2023 Women’s DI Hockey Playoffs Thread

[JMCx4]

I’m adding this thread for the primary purpose of increasing awareness of women’s U.S. collegiate ice hockey at the NCAA Division I level. The five conferences – College Hockey America (CHA), ECAC Hockey (ECACH), Hockey East Association (HEA), New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA), and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) – are each wrapping up their 2022-23 regular seasons this coming week & weekend, so I’ll offer summaries of each conference’s team standings and how the competitions for conference seeding & match-ups are rounding out as they head toward their individual post-season tournaments. Assists go to College Hockey News & their NCAA Division I Women’s Hockey Overview web page, and to Nicole Haase writing for USCHO.com covering the women’s side of DI hockey. I’ll also borrow some info & stats from NCAA & conference & team & 3rd-party web pages to complete the pre-tournament pictures.

Feel free to add posts with info and/or opinions that you think fall within this outline of the thread. As the conference tournament details & results become available, I’ll post them here to the best of my ability & time available. Hopefully a few new women’s ice hockey fans will be born from this initiative, while existing fans like me will be entertained as winter & spring collide.

Click to read more...

 

[JMCx4]

College Hockey America (CHA)

Four of the five active CHA teams will compete in the conference tournament this year, listed in their current conference ranking order (which reflects the final tourney seeding): (#1) Penn State University Nittany Lions; (#2) Mercyhurst University Lakers; (#3) Syracuse University Orange; and (#4) Lindenwood University Lions. The Lions clinched the final tournament seed this weekend with a sweep of the 5th place Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Tigers. The sixth team in the CHA, the Robert Morris University (PA) Colonials, had their program (along with men's DI hockey) suspended by the University in May 2021; but the women's team was reinstated last spring as a full CHA member, and they expect to resume play in the 2023-24 season.

* Edited with Final Matchups & Scheduling ..

2023 CHA CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Semifinals – Best-of-Three
Friday, Feb. 24
No. 3 Syracuse at No. 2 Mercyhurst, 1 p.m. ET
No. 4 Lindenwood at No. 1 Penn State, 2:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, Feb. 25
No. 4 Lindenwood at No. 1 Penn State, 12:30 p.m. ET
No. 3 Syracuse at No. 2 Mercyhurst, 2 p.m. ET

Sunday, Feb. 26
No. 4 Lindenwood at No. 1 Penn State, 1 p.m. ET (If necessary)
No. 3 Syracuse at No. 2 Mercyhurst, 1 p.m. ET (If necessary)

CHA Championship Game
Saturday, March 4
Highest remaining seed at Lowest remaining seed, Time TBD

The #1 seed Nittany Lions are the clear favorites to win the 2023 CHA tournament, with their current conference record of 12-1-1 a reflection of their overall regular season record (conference & non-conference play) of 22-8-2. The latter numbers & the perceived strength of the out-of-conference teams they have chosen to play this season have the Penn State women at #9 in the current PairWise ranking, which would likely earn them an at-large bid to compete in the NCAA DI women’s post-season tournament. But a CHA conference championship win would guarantee them an auto-bid to the NCAA tourney, so PSU will have a big incentive to finish out their last two regular season games strong (@ RIT next Friday & Saturday) and roll through the conference tournament (beginning with Lindenwood in Round #1).

The #2 seed Lakers are currently 9-3-2 in conference play, with a 17-13-2 overall season record. They are the only credible competition in the conference for PSU, having beaten Penn State at Pegula Ice back in early November and losing to them 3-2 in OT at home late last month. But Mercyhust will need to focus first on their two remaining home games vs. Lindenwood, then on eliminating Syracuse in the conference semis. The Lakers are currently #19 in the women’s Pairwise, a respectable ranking but it would not get them an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament; so they’ll need to work their way through conference competitors & claim the 2023 title to make that post-season upset come true.


ETA: As they did the regular season games, FloHockey.tv will be live streaming the 2023 CHA post-season tournament games.

