NEW HAVEN, Conn.  – Gianna Meloni stopped 26 of 27 shots and the Bulldogs got goals from seniors Greta Skarzynski and Tess Dettling in addition to junior Charlotte Welch as the No. 7 Yale Women's Ice Hockey Team knocked off No. 9 Clarkson 3-1 at Ingalls Rink.

The Elis, who have five straight wins, notched their school-record 20^th victory and remained in first place in ECAC Hockey after never trailing against the second-place Golden Knights. Yale also has a program-best 14 conference wins with three games left in the regular season.

Skarzynski, the captain, got things started after a scoreless first period by finding the net on a shot from the point 14 seconds into the second.

The visitors tied the score almost four minutes later, but Welch zipped through two defenders on a power-play breakaway and flicked the puck past the Clarkson goalie at 6:06 of the second for another Yale lead and her 13th tally of the year.

Meloni, who earned her 11^th win of the season, many grade-A chances on the night. The senior from Washington, D.C., saved some of those huge plays for the final minute of the game as the Knights pulled their goalie for an extra skater. During that span, she made two saves and her teammates did a great job of clearing the zone.

Dettling, who had two points, was one of the forwards working hard to get the puck out of the Yale end. Playing her 100^th career game, she ended up with the puck at mid ice and fired into the empty net to put the contest away with five seconds left.

"I thought it was an all around great team win with a playoff like intensity," said Dettling. "Clarkson brought the best out of us tonight, and it was three points that we really needed. Our goaltending was outstanding and I think this is a huge confidence booster going into tomorrow."

The Bulldogs (20-5-1, 14-4-1), who have five players in the Class of 2022, host St. Lawrence on Saturday at 3 p.m. on Senior Day at Ingalls Rink.

"This was a great effort and win for the team, it sure felt like a playoff tilt tonight," said Mark Bolding, Yale's Susan Cavanagh Head Coach. "Clarkson made us work for every inch out there, and once Greta scored in the second it was enough to get us going and find a way to pull the momentum back to get the result we needed.  Very solid goaltending by Meloni and shutdown team defense in the last five minutes allowed us to close it out."