The first round of the NCAA playoffs is almost here. Six teams from four different conferences will battle it out to reach the next round of the postseason and face Ohio State, Wisconsin, or Penn State. These six teams include two who were selected for the NCAA tournament after falling in their conference playoffs. And we’ll also see incredibly talented goaltenders and a few players to watch. There are some conference title champions, other teams that haven’t advanced to the NCAA tournament in years, and one team making their debut. With all that said, let’s take a look at each team and select a player to watch for each.
Game One: Yale (ECAC) vs. Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 6 P.M. ET
Yale Bulldogs
The Bulldogs’ run in the ECAC playoffs included a lot of offense. In the three games before the championship, Yale scored 17 goals compared to the five they allowed against. The offense fell off in the title game against Quinnipiac. The Bulldogs only managed one goal and allowed five against. After sweeping Union in the quarterfinals by scoring 10 goals in two games and crushing Cornell 7-2 in the semis, they are still in a good spot offensively and overall as well.
The regular season co-champions appeared in their second-ever ECAC conference championship game and finished their run before the NCAA tournament with a record of 25-9. And they have one of the best new goaltenders in all of women’s college hockey in Samson Frey.
Player to Watch
Frey has been lights out since first appearing in a game after the Thanksgiving holiday. Since then, the first-year goaltender played in 17 games and finished with a 15-2-0 record, a 1.47 goals against average and a .937 save percentage. Frey also recorded five shutouts in that span. The New York native was also named a semifinalist for the HCA Goalie of the Year award and was a unanimous selection to the All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team. The Bulldogs will rely on Frey to continue the great play and help get past fellow Bulldogs in Minnesota Duluth in the program’s third NCAA tournament appearance.
University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Speaking of Bulldogs, Duluth was eliminated in the first round of the WCHA conference playoffs by Minnesota State. The team spent a week watching the NPI and other conference championship games in hopes of grabbing a spot in the NCAA playoffs. Now that they’re in, UMD has a lot of catching up to do. While almost every team in the playoffs played over the last weekend, the Bulldogs were off. Still, the bump from the conference playoffs and the scare of almost missing the tournament should serve as fuel for the team that finished an up-and-down season with a record of 20-14-3 and will appear in their sixth-straight NCAA Tournament.
Player to Watch
The back-to-back WCHA goaltender of the year, Ève Gascon, will bring her incredible season and HCA Goalie of the Year finalist campaign to the NCAA tournament with hopes of advancing further than the Regional Final. Last year, the Bulldogs lost 1-0 to Cornell to end their season. Gascon recorded 10 shutouts this season, the second most in the country. She put together a great season, with a record of 18-13-3, a .941 save percentage and a 1.79 goals-against average. She has the talent and experience to be the difference-maker for Duluth this postseason.
Game Two: UConn (HE) vs. Princeton (ECAC), 7 P.M.
UConn Huskies
The Huskies battled fellow Huskies—Northeastern—for the Hockey East conference championship and walked away champions after a double overtime 2-1 win. UConn earned their second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance bid and will face Princeton on Thursday. The Huskies boast an overall record of 27-8-2. In Saturday’s game they were led by HCA Goalie of the Year finalist Tia Chan, who made a career-high 57 saves which earned her her 26th win of the season. The defense added 39 blocks in support of Chan. Captain Kyla Josifovic scored the game winner in double overtime.
In the quarterfinal and semifinal of the Hockey East playoffs, UConn scored 12 goals in two games and allowed only two goals. Their offense did run into trouble against Northeastern. But their defense continued to remain strong with Emma Eryou recording 10 blocks in the championship game and Meghane Duchesne-Chalifoux adding eight blocks of her own. Heading into their bout with Princeton, the Huskies can count on stellar defense to get them into the next round.
Princeton Tigers
Princeton will make its return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years. After being defeated by Quinnipiac in the semifinals of the ECAC playoffs, the Tigers were selected to the tournament for the fifth time. Princeton played all three games of the best-of-three quarterfinals series in the conference playoffs. They ultimately defeated Harvard in game three with a score of 5-1. In the semifinal game, they fell to the Bobcats in overtime in a 2-1 loss. Though they lost, the Tigers’ 23-10-0 record won them the ECAC regular season title and is the second most wins in program history.
Their offense is led by Ivy League Player of the Year Issy Wunder. She scored 27 goals and had 42 points this season. She was named a top 10 Patty Kaz Award finalist and will be making her NCAA postseason debut as a senior. Wunder will be one of the players that will light the lamp in hopes of getting the team past UConn in the first round.
Game Three: Quinnipiac (ECAC) vs. Franklin Pierce (NEWHA), 8 P.M.
Quinnipiac Bobcats
The Bobcats won their first ECAC title since 2016 over the weekend after defeating Yale. The 28-8-3 Quinnipiac team upset Princeton in the semifinals with a 2-1 overtime win to advance to the championship game for the first time in 10 years.
The team’s goaltender, Felicia Frank, is an HCA Goalie of the Year finalist and was named Most Outstanding Player during the ECAC conference playoffs. Frank stopped 61 shots and allowed two goals in two games. The Falköping, Sweden native started the season with a nine-game winning streak and finished with a 28-8-3 record, a 1.51 GAA, and a .942 save percentage. Her GAA ranks fifth in the nation.
Frank is the key to Quinnipiac continuing their great season into the playoffs. She had nine shutouts this season, third overall in the NCAA, and is one of the best goaltenders in the ECAC, with one of the highest save percentages and the most appearances with 39 games.
Player to Watch
Kahlen Lamarche is the player to watch for Quinnipiac because she’s been an outstanding player this season. She enters the NCAA tournament with 61 points in 39 games off 42 goals and 19 assists. The junior forward also recorded eight game winning goals, tied for first in the nation. She was recently named a Patty Kaz top-10 finalist and broke Quinnipiac’s single-season records for goals and points that stood for over a decade. With the one-two punch of Lamarche and Frank, Quinnipiac will be a force to be reckoned with.
Franklin Pierce Ravens
NEWHA’s Franklin Pierce earned their first appearance in the NCAA tournament thanks to an autobid for winning the conference championship. The Ravens managed to win a tight game against St. Anselm on Saturday. In the conference playoffs, they beat St. Michael’s College in the best-of-three first round with scores of 8-0 and 5-1. They then faced Stonehill, where they won a close 2-1 game in double overtime, before they shut out St. Anselm in a 2-0 win. The 23-11-2 Franklin Pierce team may be completely new to the tournament, and facing Quinnipiac won’t be an easy task. But they have a strong goaltender on their squad, too.
Player to Watch
Jill Hertl was lights out in the playoffs. She recorded two shutouts in four games and powered the Ravens to a conference title. The Illinois native played in 28 games and finished with an 18-7-2 record. She also had five shutouts, a .975 save percentage, and a 1.63 GAA. While her team will be facing a tough opponent, if Hertl can stay composed in net like she was in the championship game, it will give Franklin Pierce the chance to stay in the game.
There you have it. Which teams do you think will advance to the next round? Stay tuned to The Ice Garden as we’ll have even more coverage of the NCAA tournament here!
