NCAA Roundup: ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals Version

There were no surprises in the ECAC this weekend, as all four higher-seeded teams made off with the sweep in games on Friday and Saturday to narrow the field for the league's semifinals. Clarkson, Colgate, Cornell, and St. Lawrence all handled their respective opponents, making the matchups for next weekend just that much more intense. Here's how the weekend shook out:

Brown vs. Colgate – Colgate wins, 2-0 (5-1, 5-1)

Defenders were on full offensive mode this weekend for the Raiders in their sweep of the Brown Bears. Friday saw the Sydneys (Morrow and Bard) each tally two assists, while Ally Simpson lit up the scoresheet with a goal and an assist. Danielle Serdachny, however, was the biggest impact of the weekend, with a staggering five points (2 G, 3 A) in two games.

As for Brown, they simply couldn't really keep up offensively, hemmed into their own zone while Kaley Doyle was peppered with shot after shot. In fact, the Bears were outshot by a combined total of 94-28 over the two games, leaving no room for them to get by either Kayle Osborne or Hannah Murphy. With that, Colgate breezes to the championship weekend, set to face off against St. Lawrence (more on them in a moment).

Princeton vs. Clarkson – Clarkson wins, 2-0 (3-2 2OT, 6-3)

It was back and forth for much of Friday night's game between these two teams. Clarkson started off the scoring in the first period on a goal by Jenna Goodwin, only for Princeton to get it back almost immediately on the power play. Then, late in the second, the Tigers would take the lead and hold it until the last 90 seconds of regulation, where Nicole Gosling's goal forced overtime. There, Alexie Guay was the eventual hero, collecting a big rebound in front left by Princeton's Jennifer Olnowich and shooting it five-hole for the win.

On Saturday, Clarkson stormed out to a commanding 5-1 lead with goals throughout the second and into the third period, chasing Olnowich from the net – but Princeton wasn't done yet. In particular, Sarah Fillier wasn't satisfied after going without a point on Friday evening, and she scored two goals back-to-back within about a minute midway through the third period, cutting the lead down to 6-3 after Haley Winn had scored on Uma Corniea. Still, Princeton ended up running out of time, letting the Golden Knights advance.

Quinnipiac vs. Cornell – Cornell wins, 2-0 (3-2 OT, 5-0)

Poor Quinnipiac. Probably the strongest of all the losing teams this season, the Bobcats ended up being victims of their own circumstances on Friday, where a wild giveaway by Logan Angers to Karel Prefontaine led to the game-winning goal. This coming after Quinnipiac was able to come back from a 2-0 deficit, with the tying goal coming in the final minute of regulation, I think took some of the wind out of their sails for sure.

Saturday was all Big Red, with Georgia Schiff racking up two goals and an assist. Grace Dwyer and Kaitlin Jockims also had two helpers apiece, and Annelies Bergmann didn't have much to do with just 11 shots against, all saves. It was a bit of a disappointing end for a team like the Bobcats, who have struggled with consistency and let that show this weekend.

Yale vs. St. Lawrence – St. Lawrence wins, 2-0 (4-1, 3-1)

I'll say this for the Bulldogs: they don't quit, ever. They played excellent defense against the Saints both Friday and Saturday despite the final scores, collapsing onto the puck carrier and utilizing excellent skating and stick work in all three zones. It certainly wasn't a piece of cake for St. Lawrence in the end, though they were able to capitalize on some mistakes and bail out their own goalie a bit better than Yale was in their own end.

Friday was the Julia Gosling show. The Saints' captain opened the scoring on the power play and capped it with an empty-netter with 46 seconds remaining. Anna Segedi also tallied a goal and an assist, with leading scorer Abby Hustler adding two assists.

Saturday saw more intense play from Yale on both sides of the puck. Looking at the play-by-play, the Bulldogs definitely seemed to have a bit more possession for longer periods of time, and late in the second it almost seemed like a given that they would finally solve Emma-Sofie Nordström. She and the skaters in front of her, however, were just too solid, and while Jordan Ray was able to poke home a rebound on the power play that eluded everyone in the third period, much like Princeton, Yale just ran out of runway to do anything more.

Next Weekend

Colgate vs. St. Lawrence

Regular Season: Split, 1-1 (Colgate 7-3 Jan. 5; St. Lawrence 3-2 Feb. 6)

This should be a fun one. Colgate is on a tear as they have been for most of the season, and there seems to be no stopping Serdachny (three-game points streak) or any of her counterparts. St. Lawrence can move the puck well, though, and their special teams can rival Colgate's for sure. If we're talking about a one-off, I think it could come down to the wire for these two teams, and I'd certainly be watching closely.

Clarkson vs. Cornell

Regular Season: Cornell won, 2-0 (3-2 OT Jan. 5; 3-0 Feb. 3)

Clarkson went on a bit of a heater to end the regular season, but the one speed bump they had was the Big Red, meaning this will also be interesting. It's Clarkson's dangerous power play against Cornell's excellent penalty kill, players like Izzy Daniel and Karel Prefontaine facing off against Nicole Gosling and Haley Winn, and two comparable goalies in Michelle Pasiechnyk and Annelies Bergmann (at least in terms of the shots faced). Again, this could go either way, and I expect it to be a bit more even than some of the games we saw in the quarters.

ECAC championship weekend begins March 8. Streaming is available via ESPN+.