(1) Ohio State at (10) St. Cloud State
Cayla Barnes scored in the first minute of the game on Friday and Sloane Matthews and Jenna Buglioni each found the back of the net in the frame to give Ohio State a 3-0 lead after the first, leaving St. Cloud with a tough hill to climb. The Huskies began to push back and held the Buckeyes off in the 2nd. Then Emma Gentry scored 22 seconds into the third to make it 3-1. But OSU pushed back and Makenna Webster gave the Buckeyes their three-goal lead back a few minutes later. Gentry responded with a power play goal not long after that, but Ohio State was able to lock it down on defense and take the 4-2 win. The Huskies came out flying on Saturday and took a 1-0 lead midway through the first as Gentry continued her torrid pace. She forced a turnover in the OSU zone and lit the lamp to make it 1-0 St. Cloud. But Ohio State forced a turnover of their own in the final minutes of the frame as Kiara Zanon won the puck and then was there to tip in the pass from Jenna Buglioni. Webster scored her second of the weekend just a minute into the second by redirecting a shot from distance by Hadley Hartmetz to put the Buckeyes up 2-1. The teams worked to find an advantage for more than thirty minutes after and it wasn’t until Joy Dunne scored as a penalty expired in the final seven minutes that OSU put a little distance on the board. St. Cloud pulled Ahola with nearly four minutes left on the clock and a late power play gave them the opportunity to close the gap as Taylor Lind made it 3-2 with 55.5 seconds on the clock. The Huskies had a flurry of chances in the final minute of the game, but Amanda Thiele stood strong and Ohio State held off SCSU to earn the win and weekend sweep.
(2) Wisconsin at (7) Minnesota Duluth
The two teams took some time to find their rhythm and feel each other out on Friday and the first goal didn’t come until early in the second when Casey O’Brien put back a rebound on Vivian Jungels’ shot to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead. Danielle Burgen drove the net and beat Jane Gervais a few minutes later to tie the game 1-1. In a battle of two of the top special teams units in the country, the Badgers got the advantage on Friday when Lacey Eden scored on the power play a minute into the third to give Wisconsin a 2-1 lead that they’d carry to the final whistle. On Saturday, the Bulldogs had the Badgers on the ropes as they pushed them off their game and Wisconsin struggled to find a rhythm. UMD took a 1-o lead midway through the first thanks to a goal from Reece Hunt. Minnesota Duluth’s confidence continued to grow in the second as Nina Jobst-Smith’s shot from the point lit the lamp and then a puck deflected off Burgen to make it 3-0 Bulldogs a few minutes into the second. Casey O’Brien got Wisconsin on the board a few minutes later, but Clara Van Wieren’s power play goal later in the second sent the teams to the locker room with UMD up 4-1. The Badgers seemed to shake out of it in the third and pushed back, pouring on 21 of their 46 shots. Eden scored her second power play goal of the weekend when she put the puck across the front of the net and it deflected into the net to make it 4-2. Just 30 seconds later Cassie Hall dove to poke in a puck and it was suddenly a one-goal game. Eden scored Wisconsin’s third goal in 2:27, putting in a rebound to make it 4-4. With 90 seconds to play, Kirsten Simms had a bit of a breakaway into the zone as she dashed up the boards. O’Brien was with her, but Simms kept the puck and scored low at the far post to put Wisconsin ahead 5-4. It was a massive comeback for the Badgers, who have won several dramatic games in Duluth in the past few years. It was Simms who scored the Badgers’ long goal to earn the National Championship last season in Duluth.
