This past weekend, the women’s hockey team competed in the ECAC quarterfinals, hosting the Harvard Crimson in a three-game series. The series got off to a strong start for the fourth-seeded Raiders when they won Friday’s game, though they were unsuccessful in Saturday night’s campaign. After going into overtime on Sunday, the team emerged victorious on Sunday evening, which brought their overall record to 22-8-7 and advanced them to the next round of postseason play.

On Friday night, the Raiders came out of the gate in full force against the fifth-seeded Crimson, building a lead early on in the game that would help carry them to a 4-1 victory. The game’s first goal was scored by sophomore forward Megan Sullivan thanks to an assist by first-year defender Chelsea Jacques and senior defender Nicole Gass. This goal occurred just two minutes into the competition. The Raiders soon lengthened their lead in the sixth minute, when Sullivan notched her second goal of the game off an assist first-year forward Bailey Larson and Gass.

In the second period, the visitors were able to narrow Colgate’s lead when junior forward Sydney Daniels scored after an assist by sophomore forward Karly Heffernan. The third period proved more fruitful for the Raiders, as they managed to tally two more goals and solidify their lead and eventual victory. In the second minute of the period, sophomore forward Breanne Wilson-Bennett scored off assists by Larson and Sullivan. The home team scored the final goal of the game in the 12th minute of the final period when first-year forward Jessie Eldridge and first-year forward Shae Labbe assisted sophomore forward and captain Annika Zalewski. Head coach Greg Fargo shared his thoughts on the game.

“The first 20 minutes set the tone for how the rest of the game went. When you get up 2-0 early on, it feels good. You feel good about your process and how you do things,” Fargo said.

On Saturday, the Raiders were not as successful, losing 4-1 to the Crimson. Harvard’s first goal was scored in the fifth minute of the second period when Daniels scored on a power play, with senior defender Michelle Picard and Miye D’Oench assisting. The visitors extended their lead in the 14th minute when Heffernan was assisted by D’Oench and Daniels. Colgate fought back in the third period, scoring once in the second minute when Sullivan scored thanks to an assist by Wilson-Bennett. However, the Crimson continued to extend their lead when freshman forward Bradley Fusco scored on a power play in the 11th minute, with the assist going to sophomore forward Lexie Laing and freshman defender Kaitlin Tse. In the 19th minute, Daniels added another goal to Harvard’s lead, scoring on an empty net following an assist from Laing. This would be the game’s final goal.

The Raiders won the final game of the series 3-2 after going into overtime. At the conclusion of the first period, the score stood at 1-2. The Raiders scored in the sixth minute when Sullivan was assisted by Eldridge on a power play. The Crimson notched a goal in the tenth minute when Leing was assisted by junior defender Briana Mastel and Tse. In the 13th minute, first-year forward Grace Zarzecki was assisted by Tse and Mastel. Though the score remained unchanged throughout the second period, the Raiders tied it up at the beginning of the third period when Sullivan scored off an assist from junior defender Cat Quirion and Larson after only three minutes. The game remained tied as the third period drew to a close, necessitating an overtime period in this thriller. In the 15th minute of the overtime period, the Raiders surged into the lead when Labbe scored off an assist by Eldridge and Quirion. This

cemented the win for the Raiders, guaranteeing their advance into the ECAC semifinals. The Raiders face Clarkson on Saturday at 4:00 p.m in Hamden, Ct.