Since Mark Bolding became the Yale women's hockey coach in 2019, the Bulldogs have broken the school record for wins in a season three times, qualified for the NCAA Tournament twice and advanced to the women's Frozen Four for the first time in school history.

This year's team came within one game of matching the program's longest winning streak of 15 games in a row that was set by the 2022-23 squad that made the run to the Frozen Four before losing in the national semifinals.

This year's winning streak helped the Bulldogs reach the 20-win mark for the third time in program history, all in the last five years, as they finished the regular season with a 22-8 record and a chip on their shoulders.

The streak ended in the regular-season finale when Yale allowed Quinnipiac to score two 6-on-5 goals in the final 1:20 of regulation and then lost the game in overtime.

"We were a little angry with the finish at Quinnipiac," Bolding said. "But that is OK, because if you are going to lose a game you don't want it to be your last one. We still have the postseason.

"In a way, it is good that it happened because our players are annoyed. They're pissed off, but it caused them to all reset their engine lights and they are now like, ‘Let's go!' It's a lot of fun to go on a streak like that, and hopefully now we can start another one."

Yale, which finished tied for the ECAC regular season title with Princeton, starts its postseason play Friday by hosting Union College in Game 1 of the best-of-three conference tournament quarterfinals.  

Game 2 is Saturday and Game 3, if necessary, is Sunday. All three games are at 3 p.m. at Ingalls Rink in New Haven.

Bolding is confident his team can go on a run, because the Bulldogs are very well-balanced in a variety of ways.

The team's two leading scorers, Carina DiAntonio and Jordan Ray, are both seniors who were part of the Frozen Four season. The Bulldogs also brought in a great freshman class, two of whom, Molly Boyle and Hannah Weyerhaeuser, are among team's top six scorers. Another first-year player, Samson Frey, is one of the top five goalies in the country statistically.

So Yale has experienced leadership and youthful talent. It also has a good balance of offense and defense, as the Bulldogs ranked fifth nationally in scoring offense at 3.53 goals per game and 11th in scoring defense, allowing 2.00 goals per game.

The defense is led by a good mix of seniors Gracie Gilkyson and Sylvia Bojarski, sophomore Sophia Levering and the freshman Boyle.

DiAntonio (21 goals, 20 assists) and Ray (16 goals, 25 assists) are tied for the team points lead with 41, which ranks them 11th nationally.

"They have really settled in and are smiling more now that they are playing together," Bolding said. "They are both very quick and do great edge work. Carina is on the wing and has great hands. She has been shooting the puck more with Jordan as her centerman, and they can both make plays.

"They are great players with how they skate and think and how hungry they are to be creative and make plays. When you get 40-plus points in college, that is pretty darned good."  

Senior forward Naomi Boucher (6 goals, 20 assists) is one of four Bulldogs with 20 or more assists.

Bolding said one of the team's main objectives this season was to score more than the last two seasons, and it has come to fruition as seven players have more than 20 points and four have more than 10 goals, with junior Stephanie Stainton (12 goals) and Weyerhaeuser (11) joining DiAntonio and Ray in double figures.

"We have been celebrating creating more offense and just letting players make plays," Bolding said. "And defending has always been a big team thing and something we talk about lot."

Boyle (8 goals, 21 assists) is the perfect combination of both as a defenseman with 29 points.

"She is just a special player," Bolding said. "She thinks the game and has a lot of poise. We knew she would be a great recruit, but to see somebody like her come in and be this productive right away really helps. She helped take some of the pressure off our senior defenseman Gracie Gilkyson (7 goals, 14 assists), who is having a very strong year."

Perhaps no one is having a better year than Frey, a freshman goaltender who ranks first nationally in win percentage (14-1, .933), second in goals against average (1.322) and sixth in save percentage (.942).

Once Bolding decided to hand the majority of the goaltending duties to the freshman, Yale started stringing together wins.

Bolding compared his goalie to former N.Y. Rangers star Mike Richter, poised and steady with an economy of movement that makes plays look easy and provides a calming presence for teammates.

"Samson has been great, consistent and maybe has made a few saves, especially early in games, that we weren't getting at the start of the year that have kept us from falling behind," Bolding said. "That has provided momentum."

That momentum has carried Yale to the cusp of its third NCAA appearance in five years. Only 11 teams make the women's ice hockey NCAA Tournament, but Yale is currently ranked No. 8 nationally, so a good showing in the ECAC Tournament should get them in.

The ECAC champion earns an automatic NCAA bid, but reaching the final could garner one of the six at-large invites. The Bulldogs are inspired to win their way in.

"The seniors were part of the (2022-23) team that had the best record in Yale history, and they want to win," Bolding said. "I think that internal motivation by our older players drives us a lot. We are happy to be where we are, but now we have to do something with the opportunity."

This article originally published at Well-balanced No. 8 Yale women's hockey begins conference postseason with eyes on NCAA Tournament.