Syracuse at Robert Morris
Amber Rennie, Anjelica Diffendal, Lexi Templeman, Natalie Marcuzzi, and Kirsten Welsh all scored for Robert Morris on Friday to lead the Colonials to a 5-0 win. On Saturday, Caitlyn Sadowy, Leah Marino, and Janey Sandoval scored in the second period to give Robert Morris the 3-0 lead. Kristen Siermachesky put Syracuse on the board 21 seconds into the third, but the Colonials responded with a goal from Marino to make it 4-1. Amanda Backebo scored late in the third to make it 4-2, but Syracuse was not able to complete the comeback. With the wins, Robert Morris secured the CHA regular-season title. The receive a bye in the opening round of the tournament.
RIT at Mercyhurst
Sarah Hine had two goals and an assist to lead Mercyhurst to a 4-0 win on Friday. Sam Isbell and Samantha Fieseler also scored in the win. On Saturday, Hunter Barnett put RIT up 1-0 with a goal early in the second, but Alexa Vasko and Michele Robillard’s goals within 27 seconds of each other midway through the second period were the difference-maker as Mercyhurst won, 2-1. The Lakers ended up second in the conference and earned a first-round bye in the CHA tournament.
Penn State at Lindenwood
Katie McMillan scored midway through the first to put Penn State on the board. Megan Wagner responded with a power-play goal for Lindenwood early in the third, but Katie Rankin and Brooke Madsen found the back of the net for Penn State to earn them the 3-1 win. On Saturday, Shea Nelson’s goal was the only tally in the first and had the Nittany Lions up 1-0 after one. Lindenwood responded in the second with goals from Shannon Morris-Reade and Nicole Guagliardo to make it 2-1 Lions. Madsen’s goal late in the second tied it up before the second intermission, but Sierra Burt’s power-play goal gave Lindenwood the lead midway through the third. Penn State came back once again with a goal from Jessica Adolfsson to earn the 3-3 tie. Lindenwood will face Syracuse and Penn State will face RIT in the opening round of the CHA playoffs on Wednesday.
ECAC Quarterfinals
Rensselaer at No. 4 Cornell
On Friday, RIT goalie Lovisa Selander made 63 saves, but Pippy Gerace’s overtime winner was the difference. Blake Orosz’s second-period goal put the Engineers on the board, but Gillis Frechette tied it up midway through the third before Gerace earned Cornell the win. In game two, Selander pitched a 49-save shutout, and Orosz’s two goals gave Rensselaer the win to force game three. On Sunday, Selander made 55 saves, for a series total of 167 saves, but the Cornell offense proved too much for the Engineers as they won, 6-1, to advance to the ECAC semifinals to face Princeton. Lenka Serdar and Frechette put Cornell up 2-0 after one. Jaimie Grigsby scored on a power play midway through the second to cut the lead for RPI, but that was as close as it would get. Kristin O’Neill scored twice, Frechette added her third of the weekend, and Bella Kang’s late goal ensured the 6-1 win.
Quinnipiac at No. 5 Clarkson
Emma Keenan scored in the first, Loren Gabel scored in the second, and Taylor Turnquist scored in the third to pace Clarkson to a 3-0 win in the opening game of the series. Game two was a bit more dramatic. Gabel opened the scoring for the Golden Knights, but Kenzie Lancaster responded for Quinnipiac to make it 1-1 with five minutes left in the first. Josianne Pozzebon found the back of the net on a power play just before the buzzer to give Clarkson the 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. Randi Marcon scored her own power-play goal to tie the game just minutes into the second, and Melissa Samoskevich’s goal just before the second intermission gave Quinnipiac the 3-2 lead heading into the third. It looked like a game three was on the horizon until Gabel scored with 1.1 seconds left on the clock. Elizabeth Giguère, who assisted on each of the Golden Knights’ first three goals, found the back of the net herself in overtime to win the game for Clarkson and end Quinnipiac’s season. Clarkson advances to the ECAC semifinals, where they’ll face Colgate.
St. Lawrence at No. 7 Princeton
Sarah Fillier’s natural hat trick in the second period powered Princeton to a 4-1 win in game one. Justine Reyes scored before the second was over to make it 3-1 at the second intermission, but St. Lawrence was not able to mount a comeback. Annie MacDonald scored on a power play late in the third to secure the win. On Saturday, Maggie McLaughlin scored 14 seconds into the game to give St. Lawrence the lead. Karlie Lund scored with a second left in the period to make it 1-1 after one. Carly Bullock and Maggie Connors had the Tigers up 3-1 before the midway point in the game. Amanda Butterfield scored on a power play to narrow the gap for St.Lawrence, but that was as close as it would get. Lund, Fillier, and Sharon Frankel each scored in the third to make it a 5-2 win for Princeton, which advanced to the ECAC semifinal, where the Raiders face Cornell.
Harvard at No. 9 Colgate
Harvard snapped a nine-game winless streak against Colgate with a 5-2 win on Friday. Kat Hughes had two goals and an assist to lead the Crimson. Keely Moy and Lexie Laing put Harvard up 2-0 before Colgate responded with a goal from Shelby Wood, but that’s as close as it would get. Hughes scored twice in the span of 67 seconds to make it 4-1, and Becca Gilmore added a goal a few minutes later. Malia Schneider scored on a power play midway through the third, but it was not enough as the Crimson took game one 5-2. In game two, Tanner Gates put Colgate on the board first with a goal late in the first period. Dominique Petrie tied it up late in the second, but Delani MacKay responded quickly, and it was 2-1 after two. Eleri MacKay and Olivia Zafuto scored within 37 second of each other early in the third to put the game out of reach for Harvard. Emma Buckles scored on a power play late in the third, but Colgate took this one, 4-2. On Sunday, Eleri MacKay scored four minutes in, but Petrie responded to tie it up midway through the first. Unfortunately for Harvard, that was as close as it would get. Jessie Eldridge scored twice, and then Eleri MacKay completed a hat trick to make it 5-1 midway through the third. Petrie scored late in the third, but the Crimson could not mount a comeback, and Colgate won to advance to the conference semifinals where, they Raiders face Clarkson.
