HAMILTON – The No. 5 Colgate women's hockey team will face off against No. 4 Minnesota in the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET. The winner punches their ticket to the Frozen Four in Minneapolis, Minn. to face off against the victor of the other quarterfinal contest between No. 1 Wisconsin and Clarkson or Boston University.
 
The two teams have met nine times, most recently three times in 2021, and Minnesota leads the series 8-1. Colgate's lone win in the series came the last time the teams met in the Smashville Showcase in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 27, 2021. Kristýna Kaltounková scored both goals for Colgate in the 2-1 victory.
 
The Golden Gophers boast one of the top players in the nation, redshirt senior forward Abbey Murphy. Joining Kaltounková as a top-ten finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, Murphy ranks second in the nation in goals (29), and leads the nation in both game-winning goals (7) and shots (218). She is fourth in points (59), fifth in both goals per game (.76) and points per game (1.55), and tied for 8th in assists (30).
 
The Raiders may have an answer in netminder Hannah Murphy. She has made 937 saves this season, second most in a season in Raiders history and sits two wins away from equaling Julia Vandyk '18 at 75 for most career wins. Murphy has contributed 13 30+ save performances this season, and she currently holds the program records for most career shutouts (17) and most shutouts in a season (6).
 
Colgate's young core is taking shape and making a real impact. The team is the fourth-youngest Division I women's hockey team with the average age of 20.05. They have a combined 1,666 games of experience, the 13th-fewest out of 44 Division I teams in the country.
 
Offensively, Kaltounková has been the catalyst for the Raiders for almost her entire time in maroon and white. Her 111 active career goals lead the NCAA and she is the only current student-athlete to pass the 100 tally mark. She also passed the 200 point mark earlier this year. 

This year the fifth-year player was named a top-10 finalist for the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. The first-team All-ECAC forward is top-five in the country with 26 goals and .72 goals per game. She is third in the ECAC and 11th in the country with 48 points this season, and her 464 faceoff wins are fifth-most in the entire NCAA.
 
Her 26 goals lead the Raiders but she is not the only contributor. Elyssa Biederman leads the maroon and white in points with 50. The All-ECAC Second teamer is also the team's leader in assists posting 32. Kaia Malachino is a scoring threat as she scored the Raiders' lone goal in the ECAC Final and is one goal shy of recording her 20th goal of the season.

Watch Party at Good Nature Brewery
Fans who are unable to attend the game in person are encouraged to cheer on the Raiders from Good Nature Brewery located just south of campus at 1727 NY-12B, Hamilton, NY 13346.