed five defenders throughout the game against a swift PC offense.

“I was happy with our D especially in the third period and how they fought to pick up sticks around our net. [Alicia] Barry had a couple of big ones. Nice to see our Captains and our veterans able to make those plays when we needed it,” Coach Turner mused.

Taylor House filled in for Cianfarano on the line with Melissa Samoskevich and Sarah-Eve Coutu-Godbout and she had eight shots on the day. Samoskevich had 5. Cleary, Pennoyer and Kate MacKenzie had 3.

Turner was complimentary of House in the post game presser.

“She has amazing puck skill. She’s going to be someone that in the future we really rely on to put the puck in the net here,”

When asked about other standouts, Turner quickly turned to the veteran Co-Captain.

“Melissa Samoskevich had a great day for us. She kept building as the day was progressing and won a lot of puck battles which we needed. Our bench got excited about that and was ready and willing to follow her.”

Christina Putigna led Providence with 6 shots, Blair Parent had 5, and multiple players had 3 including Whitney Dove, Brooke Boquist, Avery Fransoo, Kate Friesen, Meaghan Rickard, and Hayley Lunny.

The Friars drop to 3-1-0 on the season in the non conference match up. QU rises to 2-2-0.

When questioned as to what the team did differently in the later part of the game, Turner gave her thoughts, but also said looking forward, “I think for us we just gotta start to play from a more confident place where we believe in who we are.”

Full Presser Videos

Head Coach Cassandra Turner

Abbie Ives

Abby Cleary

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Noticed Plays.

(This is a not exhaustive list of noticed plays that might not make the score sheet. It is very possible a player has far more of any sort of play than are noticed in the heat of action. It is what it is. Read these more as a player had at least what is noted here.) (Note the language is a bit stilted, I’m trying to figure out how to make the information flow better.

Quinnipiac:

Pennoyer: Had a steal in the defensive end and a clear on the penalty kill

MacKenzie: Cleared the biscuit on a penalty kill, cleared the puck at even strength, blocked a shot, and

disrupted a scoring chance.

Kati Tabin: Cleared the disc on the penalty kill

Allison Roethke: Cleared it on the penalty kill, disrupted an opposing forward pass, i­ntercepted a pass in the defensive zone, and cleared the puck at even strength.

Randi Marcon: Intercepted a centering pass, had at least 2 clears on the penalty kill and blocked a shot. Also, intercepted passes in the defensive zone and got the puck out of danger a few times.

Grace Markey Got it in the offensive end to generate a potential chance.

Laura Lundblad: Stole it in the defensive end and brought it out

Tabin: Blocked a shot. Intercepted the puck in the neutral zone at one point.

Samoskevich Kept it within the zone to prolong the attack.

Coutu-Godbout Stole it in the opposing end to generate a potential chance. Her stickhandling baffled Providence at times.

Renee Saltness: Cleared the puck at even strength

Brooke Bonsteel: Cleared it on the penalty kill

Samoskevich: She has a sequence where she skated around the defenders and they couldn’t catch her. She got it during a penalty and brought it out for a short handed change along with House.

Shannon Cherpak Stole it in the defensive end. Also Intercepted a pass up the ice.

Pennoyer Got it in the defensive zone and brought it out. The team eventually had a scoring chance.

Cleary Intercepted a centering pass. She had two blocks late in the game.

Providence:

Lunny Stole it in the opposing end. Also snatched the puck in the offensive end and generated a shot.

Chloe Gonsalves: Stole it in the defensive end. Intercepted a centering pass

Boquist: Stole it in the defensive end a few times. Got it in the offensive end to start a chance. Throughout the game she was a catalyst making things happen.

Madison Sansone: Cleared the puck on the penalty kill

Blair Parent: At least 2 clears on penalty kills. Also dumped it in from middle of the ice during the PK.

Whitney Dove: Cleared the puck from the neutral zone on a penalty kill. Later, disrupted a zone entry.

Putigna: Intercepted a centering pass, and had clear on the penalty kill

Fransoo: Kept it within the zone for a shot. Blocked a shot and brought the puck out. Disrupted a scoring chance later.

Rachel Rockwell: Disrupted a scoring chance, stole the puck in the defensive end, cleared the disc on the penalty kill, and intercepted a pass in the defensive zone

Neve Van Pelt: Stole the puck in the defensive end. A teammate then moved it out of the zone.

Kathleen McHugh: Intercepted the puck in the neutral zone.

Maureen Murphy: Got it in the defensive zone

Madison Sansone: Shorthanded try during the penalty kill. Got it in the defensive zone

Kate Friesen: Stole the puck in the defensive end.