ACE ADVANCES TO CELLY CUP FINAL
Edina, MN - The Celly League second semi-final saw Ace Hardware defeat REMAX Advantage Plus at Braemar Arena to advance to the Celly Cup final on Thursday. Lake Cowgirl won the consolation game 4-1 over Tradition Mortgage to close out both team’s season.
Ace Hardware 8 - TRIA 3
The Celly League’s top team and number one seed faced off against REMAX Advantage Plus, winners of their quarterfinal round game against Tradition Mortgage Tuesday night in the second semi-final with the winner set to meet TRIA for the second Celly Cup championship.
Ace is looking to defend their title from last year and boast some of the top scorers in the league. Their 38 goals and +18 lead the league by a large margin and REMAX allowed the second most goals of the season. As playoffs typically go, REMAX has tuned in their defensive game for the majority of the first half and half of the second half. As Ace typically does, they wear down their opponents with their pace and compete level.
Maddy Brown (UST) picked up a 3-point night with a goal and two assists to earn player-of-the game honors. There were plenty of candidates for Ace as and astounding seven players recorded 2 points. Ella Boerger (UST) had 2 goals. Goalie Dani Strom (BSU) made 20 saves on 23 shots to earn the win in goal.
Audrey Jackson (St. Anselm) a goal and an assist to pace REMAX.
Lake Cowgirl 4 - Tradition Mortgage 1
Nina Steigauf (UMD) had 2 assists and added an empty netter to seal the deal for Lake Cowgirl in the consolation in a 4-1 win over Tradition Mortgage. The tight checking game was tied at one until 2 minutes remained in the half. Jada Habisch (UConn) opened the scoring for Lake Cowgirl and Tradition’s Meredith Killian (BSU) leveled it at one.
Peyton Hemp scored her 6th goal of the season and finished with 6g-5a-11pts in 8 games this season. Hemp also had an assist. Sedona Blair (UNH) added to her league leading win total of 5 combining for 4 wins in the regular season and 1 in the playoffs. Grace Zahn (Princeton) came on and played an impressive second half of 18 save shutout hockey.
News and Notes
Sophies Squad has generously donated a hoodie to the six players named to the All Celly and Dangle League teams. The team will be announced at the conclusion of the championship game for each league. Sophie's Squad is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the mental health of athletes from youth to college. The organization was founded in 2021 with the mission of raising awareness of mental health issues and removing the stigma associated with seeking help. Check out Sophie’s story sophiessquad.org.
33 Division I colleges were represented in the Celly League and there are 44 participating Division I Women’s College teams. Leading the way were the University of St. Thomas with 13 players and the University of Minnesota with 12 players in the league. Below is a breakdown by college and number of players in the competitive summer league.
University of St. Thomas - 13
University of Minnesota - 12
Minnesota State Mankato - 7
Assumption University - 5
Bemidji State University - 5
Dartmouth - 5
St. Cloud State University - 5
Lindenwood University - 4
Long Island University - 4
Penn State University - 4
University of Minnesota Duluth - 4
University of New Hampshire - 3
University of Vermont - 3
Sacred Heart University - 3
Princeton University - 2
University of Wisconsin - 2
Providence College - 2
University of Connecticut - 2
University of Maine - 2
St. Alsem - 2
St. Michaels University - 2
Boston University - 1
Brown University - 1
Cornell University - 1
Franklin Pierce University - 1
Harvard University - 1
Holy Cross University - 1
Mercyhurst University - 1
Northeastern University - 1
Stonehill College - 1
Union College - 1
Quinnipiac University - 1
Yale University - 1