Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
No. 4 Harvard took over first place in the ECAC … for one day. The Crimson battled back at No. 5 Quinnipiac with a 2-1 win in overtime and moved ahead of the Bobcats in the standings. Nicole Kosta picked up a rebound and backhanded the puck into the net, giving Quinnipiac the lead and senior Shiann Darkangelo her 100th point in her college career. Harvard came back on two plays that originated below the goal line. Kalley Armstrong kicked a pass from Sydney Daniels to her stick and scored from in close to tie the game in the second period. Daniels scored to win it with 94 seconds left in overtime on assists from Sarah Edney and Lyndsey Fry. Emerance Maschmeyer made 26 saves to earn the victory.
Quinnipiac regained the conference lead on Saturday. Harvard fell to Princeton and Kimberly Newell, 1-0. Newell denied all 32 Crimson shots, and Molly Contini’s first-period goal, her 14th of the year, stood up as the game-winner. Kelsey Koelzer and Hilary Lloyd assisted.
Meanwhile, the Bobcats ended a three-game losing skid with a 3-1 win over Dartmouth. Nicole Kosta sandwiched two goals around one from Nicole Connery, and by the time Brooke Ahbe got the Big Green on the board, it was too late.
BU and Brian Durocher reach 200 wins
No. 7 Boston University recorded the program’s 200th win, all under coach Brian Durocher, as the Terriers upended Connecticut, 5-3. BU scored the final three goals to overcome a Huskies lead. Shannon Doyle, Rebecca Russo, and Kayla Tutino all had a goal and an assist, while Marie-Philip Poulin added three helpers. Caitlin Hewes was the only UConn player with multiple points.
Surge continues
North Dakota continued its rise up the WCHA standings as it visited No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth. UND took five out of a possible six points giving it 17 of 18 points in its last three series versus middle-tier teams in the league. North Dakota started that stretch in sixth place, but now looks to be well-positioned to finish third. Josefine Jakobsen scored the only goal just past the midway point in a 1-0 win on Friday. Shelby Amsley-Benzie stopped all 30 shots she faced.
Zoe Hickel scored the tying goal for the Bulldogs halfway through the third period on Saturday in a 2-2 tie. UND took the shootout. Hickel assisted on the game’s first goal from Ashleigh Brykaliuk; Lara Stalder had helpers on both Duluth goals. Both North Dakota goals came in the second period, with Becca Kohler striking short-handed and Leah Jensen converting on a power play.
UND sits a game behind the Bulldogs with a seemingly-easier final three weeks.
How the rest of the top 10 fared
No. 1 Boston College posted two 4-2 wins that were rather pedestrian by its standards. The Eagles dropped Princeton on Monday, getting a pair of goals from Kate Leary and Alex Carpenter, and a pair of assists from Haley Skarupa and Dana Trivigno. On Friday, the victim was Providence. Carpenter spurred the charge with a goal and two assists while Skarupa scored twice.
Ohio State rallied to tie No. 2 Minnesota on Friday, 3-3, on a pair of goals by Taylor Kuehl. Meghan Lorence had a goal and an assist for the Gophers, who won the shootout point. Kelly Pannek had three points as Minnesota won, 3-1, on Saturday to earn five points on the weekend and remain more than two games ahead of Wisconsin atop the WCHA.
The No. 3 Badgers swept Minnesota State, 3-0 and 5-1. Ann-Renee Desbiens pitched her ninth shutout on Friday; Emily Clark figured in all three tallies, including scoring twice. Erin Krichiver made 50 saves in a losing effort. Freshman Lindsey Colemen scored her first goal for the Mavericks to give them a lead on Saturday, but Karley Sylvester and Jenny Ryan had a goal and an assist in Wisconsin’s burst.
