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This weekend, the Yale women’s hockey team headed to Storrs for the Nutmeg Classic: the annual meeting of the four Division I women’s hockey teams in Connecticut.

The No. 6 Bulldogs (9–3–1, 5–2–1 ECAC) split the weekend after falling to cross-town rival No. 4 Quinnipiac University (15–1–2, 7–1–0 ECAC) and beating Sacred Heart University (8–7–1, 6–2–1 NEWHA). 

The University of Connecticut hosted the three other squads — Yale, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart — this weekend for the 17th iteration of the tournament, leaving the Bulldogs to play both of their games on neutral ice at the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum in Storrs.

Prior to the game, the Bulldogs anticipated a difficult matchup after tripping up against the Bobcats earlier this season. 

“We actually outshot and outplayed Quinnipiac in our first matchup, so our preparation for this game has been very similar. That being said, this game will obviously be a good test for us as we look towards the second half of the season” Emma Seitz ’23 said. 

In the first game of the tournament on Friday night, the Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker to Quinnipiac. Hopes were high for the Elis as they led 2–0 at the end of the first period after goals from Elle Hartje ’24 and Seitz beat Bobcats goalie Logan Angers. Despite a tally from Quinnipiac in the second, the Blue and White looked in control entering the third period still up 2–1. 

With 38 seconds left in the game and their goaltender pulled, Quinnipiac tied up the game before scoring three minutes into overtime. The defeat ended the Bulldogs’ seven game unbeaten streak and saw them fall to the No. 7 ranking nationally. 

“We came out strong in the first period then faltered a bit in the second and third” Charlotte Welch ’23 said. “Overall, we fell just short. However, we are optimistic that we can learn from this game and hopefully continue our uphill trajectory coming into the New Year.”

The Bulldogs quickly rebounded on Saturday, soundly beating Sacred Heart 4–1. The Bulldogs peppered the Sacred Heart net all night, ending the game with a whopping 64 shots on goal. 

The game also saw Seitz, a junior defenseman, score her ninth goal of the season. 

Although the Elis recorded their second loss to the Bobcats this winter, the team has high hopes for the second half of the season in 2022. 

“We love the tight competition in our division because the bigger the game, the bigger we play,” first-string goaltender Gianna Meloni ’22 wrote to the News.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Dec. 8 against the Boston University Terriers at Ingalls Rink.