 

[JMCx4]

ECAC Hockey (ECACH)

ECAC women’s ice hockey [ETA: the oldest existing U.S. women's ice hockey conference - since 1984] has an unusual conference membership, with a core group of collegiate programs: Clarkson University Golden Knights, Colgate University Raiders, Quinnipiac University Bobcats, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers, St. Lawrence University Saints, and Union College Dutchwomen; plus an equal number of Ivy League school programs who do business as their own sub-conference, but take part in ECACH regular & post-season play: Brown University Brown Bears [ETA: the first school in the nation with a women’s college hockey team - established 1967], Cornell University Big Red, Dartmouth College Big Green, Harvard University Crimson, Princeton University Tigers, and Yale University Bulldogs. The top 8 of the 12 ECACH women’s hockey regular season participants will compete in the conference tournament. to determine a conference post-season winner & the bonus of the conference's auto-bid for the subsequent NCAA tourney. With one more weekend of regular season play coming among teams still jockeying for final conference rankings – AND because I have failed this year & in past seasons to figure out the crazy ECACH team points system – I’ll update this post in a week or so to reflect the conference post-season tournament seeding as eventually published. I’ll also profile some of the top ECACH teams who will be competing in the post-season tourney.

(EDIT - Quarterfinals matchups added per the Conference Final Standings) ...

2023 ECAC WOMEN’S HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

QUARTERFINALS (February 24-26, 2023)
Best of 3 ...
No. 8 (Harvard) at No. 1 (Yale)
No. 7 (Princeton) at No. 2 (Colgate)
No. 6 (St. Lawrence) at No. 3 (Quinnipiac)
No. 5 (Cornell) at No. 4 (Clarkson)

SEMIFINALS & FINALS (March 3-4, hosted by top remaining seed)
Teams TBD


ETA: As part of the 8-year exclusive streaming agreement between ECAC Hockey & ESPN, all of the 2023 ECACH women's postseason games will be available for viewing in the U.S. via ESPN+.

 

[JMCx4]

Hockey East Association (HEA)

The HEA women’s ice hockey conference comprises ten teams from New England collegiate athletic programs: Boston College Eagles, Boston University Terriers, University of Connecticut Huskies, College of the Holy Cross Crusaders, University of Maine Black Bears, Merrimack College Warriors, University of New Hampshire Wildcats, Northeastern University, Providence College Friars, and University of Vermont Catamounts. All ten HEA women’s hockey teams will for the second year in a row compete in a single elimination conference tournament to crown (or trophy) the conference post-season champions who will also grab the HEA auto-bid for a spot in the NCAA DI women's tournament. The HEA women have one more weekend of regular season play – with BC, BU & Northeastern playing this Tuesday in the annual non-conference Beanpot Tournament – so I’ll delay getting into the conference post-season tournament seeding & team profiles until after the HEA season is completed. But I’ll give you a sneak preview: The Huskies (NU version) have already clinched the women’s HEA regular season & secured the #1 post-season tournament seed by a country mile.


2023 HOCKEY EAST WOMEN’S POST-SEASON TOURNAMENT
(single elimination throughout)

OPENING ROUND (Wednesday, February 22, 2023)
Seeds No. 7 and No. 8 will host Seeds No. 10 and No. 9, respectively
(Top six seeds receive a bye into the Quarterfinals)

QUARTERFINALS ROUND (Saturday, February 25 - date could vary by venue)
After a reseeding for original Nos. 7 thru 10 …
Seeds No. 1 and No. 2 will host the winners of the Opening Round
Seed No. 3 will host Seed No. 6
Seed No. 4 will host Seed No. 5

Semifinals will take place on Wednesday, March 1

Championship is set for Saturday, March 4

ETA: The matchup rundown ... PLAYOFF SEEDINGS SET FOR 21ST HOCKEY EAST WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

And everything else a fan should want to know ... HEA 2023 Women's Tournament Central


According to this HEA press release from last April … “Streaming on ESPN+ will be all men’s and women’s home games throughout the season as well as the entirety of both the men’s and women’s postseason tournaments. The Hockey East Women’s Tournament Championship is set to be televised annually on an ESPN network.” I believe that final wording gives ESPN an out to shuffle content across their digital media network products; so I won’t be surprised if my monthly ESPN+ subscription doesn't give me access to all of the HEA women’s tournament games.

ETA: I was right about the ESPN network coverage ... "Opening round, quarterfinal, and semifinal games will be streamed on ESPN+, while the championship game will air nationally on ESPNU."

