Weekly Release: Postseason Picture Begins To Take Shape

ALBANY, N.Y. - Five teams began to stake their claim to a coveted ECAC Hockey postseason tournament position by earning four points last weekend in league play. Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton and Quinnipiac each posted two league wins in the second to last regular-season weekend play eyeing one of the playoff spots.

Cornell continued to roll in league action by posting two convincing wins over the weekend. Rookie forward Brianne Jenner scored three goals and added a pair of assists to lead the Big Red to a 8-0 win over Brown Friday night at Lynah Rink. Rebecca Johnston added two goals and a pair of assists, while Catherine White, Kendice Ogilvie and Hayley Hughes each tallied a goal on the night for the winners. Brown netminder Aubree Moore stopped 40 Cornell shots in taking the loss on the night. Brown finished the game scoreless in a pair of power-play chances, while Cornell went 1-for-4 with the extra skater. Katie Wilson stopped eight Brown shots for her second shutout of the season.

The Big Red continued to showcase their high-powered offense the following afternoon with a four-goal second period to blow by Yale, 7-1, at Lynah Rink. Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston and Chelsea Karpenko all finished with a three-point night as the trio each registered one goal and one assist apiece for Cornell. Yale was kept in the game by Ladiges Genny, who finished the game with 45 saves, while Lauren Slebodnick made 16 saves to pick up the victory. Cornell went 2-for-4 with the extra skater, while the Bulldogs finished the game scoreless on its one power-play chance.

Yale came up on the short end Friday evening as junior goaltender Kimberly Sass recorded 26 saves to help Colgate secure a 1-0 shutout. This was Sass' fifth shutout of the season and third straight at home, both of which are new school records. All five of her shutouts have been recorded at Starr Rink. Sophomore Brittany Phillips scored the game-winning goal for the Raiders. Senior goalie Jackee Snikeris made 35 saves for the Bulldogs.

Colgate would make it a four-point weekend by defeating Brown, 4-1 Saturday evening in Starr Rink on Senior Day. Seniors Jacquie Colborne and Jessi Waters along with sophomore Brittany Phillips recorded two points each for the Raiders. Colborne, who scored the game-winner, and classmate Waters had one goal and one assist apiece while Phillips recorded two goals in the game.

Quinnipiac posted a 2-0-1 record last weekend, including earning four points in league play. As a result the Bobcats sit alone in the fourth spot in the league standings with 24 points. On Tuesday, the Bobcats skated to a 1-1 overtime tie versus Hockey East foe New Hampshire. The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead at 8:06 of the second stanza. Kelly Babstock kept the puck in the offensive zone at the left point to create a 2-on-1 opportunity. She skated wide and her pass across the low slot was chipped into the open right side of the net by Amanda Colin. QU goalie Victoria Vigilanti was also credited with 24 saves, including five in the five-minute overtime session.

Freshman forward Kelly Babstock's two goals and three assists paved the way for a decisive 5-1 victory for the Bobcats scoring a league win over visiting Rensselaer Friday night at the TD Bank Sports Center. Sophomore goaltender Victoria Vigilanti had a relatively quite night in net for the Bobcats, turning away 13 shots on the nightcap. Her counterpart, Sonja van der Bliek, made 27 saves on the evening for the Engineers.

Quinnipiac celebrated Senior Day at TD Bank North Sports Center as freshman forward Kelly Babstock's two goals paved the way for a Bobcats’ 4-0 shutout victory over ECAC Hockey opponent Union Saturday. The victory gave the Bobcats both program-highs in overall wins (20) and ECAC Hockey victories (12). Sophomore goaltender Victoria Vigilanti played yet another solid game between the pipes, turning away 23 shots for her league-leading 18th win of the season and personal-high eighth shutout of the season. Her counterpart Kate Gallagher made 42 saves for the Dutchwomen.

A pair of power-play goals and a 31-14 advantage in shots led Princeton to a 3-1 victory over Union Friday night at Hobey Baker Rink. Princeton got goals from Sasha Sherry, Denna Laing and Corey Stearns in the home win. Rachel Weber made 13 saves for the Tigers. Union was 1-for-6 on the power-play while Princeton was 2-for-6.

Sasha Sherry recorded a hat trick to lead Princeton to a 4-2 win over visiting Rensselaer in the regular-season home finale for the Tigers. The win improved Princeton to 14-12-1 overall and 11-8-1 in ECAC Hockey. The Tigers will head into the final regular-season weekend, which includes games at Brown and at Yale, in fifth place with 23 points.

Sitting in the third position in the league standings with 26 points, Dartmouth won two league road contests last weekend. The Big Green 3-2 at St. Lawrence Friday off the game-winning goal of junior Moira Scanlon. Scanlon broke the 2-2 tie with 3:23 remaining in the game to give the Big Green the win. Lindsay Holdcroft finished the game with a career-high 38 saves to earn her 12th win of the season. The Saints' Maxie Weisz made 23 saves in the losing effort.

Dartmouth overcame a 1-0 deficit in the first period to earn a 3-1 victory at Clarkson Saturday. Juniors Kelly Foley and Reagan Fischer each had multiple points to lead to the win. Dartmouth has won eight of its last nine games and three straight. It marked the first loss for Clarkson since Jan. 15. Freshman Lindsay Holdcroft once again controlled the crease for the Big Green. She made 19 saves to earn her 13th victory of the season. Dartmouth took more shots in the contest, 33-20. Neither team took advantage of power-play opportunities. The Big Green went 0-for-6 and the Golden Knights went 0-for-4.

Clarkson and Harvard skated to an overtime 3-3 tie at Cheel Arena, each picking up a valuable point in ECAC Hockey Friday afternoon. Forward Jillian Dempsey scored twice for the Crimson while teammate Leanna Coskren added two helpers. Harvard outshot Clarkson 36-21. Freshman Erica Howe posted 33 saves, including three stops in the five minute overtime session for the Knights. Laura Bellamy made 18 saves for the Crimson. The Knights were 1-for-4 on the power-play and shut down Harvard on all three of its man-advantage chances.

Jillian Dempsey played the role of hero, stuffing home the game-winning goal with seven seconds left to play in overtime to lift Harvard  to a 3-2 win at St. Lawrence Saturday afternoon. Harvard earns its first overtime victory of the season and ups its conference mark to 13-4-3 and its overall record to 14-8-4. St. Lawrence falls to 13-16-2 (8-11-0) on the season and lost its third consecutive game by a single goal. Laura Bellamy finished with 20 saves in the game, while Maxie Weisz made 28.  The Saints were 1-for-5 on the power-play while the Crimson was 1-for-6. 

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