Women’s ice hockey beats Union

Posted on Dec 02, 2012 by Gene Demaio

The Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team won their third straight game after a 4-1 victory against Union at the Highpoint Solutions Center at the TD Bank Sports Center on Saturday.

Nicole Brown, Regan Boulton, Shelby Wignall, and Morgan Fritz-Ward scored goals on the night. Kelly Babstock and Nicole Kosta each recorded two assists; both players have scored multiple points in three straight games. It was a dominant performance for the Bobcats who outshot Union 46-16.

The Bobcats got on the board early when Nicole Brown scored less than two minutes into the game. Union tied the game just five minutes later with a goal by Christine Valente on a Union power play. The Bobcats retook the lead with two minutes to play in the first period with a power play goal by Regan Boulton, and they would not look back.

The game was tighter than the scoreboard would make it seem. The Dutchwomen kept the game within one goal throughout the second period and into the third. The Bobcats were able to get plenty of shots but every time Union goalie Shenae Lundberg turned them away, as she recorded 41 saves on the night. The Bobcats would finally breakthrough with a Wignall goal five minutes into the third. Fritz-Ward would add a power play goal with two minutes left to put the game out of reach.

Defense was a major factor behind the Bobcats victory, as they were able to hold the Dutchwomen to 16 shots. They were able to maintain offensive possession for much of the game and took more shots in the first period, 20, than Union would take in the entire game.

“We were moving hard in transition,” Quinnipiac head coach Rick Seeley said. “We worked hard on the forecheck and we controlled the puck pretty well.”

Seeley was pleased with the game but he did say he would like to see the team do a better job finishing.

“We’ve been hitting over 40 for maybe five of the last six games so, they’ve been working hard creating opportunities,” Seeley said. “We have to finish a little bit more but we are happy.”

Another key to the victory was the power play. The Bobcats were two for four in the game and scored two of their four goals in five-on-four situations, Boulton’s go ahead goal in the first and Fritz-Morgan’s goal in the late fourth that sealed the game.

The Bobcats will be in action again on Friday Dec. 7, when they travel to New Jersey to take on Princeton as part of a two day home-and-home series.