Quinnipiac Advances

For the first time in ECAC hockey playoff history; the women’s game arrived at Lake Placid. In the late game (Yale beat Cornell in the first game), the Quinnipiac Bobcats and the Princeton Tigers put on a show that took some bonus hockey to settle. At nearly the 64min mark it was Quinnipiac that advanced with a 2-1 OT win.

This was a 2 seed vs. 3 seed that featured a pair of the top goalies not only in the league but also in the country. Goals were going to be hard to come by and the final score proved that out. In net for Princeton was Uma Corniea (1.73GAA with a .938%SV and 6 shutouts), who just took 2 out of 3 from Harvard to put the Tigers into the semi-finals. At the other end of the sheet stood Felicia Frank (1.54GAA with a .941%SV and 9 shutouts), fresh out of a series vs. Brown where she made 89 saves over 3GP. So yeah, this was going to be a duel.

The pace was fast to open up and Quinnipiac was the definite aggressor. Up and down the ice they closed gaps and were pressuring the puck. That translated to the majority of the play in the Princeton zone and even an early QU goal that was wiped off after an offsides challenge.

Finally, just before midway of the first, the Bobcats broke through and this one counted. Mia Lopata carried the puck deep into the Princeton zone on the right wing and smoked the puck across the net front. Taylor Brueske was on her horse driving the net and tapped it home back door to put the Bobcats on the board. What an absolute laser of a pass to Brueske.

After the goal, Quinnipiac ramped up the pressure and had Princeton on their back foot, but couldn’t get another one past Corniea. Princeton got back on their game late in the period but couldn’t get a sustained attack on Frank and the sides retired for the first intermission with Quinnipiac leading.

In the 2nd you could see the change in Princeton off the opening draw as Frank made 3-4 saves in the first 30 seconds of the period. The pace was still extremely fast, but the zone time had evened out as Princeton battled back with wall battles and their own gap control. Quinnipiac didn’t do themselves any favors as they had successive penalties that basically put them on the PK for a double minor. After killing off the penalties you could see that the Tigers had a step, but Frank was awesome. Square to shooters and on top of her crease she shut the door for the remainder of the first.

Unfortunately, that’s when Stripes got involved. Somehow, Emerson Jarvis getting blown up on the end boards (well after the puck was gone) was NOT a penalty, but when Jarvis braced for another big hit in the neutral zone with time expiring, she got called for roughing and that WAS a penalty? Make it make sense. Even the broadcast team was befuddled. And I give all props to Jarvis, she was protecting herself and in EVERY league in the world the hit on her WAS a penalty. Gotta love when the on-ice officials make themselves part of the game.

As the third progressed the Bobcats applied the pressure again. The Tigers were unable to get set up in the Quinnipiac zone and when they retained possession, it was one shot on net and then back out of the zone. Quinnipiac’s pressure forced Princeton into a number of icings which kept some tired legs on the ice.

The nastiness ramped up as every whistle saw a late stick to the pads or some pushing. Every time Frank tied up the puck she saw a few extra whacks from the Tiger forwards and the Quinnipiac forwards weren’t being shy with shoulders and elbows on the forecheck.. It looked like this one might be settled by Brueske’s goal as Princeton couldn’t get one past Frank. Until they did.

A turnover in the neutral zone saw Gabby Kim gather the puck and hit Angelina DiGirolamo on the tape heading into the Quinnipiac zone. DiGirolamo drove the left wing and curled towards the slot before putting her shot far-side off the post and in. She was on her off-wing so was able to use her body to shield the puck from the Quinnipiac defender. Watch the replay as she waits for the defender to drop to a knee to help with the screen before letting the puck go. Great play.

The tie score held until the final horn and I don’t think anyone in the arena was surprised that this one was going to OT. As the extra period started up, Princeton carried the play and had the better looks and it looked like The Hockey Gods were going to stay out of this one (they owed the Bobcats big-time for that Jarvis non-call in my opinion).

So maybe, just maybe it was The Hockey Gods that put a little yo-yo dust on the final shot on net and had that puck come right back? Maybe it was just a perfect shot at the perfect time? I tell you something I know for certain: no one rooting for the Bobcats cared either way.

The clip below only shows the rebound, but Avery Bairos drove the slot and put a shot on net with a Princeton defender draped all over her. Bairos followed her shot to the net and outmuscled the Princeton player as the puck rebounded right back to her for her to punch it home 5-hole and punch Quinnipiac’s ticket to the championship tomorrow.

This clip gives a better view of the entire game winning sequence.

Tomorrow at 5pm Quinnipiac will square off against Yale for the ECAC Championship. Bobcats vs. Bulldogs for the title at Lake Placid. Do you believe in miracles?

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