HAMDEN, Conn. – The Saint Anselm College women's ice hockey team battled with No. 8/10 Quinnipiac University, falling by a 4-3 score in non-conference action on Friday night.

The Hawks suffer their first defeat of the season and fall to 1-1 while the nationally-ranked Bobcats remain undefeated and improve to 5-0. The teams are set to square off again tomorrow with the opening puck drop slated for 3 p.m.

Saint Anselm trailed by a 1-0 and a 2-1 margin, but two goals sophomore Claire Weber (Marshfield, Mass.) brought the score even heading into the third period. The Bobcats threw up two third-period goals within the first five minutes of the stanza, doubling up the Hawks, but junior Devin Porazinski (Parker, Colo.) scored on the power play in the game's final two minutes to shrink the hosts lead to 4-3.

Quinnipiac was able to hold on to the victory over Saint Anselm - the Bobcats fired 89 shots in the game, but placed just 44 of those on net. Junior netminder Allie Kelley (East Berne, N.Y.) had her second consecutive strong performance for Saint Anselm, this time making 40 saves.

Quinnipiac lit the lamp first as Sadie Peart scored the first of her two goals just 4:49 into the contest, creating a 1-0 lead for the Bobcats.

Weber responded just over one minute later as freshman Madi Ressler (Brighton, Mich.) forced a neutral zone turnover, passing the puck to junior Maddy McCaffery (Weymouth, Mass.) to advance it into the zone. Freshman Tyra Turner (Andover, Minn.) gathered the puck on the doorstep and fed Weber, who tied the game at one.

The Bobcats would regain the lead at 16:40 of the opening stanza. Olivia Konigson fired a shot from the left point that was knocked down by Anne-Frederik Naud. The ricochet slid into the lower slot and Peart quickly fired a snap shot by Kelley, giving the hosts a 2-1 edge with under five minutes to go in the opener.

Down by just one goal late in the second, Saint Anselm would find the equalizer. Turner chipped the puck in deep. Sophomore Brinna Martin (St. Michael, Minn.) won the race to the loose puck and quickly sent a pass to the slot for a crashing Weber, who one-timed the pass under the blocker of Quinnipiac's Catie Boudiette with 1:04 left in the second.

Kelley stood tall early in the second period as she made three saves, including a breakaway stop on Lexie Adzija. The Hawks would get the first power play of the contest just before the 10-minute mark, but could not capitalize with extra-player. Quinnipiac fired 32 total shots in the second period but only 10 of them were on goal, posting 29 through the first two periods. The Hawks had six shots on frame and totaled 10 through 40 minutes of play.

Two quick goals for Quinnipiac, including one just 20 seconds into the third by Adzija, doubled up Saint Anselm by a 4-2 margin with the majority of the third period to go.

Saint Anselm cut the deficit to one with 1:46 remaining in the third period as Porazinski forced a turnover in the attacking end and chipped a pass down to the corner for Turner. The freshman sent a pass to the front of the net for Porazinski, who one-timed the puck through the five-hole of the new Quinnipiac netminder, Logan Angers.

With limited time remaining, Quinnipiac was able to close out the contest by a 4-3 score.

Quinnipiac fired 44 shots on goal with the Hawks limited to just 15. There was only one penalty handed out in the contest which went against the hosts. Saint Anselm did not convert on the power play opportunity.

Kelley suffered her first loss of the season after making 40 saves on 44 shots, falling to 1-1. Boudiette posted 40 minutes in goal for the Bobcats, stopping eight shots and improving to 1-0 with the win. Angers played the final 20 minutes and made two saves on three shots.