MINNEAPOLIS – The Mercyhurst women’s hockey team returned to the site of its last Frozen Four game – University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena.
This experience wasn’t any better. The Lakers fell behind 13 seconds into their NCAA Division I semifinal matchup with Boston University. They never recovered on the way to a season-ending 4-1 loss Friday night that ended Mercyhurst’s hopes at the program’s first national championship.
Instead, the third-seeded Terriers (28-5-3) will play for the title Sunday at 4 p.m. against defending champion Minnesota at Ridder Arena. The host Golden Gophers (40-0-0) beat No. 4 Boston College 3-2 in overtime in the opening semifinal to extend their winning streak to 48 straight games.
The Terriers, which have won 10 straight games, have reached the title game for the second time in the past three seasons. They beat Cornell in the semifinals before losing to Wisconsin 4-1 in the championship game at Erie Insurance Arena.
Mercyhurst (29-7-1) finished the season one win shy of matching the most single-season wins in program history. Mercyhurst avoided the shutout on Christie Cicero‘s 14th goal of the season with 1:53 left in the game. Christine Bestland and Vaila Higson assisted on the goal.

NCAA Women’s Frozen Four schedule
at Ridder Arena – Minneapolis, Minn.
Semifinals – Friday
No. 1 Minnesota 3, No. 4 Boston College 2 (OT)
No. 3 Boston University 4, Mercyhurst 1
Championship game – Sunday
Minnesota (40-0-0) vs. Boston University (28-5-3), 4 p.m.
Note: The title game will be streamed live on NCAA.com.

SUMMARY

Boston Univ. 4, Mercyhurst 1
Mercyhurst 0 0 1 — 1
Boston Univ. 1 1 2 — 4
1st Period — 1. BU, Jenelle Kohanchuk 24 (Poulin, Fratkin), :13. Penalties — Bestland (M) tripping, 4:41; Lefort (B) slashing, 8:08.
2nd Period — 2. BU, Isabel Menard 16 (Warren), 1:00. Penalties — Cicero (M) body checking, 3:03; Dingeldein (M) roughing, 5:14; Warren (B) roughing, 5:14; Lefort (B) elbowing, 11:40; Dingeldein (M) roughing, 11:40; Stoneburgh (B) 5-min. grasping the facemask, 11:40; Byrne (M) body checking, 14:21.
3rd Period — 3. BU, Kathryn Miller 2 (Kohanchuk), 3:02. 4. BU, Marie-Philip Poulin 18 (unassisted), 9:57. 4. Mercyhurst, Christie Cicero 14 (Bestland, Higson), 18:07. Penalties — BU, too many players on the ice, 12:26; Fratkin (B) interference, 15:44.
Shots on goal — Mercyhurst, 6-11-11—28; BU, 12-16-4—32.
Goaltenders — Mercyhurst, Stephanie Ciampa 19-2-0 (32 shots, 28 saves); BU, Kerrin Sperry 24-4-3 (28 shots, 27 saves).
Power plays — Mercyhurst (0-5), BU (0-2).

NCAA Women’s Frozen Four schedule
at Ridder Arena – Minneapolis, Minn.
Semifinals – Friday
No. 1 Minnesota (39-0-0) vs. No. 4 Boston College (27-6-3), 6 p.m.
Mercyhurst (29-6-1) vs. No. 3 Boston University (27-5-3), 9 p.m.
Championship game – Sunday
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.
Note: All three games will be streamed live on NCAA.com. WMCE-FM/88.5 will broadcast Mercyhurst’s game tonight and Sunday’s championship game (if the Lakers advance).

Frozen Four teams at a glance
Mercyhurst Lakers (29-6-1)
Coach: Michael Sisti, 14th season (363-98-30)
Players to watch: Jr. F Christine Bestland (28 goals, 41 assists, 69 points), Sr. G Stephanie Ciampa (19-1-0 record, 1.37 goals-against average, .937 save percentage, 4 shutouts), Fr. F Jenna Dingeldein (14-27-41), Fr. F Emily Janiga (19-21-40), So. D Molly Byrne (8-24-32)
Frozen Four facts: Has reached the Frozen Four for the third time (2009-10, 2013) during a NCAA-record nine straight appearances in the national playoffs, but has never won a national championship. … Has a 1-2 Frozen Four record, with the lone win coming against Minnesota in the 2009 semifinals. … Lost to Wisconsin in the 2009 title game. … Lost to Cornell in the 2010 semifinals at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, site of this weekend’s Frozen Four. … Has a 4-7 record in the NCAA playoffs. … Has a 4-2 all-time record against Boston University, tonight’s semifinal opponent, including a 4-2 national quarterfinal loss in Boston in their last meeting (March 12, 2011).
Outlook: The Lakers are decided underdogs as the only unseeded team in the field. But is this the year they claim their first national title?

