ECAC Tournament
Princeton vs. Yale
Yale advanced to their first-ever ECAC championship game with a 3-1 win on Friday. Mia Coene scored right away in the first to put Princeton on the board first. It took more than a period for the Bulldogs to respond. When they did, it was a redirection from Emma Seitz that tied the game. Charlotte Welch stripped the puck in the final minute of the second and Claire Dalton put Yale up 2-1. Elle Hartje’s empty-netter iced the win.
Quinnipiac vs. Colgate
Colgate came from behind twice and scored two goals in the third to pull out a 3-2 win in order to advance to the ECAC title game. After a scoreless first, Sadie Peart scored on the power play to give Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead. Eleri Mackay tapped in a rebound late in the period to tie the game. In the third, Olivia Mobley scored in the opening few minutes to put the Bobcats up 2-1. Kalty Kaltoukova tied the game with about six minutes to go and it was Allyson Simpson’s one-timer two minutes later that secured the win.
Colgate vs. Yale
Colgate claimed their second-straight conference tournament title in another come-from-behind win on Saturday. Yale’s Claire Dalton scored midway through the first period and that stood as the only goal into the third. Kaitlyn O’Donohoe tied the game about 90 seconds into the third, putting away a loose puck. In overtime, Kalty Kaltounkova stole the puck and flipped a backhander into the net to end the game.
Hockey East
Connecticut vs. Vermont
Freshman goalie Megan Warrener had 30 saves to lead Connecticut to a 3-1 win over Vermont and berth in the Hockey East title game. The Huskies scored once in each period to stake a 3-0 lead. Claire Peterson lit the lamp right before the first intermission. Morgan Wabick had a power play goal in the second and Jada Habisch scored in the third. Ellice Murphy got the Catamounts on the board in the final seconds, but UConn took the win.
Maine vs. Northeastern
The Huskies outshot the Black Bears 13-2 in the first, but neither team found the back of the net. It wasn’t until the second half of the middle fram that Northeastern was able to break the deadlock. Maddie Mills scored first and then Maureen Murphy added a power play goal a few minutes later to make it a 2-0 game heading into the third. Ida Kuoppala scored an extra attacker goal of her own to cut the lead to 2-1. Murphy responded three minutes later to ensure the Huskies advanced to the title game.
Connecticut vs. Northeastern
Northeastern won their fifth-straight Hockey East Tournament title thanks to a 3-1 win. They scored three unanswered goals in the final two frames to take the win. Morgan Wabick scored late in the first to put Connecticut up 1-0. Northeastern wasn’t able to respond until the final seconds of the second period. Alina Mueller tied the game and then 22 seconds into the third, scored again to net the game winner. Chloe Aurard put away an insurance goal to give Northeastern the 3-0 win.
NEWHA
Sacred Heart vs. Franklin Pierce
The Ravens’ game-winner came from freshman Geno Hendrickson, who forced a turnover and took the puck in for a goal. It was the only goal they needed to advance to the NEWHA title game. Ava Kison added an empty-net insurance goal to give Franklin Pierce a 2-0 win. Each goalie made 23 saves in the game.
LIU vs. Saint Anselm
Saint Anselm scored a goal in each period to advance to their fourth NEWHA title game. Freshman Audrey Jackson and seniors Kelly Golini and Erin Meyers each lit the lamp for the Hawks. Golini and Meyers also each had an assist and now have 30 on the season. Alva Johnson scored for LIU in the loss.
Saint Anselm vs. Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce set a new program record with their 22 win and earned their first conference tournament title with a 1-0 win over Saint Anselm on Saturday. The win was made even sweeter because the win came over the Hawks, the Ravens inter-state rival who they could not beat in the program’s first seven years. Ava Kison scored the game’s only goal on the power play midway through the first period and that’s all it took to take the championship. Franklin Pierce blocked 18 shots and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, goalie Suzette Faucher made 26 saves. Allie Kelley made 51 saves in the loss, crossing the 1,000 save barrier in her first year at Saint Anselm.
WCHA
Wisconsin vs. Ohio State
The Buckeyes advanced to their third straight WCHA Championship game with a 2-1 win over Wisconsin on Saturday. All the scoring in this game happened in the span of seven minutes in the middle frame. After a scoreless first, the Badgers scored first as Sophie Shirley buried a breakaway. But Ohio State saw two quick goals from Liz Schepers and Gabby Rosenthal put them ahead. Wisconsin outshot OSU 34-18, but were unable to find the back of the net in the third.
Minnesota Duluth vs. Minnesota
Minnesota looked about as good as they ever had in this 5-1 semifinal win. The Gophers pressured the Bulldogs on every inch of the ice, taking away time and space and forcing them into quick decisions that often led to turnovers. Catie Skaja scored just 51 seconds into the game on a puck that snuck through Jojo Chobak’s armpit and into the net. Crystalyn Hengler scored in the closing seconds of the period on a shot that deflected off two UMD players before finding the back of the net. It proved to be too much of a deficit for the Bulldogs. Abigail Boreen scored in the third and then Taylor Heise scored 14 seconds into the third. Élizabeth Giguère got one back for UMD, but Emily Brown scored on the empty net to secure the 5-1 win.
Ohio State vs. Minnesota
Minnesota took an early penalty and found it difficult to settle in during the opening frame, but Ohio State was unable to take advantage. In the second, the Gophers took control and opened the scoring on a quick transition and breakaway from Taylor Heise and Abigail Boreen. It looked like that’s how the teams would start the third, but just before the horn, Payton Hemp deflected a puck from Olivia Knowles past Amanda Thiele to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead. OSU coach Nadine Muzerall said she got into her players’ ears at the second intermission and the Buckeyes came out unwilling to give up the game. Sara Saekkinen deflected a puck in during the opening minutes of the period to cut the lead in half and give Ohio State even more confidence and momentum. Sophie Jaques tied the game up midway through the third as she hit a puck from her knee while in the slot. The teams fought for the game-winner, but they needed overtime to name a champion. Knowles took a penalty in the final few seconds of the third, giving the top power play unit in the country not just the player advantage in the extra frame, but a full intermission to plan it. It took just 23 seconds for Jaques to end the game. As the Gophers tried to clear the puck, Jaques intercepted. Her first shot was blocked by Lauren Bench, but the rebound came back to her and she roofed the puck to win the game. It’s the Buckeyes’ second tournament title in three years.
