The No. 6 UConn women’s hockey team (25-8-2, 17-6-1) will return to their home ice Tuesday, March 3, for the Hockey East Tournament Semifinals against No. 17 Holy Cross (19-12-3, 10-11-3).
The Huskies glided to a 6-1 blowout win over the University of Maine on Saturday. Those six goals were tied for the second most they’ve scored in a game this season. Sophomore and Hockey East second teamer Claire Murdoch led the way for the Huskies with a goal and three assists, while junior forward Livvy Dewar had one of each as well.
The path for the Crusaders wasn’t as clear. They were up 5-2 against the University of New Hampshire with just over three minutes to play in the third period. The Crusaders quickly saw that lead dwindle down to 5-4. While they avoided completely collapsing and escaped with the win, that kind of plunge won’t go against the Huskies, who scored 10 more goals and allowed 28 less than the Wildcats in the regular season.
The Huskies have already demonstrated an ability to squeeze out close games against the Crusaders, having taken a pair of one-goal victories against Holy Cross this season.
While a lot can change in three-plus months, that might work in UConn’s favor in this case. After scoring five or more goals three times prior to December, the Crusaders have struggled to amass more than three in any game, doing it only twice since the final month of 2025.
That drop-off has left them right in the middle of team scoring in the Hockey East with 48 goals. They have an almost even 46 goals allowed.
Despite the five-score outburst from the Crusaders in the quarterfinals, UConn goalkeeper Tia Chan will look to make sure that slide continues. The graduate student was named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Year for the second season in a row and made 20 saves in the quarterfinals. Chan faced the Crusaders once this season in game two of the series and stopped 21 shots.
Her main competition will be Holy Cross forward Violet Carroll. Carroll is the only Crusader who ranks in the top 30 in the Hockey East in points, scoring six times and assisting an additional nine goals. The freshman was kept off the score sheet against New Hampshire and will be looking to bounce back against UConn.
The Husky offense will have to game plan against goalie Abby Hornung, who was named to the All-Hockey East third team. The senior stopped 93.8 percent of shots faced this season and had 36 saves in the quarterfinals. She made 35 saves against UConn back in November.
Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Toscano Family Ice Forum. The game will stream live on ESPN+.