The Crimson advance to the national semifinals as the tournament’s #3 seed, with a 26-5-3 record to date. This will be Harvard’s sixth time playing in the Frozen Four, and the team’s first appearance since 2008.

NCAA Quarterfinals: Harvard 5, Quinnipiac 0

The Crimson rolled over the Bobcats, who at one point this season looked like true title contenders but completely fell off in the second half of the year. Harvard jumped out to an early lead, with Abbey Frazer scoring less than five minutes into the contest, and Haley Mullins built it up to a 2-0 advantage before the halfway mark of the period. Samantha Reber, Sydney Daniels, and Karly Heffernan all scored for the Crimson as well, and Heffernan, Frazer, and Lexie Laing led them with two-point nights. Emerance Maschmeyer posted a 20-save shutout between the pipes.

The Crimson: An Overview

Strengths/Weaknesses:Though all four goaltenders left this weekend have proven their worth this season, goaltending is especially a strength for the Crimson, as Emerance Maschmeyer is their backbone and looks to be in top condition. Harvard’s offensive output on average doesn’t stack up against BC’s or Minnesota’s, but is still fourth-best in the country. The Crimson also have the nation’s third-best power play, at 24.4%. They lack a player of the same caliber as a Hannah Brandt or Alex Carpenter, however, and defensive depth isn’t particularly strong.

Players to Watch: 

• G Emerance Maschmeyer, .943 save percentage (5th nationally), 1.43 goals-against average, 17-4-3, 3 shutouts
• F Mary Parker, 16 goals, 22 assists, 38 points (top-20 nationally); team scoring leader and playoff scoring leader; 57.8% faceoff percentage (leads team); 2 goals and 2 assists in ECAC championship game vs. Cornell
• F Sydney Daniels, 19 goals, 7 assists, 26 points; tied for team lead in goals; leads team in shots with 122; team leader in game-winning goals with 7
• F Karly Heffernan, 9 goals, 11 assists, 20 points; 4 points in last 2 games, 10 points in last 10 games
• D Sarah Edney, 7 goals, 13 assists, 20 points; 41 blocked shots; tied for team lead in playoff goals with 3

Harvard vs. Boston College

9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST, Ridder Arena, Minneapolis, Minn.

Season Series: The Eagles routed the Crimson 10-2 in the teams’ first meeting back in November, but Harvard then handed BC its first loss of the year with a 3-2 win in the Beanpot championship in February.

Friday’s Match-Up: After losing the Beanpot title to the Crimson, and then falling in the Hockey East championship game to Boston University, it’s safe to say that the Eagles are starving for a title after spending most of the season at No. 1 in the polls. The biggest difference between the 10-2 loss and 3-2 win for Harvard is organization and composure. Boston College’s forward unit is more creative than any in the country, and they’re going to bring some heavy pressure; the Crimson need to stand tall and not give up any easy plays despite that.

 Other Frozen Four Notes:

• 2015 Frozen Four Central, courtesy of GopherSports.com