The No. 15 UConn women’s ice hockey team goes on the road to take on No. 14 Boston University on Friday, Feb. 7, before returning to Storrs and playing the next day against Holy Cross. The first matchup of the weekend promises some intrigue, as the Boston University Terriers (19-8-1, 16-4-1) are ranked first in the Hockey East conference, while UConn (17-9-2, 15-4-2) is right behind in second, just four points off the pace. The Huskies will then have to make a quick turnaround to prepare for Holy Cross (8-16-3, 4-14-3) at home.
Connecticut comes into the road trip having suffered their first defeat in 10 games, a 4-3 overtime heartbreaker to No. 12 Northeastern at home. They will look to recapture some of their lost momentum against a tough Boston U team, which boasts a powerful duo in Sydney Healey and Julia Shaunessy. Healey leads her team with 11 goals, while Shaunessy has 15 assists. Together, they have teamed up for 34 points. Clara Yuhn also figures to be an important presence, with 9 goals on the season and 14 total points.
The Terriers last played on Tuesday, Feb. 4 in a 3-2 overtime win over Northeastern. They have won five straight games coming into the matchup against UConn. This will be the Huskies’ first game against Boston U all season, meaning the Terriers have yet to see the likes of UConn’s leading scorer Claire Murdoch, a freshman who has 12 goals and 10 assists for the campaign, and senior forward Jada Habisch. Habisch is a significant scoring threat and has heated up of late, with two goals in the loss to Northeastern and nine goals overall, second only to Murdoch on the team.
In the second game, the Huskies will face a Holy Cross team sitting in ninth place in the Hockey East conference, although the Crusaders are coming off a 1-0 overtime win against Maine, potentially providing some momentum going into the weekend. Holy Cross’ points leader is Emily Crovo, a sophomore forward with six goals and 10 assists on the season.
UConn has played Holy Cross twice this season and won both matchups, which took place in early November. They were relatively close contests, meaning the Huskies could face a stiff test from the Crusaders.
Puck drop for the game at Boston U is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and will be broadcast on ESPN+. The matchup versus Holy Cross will occur at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Toscano Family Ice Forum and will appear on NESN.