No. 3 Boston University Terriers (27-5-3)
Coach: Brian Durocher, 8th season (158-92-37)
Players to watch: Jr. F Marie-Philip Poulin (17 goals, 34 assists, 51 points), Jr. G Kerrin Sperry (23-4-3 record, 2.19 goals-against average, .914 save percentage, 4 shutouts), Sr. F Isabel Menard (15-29-44), Sr. F Jenelle Kohanchuk (23-20-43), Fr. F Sarah Lefort (23-19-42)
Frozen Four facts: Has reached the Frozen Four for the second time and the NCAA playoffs for the fourth straight time in the program’s eight-year history. … Reached the Frozen Four in 2011 at Erie Insurance Arena (beat Cornell 4-1 in the semifinal, but lost 4-1 to Wisconsin in the title game. … Lost to Cornell 8-7 in overtime in the 2012 quarterfinals. … Tied a school record for wins in a season. … Poulin was named to the Canadian Women’s National Team that will play in the IIHF Women’s World Championship next month in Ottawa, Ontario. … Menard transferred from Syracuse, Mercyhurst’s College Hockey America rival, after her sophomore season.
Outlook: The Terriers have another shot at the national title that slipped away in Erie two years ago. Mercyhurst stands in their way.

No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers (39-0-0)
Coach: Brad Frost, 5th season (145-36-16)
Players to watch: Jr. F Amanda Kessel (44 goals, 53 assists, 97 points), Sr. G Noora Raty (36-0-0 record, 0.88 goals-against average, .959 save percentage, 17 shutouts), Fr. F Hannah Brandt (31-49-80), Sr. D Megan Bozek (20-35-55), Fr. F Maryanne Menefee (16-19-35)
Frozen Four facts: Have won three national championships (2004, 2005, 2012) in nine trips to the Frozen Four (2002-06, 2009-10, 2012). … Was led in 2012 by Jen Schoullis, a Girard native who now plays for the Boston Blades (CWHL) and the United States National Team. … Has a 47-game winning streak. … Needed three overtimes to beat WCHA rival North Dakota in the quarterfinals. … Has all three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which honors the national player of the year (Bozek, Kessel and Raty). … Has won 21 games by shutout. .. Has outscored opponents 207-31. … Lost in the semifinals in the Frozen Four’s last trip to Ridder Arena in Minneapolis in 2010.
Outlook: The Golden Gophers are the clear favorite to win the natioal title on their home ice. They also have all the pressure on their shoulders.

No. 4 Boston College Eagles (27-6-3)
Coach: Katie King Crowley, 6th season (119-61-34)
Players to watch: So. F Alex Carpenter (32 goals, 37 assists, 69 points), Sr. D Blake Bolden (6-23-29), Fr. F Haley Skarupa (24-27-51), Sr. G Corinne Boyles (22-4-1 record, 1.79 goals-against average, .927 save percentage, 3 shutouts), So. F Emily Field (15-29-44)
Frozen Four facts: Has reached the Frozen Four for the third straight season. … Lost to Wisconsin in the semifinals the past two seasons – 3-2 in 2011 at Erie Insurance Arena and 6-2 a season ago in Duluth, Minn. … Enjoying the best season in program history, headlined by an offense that set a school record with 4.36 goals per game. … Lost to Northeastern in the Hockey East Association semifinals, but rebounded with a 3-1 NCAA quarterfinal win against Harvard last weekend. … Has a 1-4-1 all-time record against Minnesota, their Final Four opponent.
Outlook: The Eagles never have won a Frozen Four game. But a win over the defending champs could vault them to their first national title.

- Victor Fernandes

Former Mercyhurst hockey players Meghan Agosta-Marciano and Bailey Bram earned roster spots on the Canadian National Women’s Team that will compete for gold in the IIHF Women’s World Championship April 2-9 in Ottawa, Ontario.
They are joined on the team by Laura Fortino, Brianne Jenner and Lauriane Rougeau, who were on the Cornell team that lost to the Lakers in the NCAA Division I quarterfinals this past weekend. Boston University junior Marie-Philip Poulin, who faces Mercyhurst Friday in the Frozen Four semifinals, also is on the team.

