DURHAM, N.H.– The third-ranked Colgate women's hockey team will take on the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday with a trip to the National Championship on the line. The winner of Friday's contest will move on to face either No. 1 Ohio State or No. 4 Clarkson on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. in the Whittemore Center Arena. 

Colgate most recently clinched the program's second-ever Frozen Four berth with a 3-1 victory against No. 6 Cornell in the NCAA Regional Championship last Saturday. Sophomore forward and Third Team All-ECAC selection Elyssa Biederman scored or assisted on each of Colgate's three tallies, but she is far from the Raiders' only scoring threat. 

Danielle Serdachny, a top 10 finalist for the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will look to continue her legendary career as a Raider after being selected to an All-ECAC team in each of her five seasons at Colgate. The fifth-year forward was most recently named to the league's First Team thanks to a 61-point season, good for the fourth-highest point total in the country. 

ECAC Rookie of the Year Emma Pais will also play a large role in Friday night's semifinal as she headlines the highest-scoring first-year class at the Frozen Four. Pais, Madeline Palumbo, Kaia Malachino, Ella Belfry, Jaimee Spring and Avery Pickering have combined for 89 points this season, two tallies ahead of Ohio State's rookie class who tacked on 87 points in 2023-24. 

Defensively, senior goalie Kayle Osborne will need to continue the hot streak she has ridden through the ECAC and NCAA postseason. In four playoff starts, including a 30-save shutout against Clarkson in the ECAC Championship, Osborne has only allowed three goals while boasting a 0.75 GAA. 

The defenders in front of her have played a large part in Osborne's dominance, namely the top two pairs in Sydney Morrow/Sydney Bard and Avery Pickering/Allyson Simpson. Morrow, a Second Team All-Conference selection, is tied for the most points by a blueliner in the NCAA despite missing six games in January with an injury. 

Pickering is the youngest player in the country, but continues to play above her years alongside Simpson and Bard, who were both invited to the U.S. National Women's Team Evaluation Camp along with Morrow. 

Colgate has dueled with Wisconsin twice before with both games taking place on the NCAA Tournament stage. The Badgers bested the Raiders in last year's Regional Final in Hamilton, but Colgate claimed victory in a 2018 overtime thriller at the Frozen Four. 

Fans can catch this weekend's rematch on ESPN+, or follow along with the live stats here. Tickets for the NCAA Quarterfinal can be purchased with this link.