HAMDEN Feb. 19, 2025 was the last time Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey was shut out at home. Now 16 games into the 2025-26 season, the Bobcats were shut out at home again, falling to the Princeton Tigers 2-0 on Saturday afternoon. This also marks the fourth straight loss for Quinnipiac against the Tigers, as the program has won five of its last eight matchups. The opening period saw the Bobcats put a lot of pressure on junior goaltender Uma Corniea, recording 14 total shots on net by the end of the first 20 minutes. Despite this, Corniea kept Quinnipiac out of the net. “We were shooting it right at her a lot,” head coach Cass Turner said. “We need to reset, get back to a more comfortable place.” Defensively, Quinnipiac heldd Princeton to only seven shots on goal, but it only took one. For the Tigers, one was all they needed to put themselves ahead. With five minutes to go in the first, the Tigers found themselves deep into Quinnipiac’s end with possession of the puck. Sophomore winger Mackenzie Alexander would backhand the puck to senior center Emerson O’Leary, who would do the same to senior left winger Issy Wunder. Wunder would snipe the puck past sophomore goaltender Felicia Frank and into the back of the net, giving Princeton the 1-0 lead. That would be the sole goal for the period, as both squads would stay out of the net as time expired in the opening frame. Corniea would continue to keep the Bobcats out of the net in the second, flashing the glove and making save after save. Quinnipiac’s best chance came early in the period as freshman forward Ella Johnson would send the puck to senior defender Zoe Uens. Uens’ shot would be saved due to a stretched out Corniea and the score would remain at 1-0. On the defensive side, Quinnipiac looked sloppy. The fundamentals broke down and gave Princeton more opportunities on Frank. With sophomore defender Ella Sennick in the box for a holding penalty call, Princeton found itself on the skater-advantage With the puck in the Quinnipiac end, O’Leary would send the puck into the crease, finding the stick of freshman forward Riley Sorokan. As soon as the puck hit the stick, Sorokan would turn around and snipe the puck behind Frank, extending the Tiger lead to two. The third period saw more of the same for both squads. Down two, the Bobcats were forced to play with their backs to the wall, needing a momentum shift. Quinnipiac’s best opportunity to get that shift came in the closing minutes of the final frame. Johnson, skating behind the net of Corniea, would backhand a pass just shy of the blue line to Sennick. She would blast a snap shot off the pad of Corniea, to the stick of senior center Emerson Jarvis. Jarvis would send a shot to the Tiger net, which Corniea would fall on. Turner would pull Frank moments later, but the extra skater still wasn’t enough to break through the wall of Corniea. The final horn rang, and the Tigers’ win was finalized, marking the first time since the final two games of last year, when the Bobcats lost twice to the same opponent. Despite the loss, Quinnipiac finished the game outshooting the Tigers 40 to 24. “We need to find ways to find the net when we have the chance,” Turner said. Quinnipiac will travel to Storrs, Conn. on Nov. 28 for the Nutmeg Classic, facing off against the UConn Huskies. Puck drop is set for 3: 00 p. m.
https://quchronicle.com/91459/featured/womens-ice-hockey-goes-dark-falls-to-princeton-2-0/
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