Saints Top Clarkson in OT, Advance to ECAC Championship

t's amazing what a difference 44 days can make.

On January 20th, just over six weeks ago, the St. Lawrence University women's hockey team opened the 2020-21 season with an 8-1 loss to Clarkson.

Tonight, the Saints defeated the Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime, the team's fourth win over Clarkson in eight days, to advance to the ECAC Hockey championship game. St. Lawrence, the tournament's No. 2 seed, will face top-seeded Colgate at Class of 1965 Arena in Hamilton at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Aly McLeod scored her first career goal in the overtime period for the Saints.

"Resilience is, in my mind, the perfect word in COVID times," said Saints' assistant coach Mare MacDougall Bari following the game. "We were able to find a way to be resilient in the way we were playing and refocus. Resilient is the nicest thing someone could say to describe our team.

"There are a bunch of kids in that locker room that are having a ton of fun playing a game with their friends," MacDougall Bari continued. "Coming to Appleton has been a lot of fun this year. I feel like all hands are on deck here at St. Lawrence to give the players the best experience they can have."

And the players are certainly making the most of it. After starting the season 1-5-0, the Saints have won five of their last six games, all against ranked teams, and head to Colgate with an even 6-6-0 record.

McLeod's game-winner set up by a hard shot off the boards by Chloé Puddifant. When the puck bounced back in front of the net, McLeod slid her stick under Clarkson goaltender Michelle Pasiechnyk's leg pad and pushed the puck across the goal line, sending the entire Saints' bench onto the ice to celebrate.

After a long review, the officials announced that the goal would stand.