Yale then wrapped up its berth in the ECAC semifinals against Harvard with a 4-2 victory on Saturday.

Out west, a number of the underdogs scored first—including St. Cloud State and Bemidji State, which held a 2-1 advantage over No. 1 Minnesota in the second period—but ultimately could not hold their own against the top seeds.

In second-round action, the third-seeded Wisconsin squad upset Duluth—the No. 2 team in the nation—in overtime for a shot at the WCHA playoff crown against Minnesota.

FIRST-TIMERS

The playoff matchup was the first in Clarkson’s program history. After just joining Division I last year and moving into the ECAC this season, the Golden Knights impressed most observers by approaching a .500 record in league play and grabbing the last playoff spot.

Nevertheless, it seemed, to a degree, that Clarkson’s lack of experience—only one senior skates on the team, while the others are either sophomores or freshmen—showed as the Crimson came out quickly on Friday and scored four goals in the first period.

“I’ve been really impressed with Clarkson since the beginning of the season,” Corriero said. “They are a hardworking team, and they don’t let up. We are really happy to have a team like that as our first opponent [in the playoffs].”

After the Golden Knights settled into the rhythm of the game, the contest grew tighter in the second and third periods. According to its coach, the Crimson can stand to learn something from the hard play shown by Clarkson.

“They’ve got nothing to lose,” Stone said. “They come out real hard. That’s how was want to play.”

Over the course of the weekend, the Golden Knights only took a total of four penalties, demonstrating the discipline and clean hockey that has propelled them all season long.

As their season statistics indicate though, their weakness is the power play—and Harvard managed to score on two of its four opportunities over the two games.

—Staff writer Gabriel M. Velez can be reached at gmvelez@fas.harvard,edu.