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Postgame Comments
ITHACA, N.Y. – Senior
Hanna Bunton's scored just 10 seconds into overtime to power the women's hockey team to a 3-2 victory over #9/8 Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon at Lynah Rink. The win capped off a three-point conference weekend for Cornell (11-5-2, 7-2-2 ECAC Hockey) and gave the team its first win over Quinnipiac (16-6-4, 9-4-2 ECAC Hockey) since Feb. 6, 2015.
Co-captain
Kaitlin Doering started the play for the winning goal, as she won the opening draw back to the defense on the blueline. Freshman
Jaime Bourbonnais took the puck on the right side and fed classmate
Paige Lewis up the boards and into the offensive zone. Lewis poked the puck ahead to Doering at the top of the right circle and the senior swooped in and quickly sent a pass across the top of the crease to Bunton for a tap-in at the left post.
The goal was Bunton's 75th career point – making her the 35th player in program history to hit that threshold – and 10th career game winning goal.
"Kaitlin [Doering] made a really great pass and it just went off my stick," said Bunton. "I have to give credit to her because without that pass, it wouldn't have gone in."
The Big Red dominated the opening frame, outshooting the Bobcats, 13-3, before eventually finding the back of the net 18:16 into the period. Freshman
Amy Curlew skated through the neutral zone and drifted to the left side of the ice before slotting a slick back-handed pass to classmate
Kristin O'Neill. O'Neill breezed through the defense and deftly deked Sydney Rossman down and lifted a backhand into the netting for a 1-0 lead.
Quinnipiac pushed back in the second and eventually pulled even near the midway point when Kate MacKenzie's slap shot from the point deflected off the defense and through goaltender
Marlène Boissonnault.
The teams continued to go back-and-forth trading chances but things finally seemed to be going Cornell's way when just over five minutes into the period, O'Neill picked the puck off of a Quinnipiac stick at the top of the offensive zone, skated and then rifled a shot from the bottom of the circle that flew past Rossman's shoulder and into the top left corner of the net. The goal put Cornell up 2-1 and marked O'Neill's second multi-goal game of the season.
Yet the Bobcats again battled back and with 7:52 left on the clock, Taryn Baumgardt was fed in the left circle and beat Boissonnault blocker side to tie the game and eventually send it to overtime.
But Bunton played the hero for the second day in a row to give Cornell the crucial ECAC Hockey victory.
"I thought that was one of our best played games so far this year," said head coach
Doug Derraugh. "A big finish and that was a huge two points for us."
Boissonnault (6-1-1) finished with 17 saves while Rossman (14-6-3) stopped 23 shots for the Bobcats. Cornell held the final edge in shots on goal, 26-19.
The team will return to the ice on Tuesday night when regional rival #8/9 Colgate visits Lynah Rink for a 7 p.m. weekday matchup.
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