Cornell Skates Past Quinnipiac, Earns Finals Berth
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac (22-12-3) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Cornell (29-2-1) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 18:13 | PP - Karpenko, Chelsea (Cornell) |
| 2nd - 05:13 | Campbell, Jessica (Cornell) |
| 2nd - 07:28 | Uden Johansson,Erica (Quinnipiac) |
| 2nd - 16:23 | Hughes, Hayley (Cornell) |
| 3rd - 01:50 | Lyons, Brittany (Quinnipiac) |
| 3rd - 06:05 | Hughes, Hayley (Cornell) |
| 3rd - 14:27 | PP - Dymarczyk, Bethany (Quinnipiac) |
| Quinnipiac | Cornell |
|---|---|
|
G:
3 Players (#2, #13, #25 - 1)
A: 2 Players (#3, #8 - 1) Sh: 2 Players (#8, #25 - 5) Sv: Victoria Vigilanti - 27 |
G:
Hayley Hughes - 2
A: Laura Fortino - 2 Sh: Chelsea Karpenko - 5 Sv: Amanda Mazzotta - 21 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Quinnipiac | Cornell |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 1 for 4 | 1 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 4 (8) | 4 (8) |
| Shots on Goal | 24 | 31 |
| Face Offs Won | 34 | 29 |
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Senior Hayley Hughes had a pair of goals and Laura Fortino chipped in with a pair of assists to lead the Cornell women's hockey team to a 4-3 victory over Quinnipiac in the semifinals of the ECAC Hockey tournament on Thursday night at Lynah Rink. The win propels the Big Red into the championship game for the second straight season, as Cornell will play host to Dartmouth in a 3 p.m. contest on Saturday at Lynah Rink.
Jessica Campbell and Chelsea Karpenko both added a goal for the Big Red (29-2-1), who got assists from Catherine White, Amber Overguard, Brianne Jenner, Amanda Young and Rebecca Johnston. Amanda Mazzotta made her first start since Dec. 4 and recorded 21 saves in the victory for Cornell, which went 1-for-4 on the power play.
For Quinnipiac (22-12-3), Erica Uden Johansson, Brittany Lyons and Bethany Dymarczyk each scored a goal, with Jordan Elkins and Kelly Babstock picking up one assist. Victoria Vigilanti stopped 27 Cornell shots in taking the loss for the Bobcats, who finished the night 1-for-4 on the power play.
Cornell got on the board first late in the first period with Karpenko's goal, a power-play tally shortly after the Big Red had a 5-on-3 advantage. The first penalty expired, but 20 seconds later, Karpenko circled around and fired a wrist shot through traffic from the faceoff dot to the right of Vigilanti, staking Cornell to a 1-0 lead after one period.
In the second, Cornell added to the lead with Campbell's goal, when the freshman picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and sliced through the Bobcat defense before ripping a shot that deflected off a defenseman's stick and over the shoulder of Vigilanti for the 2-0 lead 5:13 into the second period.
The Bobcats would cut into the margin a little more than two minutes later when Uden Johansson intercepted a pass at the Cornell blue line and skated in on a one-on-one with a Big Red defenseman. Uden Johansson fired three shots, first having one blocked, then the next one saved by Mazzotta, before finally putting the puck underneath the pads of the junior netminder.
Hughes then put the Big Red back up by two with her first goal of the night, firing a shot from the slot as she was falling to the ice after Jenner made an end-to-end run with the puck before circling around and hitting the senior with a pass with 16:23 gone in the second player.
Quinnipiac then cut into the defict once again just 1:50 into the second period as Lyons followed up a shot from Elkins that Mazzotta kicked aside, but right onto Lyons' stick, cutting the Big Red lead to 3-2. Hughes was able to respond, however, as she took a pass from Fortino and buried a puck at the weak-side post with 13:55 to play in the contest to put Cornell ahead, 4-2.
The Bobcats would not go quietly, however, as Dymarczyk fired a shot from the point on the power play that hit off a Cornell stick and deflected past Mazzotta with 5:33 to play in the contest. The Bobcats pulled Vigilanti for the extra skater with 48 seconds to play, but could not find the tying goal as time expired.
The Big Red will now play host to third-seeded Dartmouth in the ECAC Hockey championship game at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Lynah Rink. That contest will be televised live on the NHL Network.
