LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The stage is set for the first ECAC Hockey Women’s Championship tournament at the historic 1980 Herb Brooks Arena as the conference’s final four teams battle for a league title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Yale will face Cornell in Friday’s first semifinal, followed by Princeton taking on Quinnipiac in the nightcap. Friday night’s winners will face off for the ECAC title on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Andrea Kilbourne-Hill, a Princeton graduate and member of the 2002 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team that captured silver in Salt Lake City, will drop the ceremonial puck prior to Saturday’s championship game. The weekend will also feature an all-women color guard.

Quinnipiac (No. 7), Yale (No. 8), Princeton (No. 10) and Cornell (No. 11) are all highly ranked in the latest USCHO poll. Yale is the top-seeded team in the ECAC tournament, followed by Princeton as the second seed, Quinnipiac at number three and Cornell as the fourth seed.

Friday, March 6
Cornell vs. Yale, 4 p.m.
Quinnipiac vs. Princeton, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 7
Championship Game, 5 p.m.

THE TEAMS

Yale (24-8-0)
The top-seeded Bulldogs are rolling into Lake Placid, having won 16 of their last 17 games. Led by freshman defenseman Molly Boyle, an all-ECAC first team selection, and ECAC second-teamers Jordan Ray and Carina DiAntonio, both seniors, Yale swept Union to earn a spot in the semifinal round. DiAntonio scored her 24th goal of the season against Union, increasing her career total to 61. Ray is third on Yale’s all-time assists list with 86.

Cornell (20-10-2)
The Big Red punched its ticket to Lake Placid with two-straight close victories over rival Colgate. Georgia Schiff and Avi Adam have each racked up 28 points this season to lead the team, while Piper Grober, a second team all-ECAC selection, and Rose Dwyer lead the team defensively. Goaltender Annelies Bergmann, a member of the Team USA Collegiate Team, has started in net every game this season, allowing 1.8 goals per game.

Princeton (23-9-0)
Princeton rallied for a 5-1 victory over Harvard in game three of its quarterfinal series against Harvard. It was the 23rd win of the season for the Tigers, which stands as the second-most in program history behind the 2019-20 team that won 26 games and recorded the school’s only women’s conference tournament championship. Senior forward Issy Wunder was named as an all-ECAC first teamer while sophomore Mackenzie Alexander was selected to the conference’s second team.

Quinnipiac (26-8-3)
The Bobcats are led by ECAC first teamers Kahlen Lamarche and ECAC Goalie of the Year Felicia Frank. Lamarche recorded her fourth hat trick of the season in Sunday’s 5-4 quarterfinal victory over Brown, setting Quinnipiac’s single-season points record in the process with 60 points. Frank, a sophomore, comes into Lake Placid with a 1.54 goals against average and 10 shutouts to her credit this season.

LAST SEASON
Cornell ended Colgate’s streak of four straight ECAC tournament titles last year with a 5-1 victory over the Raiders in the championship game played at Lynah Rink in Ithaca. The Big Red lost in the NCAA national semifinal round to Ohio State, which went on to lose to Wisconsin in the national championship game. Clarkson, Colgate, Cornell, St. Lawrence each advanced to the NCAA tournament last year. Clarkson has won three NCAA titles, including back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 (beat Colgate 2-1 in overtime in the final)

TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 2026 ECAC Women’s Hockey Tournament began with single-game matchups on February 20-21, followed by best-of-three quarterfinal series last weekend. The first two rounds were hosted by the higher-seeded teams before the final four teams advanced to Lake Placid. The tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

TICKETS/MORE INFORMATION
Tickets are available for purchase HERE. For more information, go to lakeplacidolympiccenter.com or ecachockey.com.