Bobcats increase ECAC lead
Melissa Samoskevich scored power-play game winners on back-to-back days to help No. 4 Quinnipiac to weekend wins over Harvard, 1-0, and Dartmouth, 2-1. The freshman popped in a rebound 6:52 into Friday’s game with the Crimson. Emerance Maschmeyer slammed the door on the other 37 shots from the Bobcats, but meanwhile, Sydney Rossman was pitching a 20-save shutout, her 12th of the year.
Robyn Chemago was knocked behind her net by one of her own skaters on Saturday, and before she could get back into her crease, Emma Woods had hit the unguarded cage. Samoskevich doubled the lead when she slid a backhand shot through the five-hole on a rush, and that proved to be the deciding goal when sophomore defenseman Hailey Noronha’s first collegiate goal put Dartmouth on the board.
Quinnipiac is unbeaten over its last 20 games.
Badgers shut out St. Cloud State
Ann-Renée Desbiens and No. 2 Wisconsin turned in twin 3-0 shutouts of St. Cloud State. She needed only 15 saves on Saturday and another 13 on Sunday to up her season shutout total to 14, as she closes in on the NCAA record of 17. Katie Fitzgerald did what she could to hold the Huskies in the contests, totaling 86 saves, but Emily Clark got to her for three goals. Sam Cogan and Annie Pankowski had three-point weekends, and Sarah Nurse scored in both games.
Even dozen
No. 6 Northeastern upped its winning streak to 12 games with a 5-2 win over New Hampshire. Lauren Kelly’s goal at 12:25 of the second period broke a 2-2 tie and proved to be the winner for the Huskies, who got two-point games from five different players.
How the rest of the top 10 fared
Makenna Newkirk had a goal and an assist and Megan Keller contributed two helpers to No. 1 Boston College in its 4-1 defeat of Merrimack. Katie Burt needed only 14 saves to gain her 22nd win, while Samantha Ridgewell made 52 saves to prevent greater damage.
No. 3 Minnesota ground out a pair of 2-1 wins at No. 7 Bemidji State. Cara Piazza deflected in the winning goal on a third-period power play on Friday, after Minnesota’s Sydney Baldwin and Ciscely Nelson of the Beavers traded first-period goals. After Lauren Miller gave BSU an early lead on Saturday, it took more than two periods for Dani Cameranesi to knot the score and force overtime. Lee Stecklein sniped a game-winner 47 seconds into the extra session, giving Amanda Leveille a 28-save win and hanging a 42-save loss on Brittni Mowat.
St. Lawrence and No. 5 Clarkson played a home-and-home series, with the Golden Knights coming away with three of the points. Olivia Howe had a goal and three assists to spark Clarkson to a 6-1 win in Canton. Shea Tiley made 27 saves, and Erin Ambrose chipped in three helpers. Lydia Grauer’s power-play goal with under five minutes to play salvaged a 2-2 tie for the Saints in Potsdam. Grace Harrison made 29 saves for SLU. Amanda Titus scored both tallies for the Golden Knights off of assists from Lauren Lefler.
No. 8 North Dakota had all it could handle as it hosted Minnesota State. Layla Marvin’s goal at 10:02 of the third period gave the Fighting Hawks a 2-1 win on Friday and came just 27 seconds after Savannah Quandt hat tied it up for the Mavericks. Jordan Hampton had opened the scoring a period earlier. Shelby Amsley-Benzie made 16 saves to get the win, and Brianna Quade kept MSU in it with 36 stops. UND needed a goal from Becca Kohler at 17:18 of the third period to escape with a 5-5 tie on Saturday. Meghan Dufault had a goal and three assists for the Fighting Hawks, who got a two-goal effort with a helper from Halli Krzyzaniak. On the other bench, Jordan McLaughlin and Emily Antony had three-point games, with the former’s day including two goals.
No. 9 Princeton started its week with a 4-0 victory over Connecticut. Kimberly Newell whitewashed the Huskies, recording 20 saves, and Hilary Lloyd, Morgan Sly, Kelsey Koelzer, and Cassidy Tucker found the net.
