Historic Fenway, Harvard Women’s Ice Hockey Falls 3-1 to Quinnipiac | Sport

To kick off the second half of the season, the Harvard women’s hockey team (4-9-2, 3-6-2 ECAC) traveled across the river to MLB’s oldest active ballpark, Fenway Park, to face 4/3 Quinnipiac ( 19-3-0, 9-1-0 ) at Frozen Fenway 2023. When the teams last met in mid-October, the Bobcats went 5-2. The Crimson entered this matchup having not seen live action since its Dec. 3 win over St. Lawrence; meanwhile, on New Year’s Day, the Bobcats were fresh off a win over the no. 2/2 against Wisconsin. After a back-and-forth first period, Quinnipiacs’ goal in the second period proved to be the game-winner as the Bobcats beat the Crimson 3-1.

Although the NHL Winter Classic was played on the same ice four days earlier between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins with temperatures in the 50s, Frozen Fenway 2023 had no problems living up to its name. At the time of the puck drop on January 6, the temperatures were at their lowest 30 degrees and it was sleeting. When the game entered the second intermission, however, the sleet turned into heavy snow, which kept the ice crew busy throughout the third period.

For the coaches, the weather affected the strategy. “After the first set, we tried to make some adjustments to play a lot more simple, make a lot less passes,” said Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner.

But for those on the ice, the weather only added to the magic of the moment. I wouldn’t want to play any other way, junior forward Shannon Hollands said.

An inability to capitalize on momentum plagued Harvard throughout the contest. In the opening minutes of the first period, both teams created good opportunities, but neither converted them into goals. The Crimson had a good opportunity to score first when it went on the power play against Bobcats defender Zoe Boyd after a tripping call three minutes into the first, but Quinnipiac struck first. Forward Olivia Mobley gave the Bobcats an early 1-0 advantage after cutting it short after a turnover in Harvard’s neutral zone.

In the second period, the Crimson was unable to capitalize on the play of sophomore goaltender Alex Pellicci. Despite Pellicci’s huge 18 saves in the second frame, Harvard found itself down two goals late in the second period. Quinnipiac extended its lead with five minutes left in the second period thanks to a goal by forward Nina Steigauf. Steigauf deflected a high shot into the back of the net with a strike that was inches from the high stick. We gave him lots of activities and [we] would have liked to play a little better in front of him, said Harvard head coach Katey Stone.

The Crimson started the third period hot with an early goal. Hollands’ goal reduced the deficit to two and gave the Harvard team energy. The clever goal came from a long pass by sophomore forward Paige Lester. For Hollands, the finish was simple: I just saw an open side far away, shot, and that was it. The goal comes in a season where Hollands has increased his offensive output, averaging 2.0 shots per game this season, up from 1.4 a year ago. That’s definitely one of my goals for this season, Hollands said of getting extra points on the board. [Im] I’m just trying to focus on getting all the pucks in the net.

However, the Crimson couldn’t sustain the momentum as the Bobcats answered with a Madison Chantler score 48 seconds later. The goal was the Chantlers’ ninth of the season and salted away the game.

On the offensive side of the puck, Harvard created many quality chances, but failed to convert them on the scoreboard. With two minutes left in the first period, Anne Bloomer almost tied the game with a shorthanded goal. After a perfect bounce pass, Bloomer had a chance to break away, but the goal was not to be as Quinnipiac senior goalie Logan Angers made the save. Angers currently has the fifth-best goals-against average (1.364) and seventh-best goaltending percentage (.786) in NCAA Division I women’s hockey.

For the first 20 minutes, Harvard’s offense remained high as it matched Quinnipiac’s shot total, which currently has the sixth-best scoring offense in the nation. The Crimson had 37 shots on net in the contest, third most all season.

Regardless of the outcome, neither team minimized what it meant to play at Fenway. “Definitely No. 1, that’s for sure,” said Hollands of where the scoring at Fenway ranks among his career accomplishments. This has to be the pinnacle; I don’t even think it’s really close, Angers said.

Harvard will look to bounce back in its matchup against ECAC and Ivy League foe Princeton (8-6-1, 4-5-0) on Jan. 7. The midseason tilt is critical as both teams look to move up the middle. From the ECAC table. The game will also be the first between the two teams since the Tigers upset the top-seeded Crimson in the first round of last year’s ECAC playoffs.

Staff writer Christopher D. Wright can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @THC_Wright.