Women's Hockey: Offense comes up empty in shutout losses

The women’s hockey team came out on the losing side of two shutouts against the league leaders this weekend, falling to Quinnipiac at Baker Rink on Friday night and again on the road on Saturday afternoon. With the pair of losses, the Tigers (6-9-1 overall, 5-6-1 ECAC Hockey) dropped back below .500 in conference play but remain tied for sixth in the standings.

Quinnipiac (13-7-1, 9-2-1) continued a seven-game winning streak to remain atop the ECAC with 19 points, six ahead of second-place Clarkson. The Bobcats defeated the Tigers 1-0 and 3-0, with goaltender Victoria Vigilanti making 26 and 21 saves on her way to recording her fifth and sixth shutouts of the season, respectively. Her six shutouts are the most by a Division I goalie.

The Tigers outshot the Bobcats 26-22 in the first game of the two-game series, as senior forward Paula Romanchuk and sophomore forward Sally Butler combined for 12 shots on goal. Vigilanti showed herself to be a formidable force in the net, however, and though the Tigers held the Bobcats well below their conference average of 33.7 shots per game, one goal four minutes, 48 seconds into the second period would make all the difference.

The teams were evenly matched on penalties and power plays, as Quinnipiac suffered four penalties and Princeton took five, but the special teams of both squads were able to kill every power play opportunity in the 1-0 game.

Saturday’s contest was somewhat more one-sided as the Bobcats opened the first period with a bang, outshooting the Tigers 17-5 in the opening frame alone. Senior goalie Rachel Weber held the Tigers in it, stopping all 17 attempts, but the power play plagued the Tigers in the second period.

Quinnipiac opened up the game at 5:24 of the second, scoring on a six-on-five power play. Sophomore forward Denna Laing had only 16 seconds left in the penalty box for checking when Bobcats defender Regan Boulton blasted her fourth goal of the season for all the offense the hosts would need. They apparently wanted more, however, as Quinnipiac added insurance only three-and-a-half minutes later, pushing across a goal at even strength.

The Bobcats once again took advantage of the power play opportunity in the final period, placing the game out of reach. In the 3-0 loss, the Bobcats outshot the Tigers 29-21 and scored on two of four power play opportunities. The Tigers failed to convert on five power play opportunities.

The play this weekend was indicative of the season for the Tigers. On the season, the Tigers have scored seven power play goals while their opponents have netted 14. They have averaged 5.3 penalties while their opponents have averaged 4.6. While they have outscored their opponents twofold in the first period, they have been outscored 18-10 in the second period and 12-9 in the third.

The lack of offense, however, is not something the Tigers are accustomed to. Sophomores Butler, Laing and Olivia Mucha continue to lead the Tigers in points and goals, as Butler has posted an impressive 14 points and seven goals.

The Tigers will look to revamp their offense and special teams as they take a three-week break for the holidays. They will return to play on Dec. 30 for a two-game series at Ohio State.