Union found out Saturday night that Division I is going to be a struggle this season.
Quinnipiac ruined the Dutchwomen’s debut as a Division I program by scoring three times in the second period — two of them by Katie O’Hara — and rolling to a 6-0 victory before 235 fans at Frank L. Messa Rink at Achilles Center.
The Dutchwomen, who have a 20-player roster, dressed just 16 skaters for the game, two under the limit. As the game progressed, that would take a toll on the team.
Union managed just four shots over the final two periods and only one in the third. The Dutchwomen were outshot, 28-9.
“We had a great first half of the game, and then we kind of ran out of gas a little bit,” Union coach Fred Quistgard said. “We learned some lessons. We also saw that when we really push ourselves and work hard, we can compete with some of the Division I teams. A lot of them out there that are going to be very tough to play against, and we know that.”
The Bobcats, in their third year at Division I, snapped a scoreless tie at 9:10 of the second period when O’Hara one-timed a pass from Kathryn Dallimore past goalie Mandy Hanson.
Serena Hillman made it 2-0 at 15:14. O’Hara made it a three-goal lead with 5.1 seconds left in the second.
“It’s always disappointing when you lose,” Union forward Courtney Riepenhoff said. “No one wants to lose. But it was a great first step for us. The first game is always the hardest. We have nowhere to go but up from here.”
Vicky Graham, Trina Hulshof and Michele Capizzuto scored third-period goals for Quinnipiac.
“It was a beginning,” Union defenseman Jamie Laubisch said. “I think we surprised them a little, especially in the first period. Now we know what we’ve got, and we know we’ve got to work for it.”
Ken Schott covers college hockey for The Daily Gazette in Schenectady, N.Y.
