The seventh-ranked St. Lawrence University women's hockey team put together a third period comeback with goals from Abby Hehl and Sarah Marchand, but the fifth-ranked Colgate Raiders claimed a 4-2 win in the ECAC Semifinals on Friday night at Lynah Rink.

Colgate struck first, as Madeline Palumbo fired an odd-angled shot from the right circle, that slipped under the glove of Saints goaltender Emma-Sofie Nordström.

After the first 20 minutes of play, the Raiders led 1-0, but both teams tallied 10 shots on goal in the first.

The Raiders doubled their lead just 54 seconds into the second period, as Alexia Aubin sent a back-handed shot into the slot for Emma Pais, who was waiting on the doorstep. Midway through the second, Colgate added a third with a one timer from Georgia Sambrano, making it 3-0.

After the second period, the Raiders continued to hold their 3-0 lead and led 19-14 in shots on goal.

The Saints rallied in the third, still searching for a spot in the championship game.

Abby Hehl scored the first for the Scarlet and Brown, as she waited on the doorstep and tipped a shot from Claire Tyo over the blocker of Hannah Murphy to make it 3-1.

Just 40 seconds later, Sarah Marchand cashed in on a rebound from Kristina Bahl to bring the game within one.

Head coach Chris Wells pulled Nordström with 1:32 to play looking for the extra-attacker goal. Unfortunately, a turnover at the blue line led to an empty net goal for Colgate, sealing the 4-2 win. After the empty net goal, Wells pulled Nordström once more but the clock would expire on the two-goal lead.

"I think we've been playing our best hockey down the stretch," said Wells. "Ever since we left Lynah in January and went over to Colgate the effort and energy has been the best that it's been all season. We applied good pressure throughout and battled our way back in the third. We're hopeful that the hockey we've played all season will lead us to some more hockey next weekend."

"A big thank you to all our families, fans, and community members that made the trip to Ithaca to cheer us on," Wells added.

Nordström finished with 21 saves, while Muphy made 19 stops for Colgate.

St. Lawrence led in shots 50-46, but the Raiders held a 25-21 edge in shots on goal.

SLU moved to 21-11-5 on the season, while Colgate improved to 30-7-0.

Colgate will advance to play Cornell in the ECAC Championship game tomorrow at 3:30 p.m, while the Saints will await the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday afternoon for their fate in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Sunday's selection show will air on ESPNU at 11:30 a.m.