ITHACA, N.Y. — It seemed like Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey had turned a corner. The Bobcats rattled off three-straight wins — albeit against subpar opponents — and were playing their best hockey since early January before heading into an ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series with Cornell.
Turns out those three wins were just a façade as the Big Red snookered Quinnipiac, sweeping it out of the conference tournament.
“That’s a great Cornell hockey team,” Turner said. “Over the two days they just kept gaining momentum.”
The Bobcats were never really in it. Cornell was just too fast, too physical, too skilled and they just couldn’t keep up. That said, it wasn’t like Quinnipiac didn’t show some grit.
A competitive Game 1 saw the Bobcats fight back from an early 2-0 hole to force overtime. But a misplayed puck by graduate student goaltender Logan Angers early in the extra frame allowed Cornell freshman forward Karel Prefontaine to capitalize and put Quinnipiac on the brink of elimination.
“I saw her getting back, but I knew that a shot would probably make it harder for her than just trying to skate it in,” Prefontaine told The Cornell Daily Sun. “She was farther back (from) her net, so I had the perfect angle.”
Game 2 was a different story.
Cornell throttled the Bobcats from the start, and it wasn’t close. Unlike the first game, Quinnipiac was never competitive, and the team fell apart at the seams. Its offense was nonexistent — only putting up 11 shots on goal — and couldn’t muster any kind of a presence in its offensive zone.
“We didn’t get the same o-zone sustained pressure,” Turner said. “That helped (the Big Red) gain momentum because it was making them uncomfortable (on Friday).”
The Bobcats’ playoff discipline also evaporated in Saturday’s contest, filling the penalty box five times. In their previous two ECAC tournament games against Harvard, they played clean hockey, and with their backs against the wall, that discipline went right out the window. While none resulted in a Cornell goal, it’s clear Quinnipiac was cracking under the pressure.
“It was different officiating from the night before,” Turner said. “Cornell made us uncomfortable.”
The Big Red’s offensive onslaught was the most impressive thing on the ice last weekend. With dynamic forwards senior Izzy Daniel, junior Lily Deliandeis and sophomores Avi Adam and Georgia Schiff, the Bobcats couldn’t keep up. Penalty trouble stalled…
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