The UConn women’s ice hockey team (1-1) will face off against No. 9 Clarkson (1-1) this weekend in a two game road series. The opener will take place on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m., with game two being played Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. Both matchups will be played at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, N.Y.
Since the first game between the two teams in 2009, the matchup has scarcely been played. Their last meeting came back in 2015, a 2-3 UConn loss. UConn has just one win in the six games played between the two, a 3-1 victory in 2010. That win came in Storrs, meaning that UConn has never beaten the Golden Knights on the road.
This weekend could be of potential importance to goalie Tia Chan. The graduate student comes into the weekend with 43 career wins. That total puts her four behind 2025 graduate Megan Warrener for second all-time in program history. A pair of wins this weekend would allow her the possibility of tying the record at home the following weekend against Princeton.
The Golden Knights will not make it that easy for Chan, as Clarkson’s offense has started the season off hot. They have scored nine goals through just two games, tied for fifth amongst teams who have played two or less games. Senior forwards Lara Beecher and Rhea Hicks each have a goal and two assists, as does junior defender Andrea Trnková. Freshman forward Sara Manness leads the team with four assists, tied for the fourth most in the country. Clarkson’s nine scores have each come from a different player.
Clarkson’s defense is more of a question; they allowed Merrimack to score five times in the second game of their opening series. In the 2024-2025, the Golden Knights only allowed five or more goals in one game, a 6-5 loss to St. Lawrence. They are feeling the loss of both 2024-25 ECAC Defender of the Year Haley Winn and All-ECAC first team defender Nicole Gosling, both of whom graduated and turned professional after last season. Freshman Aneta Šenková, who was in goal for the loss, will look to gain experience while splitting time with graduate student Holly Gruber.
After netting only three as a team over their first two contests, UConn will be looking for 2025 Hockey East Rookie of the Year Claire Murdoch to jumpstart her season. The sophomore forward was second in the team in shots taken in the St. Cloud State series but came away from both contests empty-handed. After leading all Hockey East rookies in both goals and points a year ago, an improved performance from Murdoch could be a potential difference maker.