NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The emotions of Senior Day combined with the heat of a playoff chase combined to produce a memorable battle between the Yale women's ice hockey team and Cornell Saturday afternoon at Ingalls Rink -- one that was not decided until an empty-netter by the Big Red put the game out of reach with 57 seconds and led to a 4-2 final. With the win, Cornell moved within one point of Yale for the eighth and final ECAC Hockey playoff spot.

The Bulldogs celebrated their five seniors -- forward Hanna Åström, forward Janelle Ferrara, goalie Rachelle Graham, forward Jamie Haddad and defenseman Kate Martini -- by starting them all. Junior goalie Hanna Mandl eventually came on in relief of Graham, who made three saves before departing.

The game was marked by some crazy bounces, and unfortunately for the Bulldogs the last one went against them. Yale (10-16-1, 9-10-1 ECAC Hockey) took an early lead when junior forward Krista Yip-Chuck got the puck from Haddad and sent it toward the slot, where it deflected in off the skate of junior forward Phoebe Staenz at 7:17 of the first. Cornell then tied the game with just 41.7 seconds left in the period. After Mandl went down to make a save, the puck remained loose. Eventually, forward Taylor Woods was able to send it across to the crease to forward Kaitlin Doering, who was wide open at the back door and poked it in.

The Bulldogs limited Cornell to just four shots in the second, but neither team found the back of the net and the game remained tied heading into the third. Early in the period Cornell (10-13-4, 6-10-4 ECAC Hockey) killed off its only penalty of the game, but shortly after that the Bulldogs jumped ahead. Sophomore forward Eden Murray got the play started by stealing the puck, then sending it over to Ferrara. Ferrara drove hard to the net, and forced Cornell goalie Paula Voorheis to make a save. But the puck popped off Voorheis' stick, hit Ferrara, and then ricocheted over to Murray at the far post. She put in her sixth goal of the year and put the Bulldogs up 2-1 at the 6:16 mark. The play was reviewed twice, but the goal stood.

The game then took a decisive turn in Cornell's favor, though. First, after the faceoff following Murray's goal, Big Red forward Hanna Bunton wristed a shot on goal that hit off Mandl's shoulder, bounced up, hit her in the back and went over the goal line. That tied the game 2-2 at 6:31. Just over a minute later, a shot by Bunton hit off a Yale defender near the goal and deflected past Mandl at 7:40 to give Cornell a 3-2 lead.

Those two goals, combined with a penalty on Yale with 10:06 to play, ultimately proved to be the final turning point. Yale pulled Mandl with 1:29 left but could not get a quality chance before forward Sydney Smith stole the puck near the Yale blue line and scored an empty-netter to make the final 4-2. Mandl finished with 19 saves, while Voorheis made 23.

Despite the loss, the Bulldogs still had plenty to celebrate in looking back at the progress the program has made during the Class of 2016's four seasons. The Bulldogs had gone from 2009 through 2013 without making the ECAC Hockey playoffs, and they now have made it two years straight thanks in part to the seniors' contributions. They also remain in control of their own destiny for a third straight playoff appearance, as four points next weekend would guarantee Yale a spot.

"They were the first class that we really had an opportunity to recruit," said Flygh, who joined the Bulldogs for the 2010-11 season. "I started August 1, and Jess Koizumi started in September. That was the first class where we really had the chance to spend some time and get to know their families. We got to celebrate in the office when we got them committed, because we knew what it meant for the future of the program. They have whole-heartedly bought in. They have all served in different roles, and have brought character and leadership on a daily basis."

Yale plays at St. Lawrence Friday.

Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity