In their last home game of the season, the Dartmouth women’s hockey team lost 3-0 to Quinnipiac, bringing their record to 4-21-3 overall.
Dartmouth was able to keep the Bobcats from scoring until 18 minutes into the first period. The Big Green’s Hailey Maguire ’28 tried to clear the puck from their defensive zone, but Quinnipiac’s Taylor Brueske intercepted the pass. Her first shot was blocked by goalkeeper Grace Zhan ’28, but Quinnipiac’s Kahlen Lamarche crashed the net and passed it back to Brueske whose second shot found the back of the net for the first goal of the game.
The Bobcats scored again 15 minutes into the second period. Lamarche intercepted a Dartmouth pass, then went one-on-one with Zhan before finding the back of the net.
Twelve minutes into the third period, Dartmouth had a few chances on a power play. After winning a faceoff, Sophia Chard ’29 passed the puck to Isabelle Powell ’26, but she could not get past Quinnipiac’s goalkeeper Felicia Frank.
“We did have on the power play at the end, [Chard] gets in the zone, finds [Powell] in the high slot, great look at that,” Dartmouth head coach Maura Crowell said.
Lamarche scored shortly after, sneaking the puck into the corner past Zhan to bring the score to 3-0. Aynsley D’Ottavio had the assist.
Quinnipiac outshot Dartmouth 36-17 through all three periods. The two teams each won 26 in the faceoff circle. Dartmouth had three penalties, while Quinnipiac had two, but neither team was able to capitalize on their power plays.
However, the Big Green nonetheless had a strong defensive performance, recording 19 blocks. Captain Cally Dixon ’26 and Meredith Jensen ’26 led with three blocks each. Zhan saved 33 shots on goal. In contrast, Quinnipiac had four blocks and 17 saves.
“We watched pre-scout and focused on our details of keeping the place to the outside and making sure that, you know, we’re making it hard for them to come into our house,” Powell said. “And I think we did that tonight.”
Crowell said that while goalkeeper Michaela Hesova ’28 is competing at the Olympics, the team wants to make Zhan more comfortable in the net.
“When a different goalie goes in, you heighten your awareness of shot-blocking and do what you can to tighten up the D zone,” Crowell said.
Dartmouth had some scoring opportunities throughout the game, but was unable to convert any into goals. Powell led the team with four shots on goal in the game. Crowell emphasized the effort of the team in trying to create chances to score.
“We face good goalies in this league, and it is hard to find the back of the net, but I loved our effort and our creativity and trying to get at her,” said Crowell.
Despite the disappointing result, Crowell was proud of the team’s effort and improvement from Friday night’s 5-0 loss to Princeton.
“We talked about some specific areas from last night to today, and I think we implemented those really well. We gave everything we had,” Crowell said.
The game was also Senior Day, celebrating the team’s group of six seniors. Dixon, Maura Fiorenza ’26, Jensen, Shae Messner ’26, Powell and assistant captain Vanessa Stamper ’26 were honored after the game for their accomplishments and contributions to the Dartmouth Women’s Ice Hockey program. Crowell had high praise for the leadership and passion from the group of seniors.
“Any senior class’s goal is to leave the jersey in a better spot than they found it, and they have done that.”
The game was the seniors’ last at Thompson Arena, prompting them to reflect on their four years on the team. Messner discussed what being a part of this program has meant for her.
“There’s so much value in being a part of a team and playing at a high level, and I think that I’m going to take every second with me and apply it in a lot of different areas after hockey,” Messner said. “So I think I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
The Big Green will face Union College at 3 p.m. next Friday in Schenectady, N.Y., and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at 3 p.m. next Saturday in Troy, N.Y. to cap off their regular season. The Big Green will then participate in the Eastern College Athletic Conference postseason tournament.
Powell is optimistic about these last few games.
“Coach always said that we wanted to be the best team that we could be,” Powell said. “And these games coming up … I think that we’re really getting there. And I think we’ll do the right things next weekend. I can feel it coming, so I’m excited.”
