.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University
Yale
Coming Off Historic Series Win, Tigers to Face Yale in ECACH Semis on Friday
March 02, 2022 | Women's Ice Hockey
Five days after becoming the first eighth-seeded team to win a quarterfinal best-of-three series over a top-seeded team, the Princeton women's hockey team will look to follow up its first-ever appearance in the ECAC Hockey Tournament final in 2020 with another, facing No. 7 (USCHO)/8 (USA Hockey) and second-seeded Yale in Friday's 3 p.m. semifinal. The winner will face either No. 5-ranked/third-seeded Colgate or No. 6-ranked/fourth-seeded Quinnipiac on Saturday, also at 3 p.m.
vs. No. 7/8 Yale, Friday, 3 p.m., ECACH semifinal | ESPN+ | International Video |Â Live Stats
ECAC Hockey semifinals history: Princeton made eight trips to the ECAC Hockey semifinals previous to this year (1992, 95, 98, 2003, 06, 17, 19, 20), but it wasn't until the most recent previous trip in 2020 that Princeton advanced to the final, which it won for the first time in program history. This will be Princeton's first semifinal against Yale and just the third time/series the teams have met in the ECACH postseason, with Princeton sweeping a home quarterfinal series in 2003 and Yale sweeping one in Ingalls in 2005. Â
National rankings: Entering the week, Princeton ranked No. 1 in the nation in team faceoff winning percentage (.587). Sharon Frankel was tops in the nation with 614 faceoff wins. Rachel McQuigge was eighth in the nation with a .939 save percentage.
The series with Yale, Colgate and Quinnipiac: Princeton leads the all-time series with Yale 67-16-3 overall and 33-4-3 in Ingalls. The teams won on each other's ice earlier this season. Against Colgate, Princeton leads 31-11-5 overall and the teams have never met on neutral ice. Princeton tied on the road and lost at home earlier this season. Against Quinnipiac, Princeton leads 22-17-4 overall, and the teams have never met on neutral ice. The teams won on each other's ice earlier this season.
100 career points: Junior Maggie Connors, now with 111 career points, has the most career points for a Tiger since dormer teammate Carly Bullock '20 finished with 159 points in 2020.
Historic series win: With its win at Harvard, Princeton became the first eighth seed since the ECACH expanded the quarterfinals to a best-of-three series in 2002 to win a series over a number-one seed. Only one time previously had the eighth seed even avoided being swept, when RPI won one game from Cornell in 2019. It was also the first time Princeton won a postseason game or series from Harvard, being swept in the quarters in 2002, 2010 and 2012.
Youth group: Of Princeton's 156 points this season, 130, or 83.3 percent, have come from non-seniors. At the other end, however, senior Rachel McQuigge has played 84 percent of the team's minutes in goal this season.
Program record? Senior Rachel McQuigge has a career save percentage of .933502, just ahead of former teammate Stephanie Neatby '20 (.933493) for the program record. She is on pace to finish as one of five regular starters in program history to have a career GAA below 2.00, now at 1.81, and she is seventh in program history in career saves at 1,474. Rachel Weber '12 is sixth at 1,787. McQuigge was also named a semifinalist for the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association Goalie of the Year award this week.
Olympic Gold!: Princeton is without Sarah Fillier this season as she and fellow Tiger Claire Thompson '20 helped Canada return to the top of the podium in Beijing (last won in 2014). Fillier was second among all Olympians with eight goals scored and was sixth with 11 points. Thompson '20 led all blueliners at the Games with 13 points (2G, 11A) and led all players in +/- at +23. Netminder Kim Newell '16 went 1-1-1 in goal with China and is Princeton's all-time wins (52) and saves (3,096) leader.
