Quinnipiac Blanked in Opener

MADISON, Wis. - The Quinnipiac University women's ice hockey team lost to #2 Wisconsin, 10-0, in a non-conference match-up in Madison, Wisc. The loss in their season opener puts Quinnipiac at 0-1 on the year while Wisconsin opens the season at 1-0. Both teams meet again on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Wisconsin opened up the scoring four minutes into the game when Angie Keseley received a pass from Alycia Matthews in the middle of the offensive zone. Keseley skated to the right of Quinnipiac goaltender Nanna Holm Glaas (Stockholm, Sweden) and slipped the puck under her pads to take an early lead, 1-0. Hilary Knight was credited with an assist on the goal along with Matthews.

The Badgers struck again three minutes later at the 7:05 mark on a power play. Erika Lawler passed from the left of Quinnipiac's goal, finding Knight out in front of Glaas. Knight then dumped a pass to the right of Glaas, who just missed knocking the puck away, where it found Meghan Duggan. Duggan's one-timer from the right side of the goal slipped past Glaas' stick to put Wisconsin on top, 2-0.

The Badgers scored again with 9:55 remaining in the first. After a scramble in front of the Bobcats' goal that saw several Badgers swing at the puck, Mallory Deluce scooped up a rebound and put it past Glaas to take a 3-0 lead at the end of the first period. Duggan collected her second point of the night with an assist on the goal. Carolyne Provost also picked up a helper on the play.

Wisconsin extended their lead to 4-0 with their second power play goal of the night at the 8:38 mark. Knight recorded her third point of the night when she gathered a rebound off a slap shot by Matthews. Knight maneuvered and slipped a shot past Glaas to give Wisconsin their fourth goal. Matthews received a pass from Lawler, who was also credited with an assist.

The Badgers poured it on in the third period, scoring six goals. At the 16:15 mark in the third period, Lawler skated into the offensive zone and blasted a shot off Glaas' pads. Maria Evans was positioned to the right of Lawler and was able to get her stick on the rebounded puck for the fifth goal. Kelly Nash also recorded an assist on the tally.

The sixth goal came under a minute later at 15:18 in the game. Brittany Haverstock passed the puck from behind the Quinnipiac goal where it was collected by Prevost and shot just under the glove of Glaas. Nash recorded the seventh goal during a power play at the 8:53 mark. Haverstock picked up her second assist of the period when she moved the puck around the Quinnipiac defense and took a shot that was tipped in by Nash. Matthews also added an assist on the goal.

Deluce took advantage of another power play with a goal just seconds later at the 8:47 mark. Deluce was able to take a pass from Jasmine Giles and slip it under Glaas to put the Badgers on top, 8-0. Knight scored her second goal of the night in another power play opportunity at the 7:23 mark, when she put the puck on the left side of Glaas despite constant pressure from the Quinnipiac defense. Prevost finished the Badgers' scoring with a power play goal at the 2:35 mark, when she received a pass from Deluce on the left side of the net and scored on a backhand shot.

The Bobcats had their best scoring opportunity in the first period when Evelina Husar (Eskilstuna, Sweden) and Kallie Flor (Farmington, Minn.) peppered shots on Badgers' goaltender Jessie Vetter until Wisconsin cleared it out of their zone.

The Bobcats face the Badgers again tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.