 

[JMCx4]

New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA)

NEWHA has seven full member teams from New England private collegiate athletic programs: Franklin Pierce University Ravens, Long Island University Sharks (#22 in the current women’s Pairwise and regular season champs currently on a 19-game unbeaten streak in NEWHA play), Post University Eagles, Sacred Heart University Pioneers, Saint Anselm College Hawks, Saint Michael's College Purple Knights, and Stonehill College Skyhawks. An eighth NEWHA team - the Assumption University Greyhounds – was an “administrative” participant in conference play for 2022-23, with their full membership to begin in the 2023-24 season. EDIT ... All of the 7 full member teams ... will participate in a post-season tournament, ... EDIT ... with the conference's first NCAA tournament auto-bid at stake. The conference usually waits until after their regular season is completed (three more conference matches to be played on Friday, February 17th) before publishing anything about their tournament schedule, so I’ll be poking around the internet next weekend for clues to their plans. [ETA: Franklin Pierce is two points ahead of SHU for the fourth tournament seed, and each team has one more game left. So the PIOS still have a chance to tie with the Ravens in the regular season standings & complicate the NEWHA post-season tourney decisions even more.]

ETA2: NEWHA reveals 2022-23 postseason details

The seeds are set for the New England Women's Hockey Alliance postseason as the seven-team tournament will begin Friday, Feb. 24 with Quarterfinals round action.

Each of the league's seven teams will compete in the playoffs with Long Island University, the NEWHA Regular Season Champion, earning a first-round bye after racking up a league-leading 37 points, thanks to a 17-4-3 NEWHA record. ...

A complete schedule of games reads as follows ...

Friday, Feb. 24
Quarterfinals
No. 7 Saint Michael's at No. 2 Saint Anselm – 4 p.m.
No. 5 Sacred Heart at No. 4 Franklin Pierce – 4 p.m.
No. 6 Post at No. 3 Stonehill – 5 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 25
Quarterfinals
No. 7 Saint Michael's at No. 2 Saint Anselm – 1 p.m.
No. 6 Post at No. 3 Stonehill – 1:30 p.m.
No. 5 Sacred Heart at No. 4 Franklin Pierce – 4 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 26
Quarterfinals (if necessary)
No. 7 Saint Michael's at No. 2 Saint Anselm – 1 p.m.
No. 6 Post at No. 3 Stonehill – 1:30 p.m.
No. 5 Sacred Heart at No. 4 Franklin Pierce – 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Mar. 1
Semifinals
Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 LIU
Second lowest remaining seed at second highest remaining seed

Saturday, Mar. 4
Championship
Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed


PrestoSports (NEWHA’s media partner) has provided streaming services for the conference, so I expect they’ll do the same for some or all of their post-season tournament games in 2023. ETA: That's what I get for guessin ' ... NEWHA games are webcast on NE10Now.tv.

 

[JMCx4]

Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA)

The WCHA conference has eight teams, six from Minnesota plus one each outlier from Wisconsin and Ohio (the reigning NCAA DI champion): Bemidji State Beavers, University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, Minnesota State University Mavericks, Ohio State University Buckeyes, St. Cloud State University Huskies, University of St. Thomas Tommies, and University of Wisconsin Badgers. The conference has three more regular season calendar dates next weekend to determine the final standings, so I’ll hold off on my tourney thoughts & speculations until that’s all settled. What is known is that 2023 WCHA post-season play will begin with all 8 teams in competition, and the Quarterfinals winners will then compete for the league's playoff championship and an automatic berth in the 2023 NCAA tournament.

(Edit - Quarterfinals tourney opponents added in parens according to the Final Standings) ...

2023 WCHA TOURNAMENT

QUARTERFINALS (Friday, Feb. 24 - Sunday, Feb. 26)
Based on their finish in the regular season standings, the top four seeds host the bottom four seeds at the top seeds’ home campus sites in a Best–of–3 format.

Tournament Format
No. 8 Seed (Bemidji State) at No. 1 Seed (Ohio State)
No. 7 Seed (St. Thomas) at No. 2 Seed (Minnesota)
No. 6 Seed (Minnesota State) at No. 3 Seed (Wisconsin)
No. 5 Seed (St. Cloud State) at No. 4 Seed (Minnesota Duluth)

Winners of the best-of-three series then advance to the four-team WCHA Final Faceoff.


