Box Score (PDF)
 
HAMDEN, Conn. – Sophomore forward Hanna Bunton backhanded a rebound past Quinnipiac netminder Chelsea Laden with 40.7 seconds remaining in overtime to send the #9/10 Cornell women's hockey to a huge 4-3 victory over #5/5 Quinnipiac on Friday evening at High Point Solutions Arena. The victory pulls the Big Red into a three-way tie for second place in the ECAC Hockey standings, currently sitting just one point behind Harvard for the top spot with five conference games remaining. The victory clinched a playoff berth for the Big Red.
 
With the clock swiftly melting away with less than one minute to play in the overtime session, junior forward Jess Brown won a puck battle down low in the Quinnipiac (21-5-3, 12-3-2 ECAC Hockey) defensive zone. She worked the puck to junior Taylor Woods on the right half wall. The dynamic blue-liner peeled off the wall to move between the circles, before turning the puck to her backhand for a rising shot. The initial save was made by Laden, but the puck squirted to her left. Bunton took advantage, poking the puck into the open cage for the Big Red's second consecutive overtime victory. The goal capped a heroic effort by Bunton who finished the night with two points in her first game back following a five game absence from the lineup.
 
For the second consecutive game the Big Red was staring down the barrel of defeat, before coming up with the huge plays down the stretch to pull out victories. The Bobcats tallied twice in the second period on goals by Nicole Kosta and Nicole Connery to take a 3-2 lead, which the home team would carry late into the third period. Cornell (14-7-3, 12-3-2 ECAC Hockey) would not back down and the efforts were rewarded when sophomore Kaitlin Doering tallied the equalizer with 6:18 remaining.
 
The equalizing play looked relatively innocuous to start, as freshman Erin O'Connor peeled backwards into her own zone. She lost her edge as she neared her own blue-line, but was able to get a stick on it to avoid a costly turnover and move the puck to Woods at the right wall. The junior made a nice spinning move to protect the puck, before whipping a stretch perfectly onto the blade of Doering at the Bobcat blue-line. She moved to the left circle, before launching a booming slapper. Laden got a piece of the puck with her glove, but the puck would flutter over her shoulder and into the net to knot the score at 3-3.
 
Sophomore netminder Paula Voorheis (W, 12-7-3) maintained the tie through the end of regulation, making several key stops down the stretch, which required a key late penalty kill by the Big Red. She would finish with 29 saves on 32 Quinnipiac shots.
 
Jess Brown would get the Big Red off and running early on in the contest, marking her eighth goal of the season just 1:25 into the contest. Bunton started the play with a nice quick-up to Brown in the neutral zone. The junior moved down the left wing into the Bobcat zone, before shuffling the puck to the crease. Junior blue-liner Cassandra Poudrier, who was pinched up on the play, made a hard center drive, poking the puck on net. Laden was quick with the pad to make the save, but the rebound was kicked out into the slot. Brown won the stick battle, beating a pair of Quinnipiac defenders to get her stick blade to the puck, snapping a wrister past Laden to stake Cornell to the 1-0 advantage.
 
Brown nearly notched a second goal just minutes later. Poudrier launched a slapper from center point that caromed off of Brown's skate between the circles and into the net. Although the play was initially ruled a goal on the ice, the call was reversed after video review because it was determined the puck was directed into the net with a distinct kicking motion.
 
The Bobcats answered the Cornell tally 3:22 after the video review. Sensational freshman Taylar Cianfarano did an excellent job of going hard on the forecheck to tie up Woods deep in the Cornell zone. She shielded the puck, allowing teammate Tori Deangelis to dig the puck free. She wheeled in behind the net, before dishing it to Raquell Pennoyer who was driving the net. She one timed the feed past Voorheis to tie the score with 11:22 left in the period.
 
Cornell would strike late to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission on senior Jillian Saulnier's ninth goal of the season. Poudrier started the play with a nice quick-up stretch pass. Senior Emily Fulton made a deft touch pass at center ice to deflect the puck to senior Brianne Jenner who was streaking down the left wing. She deked the puck to her backhand and made a perfect feed to Saulnier who went to one knee to backhand it on the one-touch into the open cage. Saulnier moved all-alone into ninth place on the program's all-time scoring list with 69 career tallies, while Jenner tied Cheryl Hines (1976-80) for second on the program's all-time assist list with 125 career helpers.
 
The second period went decisively to the home team, as Quinnipiac launched 16 shots in the period, finding the back of the net twice against Voorheis. Kosta equalized the game just 40 seconds into the period, slamming home a rebound after Voorheis made an initial kick save on Eden Uden Johansson. The Bobcats would take their first lead with 4:17 remaining in the period. Pennoyer made an excellent feed from the left half wall to Lindsey West at the point. She fired a laser that Connery deflected past Voorheis from just outside the crease.
 
The Big Red answered with impressive resolve in the final period and overtime. Cornell outshot Quinnipiac 12-to-6 over the final 24:20, scoring the decisive two goals for the victory. The two consecutive overtime victories was the first such occurrence for the Big Red since winning three straight overtime games against Findlay, Yale and Princeton near the conclusion of the 1999-2000 season.
 
Cornell will return to action tomorrow afternoon when it heads to Princeton to take on the Tigers. Opening faceoff at Hobey Baker Rink is scheduled for 4 p.m.