The UConn women’s hockey team, ranked No. 9 overall in the preseason, dug deep to win 2-1 over No. 10 Quinnipiac on Saturday in a promising tune-up before the start of the regular season. The game was close throughout, with the first period ending in a 0-0 deadlock. In the beginning of the first, Quinnipiac fired off a flurry of shots, but the Huskies weathered the storm with saves from goaltender Tia Chan and important blocks from Emma Eryou and Ava Rinker. Both teams traded shots after that, with UConn being foiled by three straight saves from Bobcats goaltender Kaley Doyle at the end of the first.
Shortly after the start of the second period, Quinnipiac capitalized on a tripping penalty by Huskies forward Brianna Ware and scored a power-play goal. Emerson Jarvis tipped the puck in from close range, and suddenly UConn found themselves down 1-0.
They soon bounced back with a goal from senior forward Riley Grimley midway through the second period, assisted by Jada Habisch and Ashley Allard. The third period also started with a penalty on Connecticut for interference, but this time Quinnipiac couldn’t score, largely thanks to the efforts of goaltender Megan Warrener, who was inserted into the game prior to the start of the third. UConn briefly had a three on five scenario midway through the period, as Quinnipiac committed two straight penalties for tripping and cross-checking, each within a minute of the other. However, the Huskies still couldn’t manage to find the net, and after one last shot by the Bobcats with 12 seconds remaining, the game proceeded to overtime.
It didn’t take much time once sudden death commenced, just 44 seconds to be exact, for Connecticut to break the tie. UConn won the opening faceoff, and senior defenseman Rinker swiftly scored the game winner with assists from Claire Murdoch and previous goal-scorer Grimley, securing the hard-fought victory.
UConn is coming off a stellar 2023-24 season, winning a program-record 25 games, finishing first in the Hockey East regular season and claiming victory in the tournament, earning a NCAA tournament berth. Guided by head coach Chris MacKenzie, who helped engineer last year’s success, the Huskies are projected to once again take the top spot in the Hockey East, according to the 2024-25 Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The team returns several key players, including senior goaltender Chan, sophomore forward Allard, and graduate student Habisch, who plays forward as well. All three were All-Conference selections last year.
Overall, the exhibition game provided a positive start before the real action gets going in a week. Connecticut outshot the Bobcats 23-21 and limited penalties, only being called twice. Meanwhile, Quinnipiac accrued eight penalty minutes off of four penalties, hindering their efforts to score in the third period as the two teams battled for supremacy. Most importantly, the Huskies showed toughness in coming back from a goal down and providing a clutch overtime winner. The only blemish in UConn’s game was their inability to successfully capitalize on Quinnipiac’s propensity for penalties. In the four power plays awarded to the Huskies, they were able to muster just one shot on goal, so it’s an area they’ll have to improve on when the regular season begins.
For the Bobcats, it was a tough ending to a game which they originally led. However, their power-play unit looked effective and they won the faceoff battle 26-22, meaning there are certainly positives to take away heading into their first regular season game, which will take place at Maine on Sept. 27.
UConn, meanwhile, will kick off their 2024-25 season at home against the Minnesota Gophers in a two-game series starting on Friday, Sept. 27 and continuing the following Saturday. The games will be held in the Toscano Family Ice Forum on the Storrs campus.