FINAL SCORE: Quinnipiac 2, Vermont 1
HAMDEN, Conn. – Sammy Kolowrat netted her second goal of the season, but Vermont's comeback effort in the third period fell just short on Saturday night in a 2-1 non-conference loss to Quinnipiac at the TD Bank Sports Center.
UVM falls to 2-3-0 (1-1-0 HEA), while Quinnipiac improves to 4-2-0 (0-0-0 ECAC) after a weekend sweep. Goalie
Melissa Black stopped 26 shots on the night for UVM.
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"I'm really proud of this team," said head coach
Jim Plumer. "Everything we talked about improving on from last night's game we accomplished. Sometimes the outcome you want doesn't come, but this young team is improving by leaps and bounds."
The teams exchanged chances in a scoreless first period with the Catamounts earning a few close opportunities. Late in the opening frame,
Mackenzie MacNeil dished a pass across the crease to
Kristina Shanahan but her shot barely missed wide.
Minutes later,
Alyssa Gorecki deflected a shot that was kicked away by Allison Small (24 saves) before the end of the period.
Quinnipiac opened the scoring at the 2:05 mark of the second period as Brooke Bonsteel's individual effort gave the Bobcats a 1-0 advantage.
Kenzie Lancaster added to the QU lead less than four minutes later on the power play. The Bobcats set up in the Vermont zone with Randi Marcon possessing the puck on the half-wall. Marcon held and slapped a pass to Lancaster in the slot, where she deflected the puck under Black's pads.
The Catamounts answered on their own power play later in the middle frame. Kolowrat stopped a Quinnipiac clearing attempt and quickly fired a shot through traffic, fooling Small to put UVM on the board.
Amanda Drobot and Gorecki picked up the assists on Kolowrat's second of the year.
Ève-Audrey Picard had the best chance to knot the score just past the midway point of the third. The sophomore deked through a Bobcat defender and cut to her left near the post. Small made a sprawling save on the doorstep to rob Picard and keep QU on top.
The Catamounts called timeout with under 90 seconds remaining and pulled Black for an extra skater. The Bobcats took a penalty with 17 seconds left for a 6-on-4 power play, but Small made a final save to preserve the victory.
Vermont returns to Hockey East action next weekend with a pair of games at Gutterson Fieldhouse. UVM hosts New Hampshire on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m., followed by a visit from No. 3 Boston College on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at 802-656-4410,
UVMathletics.com/Tickets, or at the Gutterson Box Office one hour before game time. Free video and live stats are both available at CatamounTV.com.
Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2017-18 women's hockey season
