ECAC First Round and Quarterfinals Playoff Preview

The ECAC Hockey postseason tournament is finally here! After an epic final weekend capped off an unpredictable regular season, the stage is set for the conference’s playoffs to begin. 

Let’s break down what to expect over the course of the next two weekends as we get closer to championship weekend in Lake Placid.

The Format:

ECAC Hockey’s tournament remains the same as last year, except for the fact that the conference’s semifinals and championship games are moving to Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York instead of being played on the campus of the highest ranked team as in years past.

In the first weekend of the postseason, teams seeded 5-8 will host teams seeded 9-12 in a one game first round. Clarkson will host Union and Colgate will host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday, with Dartmouth and St. Lawrence traveling to face Brown and Harvard respectively on Saturday. 

Then, seeds 1-4 will host the remaining teams in a best-of-three quarterfinals.

First Round Preview:

Union (10-20-3, 3-18-1 ECAC) at No. 12 Clarkson (20-11-3, 13-7-2 ECAC) on Friday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m.

The Golden Knights entered the final weekend of the regular season in fourth place, needing a win or a tie against Cornell in the regular season finale to secure a first round bye. Instead, Clarkson — after beating Colgate 3-2 in overtime on Friday — came up short on Saturday, falling to the Red 2-1.

Despite the disappointing end to the regular season, the Golden Knights are a very strong squad, boasting one of the best offenses in the conference (3.5 goals per game, tied with Yale for first in the ECAC), and a top-15 in the nation defense. Clarkson swept the season series against the Garnet Chargers by a combined score of 10-3.

Meanwhile, Union has struggled throughout the course of the season, failing to win a game on the road or a game in which its opponent scored first. However, last year’s Garnet Chargers squad managed to pull off a first-round upset for the program's first playoff, despite a similarly mediocre regular season. 

Players to watch

Clarkson Golden Knights: Sara Manness

The conference's leading Rookie of the Year Candidate* is averaging a point and a half per game, and leads ECAC Hockey in plus/minus with a +34. In games she records a point, Clarkson is 19-7-1. When she doesn’t? 1-4-2.

*Yale fans, feel free to disagree.

Union Garnet Chargers: Karianne Engelbert

As Union's points leader for a second straight season, Engelbert is a bright spot — alongside Maddie Leaney — in an otherwise struggling offense (the pair owns eight of the Garnet Chargers 10 game winning goals). The sophomore also has previous playoff success, scoring both of Union’s goals in last year’s first round win over Brown. A player to watch if the Garnet Chargers can reach the second round is Monja Wagner, who is currently in Italy making her Olympic debut for Switzerland.

RPI (7-27-0, 4-18-0 ECAC) at No. 14 Colgate (18-14-1, 13-8-1 ECAC) on Friday, Feb. 20 at 6:00 p.m.

After making it to the conference’s championship game a season ago, Colgate struggled out of the gate this season, winning just two of its first six ECAC contests. Since then the Raiders have stabilized, picking up impressive wins over Cornell, Quinnipiac, Clarkson, and Princeton. As with most ECAC teams, the key to the playoffs for head coach Stefan Decosse’s squad will be consistency. 

Colgate took both meetings between the two teams during the regular season, although RPI forced overtime in their second matchup. 

The Engineers enter the playoffs with some momentum, knocking off Harvard on the last Friday of the regular season to end an 11 game losing streak. RPI has actually performed better away from Houston Field House (5-13-0 on the road versus 2-13-0), so maybe the trip to Hamilton is not necessarily a negative. 

Players to watch

Colgate Raiders: Brooke Davis

Goaltending has been a weak point for Colgate, with Davis splitting time with Farah Walker in net. While starting a first-year like Davis is risky in the playoffs, the Alberta native held RPI to a single goal when the teams met two weekends ago. Davis enters the playoffs with a .921 saves percentage and three shutouts.

RPI Engineers: Kendal Davidson

A transfer from Union, Davidson has been both a defensive and offensive anchor for RPI. Her 81 blocks are 22 more than the next nearest Engineer, and her eight goals are tied for the team lead. 

Dartmouth (5-22-3, 3-16-3 ECAC) at Brown (16-12-2, 12-8-2 ECAC) on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 3:00 p.m.

Brown entered the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to finish in the top four, but a 5-2 loss to Quinnipiac dashed the Bears' hopes of a first round bye and snapped a 4-0 stretch. Still, Saturday’s overtime loss to Princeton should add to Brown’s confidence, as well as the fact that the Bears have only lost two ECAC games at Meehan Auditorium. 

In snapping a 13 game winless streak on the final day of the regular season against RPI, the Big Green showed signs of life that have been absent for much of 2026. A pair of power-play goals was nice to see from a team converting less than 10% of its skater advantages, and its five goal outburst was Dartmouth’s highest scoring ECAC game of the season.

When Dartmouth and Brown met on Jan. 10, Michaela Hesová registered 40 saves in a goalless draw. Their Nov. 14 meeting was a different story, with Brown scoring four goals on 37 shots against Jiahui Zhan, while the Big Green again were held scoreless.

