ITHACA, N.Y. - The no. 3-ranked Cornell women's ice hockey team defeated the Clarkson Golden Knights 2-1 in triple-overtime on Friday afternoon at Lynah Rink. With the win, Cornell advances to the ECAC Hockey Championship and will face the winner of the semifinal match up between Colgate and St. Lawrence.
Lily Delianedis scored both Big Red goals in the game. Grace Dwyer (two), and Rory Guilday, and Katie Chan were credited with assists in the contest. Annelies Bergmann made a career-high 54 saves in the game.
Both teams set a physical tone in the opening period, skating and checking hard to establish a bonafide playoff hockey game. The Golden Knights overstepped their boundaries at the 7:41 mark, when Anne Cherkowski was tagged with a five-minute major for boarding.
The Big Red produced a handful of grade-A opportunities during the first rush including a shot that rung off the pipe. Clarkson's penalty-kill proved stout as they held Cornell off the board for the entirety of the major.
Shortly after the Clarkson penalty-kill, the two squads were booked for matching minors when the Fleming and Laidlaw exchanged pleasantries after a stoppage. During the 4-on-4, Gosling was called for a body check, giving Cornell the 4-on-3 advantage. The Big Red would use that to open up the scoring as Delianedis potted a one-timer to give Cornell a 1-0 lead.
Just under five minutes into the second period, Hicks found the game-tying goal after a flurry of attempts by Clarkson to take the count to 1-1. Bergmann made a handful of key saves in the second stanza, including a breakaway chance that would have put the Golden Knights in front.
After each notching a goal in the opening two periods, Cornell and Clarkson went scoreless in the third to send the game to a fourth period. Heavy skates prevailed for 40 minutes as neither team found the back of the net for two overtime periods.
Three minutes into the third ovetime, the Golden Knights made a costly mistake and were tagged for a tripping-infraction. Just 30 seconds into the power-play, Delianedis potted her second of the day to send Cornell to the ECAC Hockey Championship for the first time since 2019-20.
Next Up
The no. 3-ranked Cornell women's ice hockey team will return to the ice tomorrow afternoon for the ECAC Hockey Championship game. Puck drop is slated for 3:30 p.m. at Lynah Rink. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.