Clarkson Claims Second Straight NCAA Women's Hockey Title With Overtime Win

The Golden Knights' title is their third championship in the last five years.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Elizabeth Giguere scored 7:55 into overtime and Clarkson won its second straight NCAA womens’ hockey title and third in five years with a 2-1 win over Colgate on Sunday.

Giguere stole the puck from a defender just outside the Colgate blue lane, got around the stumbling player, and briefly went down on one knee to keep her balance before faking a move to the right and going left to tuck the puck behind Julia Vandyk.

Cassidy Vinkle also scored for the Golden Knights (36-4-1), playing its third straight tournament overtime game. Shea Tiley had 27 saves.

Every game in the 2018 Frozen Four went past three periods. Clarkson beat Ohio State 1-0 in overtime in its semifinal; Colgate beat Wisconsin 4-3 in double-overtime.

The is the third overtime title game in history: Minnesota-Duluth beat Cornell 3-2 in three overtimes in 2010 and the Bulldogs beat Harvard 4-3 in double-overtime in 2003.

Colgate (34-6-1), in the tournament for the first time in school history, got its goal from Malia Schneider. Vandyk made 35 saves.

This is the fourth time the ECAC rivals from upstate New York met this season, with Clarkson winning three games, including two weeks ago in the conference title game.

Clarkson had 12 of first 16 third-period shots and nearly took the lead 6:36 in when a shot by Giguere hit the post and the puck was quickly covered by Vandyk. Video review upheld the call.

Clarkson had the better of play in the first period, capitalizing late in the frame when Vinkle scored her first goal in 20 games since Dec. 9. Coming down the left side, her shot from the circle beat Vandyk high on the stick side.

The Raiders evened the score early in the second.

A battle along the right boards resulted in the puck squirting out to Olivia Zafuto. Heading to the net through the right circle, Zafuto passed across to an open Schneider for an easy redirect.