ITHACA, N.Y. -- An incredible display of defense and skill helped keep the game close before senior Kelly Babstock did what she's done her entire career and made the plays when her team needed them the most. Trailing 1-0 heading into the third period, No. T9 Quinnipiac stormed back for one of its biggest wins in program history against No. 3 Cornell 2-1 in front of a packed crowd at Lynah Rink on Friday. Cornell represents the highest-ranked opponent Quinnipiac has ever beaten and it also represents its first victory at Lynah Rink since Nov. 18, 2006. The Bobcats' record breaking victory bumps their record up to 19-5-9 (10-4-7 ECAC Hockey) while they snap the nation's second-longest winning streak at six games as the Big Red fall to 20-4-4 (15-2-3 ECAC Hockey).
Quinnipiac's stellar play started with junior goalie Chelsea Laden who played one of the best games of her career, making 27 saves on the evening to limit the nation's third-highest scoring offense coming into the weekend. She stymied the lethal tandem of Jillian Saulnier and Emily Fulton, who came in as the third-highest scoring duo in the nation at just under three points per game, to only one assist combined on the evening.
The Bobcats have feasted off the third period all season and Friday was no different as their two goals in the final frame gives them a 38-14 advantage against their opponents for the season. Their two goals also moves them into first place for the highest-scoring team in the nation in the third period alone.
Babstock was the offensive star for the Bobcats with her second consecutive multi-point game (one goal, one assist) as Quinnipiac remains undefeated this season when their star forward registers at least one point (18-0-5). Freshman Emma Woods banged home the equalizer early in the third period for her 12th goal of the season as she continues to lead all ECAC Hockey rookies in that category. Junior Shiann Darkangelo assisted on Woods' goal to give her 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the past eight games.
No. 1 Minnesota 6, Minnesota-Duluth 0
MINNEAPOLIS -- Sophomore Maryanne Menefee scored her first hat trick as a Golden Gopher and senior Sarah Davis scored two goals to lead Minnesota to a 6-0 win against visiting Minnesota-Duluth at Ridder Arena Friday night.
Junior Meghan Lorence had three points on one goal and two assists, and sophomore Hannah Brandt recorded two assists as the line of Menefee, Brandt and Lorence combined for nine points in the Gophers' 11th-consecutive win.
Sophomore goaltender Amanda Leveille earned her NCAA-leading 12th shutout of the season with 16 saves. UMD received 23 saves from starting goaltender Kayla Black, who fell to 12-10-6 on the season, and got 11 saves on 12 shots from Karissa Grapp over the final 27:43.
With the win, the Gophers extended their NCAA-leading unbeaten streak to 19 games (18-0-1).
No. 2 Wisconsin 5, Minnesota State-Mankato 1
MANKATO, Minn. -- Junior Blayre Turnbull scored two short-handed goals in the third period to help No. 2 Wisconsin secure a 5-1 win against Minnesota State-Mankato at All Seasons Arena.
With her two short-handed goals, Turnbull set the school record for the most short-handed goals in a season with five. Her seven career short-handed goals are tied for third on the school’s all-time list with Sara Bauer.
Turnbull was also the second player in school history to record multiple short-handed goals in a game, and the first player to tally two short-handed efforts in the same period. Michelle Sikich also scored two short-handed goals in a 5-2 win against Minnesota State-Mankato on Dec. 4, 1999.
No. 4 Clarkson 6, Rensselear 0
POTSDAM, NY -- Four first-period goals lifted Clarkson by Rensselaer 6-0 on Friday night at Cheel Arena.
The victory improves the Golden Knights to 24-4-5 (15-2-4 ECAC Hockey) while the loss drops the Engineers to 10-19-3 (6-13-2). Clarkson is now unbeaten in 15 consecutive games (12-0-3) and moves into sole possession of first place following a Cornell loss and a Harvard tie this evening.
Clarkson struck first at the 3:59 mark when senior captain Carly Mercer fought for the puck behind the RPI net. After gaining possession she served the puck in front of the net to sophomore Olivia Howe, who quickly flicked the puck by RPI goaltender Brianna Piper to give the Knights the 1-0 lead. The goal was her eighth of the season and sophomore Cayley Mercer also assisted on the play.
