Fillier Scores Twice as Princeton Falls to Minnesota in NCAA Quarterfinal

Saturday, March 16

Minneapolis, MN

4:00 PM (CT)

Princeton University

20-8-5

Minnesota

31-5-1

Princeton

Minnesota

Photo by: Jim Rosvold

Fillier Scores Twice as Princeton Falls to Minnesota in NCAA Quarterfinal

March 16, 2019 | Women's Ice Hockey

Box Score

Sarah Fillier scored twice for Princeton but the Gophers net the game winner in the third period and then tacked on two empty-net goals in a 5-2 game at Ridder Arena in the NCAA Quarterfinal this afternoon.

The freshman duo of Fillier and Maggie Connors teammed up to light the lamp just 5:26 into the game. On a quick transition Fillier flipped the puck across the ice to Connors on the left wing. Connors skated into the circle and sent the puck back to Fillier who had broken by her defender and had a wide open back door.

Sarah Potomak answered back less than two minutes later, on an unfortunate bounce. Stephanie Neatby made a pad save on Potomak but the puck rolled down off the toe and just over the line. Neatby made a big save on Kelly Pannek as she attempted to slide across the crease and stuff one in. Pannek had a chance to score again three minutes later but Neatby closed in to cut off the angle and Pannek shed the puck to the right wing were Amy Potomak backhanded in the go-ahead goal.

Freshman Mariah Keopple helped Princeton gain possession of the puck along the half wall, chipping it up ahead to Carly Bullock. Bullock slotted the puck to Fillier and she rifled one in blocker side on Sydney Scobee to even the game at 2-2 at 2:43 of the second period.

Neatby had arguably her best save at 15:40 of the second as she slide across the paint to hold onto a Taylor Williamson second-chance effort.

Shannon Griffin had a solid attempt before the close of the middle frame, when she skated into the zone and fired one on Scobee. Scobee fumbled the puck and dropped in and Connors was there to take a whack it before the official blew the whistle.

Princeton had the only power-play opportunity of the game, 1:38 into the third, but the No. 1 ranked special team couldn't get anything going as the teams continued to play knotted at 2-2.

Pannek net the game-winning goal at 11:47 when the Gophers came in on quick transition and Neatby was taken down on a collision with the puck popping free for the trailer.

Princeton put the extra attacker on to try to tie the game back up and Connors and Frankel both had excellent chances before the Gophers got possession and sent the puck down the length of the ice into the empty net. Minnesota added a second empty-net goal with 13.9 seconds remaining.

"I know that this was a critical learning experience that the majority of our team is going to take forward next year," Princeton head coach Cara Morey said. "We graduate four seniors so the bulk of our team is back and the bulk of this team went through some really critical experiences today that we haven't had. You know when you're playing a program like Minnesota, who is consistently in this position, and in their home rink you know you're going to have to play that much better to win because they've been through these moments so many times. They can weather the storm and bounce back. They have resiliency to them because they've been here, they've done it, and there's a calm to that. For our players it's pretty new. It's pretty new to Princeton so I think next year we're going to have a good chance of winning this game. Next year when that critical time comes, we've already been though it once, and I think this is going to make all our players stronger.

Neatby finished the game with 34 saves, while Scobee stopped 24 shots.

Senior Stephanie Sucharda who played against Minnesota in the 2016 NCAA Quarterfinal said this year's game was not deja vu.

"You'd think it would be. I didn't feel like it was at all. Freshman year we came in and got that lucky goal and after that it was Minnesota's game," she said referencing an surprising early goal just 29 seconds into the game before falling 6-2. "I think this year we were right with them and we had a pretty even game. We had our fair share of chances and I don't think it was very similar to my freshman year at all."

Playing her final game as Tiger, Sucharda was poised when responding to questions regarding Princeton's chances by Connors and Frankel late in the game.

"It was tough. I, on the bench, thought it went in and was already celebrating. That definitely hurts. Especially a play like that where it's just inches from going in and that's what determines the end of your college career. It's very tough. But I think the prep work we did to put ourselves in that position, to tie the No. 2 team in the country, that we were inches away from that, I think that says a lot about our program and especially moving forward I think our future is looking really good."

Princeton's season ends with a 20-8-5 overall record, an Ivy title, a 20-game unbeaten streak during the season and the best ranking in program history.