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Players to watch

Brown Bears: Jade Iginla

Iginla enters the playoffs scorching hot offensively, with half of her 26 points this season coming in the Bears' last six games. The 2023 ECAC Co-Rookie of the Year will look to end her Brown career with a second career playoff win, especially after a disappointing end to the 2024-2025 season at the hands of Union. 

Dartmouth: Michaela Hesová

Dartmouth’s path to playoff success relies on Hesová maintaining her impressive form in net. The sophomore has registered 30-plus saves in an astounding 10 games this season, and has more shutouts (two, both 0-0 ties) than wins (one) this season. Hesová finished her Olympic campaign with Czechia with a .906 saves percentage in a pair of appearances.

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St. Lawrence (11-20-3, 8-13-1 ECAC) at Harvard (14-13-3, 8-11-3 ECAC) on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 3:00 p.m.

On the final day of the regular season, all St. Lawrence needed was a win or a tie versus Colgate, or a Harvard tie or loss. Instead, the Crimson rallied for a 2-1 comeback win over Union while the Saints fell 4-2 on Senior Day. 

The fact that Harvard is hosting a playoff game a season after winning just one ECAC contest is incredible, and largely has to do with its trio of goaltenders who have combined for the sixth best team save percentage in the country. 

On the other hand, St. Lawrence’s ninth-place finish is a major step back from last season’s third-place showing. Part of the issue for the Saints has been its offense, which has struggled to replace Abby Hustler’s production, and is averaging under two goals per game. 

With the two teams scoring a combined three goals in their pair of meetings this season, expect a goaltending duel between Emma-Sofie Nordström and Ainsley Tuffy.

Players to watch

Harvard Crimson: Ainsley Tuffy

The nation's save percentage leader, Tuffy has been on a tear ever since a phenomenal 55 save win over Minnesota Duluth in the friendship series. The sophomore seems to have a knack for the big moments, delivering a 40 save performance in the Beanpot championship.

St. Lawrence Saints: Emma-Sofie Nordström

With a 6-4 playoff record, Nordström is one of the most experienced netminders when it comes to ECAC and NCAA postseason hockey. This year, the senior has split time in net with Kassidy Lawrence, but still owns a very respectable .931 save percentage.

Quarterfinal Hosts:

Read more about the top four ECAC teams in last week’s conference recap article.

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No. 8 Yale (22-8-0, 16-6-0 ECAC) hosts the lowest-remaining seed on Friday, Feb. 27 at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28 at 3:00 p.m., and Sunday, Mar. 1 at 3:00 p.m.* 

Bulldog to watch: Samson Frey

While the freshman phenom suffered a slightly disappointing first loss this weekend against Quinnipiac, Frey’s numbers (a 1.32 goals allowed average and a .942 save percentage) are still incredible for a player who entered 2026 with just a single career start. If Frey can get past the expected freshman nerves, the Bulldogs should see success in the playoffs.

No. 9 Princeton (21-8-0, 16-6-0 ECAC) hosts the second-lowest remaining seed on Friday, Feb. 27 at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28 at 3:00 p.m., and Sunday, Mar. 1 at 3:00 p.m.*

Tiger to watch: Princeton’s top forward line

The trio who powered the Tigers to the programs first ECAC regular season title (or at least a share of the title) is a nightmare for opponents to match up against. Issy Wunder and Mackenzie Alexander have both reached 40 points, while Emerson O'Leary’s 21 assists pace Princeton. What makes this line so special is their ability to flip a game in just a few seconds. It feels like every time the three forwards take a shift together Princeton is on the verge of scoring. 

No. 7 Quinnipiac (24-7-3, 14-6-2 ECAC) hosts the second-highest remaining seed on Friday, Feb. 27 at 6:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28 at 3:00 p.m., and Sunday, Mar. 1 at 2:00 p.m.*

Bobcat to watch: Kahlen Lamarche

In her freshman season, Lamarche scored a pair of goals and added on two assists in three playoff games. Sophomore year, she tallied a goal and an assist in the postseason. This season, Lamarche has accounted for over 30% of Quinnipiac’s goals, and the Bobcats are likely to look to the nation’s second-leading scorer to continue to find the back of the net in the season’s biggest moments. 

No. 11 Cornell (18-10-2, 14-7-1 ECAC) hosts the highest-remaining seed on Friday, Feb. 27 at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28 at 3:00 p.m., and Sunday, Mar. 1 at 3:00 p.m.*

Cornellian to watch: Annelies Bergmann

Bergmann is unlikely to be named an All American for a second consecutive season, but the junior is still among the best in the NCAA. Cornell’s netminder seems to have a penchant for big moments, and if Clarkson takes care of Union it will set up a rematch of last year's semifinal matchup between the Golden Knights and the Red, where Bergmann made 54 saves en route to a 2-1 triple overtime Cornell win. 

*if needed game three

All ECAC playoff games can be streamed live on ESPN+, and keep an eye out for TIG’s championship weekend preview in two weeks!