Madison, WI – Senior Holly Gruber was busy in the crease Saturday afternoon making 34 saves, but her effort for the Clarkson University Women's Hockey team would not be enough as the Golden Knights fell to top-ranked Wisconsin 4-1 in the NCAA Quarterfinals at LaBahn Arena.The Green and Gold saw their season come to an end at 25-13-2, while the Badgers moved to 36-1-2 on the year.Clarkson led for the first 30-plus minutes of the contest thanks to a strong overall defensive effort and an early power play goal, but Wisconsin scored twice in the final nine minutes of the second period, added a power play goal late in the third and an empty net score to cap off the contest.Although the shots on goal were a little unbalanced in both the first and second periods, it felt as if both teams could have several goals, with Holly Gruber making excellent saves against the Badgers and most of Clarkson's shots flying wide when they took shots up close out of transition. The Golden Knights were the first team to get on the scoreboard, picking up a goal on the power play less than five minutes into the contest. Clarkson took the puck away behind the goal and then did what it usually does, working the puck around the perimeter for an opening. Eventually Anne Cherkowski sent the puck from the right circle to the opposite side for Nicole Gosling, and the graduate student utilized a screen from Sena Catterall to beat Ava McNaughton at 4:59.Wisconsin was buzzing for much of the second period, but Clarkson's defense stood out with numerous blocked shots, helping limit the chances at Gruber. The Badgers finally ended their offensive frustrations near the midway point of the second stanza. Clarkson couldn't quite clear the puck and a few seconds later Gruber wasn't able to cover up the puck, giving Wisconsin another chance without providing the Knights any kind of rest. From behind the net, Casey O'Brien found Ava Murphy between the left dot and the slot for a one-timer, with Murphy's shot going just over the right shoulder of Gruber at 11:36.The Badgers picked up their first lead of the game late in the second at the conclusion of the power play. Nicole Gosling had to exit the penalty kill for the Knights after taking a shot off the ankle and Wisconsin used the moment at the other end to reset its offense. With 10 seconds left on the power play, the Badgers began the rush and entered the zone with about four seconds remaining as Kelly Gorbatenko skated in like it was a normal rush, heading in on the right side and using her backhand to go over the glove of Gruber as the penalty expired at 17:37 on the clock.Early on in the third period, again both teams traded punches on offense. Wisconsin put together a 3-on-2, but the pass through the slot was redirected by the Knights, indirectly creating a 2-on-1 the other way for Clarkson. Shelby Laidlaw had an opportunity in the slot, but the shot was blocked 4:45 in. Only 15 seconds later, the Knights claimed a turnover in the Wisconsin end, only to see Madison Chantler just miss on the one-timer while on the doorstep of the Wisconsin crease. Only 40 seconds later, a long stretch pass found Lacey Eden all alone, but Gruber again chipped the puck away, ending a run by both teams which could have easily results in goals for either side.Clarkson was on the power play again near the midway point of the third, with the Knights' top power play staying on for nearly the entire time thanks to a timeout called 40 seconds in by the Green and Gold. The Knights had two outstanding chances right on the doorstep, with Winn finding Catterall at the top of the crease and Cherkowski doing the same 20 seconds later, but McNaughton stuffed all of the shots in front of her.Wisconsin picked up a key goal late in the contest when the Knights were whistled for a penalty. Jenna Goodwin was going in the other direction looking for a shorthanded goal, but the play was broken up by the Badgers and they quickly went the other way. Clarkson's defense clumped together near the right circle, protecting that side of the ice as well as the slot, but that left an opening for Laila Edwards, who hit a one-timer at 15:24 to give Wisconsin a 3-1 lead.The Badgers were called for a penalty late when the Knights had already pulled Holly Gruber for an extra attacker, giving Clarkson a 6-on-4 advantage. Unfortunately for the Knights, it was Wisconsin that would end up scoring shorthanded, though the puck never went in the net. Lacey Eden was open on the left side and skating in, but was taken down with a stick around her midsection. With the net already vacated, the officials called the play a goal at 19:28.Wisconsin finished with a 38-20 edge in shots on goal during the game and both teams were 1-for-3 on the power play. Holly Gruber finished with 34 saves and Ava McNaughton ended up with 19.