By Tyler Platz and Jake Baskin
The ECAC women’s hockey quarterfinals kick off on Feb. 28, with eight teams playing in a best-of-three series for a spot in the championship round next weekend. The matchups are as follows:
No. 1 Cornell vs. No. 9 Union
No. 2 Colgate vs. No. 7 Princeton
No. 3 St. Lawrence vs. No. 6 Yale
No. 4 Clarkson vs. No. 5 Quinnipiac
Every team in the tournament has advantages as well as challenges. Here’s why each quarterfinalist can win and what might prevent them:
No. 1 Cornell
Why Cornell will win: Special teams can be a difference-maker, but most of the game is played at even strength—and no team dictates play better in those situations than Cornell. The Big Red recorded a 72.6% goals-for percentage at five-on-five, a key factor in securing the ECAC’s top seed. Facing ninth-seeded Union in the quarterfinals could be a favorable matchup for Cornell, as Union allowed 67 even-strength goals this season, the second-most in the conference.
Why Cornell will lose: Only one team can win. Colgate has won four consecutive ECAC Tournament championships, while the Big Red haven’t won it since 2014, having lost in the semifinals to Colgate last year. In a postseason that comes down to single-elimination games, anything can happen, but Cornell does not have the recent playoff track record that the Raiders do, and none of the current players have played in an ECAC championship game.
No. 2 Colgate
Why Colgate will win: The ability to put pucks in the net and shut down opponents is a sign of a well-rounded team, and Colgate may be one of the more complete teams in the tournament. The combination of its high-powered offense — which led the conference with 126 goals — and the steady goaltending of senior Hannah Murphy — who ranked second in the ECAC with a .941 save percentage — makes the Raiders a handful for any opponent in the playoffs.
Why Colgate will lose: Playoff hockey is typically more defensive-minded than that of the regular season, and Colgate’s goals against per-game average of 1.82 ranks behind Cornell’s 1.48. The final will also likely be held in Ithaca, and home-ice advantage could be a factor when it comes to one single game. The result of this will likely decide which of Cornell or Colgate will host a regional in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 3 St. Lawrence
Why St. Lawrence will win: Junior goaltender Emma-Sofie Nordström gives the Saints a chance in any game. She finished the regular season tied for third in the ECAC with a .939 save percentage and ranked fourth with a 1.62 goals against average. Consistency between the pipes is crucial in the playoffs, and Nordström has proven she can keep St. Lawrence in tight scoring games.
Why St. Lawrence will lose: St. Lawrence has allowed 795 shots this season, only behind Union and the already-eliminated RPI for the most in the ECAC. As you get into the later rounds and face teams such as Clarkson, who peppers other teams with offensive chances, and Colgate, who converts a high percentage of their shots, the Saints’ defense is going to have to take those teams off of their games in order to take home their first conference title since 2012.
No. 4 Clarkson
Why Clarkson will win: Clarkson boasts the ECAC’s top power-play unit, converting at a 34% rate. Senior Haley Winn and graduate Nicole Gosling, the conference’s top two-scoring defensemen, have been a large part of that formula. Winn is tied for second among ECAC defensemen with four power-play goals, while Gosling has added three. In a best-of-three series, emotions can run high and penalties often follow. Carrying special teams success into the postseason can bode well for the fourth-seeded Golden Knights.
Why Clarkson will lose: After 2024 National Goalie of the Year Michelle Pasiechnyk graduated, Clarkson has platooned senior Holly Gruber and junior Julia Minotti in the net. Gruber has seemed to secure the starting job with a strong performance in February, but will be playing the first postseason games of her collegiate career this weekend. In a conference with so many talented netminders, including conference save percentage leader Kaley Doyle on the other end in this round, the Golden Knights’ resolve will certainly be tested.
No. 5 Quinnipiac
Why Quinnipiac will win: In 76 penalty-kill situations, the Quinnipiac Bobcats allowed just eight goals, good for an 89.5% success rate throughout the regular season. Ideally, the Bobcats avoid taking any trips to the box, but in a tense best-of-three series before the championship round, having a reliable penalty kill could erase the threat of giving up a goal while down a skater.
Why Quinnipiac will lose: Despite the second-highest shots per game total in the conference, the Bobcats have shot just 7.2% percent this year, the lowest of the eight teams remaining. Clarkson, as well as Colgate and Cornell, averages over three goals per game, so if Quinnipiac is to win the conference, it will either have to consistently match that offensive output or play near-perfect defense.
No. 6 Yale
Why Yale will win: During the regular season, senior goaltender Pia Dukaric had stretches of great play for the Yale Bulldogs. In back-to-back games against Brown on Nov. 16-17, and again against UConn and Quinnipiac on Nov. 29-30, she posted a shutout and allowed just one goal in the other three games, earning ECAC Goaltender of the Week honors both times. Facing St. Lawrence in the quarterfinals — another team with a standout goaltender in Nordström — Dukaric needs to find that groove in what could be a low-scoring series to advance.
Why Yale will lose: If the Bulldogs were to win, their offense does not give them very much room for error. Only four Yale players have cracked the 20-point threshold this season, with leading scorer Carina DiAntonio tied for twelfth in the conference with 33 points. St. Lawrence in particular has shut Yale down this season, holding them to one combined goal in the two games they have played against each other. The Bulldogs need to find the net against a tough goaltender in Nordström if they are to advance.
No. 7 Princeton
Why Princeton will win: The Princeton Tigers’ top forwards — junior Issy Wunder, freshman Mackenzie Alexander and junior Sarah Paul — can generate offense every shift. Wunder leads the ECAC in points with 49, while Alexander isn’t far behind, tied for third with 45. Paul, the Tigers’ top goal-scorer, has found the back of the net 28 times this season. As a team, Princeton’s 3.77 goals per game lead the conference. With proven chemistry and firepower on offense, Princeton is a hard out in a playoff scenario.
Why Princeton will lose: Princeton has had trouble defending this season, allowing 2.4 goals per game, more than half a goal per game more than anyone left in this tournament, Union excepted. They have also struggled with taking and killing penalties, averaging the second-most penalties per game in the conference and only killing off 79.1% of them, which ranks last among the remaining teams. Against the top four seeds, the Tigers are just 1-6-1 on the year, and they will need to take two of three from Colgate just to make it to championship weekend.
No. 9 Union
Why Union will win: After securing the program’s first postseason win with a 2-0 upset over eighth-seeded Brown, the Garnet Chargers head into a quarterfinal matchup against top-seeded Cornell playing with house money. It’s a short tournament; the quarterfinal series wraps up on March 2, with championship weekend set for March 7-8. It may be cliche, but anything can happen. Union has already made history, but it can continue by capitalizing on any opportunities—even the ones that come from being counted out.
Why Union will lose: At -18, Union is the only team remaining in the ECAC Tournament with a negative goal differential on the season. They also have the toughest theoretical road to a conference title; they have to win two of three from Cornell in Ithaca, then will need to win two more games against higher-ranked opponents to advance to the national tournament. The lowest-seeded team to win the ECAC this century was fourth-seeded Dartmouth in 2009.
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