ITHACA, N.Y. – Mercyhurst women’s hockey coach Michael Sisti spent only a few moments in the dressing room before overtime.
He knew his Lakers played well for the first 60 minutes against Cornell, the nation’s second-ranked team. He simply reminded them of that.
“I wanted them to play fearless and confident and let it all hang out,” Sisti said. “I don’t know what they said after I left.”
The team’s message was simple – stay focused and positive. “We knew why we were working hard,” said freshman forward Jenna Dingeldein, who scored her 15th goal of the season 4 minutes, 49 seconds into the extra period Saturday at Lynah Rink to seal a 4-3 win in the NCAA Division I quarterfinals and earn a spot in next weekend’s Frozen Four at the University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
Mercyhurst (29-6-1) will face third-seeded Boston University (27-5-3), a 5-3 quarterfinal winner against Clarkson Saturday, in Friday’s semifinals at either 6 or 9 p.m. The Lakers, which avenged a 4-0 loss to Cornell Jan. 29 in Ithaca, will play in the national semifinals for the third time in the program’s history and for the first time since losing 3-2 in overtime to Cornell at Ridder Arena in 2010.

- Victor Fernandes

NCAA Women’s Division I Tournament schedule
Quarterfinals – Saturday
Mercyhurst 4, No. 2 Cornell 3 (OT)
No. 4 Boston College 3, Harvard 1
No. 3 Boston University 5, Clarkson 3
North Dakota (26-11-1) at No. 1 Minnesota (38-0-0), 5 p.m.
Semifinals*
Friday at Ridder Arena – Minneapolis, Minn.
UND-Minnesota winner vs. Boston College (27-6-3), 6 or 9 p.m.
Mercyhurst (29-6-1) vs. Boston University (27-5-3), 6 or 9 p.m.
Championship game*
March 24 at Ridder Arena – Minneapolis, Minn.
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.
* Streamed live on NCAA.com

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 4, Cornell 3 (OT)
Mercyhurst 1 0 2 1 — 4
Cornell 0 2 1 0 — 3
1st Period — 1. Mercyhurst, Gina Buquet 6 (Hendrikx, Bestland), 8:34. Penalties — Brown (C) cross checking, 12:33; Byrne (M) tripping, 13:00; Woods (C) tripping, 19:02.
2nd Period — 2. Cornell, Brianne Jenner 35 (Fortino, Rougeau), 12:21 (pp). 3. Cornell, Jess Brown 3 (Richardson), 19:00. Penalties — Byrne (M) hooking, :47; DeSutter (M) delay of game, 10:56; Byrne (M) interference, 11:55; Gagliardi (C) interference, 14:44; DeSutter (M) unsportsmanlike conduct, 15:28; Fulton (C) unsportsmanlike conduct, 15:28; Dingeldein (M) cross checking, 16:12; Campbell (C) roughing, 16:12; Rougeau (C) body checking, 19:08.
3rd Period — 4. Mercyhurst, Stephanie DeSutter 8 (Bestland, Dingeldein), 7:29. 5. Mercyhurst, Caroline Luczak 3 (Welch), 18:47. 6. Cornell, Jillian Saulnier 10 (Jenner), 19:04. Penalties — Gagliardi (C) body checking, :08; Chippy (M) body checking, 12:12; Richardson (C) body checking, 16:16.
Overtime — Mercyhurst, Jenna Dingeldein 15 (Kilroy, DeSutter), 4:49. Penalties — None.
Shots on goal — Mercyhurst, 16-11-5-2—34; Cornell, 7-11-10-4—32.
Goaltenders — Mercyhurst, Stephanie Ciampa 20-1-0 (32 shots, 29 saves); Cornell, Lauren Slebodnick 24-6-1 (34 shots, 30 saves).
Power plays — Mercyhurst (0-6), Cornell (1-4).
Referees — Katie Guay, Tom Quinn. Linesmen — Bridget Waitkus, Bob Sloper.
Attendance — 2,327.

The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team will face Cornell Saturday at 1 p.m. in their NCAA Division I quarterfinal game at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, N.Y. All four games in the opening round will be played Saturday. Harvard (24-6-3) and fourth-seeded Boston College (26-6-3) will join the Lakers (28-6-1) and second-seeded Big Red (27-5-1) in playing at 1 p.m. Clarkson (28-9-0) travels to No. 3 Boston University for a 3 p.m. game, while top-seeded and defending champion Minnesota (38-0-0) hosts North Dakota (26-11-1) at 5 p.m.
In other news, the Lakers swept College Hockey America’s weekly honors. Junior forward Christine Bestland was named player of the week for totaling two goals and three points in wins against Robert Morris and Syracuse that clinched the program’s 10th conference title in the past 11 years. Senior Stephanie Ciampa earned top goaltender honors for stopping 45-of-47 shots in the two games. Jenna Dingeldein had a goal and three points to earn top rookie honors.