Hockey East Quarterfinals
Vermont at No. 3 Northeastern
Seven different Huskies scored, and five players had multipoint games as Northeastern cruised to a 7-2 win in game one. Skylar Fontaine had a goal and three assists, and Codie Cross had a goal and two assists to lead the Huskies. Veronika Pettey, Kasidy Anderson, and Fontaine opened the game with three goals for Northeastern, but Vermont responded with goals from Alyssa Holmes and Corinne McCool to make it 3-2 heading into the first intermission. The Huskies poured it on from there and took the first game in the series. On Saturday, Anderson scored at 10:12 of the first period, and that would be the only goal as Northeastern swept Vermont and advanced to the Hockey East semifinals. Blanka Skodova made 31 saves for Vermont in the loss.
Connecticut at No. 6 Boston College
Delaney Belinskas and Kali Flanagan scored in the second period to give BC the 2-0 lead Friday. Morgan Wabick scored on a power play early in the third to make the game a bit interesting, but Megan Keller’s power-play goal opened the lead, and Makenna Newkirk scored 23 seconds later to give the Eagles a 4-1 win. On Saturday, Lindsey Agnew’s goal three minutes into the game had Boston College up, but Connecticut scored three unanswered goals from Natalie Snodgrass, Kayla Mee, and Danika Pasqua and looked as they would be heading into the second intermission with a 3-1 lead. Erin Connelly, however, scored with a single second left in the period to cut the lead in half and scored again three minutes into the third to tie the game at three. Makenna Newkirk gave Boston College the lead midway through the third, but Snodgrass tied it up with 1:47 left in the game to force overtime. As it’s the playoffs, the game goes on until there’s a winner, and it was Ryan Little nine minutes into the extra frame that gave BC the win and weekend series. The Eagles will host Boston University.
New Hampshire at No. 8 Boston University
Nara Elia scored twice in the first 10 minutes to put the Terriers up, and they did not look back. Mackenna Parker added two goals of her own, and Courtney Correia scored to give BU the 5-1 win. Devan Taylor was the lone goal scorer in the loss for New Hampshire. In game two, Sammy Davis opened the scoring, and Deziray De Sousa added a power-play goal to put the Terriers up 2-0 after the first period. Davis tallied her second of the game in the third period. Meghara McManus scored short-handed for New Hampshire, but BU held them off and won 3-1. They sweep and advance to the Hockey East semifinals, where they’ll meet BC.
Merrimack at Providence
The first game was scoreless for more than 50 minutes, though Providence had an advantage in shots. Meaghan Rickard scored with just less than nine minutes left to play, and that would prove to be the game-winner. Christina Putigna secured the win with an empty-netter to give Providence the 2-0 win. On Saturday, Neve Van Pelt scored near the end of the first to put the Friars up after one. Maureen Murphy’s second-period power-play goal doubled the lead. Katelyn Rae put Merrimack on the board with 25 seconds left in the game, but the clock ran out and Providence won, 2-1. They swept and advance to the Hockey East semifinals, where they’ll play Northeastern.
WCHA Quarterfinals
St. Cloud State at No. 2 Wisconsin
Britta Curl scored twice, and Kristen Campbell tallied her eighth shutout of the year as the Badgers cruised to a 5-0 win on Friday night. Annie Pankowski had a goal and two assists for Wisconsin in the win in game one. On Saturday, Pankowski tallied a hat trick, and Curl added two more goals to lead the Badgers to an 8-0 win and series sweep. Sophia Shaver had three assists in the win. Wisconsin advanced to the WCHA Final Faceoff, where they’ll face Ohio State.
Minnesota State at No. 10 Ohio State
Tatum Skaggs opened the scoring, putting the Buckeyes up 1-0 5:18 into the game. Brooke Bryant struck on a power play to even the game at one, but Lisa Bruno’s goal with a minute left in the first put Ohio State up 2-1 heading into the first intermission. It was a scoreless second, then Byrant scored her second of the game to tie it up very early in the third. Emma Maltais scored 28 seconds into the overtime period to give Ohio State the 3-2 win. On Saturday, Charly Dahlquist put the Buckeyes up 1-0 with a power-play goal in the first period. Jacyn Reeves doubled the lead in the third, and Jincy Dunne’s empty-netter secured the 3-0 win and series sweep. Ohio State advanced to the WCHA semifinal and will face Wisconsin.
Bemidji State at Minnesota Duluth
Opening frame goals from Naomi Rogge and Anneke Linser had UMD up 2-0. Emily Bergland cut the lead in half with a second-period goal for the Beavers. Gabbie Hughes’ goal midway through the third would prove to be the game-winner. Mak Langei added one late, but it was not enough for BSU to mount a comeback as they took game one in the series, 3-2. In game two, Bemidji State got on the board first as Jacqueline Kaasa and Paige Beebe staked BSU to a 2-0 lead. Ryleigh Houston responded before the end of the period to make it 2-1 at the first intermission. Anna Klein scored the only goal in the second to tie the game for the Bulldogs. Hughes gave UMD their first lead, and then Linser made it 4-1. Haley Mack responded quickly, but the Beavers couldn’t complete the comeback and Minnesota Duluth won, 4-2. The Bulldogs swept and will face Minnesota in the semifinals of the WCHA tournament next weekend.
