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The Yale women’s hockey team (16–5–1, 10–4–1 ECAC) will look to earn a pair of road wins against ECAC opponents Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (9–16, 5–10) and Union (4–22–1, 1–14–0) this weekend. The Bulldogs are set to face off against the Dutchmen for the second time this season just three days later on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at Ingalls Rink. 

A Brown defeat ended their four-game win streak this weekend, but Yale’s victory over the Bears just two days later will hopefully give the Elis the momentum they need to finish the regular season on a strong note. 

“It’s nice to see some rewards with the effort,” head coach Mark Bolding said. “Our ECAC is such a strong league. We certainly love the effort tonight so hopefully we can build off of that.”

Due to COVID-19 protocols on the Yale team, a Jan. 8 matchup against RPI was rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 25. The game resulted in a crucial 3–0 win for Yale. 

According to Yale Athletics, the win propelled the team into second place in the ECAC Hockey standings, tied with Clarkson. After recently falling to third place, Yale is determined to better its record this weekend. 

“Our last game against RPI was a great team effort,” forward Claire Dalton ’23 said. “We are hoping to continue that this weekend and for the rest of the season.”

Two weeks later, the Bulldogs will look to beat the Engineers once more.

Yale’s Jan. 7 game versus Union was rescheduled to Tuesday, Feb. 8 due to COVID-19 protocols on the Union team, resulting in two Yale-Union games lined up within three days of each other after two years without play between the two teams. 

The last time the Bulldogs faced off against the Dutchwomen was on Jan. 18, 2020. Yale won 4–2. The Elis have beaten the Dutchwomen in each of their last five matchups.

“We are entering the final few weekends of our regular season, and are looking to keep the momentum we have moving into the playoffs,” Elle Hartje ’24 said. “Every game in the ECAC is predestined to be a tough battle since the league is so strong, so we can’t look past any games. Hopefully, we can pick up six valuable points on the road!”

Over the last eight games, Hartje recorded five goals and eleven points. She leads the conference and ranks sixth in the nation with an average of 1.59 points per game. 

Hartje currently leads the team in goals, assists and points with a total of 11, 24 and 35, respectively. She was named the January ECAC Player of the Month.

“We had a big bounce-back game this Sunday after a tough loss on Friday,” forward Claire Dalton ’23 said. “I think we just need to take the momentum we generated into this weekend.”

The puck drops at 6:00 p.m. at RPI on Friday. The Bulldogs play at Union at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and 7:00 p.m. at Ingalls Rink on Tuesday. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.