The UConn women’s ice hockey team faces the Merrimack Warriors in a two-game series this weekend. The first game will take place on Friday, Nov. 15, away at Merrimack in North Andover, Massachusetts, while the second will see the Huskies move back to Storrs to take on the Warriors at home on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Connecticut is coming off a disappointing set of games against Northeastern last weekend in which they lost both contests 1-0, being shut out through six periods of play. The last time UConn was blanked in back-to-back games was during the 2022-23 campaign. The Huskies were given a chance by excellent goaltending from Tia Chan and Megan Warrener, but it wasn’t enough as the offense never broke through. In losing twice to Northeastern, UConn dropped to 5-2 in the Hockey East, after previously going undefeated in conference play.
The Huskies will try to get the offense going again versus Merrimack, who has given up the third-most goals to opponents in the Hockey East with 33. The player most likely to provide a spark is standout freshman Claire Murdoch, a Toronto native who has been very impressive in her rookie campaign, leading the team with five goals and eight points. Behind her, UConn has spread around the rest of the offensive production, with six players tied for two goals apiece. While defenseman Ava Rinker has yet to score a goal this season, she has been invaluable to the team with seven assists.
Merrimack comes into the matchup at 4-5-1 overall and with a 2-4-1 record in conference play, which is last place in the Hockey East standings. Their previous series was against Boston University, which resulted in a loss and tie. In the first game, the Warriors were hit by an overwhelming attack that saw three goals for BU in the first period alone. The Terriers tacked on two more in the third period, and Merrimack only scored a consolation goal to make the scoreline 5-1.
The Warriors battled hard to draw level with BU in the second game after going two goals down. After the Terriers regained the lead, Merrimack tied the game again at 3-3, sending the teams to overtime, leading to a shootout that BU ended up winning. Still, Merrimack put up a strong fight against the first-place team in the Hockey East, showing a tenacious fire that UConn will have to be wary of.
The Warriors’ leading scorer, Chloe Goofers, notched two goals in that contest, bringing her total to six, along with four assists. Even more impressively, she has taken just 13 shots so far, making for a shot conversion rate of .462. Another important Merrimack player to watch for is sophomore forward Maria Lindberg, who has four goals on the season and was named Hockey East Player of the Week on Oct. 28.
If UConn has a good showing in the series against the Warriors, it will put them in a good position in the Hockey East standings. Connecticut is in fourth place, nine points away from leaders Boston University, but well within range of Northeastern and Boston College. On the other hand, a strong performance from Merrimack would bring them that much closer to the division leaders.