2023 KWIK TRIP WCHA FINAL FACEOFF (March 3-4, 2023)
@ Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, MN

Friday, March 3
Semifinal Game 1 – TBD vs. TBD – 1 p.m. CT
Semifinal Game 2 – TBD vs. TBD – 5 p.m. CT

Saturday, March 4
WCHA Championship – Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner – 2 p.m. CT


The WCHA games (regular season & post-season) are streamed on the B1G+ Big Ten digital network.

 

[JMCx4]

Final regular season weekend results summaries for College Hockey America ...

• First place & Top 10 ranked Penn State easily handled the last place RIT Tigers by 8-1 & 3-1 final scores. The Nittany Lions closed the regular season with a record of 24-8-2 and a conference record of 14-1-1. Going into this post-season they are on a 15-game unbeaten streak, which ranks third highest in CHA history.
• The second place Mercyhurst goaltending tandem tossed back-to-back no-netters against the fourth place Lindenwood U Lions. Jada Brenon started the whitewash with a 3-0 victory, followed by Ena Nystrøm's 5th shutout of the Lakers' season for a 2-0 season closeout. The Lakers went 11-3-2 in CHA play, with an overall record of 19-13-2.
• Third place Syracuse Orange wrapped up their first regular season under 1st-year head coach Britni Smith with a single weekend game, a 4-2 non-conference victory over the Stonehill College Skyhawks. 'Cuse finished with a 10-22-2 overall record, 6-9-1 in CHA matchups.

Courtesy of the Conference website, here are the CHA post-season participant profiles leading up to next weekend's Best-of-3 Semifinals series ... Field Set for 2023 College Hockey America Postseason

 

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Results from the final 2022-23 regular season weekend of play in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance conference ...

• Fourth seed Franklin Pierce swept their weekend pair against visiting #1 seed & season champs Long Island U, by scores of 3-2 & 2-0. FPU netminder Jill Hertl earned both victories over the Sharks, ending her regular season 13-9-3 with a GAA = 1.92 and a SV% = .931. The Ravens' season conference record was 18-8-3.
• The St. Michael's @ Sacred Heart 2-game wrap-up featured two overtime games, with SHU winning 4-3 followed by a 0-0 final on Saturday. Pioneers' goaltender Molly Elmore ended her regular season with the #1 Conference win percentage (.708) over 14 games played.
• Second seed St. Anselm hosted & soundly defeated #6 Post U by scores of 7-1 and 10-0. The Hawks have 4 of the 5 conference leaders in regular season Points & Assists (paced by Kelly Golini), and 3 of the top 5 goal scorers (led by Natalie Tulchinsky & Tyra Turner). St. Anselm finished the season with a 14-6-4 conference record.

The NEWHA post-season tourney begins Friday, February 24th with best-of-3 Quarterfinals round matchups. Long Island U gets the first round bye as the #1 seed privilege.

 

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Hockey East Opening Round matchups (1-game play-ins on Wednesday, Feb. 22) were determined by final regular season weekend series, with the Nos. 7 & 8 seeds ultimately separated by one standings point and the Nos. 9 & 10 seeds also one point apart.

• No. 7 Boston University was swept by top seed Northeastern, losing 5-1 & 4-0.
• No. 8 New Hampshire recorded a tie (3-3) and a loss (3-1) vs. No. 2 seed Vermont, falling a single point shy of BU in the final standings.
• No. 9 Holy Cross were shutout on the road by 5th seed UConn, by identical 3-0 final scores.
• No. 10 Merrimack failed to catch HC in the final standings, after splitting the final weekend 2-5 & 3-1 with No. 6 Maine.

 

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On the final day of play, the Yale Bulldogs captured their first ECAC Hockey regular season title on the strength of a 10-1 blowout of Harvard, after a 6-1 victory the previous night over Dartmouth. Yale will enter the post-season tourney as the No.1 seed, with very a impressive 19-2-1-1-0 league record & 26-2-1 overall.

The Colgate Raiders ended the season just one full point behind Yale for the #2 seeding, with victories over Union (6-0) and Renssellaer (6-1). Colgate recorded strong season records of 18-3-1-0-1 and 28-4-2.

The 3rd seed Quinnipiac Bobcats faltered in their final regular season weekend, losing at home to St. Lawrence 4-1 and on the road 2-1 to No. 4 Clarkson. QU finished ECACH regular season play with a 17-5-0-1-0 record & an overall 27-7-0.