(3) Clarkson vs. (9) St. Lawrence (home and home)
This rivalry series brought the drama. On Friday, the teams were scoreless until well into the third period when Abby Hustler cleaned up a rebound from a Julia Gosling shot on the power play to give St. Lawrence a 1-0 lead. Despite ramped up pressure from Clarkson, they could not find the equalizer and the Saints took the victory. Michelle Pasiechnyk made 22 saves while Emma-Sofie Nordström had 30 for SLU. Each team also tallied 16 blocks. In the second game, the teams set a record for the series with 10 combined goals. Clarkson outshot the Saints 49-26. Nordström made a career-high 43 saves, but the Golden Knights took a 6-4 win to split the Hwy. 11 series. Brooke McQuigge scored first and put Clarkson up 1-0 after one. The second period was jam packed, starting with Nicole Gosling scoring on the power play to extend the lead to 2-0. Then Sena Catrerall scored just before the midpoint to give the Golden Knights a 3-0 lead. But St. Lawrence scored twice in 37 seconds just after that to cut it to a 3-2 lead. However, Clarkson responded with two quick goals of their own from Catterall and Jaden Bogden toward the end of the second to go ahead 5-2. Bogden also scored to open the third to make it 6-2. St. Lawrence pushed back with goals from Aly MacLeod and Hustler, but could not complete a comeback as Clarkson took the win.
Harvard at (4) Colgate
Danielle Serdachny had two goals and four assists while Dara Greig added two goals and three assists to lead Colgate in their 10-1 win over Harvard. It took the Raiders some time to find their groove. The Crimson scored first as Brooke Manning lit the lamp in the opening minute to make it 1-0. Kas Betinol evened the score later in the period as Colgate started to pour on the shots, but the teams went to intermission tied. The game fell apart for Harvard early in the second as Colgate scored four goals in 1:25. Tessa Holk, Serdachny, Greig and national leading scorer Kalty Kaltounková were relentless and made it a 5-1 game before the Crimson knew what happened. Ally Simpson scored later in the period and then Colgate added four more in the third to make it 10 unanswered and a big win for the Raiders.
Dartmouth at (4) Colgate
Neena Brick, Emma Pais, Jaimee Spring, Elyssa Biederman and Kalty Kaltounková each scored on Saturday to lead Colgate to a 5-0 win. It was Spring’s first career goal and the Raiders’ seventh straight victory.
Minnesota State at (5) Minnesota
The Gophers staked a 3-0 lead heading into the final frame on Friday thanks to a first period power play rebound goal from Ella Huber and second period goals from Peyton Hemp and Abbey Murphy. But the Mavericks pushed back in the third, scoring three goals in seven minutes to tie the game with about 11 to play. MSU blocked 20 shots in the game and outshot the Gophers 10-6 in the third, but Murphy proved why she’s one of the best in the country as she scored the go-ahead goal to give Minnesota the 4-3 win. In the second game, the Maverick defense was once again massive, blocking 21 shots. The only Gopher goal in regulation came from Josephin Bouveng on the power play late in the first. The Mavericks pushed back, keeping the score tight and looking for their opportunity, Kennedy Bobyck found it midway through the third to tie the game and eventually force overtime. It was Hemp less than a minute into overtime crashing the net to give Minnesota the win.
Dartmouth at (6) Cornell
The Big Red showed out on Friday as Karel Prefontaine and Kaitlin Jockims each netted a hat trick and Annelies Bergmann recorded her first career shutout to lead Cornell to a 14-0 win over Dartmouth. Jockims also had two assists and Izzy Daniel had a goal and four assists to lead the team with five points. Bergmann also earned an assist. Cornell had a 5-0 lead, including two shorthanded goals, before nine minutes had elapsed.
Harvard at (6) Cornell
Cornell got out to a fast start again, going up 3-0 after one thanks to goals from Izzy Daniel, Avi Adam and Grace Dwyer. Ashley Messier pushed it to 4-0 early in the second. Harvard scored two quick goals near the midpoint of the game thanks to Kaley MacDonald and Sophie Ensley to make it 4-2, but Georgia Schiff replied before the intermission to stretch the lead to 5-2. In the final frame, Dwyer and Adam each scored again to ensure the 7-2 victory.
