LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The Yale women's ice hockey team came up short in the ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship game, falling to Quinnipiac 3-0 at 1980 Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.

With the victory, Quinnipiac earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Women's Hockey Tournament. The Bobcats secured their second-ever ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship and improved to 28-8-3 overall.

Yale, the ECAC Co-Regular Season Champions, finished as the tournament runner-up. The Bulldogs dropped to 25-9 overall but are currently ranked eighth in the National Collegiate Percentage Index (NPI) and in position to earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. Yale boasts an impressive résumé that includes seven wins over teams ranked in the top 15 in the NPI.

Scoring Summary
• P1, 6:32 | Ella Johnson scored the game's opening goal to give Quinnipiac the early lead. 1-0 QU
• End of 1st | Quinnipiac held the one-goal advantage through the first period of play. The Bulldogs earned a power play opportunity but could not convert.
• P2, 9:21 | Avery Bairos doubled the Quinnipiac lead with a goal midway through the second period. 2-0 QU
• End of 2nd | The Bulldogs outshot the Bobcats 22-12 during the period. Near the end of the period, an apparent goal by Yale was waved off because of a whistle by the referee before the Quinnipiac goaltender had complete control of the puck.
• P3, 3:45 | Quinnipiac added its third goal of the game on a score by Aynsley D'Ottavio. 3-0 QU
• P3, 12:54 | YALE GOAL! The Bulldogs were able to cut into Quinnipiac's lead with just over seven minutes left in the third. Molly Boyle delivered a stretch pass to Jordan Ray, who was able to stay onsides, earning a two-on-one. Ray passed through the slot to Mariya Rauf, who finished with a backhander. 3-1 QU
• P3, 17:18 | Johnson scored her second goal of the game, an empty-netter. 4-1 QU
• P3, 17:41 | The Bobcats added a second empty-net goal to seal the victory. 5-1 QU

Game Notes
• Yale played in its second-ever ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship game. The Bulldogs previously competed in the title game in 2022.
• The Bulldogs lost only their second contest of 2026. The team is 16-2 during the new year.
• Yale outshot Quinnipiac 54-38.
• Ray and Carina DiAntonio were named to the ECAC Hockey All-Tournament Team.
• Rauf tallied her eighth goal of the season.
• Ray added her 33rd assist of the year and 90th of her career. She passed Claire Dalton for second on the Bulldogs' all-time list.
• Boyle recorded her 23rd assist of the season.

Up Next
Yale will await the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday, March 8, at 11:30 a.m. to learn its postseason fate. The selection show will air on ESPNU.