A stunning first-round exit in ECAC Hockey as the postseason begins

On the Feb. 24, 2026, edition of the PodKaz, hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com talk about the first weekend of the NCAA women’s hockey playoffs in two conferences and the final week of the regular season in three others.Union generated the first upset, and it was a big one: The Garnet Chargers are the 12th seed in ECAC Hockey but they knocked off fifth seed Clarkson on the road last Friday.In Atlantic Hockey, Syracuse went on the road to eliminate RIT in the first double-overtime game of the 2026 postseason.Minnesota Duluth also had success on the road in the final weekend of the WCHA regular season, beating Minnesota in overtime twice behind goals from Tova Henderson. Wisconsin secured the WCHA title with a victory over St. Cloud State on the final day.Northeastern beat UConn in overtime in a potential Hockey East playoff preview. Also, here’s the between-the-legs overtime winner by Vermont’s Oona Havana against New Hampshire on Saturday.Franklin Pierce emerged on top of the NEWHA standings after a victory over Saint Anselm on Friday and an Assumption overtime loss to Sacred Heart.Our second segment looks back at the Olympic women’s hockey tournament and the gold medal won by the U.S. in a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada. Switzerland took the bronze by beating Sweden in overtime.And we finish with a look ahead to the second weekend of the playoffs for ECAC Hockey and Atlantic Hockey and the opening round for the WCHA, Hockey East and NEWHA.The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].