(8) Quinnipiac at (15) Yale
The Bulldogs snapped a three game losing streak and earned their first top-10 victory of the season thanks to an overtime goal from Carina DiAntonio that gave Yale the 2-1 win. The teams fought back and forth for nearly two full periods before Veronica Bac put Quinnipiac up 1-0. Elle Hartje’s slapshot tied the game in the third. In OT, Hartje fed DiAntonio as she crashed the net and won the game just 25 seconds in.
(8) Quinnipiac at Brown
The Brown Bears put together what coach Mel Ruzzi said was their most complete game of the season to beat the Bobcats on Saturday. Zoe Uns had Quinnipiac up 1-0 heading into the final frame, but Brown, who outshot the Bobcats 29-23, were confident in controlling the puck and playing their game and it began to come together in the third period. Gabi Levy tied the game two minutes into the frame to make it 1-1. Margot Norehad scored the eventual game-winner with a seamless lacrosse-style goal, lifting the puck and wrapping it around the post to make it 2-1. Sam Broz and Jade Iginla each scored empty netters to secure the 4-1 win.
Vermont at (11) Connecticut
The Huskies earned their sixth-straight win on Friday thanks to two goals from Jada Habisch and one from Ava Rinker to give UConn the 3-0 win. On Saturday, the teams skated to a scoreless tie as neither one could find an advantage. It was a quick, clean game with just 33 combined shots and three total penalties. In the shootout, Ashley Allard lit the lamp to give Connecticut the extra point in the standings.
(12) Princeton at Brown
Princeton outshot Brown 44-18 on goal, but Bears goalie Kaley Doyle made 43 saves to keep the Tigers in check. Emerson O’Leary scored midway through the first, putting away a rebound. Princeton held their lead until Jade Iginla scored on the power play after a major penalty to Stefanie Wallace for contact to the head and the teams skated to a 1-1 draw.
(12) Princeton at (15) Yale
A tough-fought but frustrating weekend for Princeton wrapped up with a second-straight 1-1 tie on Saturday. Katherine Khramtsov scored off a rush and an odd bounce to put the Tigers up 1-0 after the midpoint of the game. Yale quickly responded when Suzy Higuchi put back a rebound. The teams couldn’t break through in the third and the game ended in a stalemate.
Providence vs. (13) Boston College (home and home)
It was a tense game one on Friday as the teams were scoreless through the first and much of the second. Molly Jordan was able to put Boston College on the board late in the second, but Providence responded in the final minute of the frame with Audrey Knapp’s power play goal to make it 1-1. Providence had a goal called back in the third due to offsides and overtime was not enough to find a winner. It was the sixth time Boston College had advanced to the shootout this year and they had not been kind to the Eagles. But sophomore Kara Goulding scored her first career goal – even though it won’t show in the record book since SO goals aren’t official goals and Grace Campbell stopped all the Providence shooters to give BC the extra point and win. In the second game, Lindsay Bochna put the Friars up 1-0 late in the first and then Kiara Kraft scored her first career goal to double the Providence lead. Molly Jordan’s power play goal have BC hope to make it 2-1, but Bochna scored again to give the Friars a 3-1 win and weekend split.
Merrimack vs. (14) Northeastern (home and home)
Junior Paige Taborski made her first career start in net on Friday and earned a 4-0 shutout against Merrimack. Jules Constantinople, Ella Blackmore, Katy Knoll and Peyton Anderson each lit the lamp in the win. On Saturday, it was a busy, back and forth first frame. Emily Oosterveld put the Warriors up 1-0 in the opening minute. It took the teams a bit of time to settle down after that, but just past the midway point, Molly Griffin tied the game at one. Merrimack retook the lead less than a minute later with a goal from Solveig Gisler, but that lasted even less time as Taze Thompson’s goal tied it at 2-2 and that’s how the teams went into the intermission. Blackmore gave Northeastern their first lead with a goal in the second and Katy Knoll extended it to 4-2 with under 10 to play. Natalie Nemes pulled the Warriors to within one, but Merrimack couldn’t complete a comeback and the Huskies took a 4-3 win and weekend sweep.
