HAMDEN, Conn. – Harvard women's ice hockey gave it their all Saturday afternoon in a close loss to the No. 10 Quinnipiac Bobcats in the opening round of the ECAC Championship. The Crimson (2-25-2, 1-18-1 ECAC) put forth a strong effort but could not pull off the upset in an eventual 0-2 loss to the Bobcats (21-10-4, 11-8-3 ECAC). Emily Davison made 29 saves – including a number of challenging stops in close – to keep the Crimson in the game until the final whistle.
How it Happened
For the second consecutive season, Harvard women's ice hockey traveled to Connecticut to battle the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the opening round of the ECAC Championship Tournament. The fifth-seeded Bobcats played host to the Crimson this afternoon in the third meeting between the schools this season.
Harvard was flying all over the ice in the opening sequences, recording five shots on goal in the first ten minutes of play. The Crimson kept pushing for the games first goal, but the starting Quinnipiac goaltender, Kaley Doyle, kept Harvard off the board. The Bobcats countered the Crimson pressure, scoring the game's first goal eight minutes into the contest. Despite a strong start for Harvard goaltender,
Emily Davidson, the Bobcats found a lane and added another goal to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Davidson made seven stops in a period that featured 13 Crimson shots on goal, a period-high-tying total for Harvard this season.
The Crimson continued to outplay the Bobcats well into the second period creating a number of scoring chances in the second frame.
Maria Pape,
Gabi Davidson Adams and
Ellie Bayard each had great looks on net turned aside in the opening seven minutes of the period as Quinnipiac held off the rush from Harvard. The Crimson would tack six more shots on to its total but could not get on the scoreboard. On the other end of the ice,
Emily Davidson made saves on all eight shots she faced to keep her team within striking distance heading into the final period of play.
Harvard opened up the third period on the advantage, registering two strong shots on net from
Emily Hamann and
Jenna MacDonald. Quinnipiac held off the push from the Crimson to keep its lead intact. The Bobcats worked hard to build on its lead but Davidson stood tall in the crease, making 14 saves in the period to hold off Quinnipiac's offense. The Crimson made one more push down the stretch, but could not convert as the Bobcats survived to earn a 2-0 result over the Crimson.
Harvard Highlights
- Junior goaltender, Emily Davidson, made 29 saves and a number of highlight reel stops to hold the No. 10 Bobcats to just two goals.
- Emily Hamann led the team with five shots on goal.
- Maria Pape blocked a game-high three shots.
