On Saturday evening, the season of No. 12 Princeton women’s ice hockey (14–12–6 overall, 6–10–6 Eastern College Athletic Conference) came to an end after getting swept by the No. 3 ranked Clarkson Golden Knights (31–3–2, 18–3–1) in the ECAC quarterfinals.
The game also marked the end of senior forward Sarah Fillier’s legendary career with the Tigers. The Olympian with the Canadian national team finished her stint at Old Nassau with 93 career goals and 101 assists.
“Sarah Fillier is one of the best players to ever skate at Hobey Baker Rink,” head coach Cara Morey wrote in a message to The Daily Princetonian. “I hope everybody in the area took the opportunity to see her play in person. She is one of the best, if not the best player in women’s college hockey and will be impossible to replace.”
Game 1: “It was a heartbreaker”
In the third meeting between both sides this season, it was a tight battle the entire game. For the Tigers, a double overtime goal by the Golden Knights broke the hearts of Tiger fans and ended the fourth-longest game in program history.
“They are ranked number three in the nation and we played toe-to-toe with them each time,” Morey noted.
The first 10 minutes of the game featured conservative attacking plays from both sides. The deadlock was broken when the Golden Knights opened the scoring with just under seven minutes remaining in the first. 39 seconds later, the Tigers responded with a power play goal from sophomore forward Sarah Paul to tie the game at one all. The score remained tied at one at the end of the first period.
Junior goalkeeper Jennifer Olnowich was crucial for the Tigers all game, finishing with 33 saves and holding off the Golden Knights at critical moments. Princeton also successfully defended two Clarkson power plays, keeping them at bay during their advantage.
In the second period — led by an organized defense and big moments from Olnowich — Princeton held the No. 3 team in the country to zero goals. Just one minute in, Fillier broke away for a one-on-one with the Clarkson goalie but was stopped as a result of a diving stick check from a Golden Knights defender.
With 3:39 remaining in the second, senior defender Kate Monihan scored off a rebound to give Princeton an important 2–1 lead.
3' left, 2nd pd | #12 Princeton 2, #3 Clarkson 1
— Princeton Women's Ice Hockey (@PWIH) March 2, 2024
WE LEAD!
Kate Monihan sends home the rebound, and the Tigers are on top!
💻: https://t.co/xHJbNkNxBH pic.twitter.com/r1mkgKUHLO
The lead would last for over 20 minutes of game time. In the third period, Clarkson dominated the time of possession as they desperately tried for an equalizer. The Tigers’ biggest missed opportunity came when they had a five-on-three advantage for 75 seconds. They failed to capitalize as the nation’s best penalty-kill team allowed just two decent looks in that span.
With 84 seconds remaining in the game, Clarkson scored just seconds after bringing out the extra attacker, as defender Nicole Gosling tied the game for the Golden Knights. Ironically, Gosling scored both goals for Clarkson against Princeton in the two regular season wins. The goal sent the game to overtime, which would eventually be a mountain too tall for the Tigers to climb.
Here's a look at the dramatic winner for @ClarksonWHockey in double OT!#ECACHockey pic.twitter.com/H7TCGYjUW5
— ECAC Hockey (@ecachockey) March 2, 2024
“Clarkson pulled their goalie and had an extra attacker on the ice when they scored the game-tying goal,” Morey noted. “It was a nice shot from the point with traffic in front of the net and unfortunately it went in.”
Despite a near goal in the first overtime period, the game remained tied after 20 minutes. In the second overtime period, defender Alexie Guay scored for Clarkson off a rebound to win the game. The goal gave Clarkson an important 1–0 lead in the best-of-three quarterfinal series.
“It was a heartbreaker,” Morey added. “I don’t think our team struggled with anything. Our team played great in overtime, but sadly couldn’t capitalize on the chances we had.”
Fillier’s historic career comes to an end in Game 2 loss
The next day, the Tigers returned to the ice facing elimination. After the heartbreaking loss the squad endured the night before, Princeton ran out of gas.
Both sides had plenty of opportunities early on, nearly combining for 20 shots on goal in the first period. However, neither team put the puck past the opposing goaltender.
In the second period, Clarkson showed its brilliance and backed up its national ranking. After three close meetings with the Tigers, the Golden Knights netted three goals in five minutes to take a commanding 3–0 lead in the second period.
The third period was an offensive shootout, as there were a staggering six goals scored in the first 12 minutes of the period. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the goals were evenly split and Clarkson held a 6–3 lead with eight minutes remaining. The Golden Knights cruised to a 6–3 victory after controlling possession for the remaining eight minutes.
Two of the three Tiger goals came from none other than Fillier. The two goals brought the senior forward to 30 goals on the season, and gave Fillier the tenth 30-goal season in program history.
8' left, 3rd pd | #3 Clarkson 6, #12 Princeton 3
— Princeton Women's Ice Hockey (@PWIH) March 2, 2024
Another from Fillier! That's #30 of the season!@SarahFillier91 puts up our first 30-goal season since 2020 and our second in the last 20 years!
💻: https://t.co/NlMxVhYW8U pic.twitter.com/ODYuG40qtV
“She was a three-year captain for us, and so her contributions to our program are both on and off the ice,” Morey wrote.
The other Tiger goal came courtesy of sophomore forward Emerson O’Leary. O’Leary was third on the team with 25 assists on the season.
As Princeton walked off the ice, the historic career for Fillier ended. Alongside the Tiger legend, six other seniors will graduate this May.
“We will miss all our seniors next year,” Morey said. “We are fortunate to have a strong team returning along with an incoming recruiting class that’s ranked top five in the nation. I expect us to be a program that continues to be one of the top programs in the NCAA.”
Since the Tigers’ play in the ECAC — the most competitive league in women’s college hockey that features seven of the top 12 teams in the nation — the squad will not be making it to the NCAA tournament.
Morey ended by saying, “While we wished for a longer playoff run, I’m still proud of everything the team accomplished this year.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please direct any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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