Six women’s Division III conference champions were crowned this past weekend.
Norwich (ECAC East), Plattsburgh (ECAC West), St. Thomas (MIAC), Lake Forest (NCHA), Trinity (NESCAC), and Wisconsin-River Falls (WIAC) all got the job done in their respective championship finals.
Which teams get in to the NCAA tournament will be unveiled Monday morning.
ECAC EAST
Vanessa Champagne scored the lone goal of the game in the second period and Celeste Robert stopped all 25 shots as Norwich blanked Castleton 1-0 for the ECAC East title Sunday afternoon.
Norwich beat Massachusetts-Boston 6-1 on Saturday and Castleton edged Salve Regina 3-2 on Saturday to set up the Sunday showdown.
ECAC WEST
Most predicted the championship final on Sunday to be Elmira and Plattsburgh, but a 4-0 shutout for Plattsburgh? Not sure anyone saw that coming.
Giovanna Senese scored twice and Shannon Stewart and Bridget Balisy each had a goal and an assist to lift the Cardinals, last season’s national champions. Camille Leonard finished with 23 saves for the win in goal.
Plattsburgh bounced Oswego 4-2 on Saturday and Elmira defeated Utica 6-3 in the semifinals.
MIAC
Heidi Winiecki scored her second goal of the game at 13:23 of the third period and that stood as the game-winner as St. Thomas took the MIAC title 3-2, ending Bethel’s Cinderella postseason run.
Rachel Friberg also scored for St. Thomas and goaltender Taylor Neisen made 17 saves between the pipes.
Bethel goalie Michelle Klimstra finished with 25 stops in the loss.
NCHA
Favorite Adrian was upset in the semifinals Friday, 2-1 by Concordia (Wis.) and in the other semifinal, Lake Forest upended St. Norbert 5-3.
In the championship final Saturday, Michelle Greeneway’s goal with three seconds remaining in regulation snapped a 1-1 tie and Lake Forest took a dramatic 2-1 win over Concordia.
Allie Carter made 20 saves in the win, while Bridget Slater stopped 44 in the loss.
NESCAC
Trinity won both its semifinal and the title game in overtime, downing Amherst 2-1 Saturday and then Middlebury 3-2 on Sunday.
Cheeky Herr was the hero in both games for the Bantams.
Middlebury had beaten Bowdoin 4-2 on Saturday to reach the title game.
WIAC
The WIAC title game was never in doubt as Wisconsin-River Falls rolled to a 6-1 win over Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Carly Moran potted a pair of goals, Chloe Kinsel added three assists, and Angie Hall needed to make just 13 saves in net for the Falcons.
Katherine Nejedlo scored for UWSP and conference player of the year Janna Beilke-Skoug made 34 saves in the Pointers’ crease.
The women’s Division III selection show is scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. EST.
