Clarkson University solidified its spot as the leading team in NCAA Division I Women’s Hockey on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis, MN by defeating ECAC Hockey rival Colgate 2-1 in overtime in the 2018 National Championship game at Ridder Arena.
Winners of back-to-back Frozen Four titles and with three National Championships in the last five years, the Golden Knights have secured a place among the most dominant programs in the history of NCAA Division I Women’s Hockey.
Freshman sensation Elizabeth Giguere (Quebec City, QUE) scored the game-winner on a great individual effort for an unassisted goal at 7:55 of the extra session, ending the Knights’ third straight NCAA Tournament overtime game after 67:55. Giguere, a Second-Team All-American and ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year, closed out her spectacular freshman campaign with her 27th goal of the season.
The play on which the game-winning goal came started with a blocked shot by Rhyen McGill. The puck cleared the zone to two Colgate players, but Giguere outmuscled the Raiders’ Shelby Wood near center ice, stealing the puck away and using her right arm as a shield to ward off Wood. The defenseman attempted to use her stick to slow down Giguere, who fell briefly to one knee, but she got up and quickly collected herself enough to put multiple moves on Colgate goaltender Julia Vandyk, finally finishing her play with a backhand.
Clarkson, which defeated Mercyhurst 2-1 after 76:52 minutes of play in the quarterfinal round and Ohio State 1-0 after 76:12 of play in Friday’s semifinal game, closed out the most impressive season in the 15-year history of the highly successful program with a 36-4-1 record. The Green and Gold also were co-champions in the ECAC Hockey regular season with a 19-3 league mark and won their second consecutive conference championship title by shutting out Colgate 3-0 on March 4 at Cheel Arena.
The Knights came out strong and confident to start their second consecutive championship game appearance and controlled large segments of the first period, outshooting Colgate 15-10 through the opening 20 minutes. Clarkson grabbed the lead with 3:11 remaining on a goal by junior Cassidy Vinkle (Belleville, ONT). Junior Kelly Mariani (Mississauga, ONT), who had to be helped off the ice after a big center-ice collision earlier in the period, started the play. Mariani picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and fed a pass to Vinkle on an odd-man rush. An assistant captain, Vinkle ripped a shot from the top of the left circle that went bar down for her fourth goal of the season.
Colgate enjoyed the better of the play in the middle frame, outshooting the Green and Gold 11-8. The Raiders tied the game at 2:27 of the period when Malia Schneider capitalized on a 2-on-1 opportunity down low.
Clarkson outshot the Raiders 13-7 in the third period, but could not put the game away in regulation despite several good scoring opportunities.
Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Clarkson senior goaltender Shea Tiley (Owen Sound, ONT) posted 27 saves on 28 shots for her second straight NCAA Championship win. Tiley, a First-Team All-American, closed out her star-studded collegiate career as the Knights’ all-time winningest goaltender with 114 career victories.
