Ragged week for ranked teams
A number of the teams ranked in the top 10 experienced struggles, including some disappointing results versus unranked teams.
The only ranked team to sweep was No. 6 Clarkson. The Golden Knights handled St. Lawrence twice, 6-0 in Canton and 3-0 on home ice. Erica Howe needed to only make 36 saves to earn two shutouts and push her national-best total to nine on the season. Jamie Lee Rattray scored twice and added an assist in the first win, while Olivia Howe netted a pair in the second.
No. 9 Robert Morris shrewdly took the week off, and the other eight top teams were either beaten or tied at some point.
Top-four split
No. 2 Wisconsin’s 16-game unbeaten streak came to an end on Saturday courtesy of No. 4 North Dakota. Michelle Karvinen scored UND’s first goal and assisted on the game-winner in her team’s 4-1 triumph. Lexie Shaw saved 20 shots to get the win.
Shelby Amsley-Benzie took over in the North Dakota net on Sunday and was touched for three goals in the second period as Wisconsin seized control in a 4-1 victory of its own. Alex Rigsby remained on the Badgers’ bench for both games, Ann-Renée Desbiens was between the pipes, and she shook off her first collegiate loss to make 29 saves in winning her ninth game. Blayre Turnbull netted a pair of goals.
Worst stops first
Neither Wisconsin nor North Dakota lost much ground to No. 1 Minnesota in the WCHA standings thanks to Ohio State’s shootout win over the Gophers on Saturday. Ally Tarr took advantage of a Minnesota defensive miscue to score on a breakaway at 18:19 of the third period to tie the game at 2-2, and Kendall Curtis was the only shooter to find the net in a nine-round shootout. Despite earning two points on the weekend, the Buckeyes still occupy the WCHA basement, two points behind Minnesota State and St. Cloud State. The Gophers took the Friday night game, 6-0, as Amanda Leveille made 28 saves, Hannah Brandt netted a hat trick, and Dani Cameranesi added two goals and an assist.
Harvard head scratcher
No. 5 Harvard lost its second ECAC game of the season, 2-0. Yale took down the Crimson, whose earlier loss was to Rensselaer, the team tied with the Bulldogs for seventh in the conference. The loss leaves Harvard 4-2 against the bottom half of the league, compared to 4-0-1 versus the top. Jackie Raines and Kate Martini scored for Yale, and Jaimie Leonoff out-dueled Emerance Maschmeyer.
Maschmeyer and the Crimson had a better result on Friday, taking care of Brown, 3-0. Gina McDonald scored and assisted.
Beanpot warmups
No. 7 Boston College started the week impressively on Wednesday, thumping No. 8 Boston University, 4-1. The Eagles took a three-goal lead six minutes into the second period and cruised, keyed by a goal and two assists from Kate Leary.
The Eagles unexpectedly found the going tougher against Northeastern. The two squads deadlocked on Saturday, 1-1. Hayley Scamura gave the Huskies a first-period lead, and Haley Skarupa answered a minute and a half later. From that point, the game belonged to NU’s Chloe Desjardins (40 saves) and BC’s Corinne Boyles (39 saves). The Huskies took a 2-0 lead on Sunday, but BC was able to rally. Emily Pfalzer capitalized on a five-on-three power play to halve the deficit. A second-period injury to Claire Santostefano left Northeastern with just eight forwards and two centers, and the Eagles were able to exploit the tiring Huskies and score third-period goals by Kristyn Capizzano and Meagan Mangene and win, 3-2.
BU played a single game on the weekend at Maine, and came home with a 5-3 win despite generating only 14 shots. Louise Warren scored twice and Sarah Lefort had three points.
Big Red outgun Lakers
In the most prolific offensive display of the weekend, No. 3 Cornell came home from Mercyhurst with a 4-4 tie and a 6-4 win. Cornell took three separate one-goal leads on Friday, only to have the Lakers answer. Shelby Bram gave the hosts their only lead of the weekend midway through the third period, but Jessica Campbell completed the scoring with five minutes left in regulation on a power play. Eight different players scored in the game; Cornell’s Alyssa Gagliardi was tops in points with three.
The Big Red chased Amanda Makela with five goals in less that 32 minutes on Saturday. Jillian Saulnier and Jess Brown each struck for two goals and a helper. J’nai Mahadeo had three assists in defeat.
Another RPI upset
Host Rensselaer grabbed a second-period lead on No. 10 Quinnipiac on a goal by Lauren Wash and two by Alexa Gruschow. A pair of tallies by Shiann Darkangelo left the Bobcats a goal short in a 3-2 win for RPI.
Quinnipiac was able to salvage four points from the week thanks to a late goal from Amanda Colin in a 1-0 win over Union on Saturday. The Bobcats started the week with a 3-1 win over Princeton that featured a Kelly Babstock hat trick.
Meanwhile, Rensselaer added a 4-4 tie with Princeton, overcoming a hat trick by the Tigers’ Denna Laing. Heidi Huhtamaki’s power-play goal in the third period drew the Engineers even and completed the scoring.
Union enjoying record season
Union got the best of Princeton for the first time in the head-to-head history of the two teams. The 2-1 victory for the Dutchwomen gave them eight wins on the season, including three in ECAC play, both new highs for the program. Stefanie Thomson and Kathryn Tomaselli struck 100 seconds apart early in the second period to provide the offense. Thanks to Shenae Lundberg’s 28 saves, that was enough.
Stalemate in classic rivalry
New Hampshire and Providence clashed twice in a series that now includes 139 all-time meetings. Each team took a 4-1 verdict on its own ice. Jessica Hitchcock had three goals among her four points on the weekend for the Wildcats, and Nicole Gifford chipped in with three points. Allison Micheletti scored twice for the Friars, and by assisting twice, senior Corinne Buie reached the century mark in points for her career.
Other results
In the only CHA game, RIT defeated Syracuse, 3-2.
In other ECAC action, Lindsey Allen scored twice in Dartmouth’s 5-4 win over Yale. Janice Yang tallied the second of her two goals to earn Brown a 3-3 tie with Dartmouth.
Hockey East play saw Connecticut and Vermont exchange shutout wins. The Catamounts took the opener, 3-0, and the Huskies came back to triumph on Saturday, 2-0.
Zoe Hickel had three goals and five points as Minnesota-Duluth swept a WCHA series from Minnesota State. Abby Ness had a pair of goals in St. Cloud State’s 3-1 win at Bemidji State, but the Beavers came back with a 2-1 win on Saturday on late goals by Rachael Kelly and Stephanie Anderson.
In nonconference action, Colgate and Penn State traded overtime wins, with Taylor Volpe and Hannah Hoenshell netting game winners.
