The NCAA Regional Semifinal kicked off on Thursday with six teams vying for three spots in the next round. Franklin Pierce made their tournament debut, two goalies recorded a shutout, and one state was home to the three winners.
Here is a quick recap of each of Thursday’s games.
Game One: Yale (ECAC) beat Minnesota Duluth (WCHA)
The two Bulldog teams met for the first time ever and kicked off the first game of the semifinals with a long lasting goalie duel. Both teams started their star goaltender in net with Ève Gascon for UMD and Samson Frey for Yale. At the end of a scoreless first period, Yale recorded 15 shots on goal while Duluth had six. Yale continued to pour on the shots until Molly Boyle found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead in the second period.
The defense played well but it was Frey who stole the show. The first year set a career high with 37 saves and recorded the sixth shutout in 18 appearances this season. Frey also made some quality saves to keep players like Caitlin Kraemer, who had a game-high eight shots on goal, from finding the back of the net.
For the second year in a row, UMD’s season ended with a 1-0 loss. They’ve actually been shut out in their last four tournament losses. They played a clean game with no penalties and had a single power play which they couldn’t capitalize on. Though Duluth had chances in the third period and outshot Yale 15-9, when they had the extra attacker on, they had a late chance blocked. This win for Yale is only the second in NCAA tournament history. They will face top seed Ohio State on Saturday.
Game Two: UConn (HE) beat Princeton (ECAC)
The Hockey East champion UConn found the back of the net with less than four minutes left in the first period of this opening game and by the time the period ended, they had only five shots on goal. Yet, the Huskies were able to beat Princeton, 4-1.
The two teams are familiar with each other as they played a two-game series in October. Tonight, the Tigers’ defense was solid throughout that first period before allowing the late goal. They were able to tie the game at one in the second period but UConn answered back quickly with a go-ahead goal by Kyla Josifovic. The Huskies then added on two more goals to seal the deal.
Josifovic scored two goals to reach 40 points in a season. She is only the third Husky to ever achieve that feat. In this game she was a difference maker. She helped set the tone for a defense that wasn’t going to allow anymore goals. She recorded six blocked shots while the rest of the team added 10 more. This helped limit any chances for Princeton to add to their score. The Patty Kaz Award top 10 finalist and HCA Goalie of the Year finalist, Tia Chan, allowed only one goal on 41 shots faced. She continued to be an invaluable part of the team’s defense. This is UConn’s first NCAA tournament win in only their second appearance. They will face four time AHA champion Penn State on Saturday.
Game Three: Quinnipiac (ECAC) beat Franklin Pierce (NEWHA)
Everything went right for the Bobcats on Thursday. In their first game of the playoffs, they shut out Franklin Pierce in a 4-0 victory. It did take some time for QU to get activated. They were held scoreless in the first period, even with 19 shots on goal, as the Ravens were able to kill their momentum. However, Franklin Pierce wasn’t able to get going either.
The Bobcats were finally able to start the scoring with two goals in the final five minutes of the second period – even after a goal was called back for Quinnipiac. By the end of the game, three players had multi-point games: Kahlen Lamarche, Emerson Jarvis, and Peyton Cormier each had two points. HCA Goaltender of the Year finalist Felicia Frank made 29 saves in net while Quinnipiac poured on 53 shots of their own. Frank was lights out in net and recorded her 10th shutout of this season. Though the Ravens fell in their NCAA tournament debut, they still made their first trip to the tournament memorable by keeping a team like the Bobcats scoreless for almost two periods. That’s a feather they can put in their cap.
This is only the third win in the NCAA tournament for Quinnipiac who will face defending champs Wisconsin on Saturday.
Fun fact this is the first time three teams from Connecticut all make the women’s NCAA tournament in the same year! All three CT teams won on Thursday.
Saturday’s schedule
All games will stream on ESPN+.
UConn vs. Penn State at 2 P.M. ET
Quinnipiac vs. Wisconsin at 2 P.M. ET
Northeastern vs. Minnesota at 3 P.M. ET
Yale vs. Ohio State at 6 P.M. ET
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for previews for the next round!
