When: Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m.
Who: No. 5 Colgate (13-3, 6-0 ECAC) vs. Princeton (4-4, 2-4 ECAC) and No. 7 Quinnipiac (11-3-1, 4-1-1 ECAC)
Where: Hobey Baker Rink, Princeton, N.J. and M&T Bank Arena, Hamden, Conn.

One final road trip remains in the 2024 calendar year, and for No. 5 Colgate women's hockey, it's one of the toughest it will face all season. 

The Raiders head out east for the weekend to face Princeton and No. 7 Quinnipiac for their second ECAC road trip of the season. Colgate's offense has boosted the Raiders to 10 consecutive wins, but now they face two conference foes eager to take down the reigning ECAC champions. 

"They're going to be organized, and they present two different challenges," Head coach Stefan Decosse said. "They both have identities, and they do an excellent job playing to their identities."

TOUGH TRIP
The trip out to New Jersey and Connecticut is one of the longest road trips Colgate will make in the regular season. It's also the hardest turn around the Raiders will have. 

"We're gearing up for a real, real tough road ECAC weekend," Decosse said. "And they're going to be two pretty monumental fights."

Colgate has had the luxury of playing at home for most of its season thus far, but since the ECAC teams do home-and-homes throughout conference play, the Raiders drew the weekend trip they're about to embark on. 

While it feels daunting, it's also a benchmark for Decosse and his staff to evaluate how their roster can manage these lengthy trips — which could come in handy later into 2025 for postseason play. After these two games on Friday and Saturday, the longest road trip Colgate will have left is the trip to Harvard in January. 

PRINCETON'S PROWESS
Although Princeton had a difficult start to its ECAC play, the Tigers enter this weekend's series on a two-game high after beating Harvard and Dartmouth on the road. Colgate is the first of two ranked teams Princeton welcomes this weekend, the other being No. 8 Cornell (who Quinnipiac hosts Friday night). 

Princeton's offense can be very quick, and the team averages over four goals per game so far. Most of their speedy scoring comes from the Tigers' ability to shoot the puck from every angle possible, giving Princeton an average of 36 shots per game. 

It will be a big test for Colgate's defense to keep Princeton's numbers below the average on Friday night, particularly on the penalty kill.The Tigers have the most successful power play scoring percentage in the NCAA, scoring 11 power play goals in 26 woman-up scenarios. 

TOP-10 BATTLE
Quinnipiac landed at No. 7 this week, and since Colgate remained at No. 5 after sweeping Dartmouth and Harvard, the Raiders are heading toward Connecticut with a top-10 battle looming. 

This is Colgate's third ranked game of the year, and the second matchup inside the top 10. The last time the Raiders faced a program that was highly-ranked was the home opener against Minnesota Duluth in early October. 

"We need everybody, and everyone's chipping in," Decosse said. "It's a testament to our players, they've been highly adaptable to some pretty unique challenges."

Quinnipiac is playing back-to-back top-10 games this weekend, hosting No. 8 Cornell the night before the Raiders come to town. The Bobcats are undefeated inside M&T Bank Arena this season, with keystone wins over Clarkson and St. Lawrence just last weekend. 

A key statistic to keep in mind, the Bobcats have the No. 1 penalty killing unit in the NCAA. They've allowed just one power play goal this season on 28 tries. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Emma Pais — F — So. — Colgate
The Raiders' speedy left winger has helped keep Colgate's offense moving at all times through this season. She's been skating alongside multiple teammates throughout the year, finding her fellow Raiders for 12 assists this season and netting six goals herself. 

Issy Wunder — F — Jr. — Princeton
As the Tigers' current top scorer, Issy Wunder is Princeton's go-to option offensively. She's recorded a point in every single game played this season, including a season-high three points against Dartmouth last weekend. 

Jenna Donohue — F — Gr. — Quinnipiac
Donohue's stick skills are crisp, and her skating makes her an agile force for the Bobcats. Since the start of ECAC play, she's led her teammates with four goals and one assist so far. Donohue is also the only graduate student on Quinnipiac's roster, adding more on- and off-ice leadership qualities to an already mature roster.