After dominating Quinnipiac in the ECAC tournament quarterfinals this past weekend, No. 6 women’s hockey (24-6-1, 17-5-0 ECAC) is set to battle No. 4 Colgate (29-6-1, 18-4-0 ECAC) for ECAC tournament semifinals.
The winner of the match will earn an ECAC Hockey Championship duel against the victor of the match between No. 3 Clarkson and No. 7 St. Lawrence.
In Cornell’s first test of the season against Colgate on January 12, the then-No.8 Red dropped the contest to the then-No.5 Colgate, 6-3. When the squads met for a second time the next day, the Red didn’t fare much better and finished the weekend with a 3-0 loss.
In terms of ECAC Tournament history, the teams have met once in the 2017-18 semifinals with Colgate seizing a 5-4 barn-burner triumph over Cornell.
If Cornell wants to break its disappointing season track record and reclaim championship season domination against Colgate, it needs to be on its A game. Fortunately, the Red is riding off of much momentum.
On Feb. 28, the Red swept impressive Ivy League awards with eight Cornellians named to All-Ivy League teams. Senior forward Izzy Daniel was tabbed Player of The Year, freshman goaltender Annelies Bergmann was named Rookie of The Year and head coach Doug Derraugh ’91 was selected as Coach of The Year.
But Colgate is certainly not a team to underestimate. The Raiders will enter the weekend with an impressive 29-6-1 overall record. Colgate is riding high on a dominant display in the ECAC quarterfinals against the Brown Bears where it won both games 5-1.
Racking up the most points for Colgate are Danielle Serdachny, Kristýna Kaltounková, Elyssa Biederman and Neena Brick. Leading the pack for Cornell, Daniel ranks second in the nation in assists per game and second in points per game with 1.77. Junior forward Kaitlin Jockims has also been carrying the Red this season, scoring 12 goals on the season along with 11 assists.
Colgate’s goaltender Kayle Osborne has a .939 save percentage, which is just a couple of decimal points higher than Bergmann’s .929. However, Bergmann has the upper hand in saves, with 579 saves made in 26 games, which is notably higher than Osborne’s 428 saves in as many games.
As the stage is set for the ECAC tournament semifinals, fans can anticipate an intense matchup between Cornell and Colgate, with both teams vying for a chance to secure the championship title. The action will unfold at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 8 at Colgate’s Class of 1965 Arena. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.