On Saturday night, the season for No. 12 Princeton women's ice hockey (14-12-6 overall, 6-10-6 Eastern College Athletic Conference) ended with a loss to the No. 3 Clarkson Golden Knights (No. 31). . -3-2, 18-3-1 in the ECAC quarterfinals).
The game also ended senior forward Sarah Fillier's legendary career with the Tigers. The Canadian National Team Olympian finished his tenure at Old Nassau with 93 career goals and 101 assists.
“Sarah Philia is one of the best athletes to ever skate at Hobey Baker Rink,” head coach Carla Morley wrote in a message to the Daily Princetonian. “I hope the community had the opportunity to watch her play firsthand. She is one of the best, if not the best, in women's college hockey, and it will be impossible to replace her.” .”
Game 1: “It was a heart-breaking game.”
This was the third match between the two teams this season, and it was a close battle from start to finish. For the Tigers, two goals in overtime by the Golden Knights broke the hearts of Tiger fans and ended the fourth-longest game in program history.
“They're ranked No. 3 in the nation and we went head-to-head against them every time,” Morey said.
The first 10 minutes of the match saw conservative attacking play from both teams. With just under seven minutes left in the first half, the Golden Knights took the lead and the deadlock was broken. Thirty-nine seconds later, the Tigers responded with a power-play goal from sophomore forward Sarah Paul to tie the game. The first period ended with the score still at 1.
Junior goaltender Jennifer Ornowicz played a key role in all games for the Tigers, finishing with 33 saves and holding the Golden Knights back at key moments. Princeton also defended Clarkson's two power plays well, keeping Clarkson at bay in advantageous situations.
In the second period, Princeton held the No. 3 team in the country to zero goals, led by an organized defense and Ornowicz's great moments. Just one minute into the game, Fillier got out of a one-on-one with Clarkson's goalie, but was stopped by a diving stick check from a Golden Knights defender.
With 3:39 left in the second goal, senior defender Kate Monihan scored off a rebound to give Princeton a crucial 2-1 lead.
3 minutes left, 2nd spot | #12 Princeton 2, #3 Clarkson 1
We will lead!
Kate Monihan gets the rebound and the Tigers take the lead!
💻: https://t.co/xHJbNkNxBH pic.twitter.com/r1mkgKUHLO
— Princeton Women's Ice Hockey (@PWIH) March 2, 2024
The lead would last for more than 20 minutes of game time. In the third period, Clarkson dominated the ball and desperately tried to score the tying goal. The Tigers' biggest missed opportunity came when they held a 5-on-3 advantage for 75 seconds. They couldn't capitalize, as the best penalty-kill team in the country allowed just two decent shots during that period.
With 84 seconds left in the game, defenseman Nicole Gosling tied it for the Golden Knights, and Clarkson scored just seconds after bringing on an extra attacker. Ironically, Gosling scored Clarkson's two goals in their second win of the regular season against Princeton. The goal sent the game into overtime, but ultimately it was too high a mountain for the Tigers to climb.
Introducing the dramatic winners. @ClarksonWockey With double OT!#ECAC Chocky pic.twitter.com/H7TCGYjUW5
— ECAC Hockey (@ecachockey) March 2, 2024
“Clarkson pulled out his goaltender and put an extra attacker on the ice when he scored the game-clinching goal,” Morey noted. “It was a nice shot from a spot where there was traffic in front of the net, but unfortunately it went into the frame.”
Despite coming close to scoring in the first overtime, the game remained tied after 20 minutes. In the second overtime, defender Alexi Guay scored on Clarkson's behalf from a rebound, winning the game. The goal gave Clarkson a crucial 1-0 lead in the best-of-three quarterfinal series.
“It was heartbreaking,” Morley added. “I don't think our team had any problems. Our team played great in extra time, but unfortunately we couldn't convert our chances.”
Fillier's historic career ends with loss in Game 2
The next day, the Tigers returned to the ice facing elimination. After the heartbreaking loss the team endured the night before, Princeton ran out of gas.
Both teams had many chances early on, with almost 20 shots on goal combined in the first period. However, neither team was able to get the puck past the opponent's goaltender.
Clarkson shined in the second period, boosting his national ranking. After three close games against the Tigers, the Golden Knights scored three goals in five minutes to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the second period.
The third period was an offensive shootout, with an incredible six goals scored in the first 12 minutes of the period. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the goals were evenly split, with Clarkson holding a 6-3 lead with eight minutes remaining. The Golden Knights won 6-3 after dominating the ball for the final eight minutes.
Two of Tiger's three goals came from none other than Fillier. The two goals gave the senior forward his 30th goal of the season, making it Fillier's 10th 30-goal season in program history.
8 minutes left, Day 3 | #3 Clarkson 6, #12 Princeton 3
Another one from Philie! This season's #30!@SarahFilier91 He recorded a 30-goal season for the first time since 2020 and second time in the last 20 years.
💻: https://t.co/NlMxVhYW8U pic.twitter.com/ODYuG40qtV
— Princeton Women's Ice Hockey (@PWIH) March 2, 2024
“Her contributions to our program are both on and off the ice, as she was our captain for three years,” Morey wrote.
The Tigers' other goal came courtesy of sophomore forward Emerson O'Leary. O'Leary was third on the team with 25 assists on the season.
Once Princeton came off the ice, Filier's historic career was over. In addition to the Tiger legend, six other seniors will graduate this May.
“We're going to be missing all of our seniors next year,” Morey said. “We are fortunate to have a strong team back with a recruiting class ranked in the top five nationally. We are confident that we will be a program that continues to be one of the top programs in the NCAA. I look forward to it.”
This will be the first time the Tigers have played in the ECAC, the most competitive league in women's college hockey that includes seven of the nation's top 12 teams, and the team will not play in the NCAA Tournament.
Morey concluded, “While I would have liked the playoffs to last longer, I'm still proud of everything our team accomplished this year.”
Hayk Yengibarian is Prince's deputy sports editor.
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