Giguere scores in OT; Clarkson wins 2nd straight NCAA crown

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — More than three periods of hockey didn’t matter to Clarkson again.

Elizabeth Giguere scored 7:55 into overtime and the Golden Knights won their second straight NCAA women’s hockey title and third in five years with a 2-1 win over Colgate on Sunday.

Stealing the puck from a defender just outside the Colgate blue lane, Giguere 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.

Wearing a championship hat, Giguere’s memory of her goal is a bit foggy.

“I just saw the defense cutting to the middle and I was like, ‘I need to put pressure’ at that point. I just won that battle, then I was alone with the goalie and I kind of blacked out, like I can’t really remember what happened. It went on the net and that’s all that matters,” she said.

“I wish I could make plays like that when I black out,” quipped coach Matt Desrosiers.

It was the lone shot of overtime.

Cassidy Vinkle also scored for the Golden Knights (36-4-1), playing their third straight tournament overtime game.

Giguere, a freshman who finished with 27 goals, including six game-winners, had the overtime winner against Mercyhurst in the quarterfinals. Loren Gabel, who had a team-best 36 tallies, scored the overtime winner in Friday’s semifinal win over Ohio State.

“To win three games in overtime, to win it like they did, just shows the resiliency and the character that we have in that locker room,” Desrosiers said.

Clarkson played five overtime games in the regular season.

Shea Tiley, who finished with 27 saves and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, said Clarkson’s fourth-period plan was basic.

“We were going to continue to get more if we kept things simple and kept to our game plan. No one was really worried; we were all just excited to get out there and win in another overtime.”

Every game in the 2018 Frozen Four went past three periods. Colgate beat Wisconsin 4-3 in double-overtime in tis semifinal.

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.

“It would have been great to win today, but I’m leaving here, and they should leave here, with their heads high because if everything they’ve accomplished this year,” coach Greg Fargo said.

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.

“This was probably our best showing against them,” captain Annika Zalewski said. “I’m happy with the way we played for the most part, but obviously a couple bounces we’d like to have back.”

One did go the Raiders way.

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.

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