The Colgate women’s ice hockey team had a disappointing weekend, taking two losses  in games against Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University and ending their regular season ECAC hockey contest. 

The team welcomed the third nationally ranked Clarkson University Golden Knights to the Class of 1965 Arena on Friday night in what proved to be a competitive game. The Raiders came out hot at the game’s start, forcing the Clarkson goalie to make a glove save less than one minute into the game during an aggressive two-on-one situation. Just over two minutes into the game, junior offender Megan Sullivan stole the puck during a Clarkson clear attempt in the offensive zone and buried it in the back of the goal to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. 

With just over three minutes remaining in the first period, the Golden Knights increased pressure and snuck one past sophomore goalkeeper Julia Vandyk to net the equalizer. The Raiders had a tough second period, with Clarkson scoring two more goals to take a comfortable lead of 3-1. The intensity increased greatly from both teams during the final period as Clarkson snuck another goal into the back of the net. With time dwindling down, Colgate pulled their goalie Julia Vandyk to put forth another attacker. The Golden Knights managed to capitalize on the situation, putting a puck in the back of the net for a 5-1 lead. Despite the little time remaining on the clock, Colgate fought hard and netted a power play goal with just over two minutes left for a final score of 5-2.

On Saturday, February 18, the Raiders hosted St. Lawrence University for their last regular season ECAC hockey game. The Raiders were ultimately defeated 3-0, but fought hard for their Senior Day. In the first period, each team recorded ten shots on goal. However, the Saints were able to capitalize on one of these shots about halfway through the first period when senior forward Brooke Webster scored, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. 

The Raiders were then able to hold the Saints off for the remainder of the first period and most of the second, until about 11 minutes in, when first-year Saints attacker Maggie McLaughlin netted a goal on a power play, making it 2-0. St. Lawrence put another goal up on the board about halfway through the third period, giving them a 3-0 lead, though the Raiders pushed hard to hold the visitors for the remainder of the game.

 Post-game, the team recognized their seniors Cat Quirion, Hannah Rastrick and Meghan Brennan for their dedication to the team for the last four seasons, including their contributions to an exceptional 61 victories over the course of their time at Colgate. 

“As a team we didn’t see the results we wanted to this weekend … we worked hard but didn’t get the bounces we wished for. This weekend was emotional as our seniors played their last regular season game in their careers,” junior defender Lauren Wildfang said.

Culminating in a 13-8-1 record in ECAC play, the team is excited to travel to Cornell on Friday, February 24 for the first round of the ECAC playoffs, where they hope to regain momentum in contending for the league title and make a run at the national championship.