Cornell earns No. 3 seed, host Boston University in NCAA Quarterfinals Saturday
March 8, 2012 —
http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/icehockey-women/nc
The Cornell women’s hockey team earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament as an at-large, and will host Boston University this Saturday at 2 p.m. in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
While the Big Red (29-4) may not have been able to eat their cake and have it too after being upset by St. Lawrence in the ECAC Championship March 3, the Big Red still secured home ice for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The team learned of the at-large bid Sunday night while watching the selection show, and with a win against the Terriers (23-13-1), will earn its third consecutive trip to the Frozen Four. The Frozen Four will be held in Duluth, Minn. on March 16 and 18.
“We knew with our track record that we had a very high chance of making it to the NCAA Tournament (as an at-large),” said senior forward Catherine White in a phone interview. “The question was whether or not we were going to get the home ice advantage.”
Despite the loss against the Saints that denied the Big Red their third consecutive ECAC crown, the team looks forward to making it back to the Frozen Four and making a run at the national title.
“We would have liked to win the ECAC (tournament), but like any team, at the end of the year the ultimate goal is to win the NCAA (championship),” said White. “The fact that our ranking was so high still gives us the opportunity.”
The Big Red and the Terriers met twice during the regular season, and the Big Red defeated them 3-1 and 7-1 respectively the weekend of Nov. 25. The Terriers locked a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a double overtime victory against Providence hours before the tournament field was announced on March 4.
“We’re looking forward to playing BU,” said White. “(Boston University) is a really talented team…we won both games quite handedly, but their a completely different team and we’re not taking them lightly at all. They’re probably one of the best teams in the NCAA Tournament in my opinion.”