 

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Defending national champion Ohio State (23-4-1 in conference play) finished two points ahead of Minnesota (22-3-3) to capture the WCHA regular season title, after losing @ #3 seed Wisconsin 6-5 in overtime Saturday but recovering to defeat the Badgers 3-1 on Sunday.

The #2 seed Golden Gophers swept St. Thomas to wrap up their 2022-23 season. Fifth year forward Taylor Heise recorded her team-leading 15th multi-point game of the season in Saturday's match @ UST.

#4 seed Minnesota Duluth finished strong, recording 2 wins @ Bemidji State (6-0 & 5-1) to extend their unbeaten streak to 6 games as they head into the WCHA post-season tournament. Saturday's final regular season victory marked the 150th win for UMD head coach Maura Crowell.

 

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The Hockey East 2023 post-season Opening Round begins on Wednesday Feb 22nd. This conference press release offers the following 1-game play-in previews, with both games starting @ 7:00 PM ET ...

... No.7 Boston University (11-19-3/9-15-3 HE) hosts No. 10 Merrimack (8-24-2/5-20-2 HE) at Walter Brown Arena at 7:00pm. It will be the first-ever post season meeting between the Terriers and the Warriors. Boston University has won the tournament a record five times, all under head coach Brian Durocher, who recently announced his retirement from coaching following this season. Merrimack earned its first-ever Hockey East Tournament win last year, a 4-1 Opening Round win at UNH. During the 2022-23 regular season, BU went 2-1-0 against Merrimack including wins in their last two outings.

No. 8 New Hampshire (11-20-3/9-15-3 HE) will welcome No. 9 Holy Cross (7-25-1/6-21-0 HE) for their second-ever meeting in the tournament after a 3-0 shutout win for the Wildcats in a COVID-impacted 2020 postseason. New Hampshire is tied for the second-most tournament titles of any league program with four, its last coming in 2009. The Crusaders enter the Hockey East Tournament for the third time in program history and are searching for their first postseason win. New Hampshire went 3-0-0 against Holy Cross in 2022-23, while Holy Cross set a program-record for wins since joining Hockey East. ...

A matchup summary from the #9 seed College of the Holy Cross Crusaders ... Women's Hockey Opens Hockey East Tournament at New Hampshire

ETA: The Daily Free Press Boston Hockey Blog looks at the #7 vs. #10 Opening Round match ... WIH hosts Merrimack for first round of HE playoffs

 

[JMCx4]

In HEA Round 1 play on Wednesday night, Holy Cross took a 3-2 lead on power play in the 2nd period. But their New Hampshire hosts stepped up & scored 4 unanswered to win 6-3, eliminating the Crusaders & moving on to the Quarterfinals facing #2 Vermont. Graduate forward Emily Pinto scored the goal that tied the game 3-3, then got the GWG for UNH.

Down in Boston, the second Opening Round match went to overtime between Merrimack & BU. The Terriers put pressure on the #10 (of 10) seed Warriors for the first several minutes, but then the ice surface leveled out & sophomore forward Alexa Pongo netted the game winner for a final score of 5-4 to advance Merrimack to the QF round where they'll play #1 seed Northeastern.

 

[JMCx4]

College Hockey America has posted their 2023 CHA Semifinals Game Notes. The best-of-3 Semifinals series begin on Friday Feb. 24th at Mercyhurst University (Erie, PA) & Penn State University (University Park, PA).

More post-season info on the conference's Tournament webpage.

 

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Hockey East published the Women's Quarterfinal Press Kit, with more info on the 2023 Women's Tournament Central page. All four QF games will be on Saturday Feb. 25th at the highest seeds. All times are Eastern Standard.

 

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The WCHA Weekly Notes for Week 22 preview this weekend's tournament Quarterfinals best-of-three matchups. Per the conference website, post-season play begins today (Friday Feb. 24) at the following times (Central Standard) ...

• St. Cloud State Huskies @ University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, 3:00 p.m.
• Bemidji State Beavers @ Ohio State University Buckeyes, 5:00 p.m.
• University of St. Thomas Tommies @ University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, 6:00 p.m.
• Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks @ University of Wisconsin Badgers, 7:00 p.m.

 

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ECACH women's post-season starts this afternoon. Opponents & schedules, along with links to first round team playoff previews, can be found on the conference's Scoreboard page.

 

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The NEWHA post-season also starts today. Conference opponents & game times can be found on their Composite Schedule webpage.

 

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Friday's scores (2/24) from the CHA Semifinals...

