The UConn women’s ice hockey team kicks off the 2024-25 regular season with two games versus the Minnesota Gophers over the weekend. The first will take place on Friday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m., while the second will follow close behind on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. Both games will be held at the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Connecticut.
Connecticut looks to start the season strong in the wake of a promising exhibition game against Quinnipiac the week prior, a contest which they won 2-1. It won’t be an easy task against Minnesota, who are ranked No. 3 in preseason polls and made it to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals last year. However, the Huskies are also building off an excellent 2023-24 season. Under the leadership of head coach Chris MacKenzie, who was honored with the National Coach of the Year award, they notched 25 wins, won the Hockey East tournament and secured an NCAA tournament berth, all firsts for the program. As a result, UConn is ranked No. 9 coming into the current season.
Both teams are trying to shake off some stinging disappointment from the NCAA tournament. Connecticut was knocked out in the first round after a double overtime defeat to the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Gophers suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in the quarterfinals to Clarkson that took four overtimes to decide. Interestingly enough, that game was the second longest in NCAA history, clocking in at five hours and 27 minutes.
The Huskies return several key players from a season ago, including Ashley Allard, Jada Habisch and Tia Chan. Allard, a forward, is coming off a breakout freshman campaign in which she scored six goals and contributed 10 assists. Graduate student Habisch, who also plays forward, led the team in goals with 17 and was named to the Hockey East All-Star Team. Goaltender Chan recorded eight shutouts for UConn last year and was voted team MVP by her fellow teammates. Connecticut’s defense is anchored by graduate student Sophie Robinson, junior Emma Eryou and senior Ava Rinker, who scored the overtime game-winner in the exhibition against Quinnipiac. The team also welcomes five freshmen; look for Claire Murdoch’s name in games to come. Murdoch, a forward, had an important assist on Rinker’s goal last week.
Minnesota, guided by head coach Brad Frost, named four captains for the 2024-25 season: Peyton Hemp, Abbey Murphy, Ella Huber and Nelli Laitinen. Hemp, who has tallied 90 points in 115 career games for the Gophers, will be a captain for the second consecutive year. Murphy led all players in goals last year with 33, earning All-WCHA Second Team honors. Huber ranked third on the team in scoring and overall points with 18 goals. Laitinen, who hails from Finland, is the youngest captain this year, coming off a 23-point sophomore campaign, which also featured excellent defense. Other players to look out for on the Minnesota squad include junior forward Josefin Bouveng, who scored 19 goals and 50 points last season, and senior goaltender Skylar Vetter. Vetter recorded three shutouts in the 2023-24 campaign and set a program record for most saves in a game with 52 against Ohio State.