Top 10 Clarkson Highlights - #1 Clarkson Women's Hockey Frozen Four Bound for Second Time in Three Years

Hackneyed writers and announcers were given a gift 10 seconds into the Clarkson Women's Hockey team's game against Quinnipiac on March 12th. Shortly after the opening faceoff, senior Renata Fast corralled the puck and decided to stick with the game plan of shooting early and often, picking a spot and putting a shot on the Bobcats' goal.

She picked correctly, scoring just 10 seconds into the game. Yes, 10 seconds. Fast score's fast. My, that was quick. Clichés abound for the "fastest" goal in NCAA Division I Women's Hockey Tournament history.

In reality, many people hadn't even taken their seats yet. The press box was barely ready. No matter, this game surely would be full of action.

There would be plenty of action in the fourth meeting between the two teams, but no more scoring. The Golden Knights won the game that mattered most against the Bobcats after going winless in three games versus Quinnipiac during the regular season and in the ECAC Hockey Championship game, and did it with just one goal after suffering a 1-0 loss to the same team in the same building just six days earlier.

The victory put the Golden Knights into their second Frozen Four in three years and the team nearly upset top-ranked Boston College in the NCAA Semifinals, but fell to the Eagles 3-2 in overtime despite enjoying the lead for all but six minutes and 20 seconds of regulation. Though Clarkson would have preferred a chance at claiming its second national title two days later, the Golden Knights could hardly be disappointed with their 2015-16 season.

Clarkson went 30-5-5 overall and finished 14-3-5 in ECAC Women's Hockey, good enough for second place in the league. The team ranked sixth in the nation in scoring (3.50 gpg) and fifth in defense (1.35 gpg), maintaining a national ranking throughout the season and never dropping below sixth in the country and staying in the top five for the entirety of the 2016 portion of the season. Cayley Mercer, an ECAC Hockey First-Team All-Star and All-USCHO Third-Team selection, was one of two players to score their 100th career point in 2015-16 for the Golden Knights, with senior Shannon MacAulay and junior Genevieve Bannon nearly joining Mercer and Olivia Howe in that category. The team, which had five conference all-stars overall, also rattled off a record 18-game unbeaten streak (15-0-3).

Even with all of the accolades heaped upon the individual members of the Golden Knights, the highlight of Clarkson Athletics in 2015-16 was unquestionably the Golden Knights reaching the Frozen Four for the second time. All because Fast lived up to her name.

Clichés abound.

2015-16 Clarkson University Athletic Highlights TOP 10 List

The Top 10 Clarkson University Athletic Department Highlights of 2015-16 were carefully selected by the Clarkson Sports Information Staff. Top 10 Clarkson highlights will be posted on Mondays throughout the summer.

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Players Mentioned

#9 Genevieve Bannon: F; 5' 8"; Junior

#12 Renata Fast: D; 5' 7"; Senior

#16 Olivia Howe: F; 5' 10"; Senior

#4 Shannon MacAulay: F; 5' 11"; Senior

#18 Cayley Mercer: F; 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#9 Genevieve Bannon
: 5' 8"; Junior
: F

#12 Renata Fast
: 5' 7"; Senior
: D

#16 Olivia Howe
: 5' 10"; Senior
: F

#4 Shannon MacAulay
: 5' 11"; Senior
: F

#18 Cayley Mercer
: 5' 8"; Junior
: F