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HAMILTON – Starr Rink refused to go quietly, and the same is true for Colgate's gutsy group of women's hockey players.
 
Shae Labbe scored 14:45 into overtime, lifting No. 9 Colgate to a thrilling 3-2 victory over nemesis Harvard and advancing the Raiders to the ECAC Hockey tournament semifinals for the second time in program history.
 
Capping a glorious final weekend in one of college hockey's fabled arenas, Colgate tore up the history book for yet another chapter with its record 22nd victory of the season. None has been sweeter than Sunday's beauty that will be remembered for a long time in the annals of Raider hockey.
 
The Raiders needed a goal in the third period and another in overtime to get past the Crimson, which had been quite the thorn in Colgate's pads over the years. Harvard entered the weekend 27-1-2 all-time against Colgate before the Raiders put a dent in that series record Friday and then completed the 2-games-to-1 series win Sunday afternoon.
 
Megan Sullivan's fifth goal of the series 2:36 into the third period pulled the Raiders even, and then Labbe won it well into the sudden-death overtime session to set off a furious celebration on the ice and in the stands.
 
It's also quite a cap to a memorable final weekend of hockey in Starr Rink, which opened in 1959 and gives way next season to the Class of 1965 Arena. In addition to the women's series victory over Harvard, the men completed a weekend sweep with triumphs over No. 17-ranked RPI and Union.
 
With Sunday's win, the Raiders snapped Harvard's streak of 17 consecutive seasons playing in the ECAC Hockey last four.
 
Senior Ashlynne Rando single-handedly kept Colgate in the contest with a brilliant 40-save performance, including a 17-save middle frame. Two notable stops came back-to-back early in the second period on shots from Lexie Laing. After sprawling out to make an unbelievable save on a close-range shot, Rando quickly kicked out her leg to deny Laing yet again on the rebounded attempt.
 
She, along with fellow classmates Katelyn Parker and Nicole Gass, extend their final season for at least one more game in the Maroon and White.
 
Colgate takes on second-seeded Clarkson this Saturday at Quinnipiac. Puck drop is slated for 4 p.m. The host Bobcats take on St. Lawrence in the other semifinal at 1 p.m.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 3, Harvard 2 - OT

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate set a program record with its 22nd victory of the year. The Raiders head into the league semifinals with an overall record of 22-8-7.
• Harvard closes out its year with a mark of 17-12-3.
 
Key Raider Info
• Sullivan finished the weekend with five of Colgate's eight goals, including her third two-goal game of the year on Sunday.
• Labbe notched her third game-winner of the season.
• Sullivan and Labbe led Colgate in shots with six each.
• Rando registered 40 stops in the contest for her first 40+ save night since back on Nov. 6. In that contest she pushed aside 44 stops in a 0-0 draw with No. 7 Quinnipiac.
 
Raider Goals
• 1st period: Sullivan, with an assist to Jessie Eldridge
• 2nd period: no goals.
• 3rd period: Sullivan, with assists to Cat Quirion and Bailey Larson
• Overtime: Labbe, with Eldridge and Quirion on the assists
 
Scoring Recap
• Colgate started the scoring 5:11 into the contest when Sullivan netted her first tally of the game. Harvard was called for checking, awarding the Raiders a power play opportunity. The Crimson had nearly killed off the penalty but Sullivan was able to redirect an Eldridge shot with just eight seconds left on man advantage to hand Colgate the 1-0 edge.
• Less than four minutes later Harvard knotted the score at 1-1 after Lexie Laing's found the back of the net.
• Grace Zarzecki handed the visitors the go-ahead marker with a little more than seven minutes to play in the opening period.
• After a scoreless middle frame, the Raiders erased the one-goal deficit just 2:36 in the final period when Sullivan earned her second tally of the contest. Bailey Larson played the puck up to Quirion, who was waiting between the two faceoff circles. The junior captain then tried her luck on net. Sullivan stepped in to redirect her shot and it paid off as the puck took a lucky turn and sailed past the Crimson netminder Emerance Maschmeyer for the tying goal.
• Neither team was able to tally the go-ahead marker in the remaining minutes of regulation, forcing an extra period.
• It took some time but Colgate finally broke through 14:45 into overtime after Quirion collected a loose puck in Harvard's defensive zone. Quirion fed it over to Eldridge, who slid the puck to a wide-open Labbe. The first-year then riffled a shot past the shoulder of Maschmeyer to lift her team into the league semifinals.

Facts & Figures
• Colgate went 1-for-1 on the power play, while Harvard finished 0-of-1.
• The Crimson outshot the Raiders 42-38 and recorded double-digit shots in all three periods.
• Colgate won the faceoff battle 48-34. Breanne Wilson-Bennett was the Raiders' best faceoff specialist winning 22 of her 36 attempts.
 
More Key Info
• Rando shifted her season total to 552 with her 11th win between the pipes.
• With Sullivan's two goals she is now tied with Annika Zalewski and Wilson-Bennett for tops on the team with 15 on the year.
• Bailey Larson is now tied for seventh all-time in Colgate's records book with 32 season points.
 
From the Sources
• Colgate head coach Greg Fargo: (On the game) "I couldn't be more proud of this team. We battled all game long against a very good Harvard squad. And despite allowing them to jump in front in that first period, we never gave up. That's all you can ask of a team is to never give up.
 
"We'll take this well deserved win, enjoy it, and get prepared for next weekend's ECAC Hockey semifinal and hopefully final."

Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance for Game 3 of Colgate's ECAC Hockey women's quarterfinal playoff game and the final contest ever played in Starr Rink was 740.
• This fall the Raiders are moving next door to the Class of 1965 Arena.

Up Next
• Colgate advances to the conference semifinals for just the second time in program history. The Raiders face Clarkson on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Quinnipiac's TD Bank Arena.
• The winner of the Colgate-Clarkson semifinal will meet the winner of the other semifinal contest between Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence, which is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday.  
• Live stats and video will be available at the start.







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