Quartet Recognized in National Polls
ALBANY, NY - Four ECAC Hockey women's programs have earned praise of national voters in the latest USCHO.com Poll released Monday, March 1 and most recent week's USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll released Tuesday, March 2. Harvard is positioned in the No. 4/4 spot; Clarkson is ranked No. 6/6, League regular-season champion Cornell seated in the No. 8/8 slot, while Quinnipiac lands in the No. 10 position.
Harvard advanced to the semifinals of the League's postseason tournament by sweeping Princeton last weekend in a two-game series. The Crimson moved up one spot to the No. 4 slot in both the USCHO.com Poll earning 98 points USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll (125 points) . With Harvard's 5-1 victory over Princeton Friday evening, Katey Stone, the Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Ice Hockey, surpassed former Minnesota and Colby head coach Laura Halldorson and became the NCAA Division I all-time winningest coach. Stone, in her 16th season with the Crimson, has now won 339 games, all at Harvard. Harvard will travel to the North Country this weekend to take on Clarkson Friday, March 5 at 7 p.m.
Clarkson remains in the No. 6 position in both the latest USCHO.com Poll with 65 points and week's USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll with 82 points. The Golden Knights earned a series win (2-1) last weekend over Route 11 rival St. Lawrence. Clarkson will host national power Harvard at Cheel Arena Friday for the right to play in the League's championship game. The two teams faced-off twice during the regular-season with the Golden Knights earning a win and a tie with the Crimson.
The Cornell women's hockey team will make its first-ever appearance in the ECAC Hockey semifinals on Friday, taking on Rensselaer in a 7 p.m. contest at Lynah Rink. The top-seeded Big Red advanced after eliminating Colgate, two games to none, while fifth-seeded Rensselaer needed three games to defeat Quinnipiac, including a five-overtime victory in game three Sunday afternoon in Hamden, Conn. Cornell swept the season series against the Engineers, winning by a 3-1 score on Nov. 7 in Troy, N.Y., before claiming a 2-1 win on Feb. 19 at Lynah Rink. As a result the Big Red is currently ranked No. 8 in both the USCHO.com Poll with 42 points and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll with 61 points.
The Quinnipiac University women's ice hockey team has been ranked 10th in the most recent USCHO.com Division I Women's Poll (14 points) for the first time in program history after six consecutive weeks of receiving votes. The Bobcats earned the rank after posting the program's best season record in their nine-year history; recording 19 wins overall with 11 conference victories. The ECAC Quarterfinal appearance was the first time the program ever hosted a playoff game, and they also picked up the program's first-ever postseason victory when they defeated RPI Friday. After dropping the series (2-1) to the Engineers, the Bobcats finish the year with the program's best overall record (19-10-8) and best conference mark (11-4-7).
Click here to access complete USCHO.com Poll
Click here to access complete USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll
ABOUT THE POLLS:
The USCHO.com Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 15 voters, including 12 coaches of Division I programs and three women's hockey writers. USCHO.com provides in-depth coverage of college sports, including hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and others.
The 13th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the four NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.