Jaimie Leonoff made 43 saves to aid Yale to a 3-2 upset of No. 8 Clarkson. Jamie Haddad, Aurora Kennedy, and Courtney Pensavalle scored for the Bulldogs; Janelle Ferrara had two primary assists. Christine Lambert netted both goals for the Golden Knights. Clarkson bounced back with a 6-0 trashing of Brown. Christine Lambert had a trio of primary helpers, and Olivia Howe netted a pair of goals. Cayley Mercer, Genevieve Bannon, Shannon MacAulay, and Erin Ambrose each had a goal and an assist. Shea Tiley turned in a 15-save shutout.
No. 9 St. Lawrence upped its winning streak to seven, defeating Brown, 4-0, and Yale, 4-3. The Saints poured 62 shots on the Bears net, where Monica Elvin stopped 42 of 43 shots in relief. Amanda Boulier tallied once and assisted twice. Carmen MacDonald kept her ledger clean while thwarting 14 shots. SLU built a 4-1 lead against the Bulldogs. Yale attempted to rally midway through with two goals within a minute, but it could not find an equalizer. Yale’s Jackie Raines had a goal and an assist, as did Jenna Marks and Boulier for the victors.
No. 10 Cornell got its offense firing in an 8-2 win over Union and stayed hot in thumping Rensselaer, 7-1. The Big Red got production from many sources on the weekend, most notably seven points from Jillian Saulnier and six apiece from line mates Emily Fulton and Brianne Jenner.
Other action
After splitting with Robert Morris, Mercyhurst’s lead in the CHA is down to a single point. The Lakers rallied for a 2-1 overtime win on Friday. Jenna Dingeldein tied the game in the second period and set up Emily Janiga’s winning goal at 2:05 of OT. In game two, the Colonials put up a three spot in the second period on goals by Mackenzie Johnston, Maddie Collias, and Jessica Gazzola. Dingeldein had a goal and an assist as Mercyhurst’s third-period rally fell short in RMU’s 3-2 triumph.
Penn State closed the gap with a 2-2 tie and a 4-2 win over Syracuse. Emily Laurenzi scored the tying goal for the Nittany Lions on Friday after Alysha Burriss and Melissa Piacentini of the Orange had answered an early tally by Caitlin Reilly. Celine Whitlinger made 40 saves for PSU in the first game and another 34 in Saturday’s win. Hannah Hoenshell had a goal and an assist, and Reilly had two helpers.
RIT split at Lindenwood. The Tigers claimed a wild 5-4 win in overtime. Jordyn Constance scored twice as the Lions jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period. RIT started a rally late in the second period, scored three times in just over six minutes, and grabbed a 4-3 lead with 62 seconds left in regulation. It took Shara Jasper just 19 seconds to tie it up and force OT on an assist by Constance, only to have Kolbee McCrea end matters 2:25 into the extra session. Taylor Thurston had three points for RIT. Saturday’s game was vastly different; Lyndsay Kirkham scored the only goal 23 seconds in and Nicole Hensley made 16 saves to preserve a 1-0 win for Lindenwood.
Colgate defeated Rensselaer, 4-2. Melissa Kueber and Megan Sullivan had a goal with an assist. The Raiders settled for a 2-2 tie with Union. Nicole Gass scored the tying goal in the third period. Kathryn Tomaselli potted both tallies for the Dutchwomen.
Dartmouth and Princeton also skated to a 2-2 deadlock, with the Tigers coming from two down. Robyn Chemago made 43 saves, but she couldn’t prevent Molly Contini’s tying goal at 10:53 of the third frame.
Northeastern held off Vermont, 4-3. Kendall Coyne had a goal and an assist to help NU to a three-goal lead, and the Catamounts’ comeback came up short.
Dayna Colang’s hat trick highlighted the attack when UVM bounced back with a 7-3 win over Providence. Brittany Zuback contributed three assists.
Maine split at New Hampshire, winning on Saturday, 3-0, before falling, 4-2. Meghann Treacy had 36 saves in her shutout; Hailey Browne scored and assisted. The Wildcats built a three-goal lead on Sunday, and the Black Bears’ comeback came up short despite two points from Emilie Brigham. UNH had four different goal scorers, including Brooke Avery’s first goal, and only Sara Carlson had multiple points.
