Postseason Preview: Women’s Ice Hockey Gears Up for ECHA Championship Clash with Worcester St.

WORCESTER, Mass. – After a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory in Friday night's semifinal over No. 3 Anna Maria, the second-seeded Rivier women's ice hockey team will face off against No. 1 Worcester St. in Sunday evening's Eastern Collegiate Hockey Alliance (ECHA) Championship with puck drop set for 4:50 p.m. from the Worcester Ice Center.

Brianna Rumptz played the hero for the Raiders on Friday, scoring with just 1:29 left to boost Rivier to the title game. Junior goaltender Rachel Hinkley made 52 saves in the contest, including the 1,000th of her career. Hinkley enters today's contest with a 5-1-1 record while posting a 1.01 goals-against average and a .973 save percentage.

Worcester St. qualified for the championship following a 6-0 victory over No. 4 MCLA on Friday afternoon. Senior Cassidhe Wozniak leads the Lancers with 27 points (16-11-27) through 25 games played. Graduate student Katie Puumala (11-15-26) follows right behind.

The Raiders and the Lancers have played four times this season, with Rivier posting a 1-2-1 record through those games. The lone win over Worcester St. came on Feb. 2 in another overtime thriller at the Worcester Ice Center, as Brianna Parent scored with just six seconds remaining.