• #2 Mercyhurst 5 - #3 Syracuse 3 ... Forwards Liliane Perreault and Vanessa Upson had two goals each for the Lakers, who dominated Period 1 and looked like they'd skate away from the Orange. But Periods 2 & 3 featured very competitive play, giving 'Cuse some hope they can turn this best-of-3 series around in Game 2 on Saturday.

• #1 Penn State 4 - #4 Lindenwood 1 ... This Game 1 was closer than the score indicated, until PSU dominated Period 3 and only the scrambling of LU replacement goaltender Natalie Ferenc kept the score respectable. The visiting Lions have their work cut out for them in Saturday's win-or-go-home game.

 

[JMCx4]

Day 1 results in NEWHA conference Quarterfinals, while #1 seed Long Island U is getting the bye to the Semifinals ...

• #7 Saint Michael's 4 - #2 St. Anselm 3 ... The Purple Eagles started the scoring in the opening period, but the host Hawks matched them on an early 2nd period power play. Later in the middle frame, STM senior forward Maeghan Kennard scored the eventual GWG unassisted (while later adding an assist to her game stats) that led her team to a 1-0 QF lead going into Saturday's Game #2

• #5 Sacred Heart 2 - #4 Franklin Pierce 1 ... Host team FPU outshot their opponents 36-21, but SHU sophomore goalie Carly Greene played solidly to lead the PIOS to a 1-0 Quarterfinals series lead over the Ravens. The defending champions are now one loss away from relinquishing their NEWHA title in the first round.

• Stonehill 7 - Post U 1 ... The Eagles spotted the first-season Skyhawks a 4-0 lead before netting their only goal in the 2nd period. Freshman forward Lily Geist scored twice for Stonehill, with NEWHA Rookie of the Year Alexis Petford contributing a goal & 2 assists to the victory margin. Stonehill will host Game 2 of this QF matchup on Saturday, with Post in a win-or-leave position.

 

[JMCx4]

The crowded post-season field in the ECACH conference began play on 2/24, with the Game 1-of-a-possible-3 matchups turning out these ways ...

• #1 Yale 4 - #8 Harvard 2 ... The Crimson took an unexpected 2-0 lead within the first 10 minutes of this Game 1 Quarterfinals series, with goals by senior forwards Kristin Della Rovere and Anne Bloomer. But the Bulldogs' regained their balance late in the 1st & first-year forward Jordan Ray scored twice in the second to tie the game. Yale added two more in the final period to gain a 1-0 QF lead as the teams head to Game 2 on Saturday.

• #7 Princeton 3 - #2 Colgate 2 ... The visiting Tigers traded goals with the host Raiders in the 2nd & very early 3rd period. Then Princeton junior forward Sarah Fillier gave her team its first lead in the middle of the final period, and the Tigers held off a late offensive flurry by Colgate to take Game 1 of their QF matchup.

• #3 Quinnipiac 2 - #6 St. Lawrence 1 ... SLU junior forward Julia Gosling gave her team a first period lead, but QU senior forward Sadie Peart contributed an assist & the GWG in the 2nd period to give the Bobcats a lead that the Saints could not erase. The two opponents will face off in Game 2 of their Quarterfinals series on Saturday, with St. Lawrence having to win to earn a Game 3 rematch.

• #4 Clarkson 5 - #5 Cornell 1 ... The Golden Knights scored 3 goals in just over 7 minutes of the first period to overwhelm the Big Red in Game 1 of their QF series. 5 goals, 5 different scorers for Clarkson, including the GWG from senior forward Brooke McQuigge and the 4th Knights' tally from her sister sophomore defender Kirstyn McQuigge. Clarkson junior goaltender Michelle Pasiechnyk stopped 22 of 23 Cornell SOGs, to help her team gain the 1-0 series advantage going into Saturday's 2nd game.

 

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And wrapping up the Friday Feb. 24th action on the DI ladies' side, the WCHA post-season tournament Quarterfinals Game 1 results ...

• #1 Ohio State 4 - #8 Bemidji State 1 ... An outstanding 41-save performance by the Beavers' junior goalie Hannah Hogenson wasn't enough to stop the defending national champion Buckeyes from taking the 1-0 series lead in the QF pairing. OSU graduate defender Sophie Jacques recorded 3 of her team's 4 goals on the night, her first college career hat trick, The two States will meet again for Game 2 on Saturday in Columbus.

• #2 Minnesota 7 - #7 St. Thomas 0 ... The Golden Gophers came out firing in Game 1 of of the Quarterfinals series against the Tommies, and they didn't let up until there were just 5 minutes left in the match. 5th-year forwards Grace Zumwinkle and Taylor Heise each had 2 goals, with Zumwinkle adding 2 assists & Heise contributing one helper. Game 2 is on Saturday, with St. Thomas facing near-certain elimination.

• #3 Wisconsin 3 - #6 Minnesota State 0 ... Two fresh(wo)men & a sophomore provided the scoring for the Badgers, while redshirt senior goaltender Cami Kronish stopped 21 Mavericks shots to notch her 7th shutout of the WCHA season. Wisconsin is now 5-1 in WCHA postseason games on their LaBahn Arena home ice, outscoring opponents 70-7 over that stretch. Something for the Mankato ladies to ponder as the teams move to Game 2 on Saturday in Madison.

• #4 Minnesota Duluth 1 - #5 St. Cloud State 0 ... The Bulldogs & Huskies traded SOGs for over 57 minutes, before Duluth's 5th-year defender Maggie Flaherty broke the scoreless tie on a late 3rd period power play to give her team the Game 1 victory. Graduate goaltender Emma Soderberg now has three straight shutouts in WCHA play (with just one goal against in her last 5 games), giving Minnesota Duluth a key advantage to support their 1-0 best-of-3 QF series lead.

 

[JMCx4]

Both CHA Semifinals series ended today with sweeps, the winners advancing to the conference championship game on March 4th @ Pegula Ice Arena ...

• Penn State 7 - Lindenwood 1 ... The score was indicative of PSU's dominance in Game 2, but the SOG totals tell the real story: Nittany Lions 64 (probably an under-count) vs. Lions 15. Freshman forward Tessa Janecke led the home team's scoring parade with her first collegiate hat trick. This game was what I expected to see in Game 1, so kudos to LU for hanging in & putting a bit of a scare into their hosts on Friday night. But Saturday's outcome was never in doubt after that.

• Mercyhurst 6 - Syracuse 0 ... As with the higher seed in the other Semifinals matchup, the Lakers were destined to prevail over the Orange. Six different scorers got in on the fun, while Hurst senior goalie Ena Nystrøm earned the shutout facing 20 'Cuse shots.

 

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In NEWHA's Saturday Game 2 Quarterfinals action ...

• St. Anselm 8 - St. Michael's 0 ... The host Hawks shook off Friday's loss in a big way, putting 50 shots on the Purple Knights' goal and dominating most other key stats. Junior forward Claire Weber and freshman forward Brooklyn Pancoast each contributed two goals, while junior forward Maddy McCaffery recorded a goal & 3 assists. Their victory sets up a Game 3 showdown on Sunday.

• Stonehill 4 - Post U 3 ... The Eagles had a 3-1 lead early in the 2nd period, but the teams were tied 3-3 at the end of Game 2 regulation time. They gave their fans another full period of play & a little bit more, before the Skyhawks wrapped up this Quarterfinals series. GWG belonged to junior forward Paige Whaley @ 3:23 of the 2nd OT period to advance Stonehill to the Semifinals round.

• Franklin Pierce 2 - Sacred Heart 1 ... Another OT match, assured when SHU scored to tie with just 1.6 seconds left in regulation. The game winner was awarded to FPU sophomore forward Mikayla Kelley, sending this QF series to a Game 3 decider on Sunday.

 

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In the WCHA conference tourney on 2/25, all Quarterfinals series were clean sweeps ...

• Minnesota 6 - St. Thomas 2 ... UMn Game Report: Gophers Sweep St. Thomas, Advance to WCHA Final Faceoff
• Ohio State 2 - Bemidji State 1 ... BSU Game Report: Beavers comeback falls just short as season ends in Columbus
• Wisconsin 4 - Minn State-Mankato 1 ... UW Game Report: No. 6 Badgers stampede Mavericks 4-1
• Minnesota Duluth 5 - St. Cloud 1 ... ETA: St. Cloud Game Report: No. 12 SCSU swept out of WCHA Tournament by No. 7 Bulldogs

The four victors move on to the Final Faceoff championship event, March 3-4 @ Ridder Arena.