Potsdam, NY – In a series dominated by Friday's visitors, the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team’s luck still has yet to change as Princeton’s lone goal went in off a defender’s skate, giving the Tigers a 1-0 win over the Golden Knights in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal opener Friday afternoon in front of 423 fans at Cheel Arena.

The Tigers take a 1-0 lead in the quarterfinals, a series that Clarkson will try to tie up at 2:00 pm on Saturday. The third game, if necessary, will be played at 2:00 pm on Sunday. The ninth-ranked Golden Knights, and fourth seeded ECAC Hockey team, dropped to 22-8-5 overall, while Princeton, seeded fifth, moved up to 14-10-6. Clarkson’s loss was its second straight, but the Knights have not lost three games in a row all season.

Neither team produced much offensively in the first period as the two teams combined for just 11 shots, but Princeton was able to come through with one of its efforts to make the score 1-0 after the opening period. Late in the period, a scramble in front of the Knights’ goal ended with the puck bouncing off a Clarkson defender’s skate over the goal line, giving Christine Foster her sixth goal of the season, an unassisted tally, at 18:49. Assisting on the score were Katherine Dineen and Melanie Wallace.

The Golden Knights looked to have a good scoring opportunity early on in the second period. While skating shorthanded, Clarkson got the benefit of a carom near mid-ice, and junior Marie-Jo Gaudet (Sherbrooke, QUE) raced into the slot to get the loose puck on a potential break away, but Princeton goalkeeper Kristen Young was able to tip it out of the way to avoid the possible game-tying goal.

Clarkson had three power play chances in the final period, including a two-man advantage in the final minutes when the Knights pulled the goalie with one minute remaining in the contest, but could not find the equalizer. The Knights out shot Princeton in all three periods (6-5 in first, 10-5 in second, and 8-6 in third for a game total of 24-16), and, though Clarkson is still winless in nine tries against the Tigers, the Golden Knights have out shot Princeton in each of the last five games.

Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY) made 15 saves for Clarkson, while Young made 24 saves, her seventh shutout of the season. The Knights went 0-for-5 on the power play and Princeton was 0-for-1 with the man advantage.