Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Women’s Notes: Brown Takes Down Top-Ranked Opponents
Early ECAC Matchups Put Brown Bears on Top
The Brown Bears were picked eighth in the ECAC preseason polls and while it’s still very early in the season, they’re off to a great start. The Bears have found themselves 4-0 including two wins over top-15 ranked conference foes.
On Friday night, the Bears faced No. 9 Quinnipiac in a game that required extra time to determine a winner. Coach Melanie Ruzzi’s Bears were down one late in the third period until freshman forward Monique Lyons (Bedford, Mass.) netted her first goal of the season with eight minutes remaining.
Quinnipiac put 38 shots on net, but Brown’s sophomore goaltender Rory Edwards (Schomberg, Ontario) was up to the task. Then with less than five seconds left in overtime, Lyons again found herself in the slot and sealed the game with her second goal at the 2.4-second mark.
After a quick celebration, it was back to business against No. 13 Princeton on Saturday. This time, the Bears jumped out to an early lead, but the Tigers twice erased it. Halfway through the third period, the Bears scored two goals in just over a minute to regain a two-goal lead. The Tigers tallied one back, but the tying goal was held off the board.
Leading the Brown Bear charge, Jade Iginla (Jr., Lake Country, B.C.) netted two goals and an assist, with additional goals from Jess Ciarrocchi (Sr., West Chester, Pa.) and Ava DeCoste (So., Plymouth, Mass.).
The two wins marked the Bears’ first home sweep since Jan. 6-7, 2006. The last time Brown defeated both Quinnipiac and Princeton in the same weekend was Jan. 30-31, 2009.
Daily Scoreboard | Weekly Schedule | Composite Schedule | Stat Leaders | Goaltending Leaders
Must Read:
The Rink Live: USA Hockey / Rink Live Polls
USCHO: Women’s College Hockey Weekend Wrap
The Hockey News: Inseparable Defensive Duo, Primerano and Graham
The Ice Garden: Team Canada Announces Rivalry Series Roster
The Hockey News: Providence College Transfer Millie Sirum is a Creator On & Off The Ice
NY Hockey Journal: 10 Local Women’s College Players Who Can Shine This Year
Must Watch & Hear:
PowerTech Hockey: Danielle Serdachny – Growth, PWHL, & Women’s Hockey
Our Girls Play Hockey: The Road to Pro with Hayley Scammura
The PodKaz: Weekend Recap & Brown’s Mel Ruzzi Joins after a 4-0 Start
Eagles Soar:
The Boston College Eagles handed the No. 3-ranked Clarkson Golden Knights their first two losses of the season. Friday night’s win marked the first time since the 2021-22 season that the Eagles defeated a top-five opponent.
Junior goaltender Grace Campbell (Kensington, Md.) made 70 saves on the weekend while posting a .943 save percentage.
The Eagles had five different goal scorers, including sophomore forward Julia Pellerin (Windam, N.H.) and graduate Gaby Roy (Marshfield, Mass.), who each scored twice over the weekend.
The sweep earned the Eagles a spot in the latest USCHO polls at No. 13.
Ice Breaker Recap:
The 2024 Women’s Ice Breaker Tournament wrapped up last weekend with the host Ohio State taking home the hardware.
After defeating the Stonehill Skyhawks in game one, the Buckeyes claimed the championship with a 7-3 win over the Cornell Big Red. It was a high-scoring weekend for the champs, as Ohio State had 10 different goal scorers on the weekend. Junior goaltender Lexington Secreto (New Windsor, N.Y.) earned her first start, shutout, and win as a Buckeye, with nine saves, including a penalty shot.
Joy Dunne (O’Fallon, Mo.), Emma Peschel (Edina, Minn.) and Josie St. Martin (Stillwater, Minn.) earned WCHA honors for their play over the weekend.
Rivalry Series:
Both Team USA and Team Canada have announced their Rivalry Series rosters for the November games. All 48 rostered players are either current or former NCAA players. Team Canada has one active NCAA player, Gopher defenseman Chloe Primerano (North Vancouver, British Columbia), while Team USA has nine.
The 2024-25 Rivalry Series will feature five games, scaled back from seven last year. The three November games will take place at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, California, on Nov. 6; the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, on Nov. 8; and Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho, on Nov. 10.
Fit To Print:
“Big win for our team tonight. We handled some adversity out there and maintained our composure and found a way to finish the game. I’ve been looking for more offense throughout the lineup, so it was great to see Grace Nelles, Ashley Kokavec, and Rose-Marie Brochu get their first goals of the season to go along with a snipe by Evelyne Blais-Savoie. We’ve got a lot of room for improvement still, but this was another step forward for us.”
— Vermont head coach Jim Plumer on his team’s victory over the New Hampshire Wildcats on Friday. The 4-3-win marked the Catamounts’ first road victory of the season. Eight different Vermont players tallied a point, with four players posting multipoint games.
PWHL Note of the Week:
Upon the release of the PWHL’s 2024-25 schedule a few weeks ago, fans noticed several dates with venues still listed as TBD.
The Montreal Victoire officially announced the January 19 game will be held at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City which marks the first time a women’s professional hockey game will be played there. The game will feature the Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge.
With a number of additional dates listed as TBD on PWHL schedules, we can expect more neutral sites for the 2024-25 season.
Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:
Union’s Karianne Engelbert (Fr. Whitby, Ontario) netted her first career hat trick against Harvard and now ranks fifth amongst all freshmen in scoring this season … Morgan Giannone (Oakville, Ontario) of Robert Morris tallied seven points (3g, 4a) in the Colonials’ sweep of Saint Anselm … Colgate’s Neena Brick (Regina, Sask.) and Elyssa Biederman (Franklin, Mich.) hold six-game points streaks while teammate Emma Pais (London, Ontario) extended her point streak to a team-high seven games … The Wisconsin Badgers extended their season-opening win streak to 10, the best since the 2021-22 season when they posted 12 wins to start the season. The Badgers have outscored their opponents 65 – 9 through 10 games this season … Bemidji State’s Riley Reeves (So., Woodbury, Minn.) and Robert Morris’ Allyson Hebert (Gr., St. Andrews West, Ontario) lead the NCAA in blocked shots with 34 through 10 games each … RPI’s goaltender Reese Keating (Thunder Bay, Ontario) stopped 27 shots against Harvard for her third shutout of the season … Merrimack’s sophomore forward Maria Lindberg (Jonstorp, Sweden) was named Hockey East Player of the Week for her five-point effort against Lindenwood. She is currently averaging a point per game.
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