HAMDEN, Conn. – Christine Valente tallies her fourth goal of the season on the power play but the Dutchwomen are defeated by the Bobcats 4-1.
Valente breaks her personal best of three power-play goals last season with her fourth on the man-advantage. Additionally, she also ties the program record with power play goals in a season which is shared by
Lauren Hoffman (2007-08) and Elizabeth Flanagan (2001-02).
Junior Kelly Babstock and sophomore Nicole Kosta each chipped in their third straight multi-point game as each finished Saturday's game with two assists. The two points for Babstock and Kosta brings their season totals to 37 (18 goals, 19 assists) and 30 (nine goals, 21 assists), respectively. Boulton chimed in with two points including the game-winner to move her season total to 17 (four goals, 13 assists), good for third on the team. Wignall scored her second career goal and first since Nov. 5, 2011 against Brown (45 games). Brown finished with her fourth of the season while Fritz-Ward's goal is the first power-play tally of her career and second goal this season.
Junior Erica Uden Johansson and freshman Nicole Connery each recorded one assist. Senior goalie Victoria Vigilante made 15 saves in net for her third straight win, all of which she allowed just one goal.
Brown kicked off the scoring with a Quinnipiac goal less than two minutes into Saturday's game. She almost found the back of the net off the faceoff as Union's
Shenae Lundberg slid over with a nice save. The puck was cleared out of the zone but thrown back in by Boulton. Babstcok chased down the puck and centered back to the crease. Her pass deflected off the side of the post to Brown who hammered home the goal.
Union responded with a power-play goal at 12:32 in the first period. Valente found the back of the net off feeds from
Rhianna Kurio and
Alex Tancrell-Fontaine to even the score.
Throughout the first, the Bobcats continued to pepper Lundberg with shots as they finished with a 20-7 advantage after the first frame and 45-16 on the afternoon. During their three-game winning streak, Quinnipiac has outshot their opponents 139-45 in those meetings. One of their 20 first period shots found the back of the net as the eventual game-winner off the stick of Boulton. Fritz-Ward battled along the boards to hold the puck and attract multiple defenders. She ended up kicking the puck out to Uden Johansson who swung to Kosta and then to Boulton at the opposite point. Boulton had clean ice in front of her to set up a rocket slap shot that deflected off the cross bar and in for the 2-1 lead.
Both sides played a scoreless second period as Quinnipiac continued to dominate in shots-on-goal with a 14-3 advantage.
The Bobcats found the insurance goal they were looking for at 4:58 in the third as Wignall lit the lamp to build a 3-1 lead. The puck moved from right to left from Kosta to Babstock. The junior fed Wignall at the point and sent a wrister on net. With Kosta and Brown shielding Lundberg in front, the puck squeaked through the defense for the goal. Babstock and Kosta were credited with their 19th and 21st assists, respectively, as they both stand atop the ECAC Hockey leaderboard in that category.
Perhaps the most impressive goal of the night came late in the third period as Fritz-Ward recorded her second goal of the year and first power-play capper in her career. Connery found Brown open along the boards who sent a through pass over to Fritz-Ward that made it around a pair of Dutchwomen defenders. The sophomore then sniped a wrist shot over Lundberg, off the crossbar, and into the back of the net.
The Dutchwomen concluded their three-game road trip as they will return to Messa Rink to host Yale and Brown next weekend. Union will compete against the Bulldogs Friday night at 7:00 p.m. on December 7 and the Bears on December 8 at 4:00 p.m.
