Yale Athletics

After four years of grit and growth, the Yale women’s hockey team is closing the book on four record-breaking seasons.

In 2021, the Bulldogs opened their season with back-to-back shutouts, and seven different players found the net in the opening game, while goaltender Pia Dukaric ’25 earned her first of many clean sheets. By the end of February, the team had secured a second-place ECAC finish, shattered the program record for wins in a single season with 26, and earned Yale’s first-ever bid to the NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament. With a quarterfinal win over Colgate, the Bulldogs advanced to the 2022 Frozen Four — another program first.

The 2022-23 season started in a similar fashion with a record-breaking 13-game win streak. Though the team fell to Northeastern in the NCAA quarterfinals, Yale’s top-five national ranking and back-to-back dominant seasons proved that New Haven was home to a women’s hockey powerhouse.

The 2023-24 season brought new challenges and a younger roster. After an opening win over Princeton and a hard-fought loss to Quinnipiac, the Bulldogs bounced back to take victories over Harvard, RPI, Union and Brown. The team finished the regular season strong before coming up short against a formidable St. Lawrence squad in two playoff games. 

Yale entered 2024 poised to make another postseason push. In the team’s final weekend at Ingalls Rink, they secured a 3–1 win over Dartmouth, followed by a dominating Senior Day performance over Harvard. 

“As a senior class full of incredibly talented players, they have played a crucial role in turning the program around, helping the team reach the Frozen Four in their freshman year,” Naomi Boucher ’26 told the News. “Over the past three years since I’ve played at Yale, they have been great mentors and leaders to me, and their impact on this program is immeasurable.”