On Friday, Princeton rallied past Dartmouth, 4-1. The Tigers lost track of Laura Stacey, who cruised in front of Newell with a pass from Ailish Forfar, and Stacey swung a backhand around the sprawled netminder for a 1-0 Big Green advantage. Karlie Lund tied the score before the second period elapsed, getting behind the Dartmouth defense, collecting a pass from Sly, and beating Robyn Chemago. Jaimie McDonell took over in the third period, scoring on an end-to-end rush with a snipe over Chemago’s glove and adding an insurance goal six minutes later. Molly Contini’s empty-netter finished the scoring and Newell finished with 27 saves.
On Saturday, Harvard snapped the Princeton winning streak that had grown to 12 games. The Crimson skated to a 4-1 win, backed by 34 saves from Emerance Maschmeyer. Miye D’Oench led the attack with a goal and two assists, and Sydney Daniels put her second goal of the game into an empty net to seal the verdict.
No. 10 Colgate earned wins over Rensselaer, 5-3, and Union, 1-0. Five different Raiders hit the net against the Engineers, with Olivia Zafuto and Annika Zalewski having a helper as well. Melissa Black made 39 saves for the Dutchwomen, but she couldn’t prevent Breanne Wilson-Bennett’s power-play goal that gave Ashlynne Rando a 19-save shutout.
Other action
For the second time this season, Rensselaer posted a 2-1 overtime victory at Cornell’s expense. Taylor Woods struck first for the Big Red on a great individual effort, winning a puck battle, carrying to the net front, and finding the goal in the second period. Ten minutes later, Katie Rooney picked off a pass, circled the net, and scored on the short side for the Engineers. After a scoreless third period, Lauren Wash knocked a clearing attempt out of midair and fed Rooney in front for the RPI win, with Lovisa Selander stopping 23 shots.
The Engineers began their week with a 2-1 loss to Yale, making up a game postponed from January 23. Selander made 33 saves, but Taylor Marchin and Jordan Chancellor beat her to put the Bulldogs up by two goals, and Hannah Behounek’s third-period goal was the only one of 18 shots that RPI could get past Hanna Mandl.
Mercyhurst and Syracuse split another series. Once again, the home team took the opener. Emily Costales gave the Orange an early lead, but J’nai Mahadeo tied the game in the second period, and Emily Janiga put the Lakers up to stay with a short-handed goal. Jenna Dingeldein iced the 4-1 win with two empty-net goals in the final minute. Sarah McDonnell got the win by making 21 saves. Jessica Sibley’s goal at 3:30 of overtime gave Syracuse a 2-1 win on Saturday. The Lakers’ Jillian Skinner and Stephanie Grossi of Syracuse sandwiched goals around the first intermission.
Host Robert Morris swept Lindenwood. Maeve Garvey had two goals and an assist in Friday’s 5-2 win. On Saturday, Amanda Pantaleo tallied 1:36 into overtime to lift the Colonials to a 3-2 triumph.
Celine Whitlinger and Hannah Ehresmann of Penn State each registered shutouts over RIT. Amy Peterson scored the game’s lone goal while shorthanded on Friday. Shannon Yoxheimer tallied both goals in the Nittany Lions’ 2-0 win in the finale.
Ohio State won 6-4 on Friday in Duluth. The Buckeyes converted on four of five power-play opportunities and seven skaters had two-point games. Morgan Morse scored twice, including the game-winner, as Minnesota-Duluth bounced back with a 4-3 win.
Connecticut swept Vermont, 2-1 and 3-1. Elaine Chuli made 31 saves and Margaret Zimmer scored the winning goal in the opener. Leah Lum scored twice and added an assist on Saturday.
Maine won its first Hockey East game since October when it posted a 3-1 decision at Providence on Saturday, with Meghann Treacy making 24 saves. Cassidy Carels scored her second goal of the weekend to give the Friars a 1-0 series split. Madison Myers turned in a 20-save shutout.
Defenseman Alexis Crossley scored twice and the line of Sarah Lefort, Victoria Bach, and Kayla Tutino all finished with a goal and two assists in Boston University’s 6-2 victory over Merrimack.
Cornell defeated Union, 3-1, thanks to two goals from Jess Brown.
Yale swept a home-and-home series from Brown, 4-1 and 6-3. Janelle Ferrara and Julia Yetman each scored twice in the second game for the Bulldogs, as did the Bears’ Maddie Woo.