NCAA Women’s Division I Tournament schedule
Quarterfinals – Saturday
Harvard (24-6-3) at No. 4 Boston College (26-6-3), 1 p.m.
Mercyhurst (28-6-1) at No. 2 Cornell (27-5-1), 1 p.m.
Clarkson (28-9-0) at No. 3 Boston University (26-5-3), 3 p.m.
North Dakota (26-11-1) at No. 1 Minnesota (38-0-0), 5 p.m.
Semifinals*
March 22 at Ridder Arena – Minneapolis, Minn.
UND-Minnesota winner vs. Harvard-BC winner, 6 or 9 p.m.
Mercyhurst-Cornell winner vs. Clarkson-BU winner, 6 or 9 p.m.
Championship game*
March 24 at Ridder Arena – Minneapolis, Minn.
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.
* Streamed live on NCAA.com

NCAA Women’s Division I Tournament schedule
Quarterfinals – Friday or Saturday
North Dakota (26-11-1) at No. 1 Minnesota (38-0-0), Saturday at 5 p.m.
Harvard (24-6-3) at No. 4 Boston College (26-6-3), Saturday at 1 p.m.
Mercyhurst (28-6-1) at No. 2 Cornell (27-5-1), TBD
Clarkson (28-9-0) at No. 3 Boston University (26-5-3), Saturday at 3 p.m.
Semifinals*
March 22 at Ridder Arena – Minneapolis, Minn.
UND-Minnesota winner vs. Harvard-BC winner, 6 or 9 p.m.
Mercyhurst-Cornell winner vs. Clarkson-BU winner, 6 or 9 p.m.
Championship game*
March 24 at Ridder Arena – Minneapolis, Minn.
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.
* Streamed live on NCAA.com

The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team gained one spot in the latest USCHO.com Division I poll, which was released Monday. The Lakers (2-0-0), which swept a season-opening series with College Hockey America newcomer Rochester Institute of Technology this past weekend, passed Northeastern (0-0-0) for the ninth spot with 34 voting points.
Defending national champion Minnesota (2-0-0) retained the No. 1 spot after sweeping Colgate by a combined 18-0 score this past weekend. Cornell (0-0-0) and Boston College (0-0-0) moved up one spot to second and third, respectively, despite not playing any games. Wisconsin fell to fourth from second after a win and tie against unranked Minnesota State-Mankato. North Dakota (0-0-0), Boston University (0-0-0), St. Lawrence (0-0-0) and Minnesota Duluth (0-0-0) rounded out the top 10.
Quinnipiac (0-0-0), which hosts Mercyhurst Friday and Saturday, made the honorable mention list with two points.

The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team will begin the 2012-13 season ranked 10th in the USCHO.com Division I poll, which was released Monday. The Lakers begin the season Saturday with an 3 p.m. exhibition game against Stoney Creek (Ontario) at Mercyhurst Ice Center. The regular season begins Sept. 28 at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Defending national champion Minnesota tops the list after receiving all 15 first-place votes, followed by Wisconsin, Cornell, Boston College and North Dakota. Boston University stands sixth, ahead of St. Lawrence, Minnesota Duluth, Northeastern and the Lakers. Robert Morris, which snapped Mercyhurst’s nine-year run as College Hockey America Tournament champion a season ago, received one vote in the poll.

The Mercyhurst women’s team earned the eighth and final seed in the NCAA Women’s Division I Tournament.

That means a quarterfinal matchup against top-ranked Wisconsin (31-4-2), the defending national champion, on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. The sixth-ranked Lakers (23-7-3) learned their fate during the NCAA’s webcast Sunday night.

Wisconsin won the 2011 national title with a 4-1 win against Boston University last March at Tullio Arena.

Meanwhile, Girard native Jen Schoullis and second-seeded Minnesota (31-5-2) begin their quest for a national title on Saturday at 5 p.m. against No. 7 North Dakota (22-11-3).

The quarterfinals earn berths in the Frozen Four, which will be held March 16 and 18 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minn. Here’s the schedule for next weekend’s quarterfinals and the rest of the tournament:

Quarterfinals – Saturday

No. 5 St. Lawrence (24-9-4) at No. 4 Boston College (23-9-3), 1 p.m.

No. 6 Boston University (23-13-1) at No. 3 Cornell (29-4-0), 2 p.m.

No. 7 North Dakota (22-11-3) at No. 2 Minnesota (31-5-2), 5 p.m.

No. 8 Mercyhurst (23-7-3) at No. 1 Wisconsin (31-4-2), 8 p.m.

Semifinals

March 16 at Amsoil Arena – Duluth, Minn.

Wisconsin-Mercyhurst winner vs. BC-SLU winner, 6 or 9 p.m.

Minnesota-North Dakota winner vs. Cornell-BU winner, 6 or 9 p.m.

Championship game

March 18 at Amsoil Arena – Duluth, Minn.

Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.

- Victor Fernandes