The UConn women’s ice hockey team will be facing off against No. 11 Boston College on Saturday, Nov. 23.
The No. 14 Huskies have had a rollercoaster of a season. Having faced off against lots of nationally recognized competition, including opening the season against No. 3 Minnesota and then having to take on No. 12 Penn State the following weekend, the team currently sits at 8-6 so far this season and are 7-2 in Hockey East play.
This weekend’s matchups between the Huskies and Eagles will showcase some of the conference’s best players and are highly anticipated.
After winning seven straight games, the Eagles are coming off a hard fought 3-1 loss on their home ice against their in-state rival No. 14 Boston University.
The Eagles are led by sophomore forward Sammy Taber, who is tied with Boston’s Julia Shaunessy and Providence’s Reichen Kirchmair for the conference title in points with 14. Just behind Taber is her teammate Abby Newhook, who is tied for fifth place with 12 points. Connecticut is anchored by their two star goalies, seniors Megan Warrener and Tia Chan. Chan currently ranks second in the Hockey East conference in save percentage, with an outstanding 94.6%. Just behind Chen is Warrener in fourth place with a save percentage of 93.8%. The two goalies combined accounted for three shutouts.
The Huskies have also seen amazing play out of freshman forward Claire Murdoch. The Toronto native currently leads the team in goals, with five, and points with 10, placing her at 10th in the conference in points.
The first game of the doubleheader will be on Friday at 2 p.m. in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, when the Eagles will host the Huskies first.
The following day, the Huskies will travel home to take on Boston College on their home ice at the Toscano Family Ice Forum at 6 p.m.
Connecticut has struggled this season against ranked opponents, owning a 1-5 record, with their lone win coming earlier in the season when they hosted Penn State.
This weekend plays an important part in how the conference standings could play out. The Huskies sit in third place in the conference, while the Eagles find themselves in fourth place. With a win this weekend, the Huskies can pull away and give themselves some wiggle room in a push to separate themselves from the middle of the pack as we approach the mid-season mark.
Defeating the Eagles this weekend would not only play a large part in the conference standings, but would also be a massive momentum boost for the Huskies, who are still looking to prove themselves against ranked opponents.