The Knights waited exactly two minutes before adding to their lead as senior Vanessa Gagnon redirected a shot from the point by senior Vanessa Plante for her 14th goal on the season to double the Clarkson lead to 2-0. Senior Jamie Lee Rattray earned an assist as well.
Clarkson would add a third goal at the 17:32 mark in the first period as Olivia Howe controlled the puck to the right of the net before passing out to sophomore Erin Ambrose at the blue line. Ambrose found senior Shelby Nisbet streaking toward the net across the ice and Nisbet finished with a wrist shot that gave the Knights a 3-0 lead and ended Piper's night.
The Knights were not done as Rattray fought for the puck in the RPI zone and dug it out to senior Brittany Styner. Styner steered the puck behind the RPI net before finding Ambrose to the right of the net, who finished the shot to put the Knights up 4-0 late in the first period.
Senior goaltender Erica Howe was rarely tested throughout the game as the Engineers only managed three shots in each period. The nine saves on the evening were good for her 11th shutout on the season, tying her for best in the country.
The scoring would continue early in the second period as the Knights found the back of the net again at the 2:50 mark. The Engineers mishandled the puck behind their own net and junior Daniella Matteucci gained possession in the attacking zone. Working her way around RPI defenders, she found Rattray who fired a shot on net that beat backup goaltender Kelly O'Brien for her 26th goal of the year to put Clarkson up 5-0.
Following a body-checking penalty, the Knights added to their lead with a power-play goal. Freshman Genevieve Bannon passed to Cayley Mercer in the attacking zone, who then dished to Gagnon. She would finish in front of the net for her second goal of the game and 15th of the season to put the Knights up 6-0.
No. 5 Harvard 3, Yale 3
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Harvard skated to a 3-3 tie with Yale on Friday in Ingalls Rink, but the Crimson (20-4-4, 15-3-3 ECAC) did well to rally back after being down 3-1 to the Bulldogs (8-13-7, 6-8-7 ECAC) in the second period to force overtime.
Freshman Sydney Daniels scored the tying goal with just 1:16 left in the third period, allowing the Crimson to escape New Haven with a point to remain in second place in the ECAC standings. Senior Elizabeth Parker also found the back of the net for Harvard, as did the Crimson's usual suspect, Miye D'Oench. In goal, Maschmeyer racked up 23 saves, including a few highlight reel stops, in the stalemate.
Harvard and Yale went back and forth in spurts much of the contest, but the Crimson held the early advantage. Parker lifted Harvard to a 1-0 lead in the first as she buried a slick pass from Jessica Harvey, beating Jamie Leonoff glove side.
But Yale took the rest of the period over from there. The Bulldogs notched a power play goal – what has been a rarity against the Crimson, who boasted the best penalty kill in the nation coming into the game – as Taylor Marchin beat Maschmeyer on a tough goal on the right side of the net. With time running down in the opening frame, Yale attacked with the skater advantage again, this time as Jackie Raines netted a power play goal at the 18:39 mark to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Just five minutes into the second period, Yale found the back of the net for its third unanswered goal. Krista Yip-Chuck gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 advantage and seemingly all the momentum. But nearly six minutes later, D'Oench tallied her 16th goal of the year, pulling the Crimson within 3-2 in a crucial moment. The sophomore sniped one in from down low after Harvey fed her the puck in traffic.
Each team took turns firing shots in the final period, each having a couple of chances with numbers on their side, but it wasn't until the final minutes that a puck hit the twine. With her momentum carrying her backwards, Daniels ripped a shot off her back skate, but it flew just over Leonoff's left shoulder and into the top right corner of the net for the tying score.
Avoiding a loss in regulation, the Crimson nearly toppled the Bulldogs in the extra frame on a few occasions. Most notably when Sarah Edney intercepted an errant pass and raced the puck up the ice. She weaved her way through two defenders, beating one to take it one-on-one with Leonoff, but the shot never got past Leonoff's pads.
