HAMDEN, CT-- Freshmen Veronica Bac and Maya Labad each thrilled to their first career goals as the Quinnipiac University women's hockey team made it back-to-back successful weekends with a 4-0 win over visiting Long Island University.
The host Bobcats (4-0) kept their perfect play going inside the Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena at the People's United Center. Head Coach Cassandra Turner's squad has now swept both the Sharks and the University of Maine over consecutive Fridays and Saturdays.
Quinnipiac redshirt junior Logan Angers took pride in her first shutout since the 2019-20 season, when she posted back-to-back shutouts in her first two starts. Angers faced a low-stress afternoon during her 10-save outing, with the only exception being a breakaway blast from the Sharks' Sarah Rourke that she sticked aside at the 12-minute mark of the third period.
Bac, who played in the Chicago Mission AAA Youth Hockey Club, held her ground against approaching defenders and knocked the puck through the five-hole to put the Bobcats ahead 2-0.
She looks back on her tenure in the elite Mission program as a huge building block in helping her collegiately.
"At Mission, it was definitely about hard work and I think that (experience) helped me to continue that in college and get me to where I am," Bac said.
The excitement over scoring in only the season's fourth game left both Bac and Labad with smiles as they recalled the goals.
"It feels really good ... all the girls were really excited for us," said Labad, who is a native of Montreal, Quebec. She kept her composure in front of the crease and deposited a wrister into the back of the net to make it 3-0 at that point.
Coach Turner couldn't have been happier for her productive first-year players.
"It's a huge confidence boost," she said. "It's just scratching for surface ... you can see that they can do a lot for this team and there's even more there for them. I'm excited to see what they and all our first-year players can do to help us."
Olivia Mobley, coming off a hat-trick performance on Friday, completed the scoring with her fourth goal this season off an assist from Jessica Schryver with just over five minutes remaining.
Sadie Peart opened the scoring for the Bobcats with a power-play goal midway through the first period. It was her third goal this season.
Peart took a pass from Ann-Frederik Naud and sent a shot across the crease that found its way just inside the far post for the early advantage. Courtney Vorster also assisted on the play.
It was the second point in as many games for Naud, a freshman who recorded her first career point with a helper in Friday's action.
Once again, the Bobcats were in full battle mode as they outshot the Sharks 23-1 over the first 20 minutes and 47-10 in the game. In the two games against Long Island University, the Bobcats drilled a remarkable 99 shots on goal.
The balanced attack in the offensive zone continued as 10 different Bobcats had at least one point, while Schryver tacked on a multi-point effort with a pair of assists.
Abundant points
Speaking of multi-point performances, six different Bobcats recorded multiple points on Friday. In all, 13 players had at least one point.
Olivia Mobley (3-1-4), Lexie Adzija (2-1-3), Sadie Peart (1-2-3), Alexa Hoskin (2-0-2), Jessica Schryver (0-2-2) and Maddy Samoskevich (0-2-2) all enjoyed multi-point showings.
Mobley's hat trick in the 9-1 conquest over the Sharks on Friday was the first three-goal game since Feb. 8, 2020, when Laura Lundblad accomplished the feat in a 5-1 win over RPI.
Pep Band returns
That collegiate spirit -- complete with musical instruments, banners and chants -- has made a comeback as a very special section of students made themselves heard at this weekend's Quinnipiac University women's ice hockey games.
Seated in Section 108 at the end of the Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena where the Bobcats shoot twice, the Pep Band settled in with plenty of enthusiasm and songs.
Starting with a rendition of Sweet Caroline and following that with The National Anthem, the band members went on to create an atmosphere which provided a big boost not only for the athletes but also the fans.
"We started out (years ago) super duper small with like nine people, but now we have anywhere from 30 up to 40 (musicians) at games depending on schedules or other commitments," said co-captain and graduate student Brenna Rose.
The band not only plays at hockey games, but also basketball and occasionally volleyball contests.
"We're here to lend support and to cheer them on," Rose said. "It's fantastic to be back and doing what we love to do."
After attending the Friday showdown against Long Island University without music but with plenty of spirit, the Pep Band showed up Saturday in true band mode which lent itself to an awesome vibe inside the rink.
"We're back in the building and it's just a great feeling," said junior Chris Longchamp, the band's other co-captain. "Our recruiting is going strong and we're looking forward to being at all the games and supporting our teams."
Leap Ahead
The Bobcats wrap up their six-game homestand to start the season when the Saint Anselm College Hawks visit the Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena for back-to-back games on Friday, Oct. 8 (6 p.m.) and Saturday, Oct. 9 (3 p.m.).
For ticket information, visit gobobcats.com/tickets, tickets@qu.edu or call 203-582-3905.
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