HAMILTON – For the first time in program history, the Colgate women’s hockey team is the outright ECAC Hockey Regular Season Champion.
The Raiders fashioned a 13-6-1 overall record and were 8-4-0 in ECAC play. One Colgate victory over the weekend at Quinnipiac and a pair of Clarkson losses to St. Lawrence made it official.
The Raiders were presented the regular season trophy this evening by ECAC Hockey Commissioner Steve Hagwell at the Class of 1965 Arena.
“The thing that comes to mind is just how resilient our group has been from the very beginning,” head coach Greg Fargo said. “The year started off with a lot of uncertainty and our team deserves a lot of credit because their focus was only on the things that they could control. We had this mindset that we were going to do everything that we could to be ready when the time came. Thankfully, we’ve done everything that we had to do along the way.”
Besides an opening series against Syracuse, the Raiders have only played Clarkson, Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence throughout the season. Fargo said that playing the same three teams has only made Colgate a stronger program.
“Honestly, it’s been a lot of fun because all four teams in our league are really well coached,” Fargo said. “When you play the same opponent more than twice it feels like more of a playoff series. All of the little changes and adaptations as the series goes on become more and more important and that’ll be true once again this weekend when all the chips are on the table for the championship.”
The Raiders are averaging 2.80 goals per game and have and have a stellar 1.85 GAA. Seven Colgate players currently have at least 10 points, with sophomore Danielle Serdachny leading the way with 20 (9G, 11A).
Overall on the season, the Raiders have garnered seven ECAC Weekly awards, including a pair of Player of the Week honors by Serdachny (Jan. 11, March 1). Junior Tanner Gates won it Jan. 25 before sophomore Sammy Smigliani was named Player of the Week Feb. 22.
In addition to several Player of the Week awards, first-year Kayle Osborne has been a two-time Goalie of the Week honoree and was named Rookie of the Month in January. She is also a finalist for the first ever Women’s Hockey Goalie of the Year. Another rookie standout, first-year Kalty Kaltounkova was also named the Hockey Coaches Association Rookie of the Month in November.
From senior leadership down to rookie contributions, the efforts behind the title have been monumental.
Colgate’s first title in program history came in 2018-19, but that one was shared with Clarkson. Colgate and Clarkson then advanced all the way to the NCAA championship game, where the Raiders lost an overtime heartbreaker.
Colgate is set to host the conference semifinals this Friday at 5 p.m. against Quinnipiac. With its No. 1 seed, Colgate would also host Sunday’s championship game vs. the winner of Clarkson-St. Lawrence, should the Raiders advance.
“We’ve really seen this group come together a lot over the last two years,” Fargo said. “We were once a young team that has matured over time and grown together. What I like most about this team is the fact that it’s not about one person – it’s about the group and it’s about us doing it together. It’s a real team that that has come together, grown together, and isn’t done yet.”
(Colgate Women’s Hockey Photos)