Ohio State 2, No. 7 North Dakota 0
COLUMBUS, OHIO -- Ohio State used a second-period power-play goal to defeat North Dakota 2-0 at OSU Ice Rink on Friday night.
No. 8 Mercyhurst 4, Lindenwood 1
ERIE, Pa. -- Senior Christine Bestland scores a hat trick to lead Mercyhurst past Lindenwood on Friday afternoon. The Lakers extended their winning streak to eight games.
Mercyhurst improved to 22-7-3 on the season and 15-3-1 in the CHA after matching the team's longest winning streak this season. Lindenwood fell to 5-24-2 on the season and are now 5-13-1 in the CHA.
The Lakers pressure kept on early and often as Mercyhurst marked 20 shots on net during the opening period. After hitting a few posts, sophomore Jenna Dingeldein broke through netminder Nicole Hensley at the 13:51 mark of the first period. Freshman Paige Horton collected an assist after taking a hard shot at the points. The rebound was picked up by Emily Janiga who dished it to Dingeldein.
Mercyhurst received a penalty at the start of the second period but it was all Mercyhurst as Bestland scored her first goal of the contest on a short-handed goal at the 3:44 mark. Bestland's shorthanded goal marked her fifth of the season as she extended her lead in the nation in that category. Senior Kaleigh Chippy was awarded the assist.
Before the end of the second Bestland gave her team a 3-0 lead on an even strength goal at the 17:27 mark. Sophomore Lauren Kilroy forced a turnover in her defensive end to force a four on one as Lindenwood was making a change. Kilroy fed the puck to Bestland who was in front who managed to get a breakaway. Bestland beat Hensley in between her legs to mark her second goal of the game.
Lindenwood battled for a two on one opportunity at the 9:14 mark of the third period to put their team on the board in the final minutes of regulation. Kendra Broad beat goaltender Amanda Makela to the top right corner of the net. Carrie Atkinson collected the assist.
The Lions battled for another goal as Hensley was pulled at the 18:49 mark of the game. Lindenwood could not set up into position around the Lakers defense. Finally, Bestland cleared the puck into the neutral zone and into the empty net to complete her hat trick at the 19:39 mark.
T9 Robert Morris 5, Penn State 2
PITTSBURGH -- Robert Morris hockey senior assistant captain Thea Imbrogno broke the program's career record for points as the Colonials rode an impressive offensive performance to a 5-2 victory against Penn State this afternoon.
Robert Morris (23-7-3, 12-5-2 CHA) clinches a first round bye in the College Hockey America (CHA) Tournament with the victory. Penn State (4-26-3, 1-17-1 CHA) continues its struggles against the Colonials, falling to 0-7 all-time against them.
RMU opened up the scoring with a goal at the 16:51 mark of the first period. Junior forward Katelyn Scott found a loose puck in front of Nittany Lion goaltender Nicole Paniccia and batted it through her five-hole for her second goal of the season. Imbrogno and sophomore defenseman Erin Staniewski were credited with the assists.
The Colonials dominated the second 20 minutes, holding a shot advantage of 17-1 in the frame. Just a minute and a half into the period, freshman forward Brittany Howard lit the lamp with her 16th goal of the season. Emily Laurenzi gave RMU its first power play of the contest just 34 seconds into the stanza, and the Colonials made the most of it with a falling Howard batting in a pass from Imbrogno.
Seven minutes later, it was junior forward Katie Fergus finding the back of the net as she deflected a shot from classmate Maddie Collias.
Less than five minutes into the third period, RMU and Penn State traded goals. Junior forward Rebecca Vint was the recipient of the Colonial tally, as she snapped one from the slot off a pass from Collias. The Nittany Lions responded 35 seconds later with a goal from Laura Bowman.
Midway through the final frame, senior captain Kristen Richards redirected a centering pass from sophomore forward Ashley Vesci to make it 5-1.
Amy Petersen set the final at the 15:22 mark of the period with a goal.
Freshman goaltender Jessica Dodds won her 20th game of the season after making 17 saves.
