No. 7 women’s hockey improved from its two-tie effort last weekend with only one tie in this weekend’s pair of games. The Red were able to outscore Quinnipiac in the other game, and took sole possession of second place in the ECAC.
The Red returned three players and head coach Doug Derraugh from their stint representing the Canadian national team in the Four Nations’ Cup. They came back at a good time, too, as the Red faced off with two tough conference foes.
On Friday, Cornell (5-1-2, 4-1 ECAC) squeaked out a one-goal victory against ECAC rival Quinnipiac (3-6-3, 3-2 ECAC). The two teams were tied for second place in the ECAC going into the night. Cornell got on the board first with senior Diana Buckley’s goal late in the second period. In the third, the Red’s leading goal scorer junior Kristen O’Neill added to the lead.
The Bobcats responded a minute and a half later with a goal scored by Brooke Bonsteel. Scoring ceased after that, with Cornell holding on with a 2-1 win. Senior goalie Marlène Boissonnault made 22 saves in the victory.
It was a quick turnaround for the Red (5-1-3, 4-1-1 ECAC) as they followed their victory over Quinnipiac with a trip to New Jersey for a showdown with first-place Princeton (5-2-3, 4-0-2 ECAC). Three periods proved not enough to claim a winner, as the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Princeton jumped out to an early lead, scoring two power play goals within the first 10 minutes of the game. The Red’s discipline was off focus on Saturday, as they were called for eight penalties in the game. Those two goals were the end of Princeton’s scoring, however, as Boissonnault stopped the last 21 shots of the game.
The Red’s comeback started with a second period goal by Buckley. Cornell had more opportunities to tie the game, but the Red onslaught was handled by Princeton goalie Rachel McQuiggie. The sophomore stopped 31 shots in the game.
Cornell was able to get the equalizer the third period off the stick of senior Lenka Serdar. The rest of the third was scoreless, bringing the game to overtime. Despite a Cornell power play opportunity and five shots on goal during the extra frame, the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Because of the win against Quinnipiac, Cornell currently sits alone in second place in the conference. They sit one point behind Princeton and one point ahead of St. Lawrence.
The Red are back in action on Friday and Saturday. They travel to Moon Township, Pennsylvania to play a two-game, out-of-conference series against Robert Morris.