Last weekend, the women’s hockey team brought their regular season play to a close after hosting Harvard on Friday evening and Dartmouth the following afternoon. Though the Raiders were unsuccessful in their campaign against the Crimson on Friday, the team managed to turn it around and end both the season and the team’s Senior Day with a win against Dartmouth on Saturday. The team ended the season with a record of 20-7-7, 12-5-5 in ECAC play. This season was the first in the program’s Division I program history during which the team had twenty wins, a feat that will hopefully fuel them through postseason play.

On Friday, the Raiders were slow to come out of the gate during the game’s first period, during which Harvard managed to put two goals on the board and gain a sizable lead over their hosts. In the 16th minute of the first period, senior forward Miye D’Oench got the game off the ground after an assist from sophomore forward Karly Heffernan and senior defender Michelle Picard. This goal fueled the Crimson as they lengthened their lead shortly afterwards in the 18th minute, when junior forward Sydney Daniels scored with an assist from Heffernan and freshman defender Kaitlin Tse. Both teams failed to capitalize on power play opportunities in the first period. In the second period, the Raiders worked hard to make up for lost ground. The team’s efforts paid off in the period’s seventh minute, when sophomore forward and captain Annika Zalewski scored off of an assist from sophomore defender Lauren Wildfang. Eleven minutes later, Zalewski scored her second goal of the game after an assist from by first-year forward Jessie Eldridge and first-year forward Shae Labbe. Heading into the third period, the score was tied at two and both teams were eager to put points on the board and come away with a win. In the second minute of the period, freshman forward Grace Zarzecki helped the Crimson regain the lead scoring unassisted. Despite its best efforts to catch up to the visiting team, Colgate was unable to score again and the victory went to Harvard.

On Saturday, the Raiders began their day by honoring the team’s seniors prior to their face-off against the Big Green. Following the ceremony, the team entered the game with great intensity, hoping to end its season on a positive note. Throughout the first and second periods of the competition, the game remained scoreless as each team battled to gain an edge over their

adversary. In the third period, Colgate finally managed to pull into the lead when sophomore forward Breanne Wilson-Bennett scored thanks to an assist from first-year forward Bailey Larson. This would be the only goal of the game, and would bring Colgate their record-breaking 20th victory. Despite playing extremely well, the Raiders went 0-for-5 on power play opportunities, while Dartmouth went 0-for-2. The victory brought the team’s winning percentage to .659 for the season, matching the team’s best, which was set during the 2006-2007 campaign.

Because of the team’s tremendous efforts, they will host Harvard next weekend during the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals, which will mark the first postseason series where the Raiders will defend their home ice. Of this opportunity, head coach Greg Fargo had this some interesting insight

to share.  

“I’m so proud of our group today. We had to fight really hard for that win. It’s going to be exciting playing at home in playoffs for the first time,” Fargo said. 

Next weekend, the puck will drop in Starr Rink at 3 p.m. in Starr Rink on Friday night, at 7 pm on Saturday night, and if necessary, at 4 p.m.

on Sunday. The Lady Raiders hope to continue their strong season as they head into the playoffs.