NCAA week 18 preview: ECAC boasts prime matchups

With movement in the polls, both Colgate and Clarkson want to prove they deserve their spots. Clarkson is hoping to show they are the second-best team in the country. Led by Beauts prospect Cayley Mercer (13G-20A), Clarkson is determined to win. Meanwhile, Colgate saw themselves fall in the polls and are intent on moving up. Sophomore Jessie Eldridge (9G-20A) leads Colgate in points and utilizing her offensive talent will be necessary to win. With a few weeks left, every point counts.

John Mazza previews Week 18:

No. 10 Colgate @ No. 2 Clarkson, Saturday Jan. 21

• Colgate is hoping to bounce back after two losses and dropping to No. 10 in the poll.
• In their first home game of 2017, the Raiders got shut out by Quinnipiac 2-0. The Bobcats took an early lead and Colgate could not find the back of the net despite the 27 shots on net.
• The next day, Bailey Larson (Sycamore, IL) score the lone goal for the Raiders late in the first. However, Princeton scored four unanswered goals to defeat Colgate 5-1.
• Clarkson finished last weekend with two wins increasing their unbeaten streak to 18 games.
• Michaela Pejzlova (Pardubice, Czech Republic) scored with three minutes left in the game to lift Clarkson over Yale last Friday. Cayley Mercer (Exeter, ON) scored a minute later to secure the 4-2 victory.
• Led by Cassidy Vinkle’s (Belleville, ON) first period hat trick, the Golden Knights routed the Brown Bears 8-1 last Saturday. They are hoping to use this momentum this weekend and continue their unbeaten run.

No. 6 Boston College @ Vermont, Friday Jan. 20 and Saturday Jan. 21

• Boston College swept Merrimack last weekend increasing their conference record to 12-2-2.
• With 2:30 left in the game, captain Andie Anastos (Farmington, MI) scored the only goal of the game, winning it for the Eagles.
• Anastos again led her team to victory the next day, tallying a goal and the game-winning assist. The Eagles are now on an 11-game unbeaten run and hope to extend it against Vermont.
• The Catamounts had a successful weekend against Boston University, tying both games against the former 10^th ranked team.
• With goals from Ève-Audrey Picard (Longueuil, QC) and Alyssa Gorecki (Monee, IL) in the third Vermont went up 3-1 on the Terriers. However, BU scored two late goals tying the game at three apiece.
• Picard scored the tying goal for the Catamounts the next day, leading to a 1-1 tie and two points on the weekend.

Cornell @ No. 5 St. Lawrence, Saturday Jan. 21

• With a tie and a win, Cornell picked up three points in the ECAC. With tough conference opponents, the Big Red is looking to beat St. Lawrence this weekend.
• With just over a minute left in regulation, senior Hanna Bunton (Belleville, ON) put the puck past the Princeton netminder to tie the game 1-1.
• Bunton was the hero again, this time against Quinnipiac. After ending regulation knotted at two goals apiece, Bunton scored just 10 seconds into overtime to clinch the victory for Cornell.
• St. Lawrence had a successful weekend, easily defeating both Brown and Yale.
• Fifteen different players registered at least one point in St. Lawrence’s 7-2 victory. Emily Middagh (Winnipeg, MB) and Michelle Alonardo (Wilmington, MA) both netted their first career goals.
• With four goals in the first period, St. Lawrence skated to a 4-1 win over Yale. Amanda McClure (Stratford, ON) scored two goals during the victory.

North Dakota @ No. 1 Wisconsin, Saturday Jan. 21 and Sunday Jan. 22

• The Fighting Hawks swept Minnesota State last weekend. There are now 12-7-5 overall and 9-5-4 in conference play.
• Heading into the third down 2-1, North Dakota rallied to defeat the Mavericks 3-2. At 1:22 into the final stanza, Halli Krzyzaniak (Neepawa, MB) scored the game-tying goal. Less than a minute later Grace Hirschy (Fort Wayne, IN) netted the game-winner.
• With a goal and two assists, Ryleigh Houston (Winnipeg, MB) led North Dakota to a 4-0 shutout of Minnesota State.
• With back-to-back shutouts over St. Cloud, the Badgers show no sign of slowing down.
• Led by hat tricks from Annie Pankowski (Laguna Hills, CA) and Emily Clark (Saskatoon, SK), they routed the Huskies 9-0.
• Saturday was a special night for the Badgers. Not only did they defeat St. Cloud 2-0 but they also set the NCAA women’s hockey attendance record. With 15,359 people in attendance at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin now hold the top five single-game attendance spots in a successful Fill the Bowl night.

No. 7 Quinnipiac @ Merrimack, Friday Jan. 20

• Quinnipiac split the weekend with a win against Colgate and a loss against Cornell.
• With a goal apiece from Taylar Cianfarano (Oswego, NY) and Raquel Pennoyer (Rehoboth, MA), the Bobcats shut out Colgate 2-0.
• Quinnipiac suffered an overtime loss to Cornell the next day. Goaltender Sydney Rossman (Excelsior, MN) made 23 saves in the loss.
• Up against No. 6 Boston College, Merrimack gave it their all but dropped both games to the Eagles.
• Making 37 saves, netminder Léa-Kristine Demers let in only one goal against the second-best offense in the country, as the Warriors lost 1-0.
• Paige Voight (St. Michael, MN) scored the lone goal for Merrimack in the 3-1 loss on Saturday.

Note: All rankings listed are from Week 17’s SB Nation’s Women’s College Hockey Division 1 Poll.