Kyla Josifovic's postseason dominance continues in UConn's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory

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Kyla Josifovic has owned March for UConn women’s hockey this season.

After scoring in every game of the Hockey East Playoffs — including a golden goal in double overtime against Northeastern in the championship — the senior captain kept it going in the NCAA Tournament. Josifovic tallied two more to lift the Huskies to a 4-1 win over the Princeton Tigers in the regional semifinal — the program’s first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament.

Both scores came at crucial moments in the contest, too.

The first put UConn back on top less than five minutes after Princeton tied it in the middle stanza. Josifovic picked up the puck behind the net, skated over the goal line and sniped a shot under the bar to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead.

The second stopped the Tigers dead in their tracks as they pushed for the equalizer early in the third period.

In the two minutes prior to Josifovic’s goal, Princeton stacked up nine straight attempts and should’ve scored on a scramble in front of net. UConn goalie Tia Chan ended up out of position, leaving the Tigers with a gaping goal to shoot at. However, the Huskies threw themselves in the way and kept the puck out.

Moments later, Maya Serdachny found Josifovic in front of the net and the senior ripped a shot five-hole to make it 3-1.

With two goals on the night, Josifovic became the first 40-point scorer under Chris MacKenzie and just the fourth player in program history to reach that mark. What’s especially remarkable about that feat is that she had just 29 points in her first three seasons combined.

But while the senior captain played the role of hero once again, she didn’t do it alone. UConn’s defense — backstopped by Chan — put in a stellar effort in the victory as well. Chan turned away 41 of 42 shots (a .976 save percentage) while the defense limited the danger throughout the night.

Princeton jumped the Huskies in the opening period, recording the first 13 shots of the game. UConn didn’t manage one until the 9:19 mark of the frame.

The Huskies couldn’t get a hold of the puck as the Tigers hemmed them in their own zone with a relentless forecheck. Despite that, UConn was never under siege. The defense did its best to keep Princeton away from the net and when it didn’t, Chan turned the Tigers away. The two-time Hockey East Goaltender of the Year kept the Huskies afloat and let them settle into the game.

Eventually, UConn struck first. Emma Eryou let a shot fly from the blue line that snuck through traffic and found the back of the net. The Huskies took that 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Princeton pulled one back 7:48 into the middle stanza before Josifovic responded 4:16 later.

The Tigers pulled the goalie with 3:15 remaining, though the extra skater didn’t do them much good. Julia Pellerin secured the victory with an empty-netter to reach the final score of 4-1.

Claire Murdoch also had a big night with three assists, bringing her up to 27 on the year. That ties the program’s single-season record, originally set by Jaclyn Hawkins in 2007-08. Neither team cashed in on special teams with the Huskies going 0-1 on the power play while pitching a 2-2 shutout on the penalty kill.

Now, UConn finds itself one win away from the Frozen Four. The Huskies will take on Penn State, host of the University Park Regional, on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

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