CRANBERRY, Pa. - Colgate (9-8-4, 3-4-1 ECAC) and No. 3 Northeastern (15-2-1, 12-2-0 HEW) kicked off an action-packed and star-studded weekend at the Lemieux Sports Complex. In a tournament featuring two of the nation's top three teams, wins would not come easy. 

The Huskies came out firing. Not quite five minutes in, Mia Brown gave her team an early 1-0 advantage. Northeastern saw two power play opportunities shortly after, but the Raiders' penalty kill, ranked sixth in the nation, wouldn't budge. Despite the disadvantage in penalties, Colgate outshot Northeastern in the opening period. 

With Colgate looking to erase the deficit and Northeastern seeking to build a commanding lead, the second period was a stalemate. Liz Auby stopped all 11 shots that came her way to stifle the Huskies; Northeastern netminder Aerin Frankel did the same. 

In the third period, Colgate looked for answers offensively as Liz Auby continued to keep her team in the game. With under five minutes remaining, it was nearing desperation time. Freshman Danielle Serdachny flipped the script when presented the opportunity. 
 

Take a look at Serdachny's equalizer??#WePlayFree #GoGate pic.twitter.com/yeUYroe3Z5

— Colgate Women's Hockey (@ColgateWIH) January 4, 2020

Serdachny's sixth goal of her freshman campaign brought the Raiders even at 1-1. The two teams headed to a high-stakes overtime to potentially clinch a spot in the Battle at the Burgh Championship.

In an overtime period that only saw three shots on goal, neither side could claim a victory. The first round Battle at the Burgh matchup would go in the record book as a tie, but a shootout was necessary to decide who would play for the championship game Sunday night. 

Northeastern went on to win the shootout 2-0. Colgate secured a spot in Sunday's consolation game. 

Bottom Line

• Colgate 1, Northeastern 1

Facts & Figures

• Malia Schneider, Coralie Larose, and Shelby Wood each played their 100th career game. 

• Colgate allowed only eight shots over six penalty kills. The Raiders' penalty kill ranks sixth in the nation at 92.1%.

• Sammy Smigliani's assist extends her point streak to three games. 

From the Source

Head Coach Greg Fargo on returning to game action

• "It was great to be back out there playing against a different opponent. We've done a lot in practice against each other over the past month to continue to take strides. I thought our team had some great energy. The time away wasn't a factor. It's a strong effort to start the second half."

On Colgate's penalty kill

• "The PK was excellent tonight, as it has been all year. The team has a lot of confidence that even when we're shorthanded, we can grab back momentum. We're confident in our PK unit and tonight was another example of them coming through for us. Holding them to just eight shots on six opportunities is tremendous."

On Serdachny's goal

• "I give our team a lot of credit. We were determined tonight and everyone was fighting all game for that equalizer. Danielle's line was exceptional and it was fitting they made something happen to get the game back to even late in the third. It was a group effort all around. We're going to face another strong opponent tomorrow. We'll be looking to push even more and I'm eager to see us go again." 

Up Next

Colgate will take on Robert Morris at 2 p.m. on Sunday for third place in the Battle at the Burgh.