Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Women’s Notes: Ice Breaker is Here
The Ice Breaker Tournament & the Teams
Ohio State is set to host the fourth annual women’s Ice Breaker Tournament at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, this coming weekend. This semifinal-style competition will feature four teams vying for the title of 2024 champion.
Organized by the Hockey Commissioners Association, the tournament kicks off the season with teams from various NCAA Division I conferences. The event has a legislative exemption from the NCAA, which allows the four participants to play two additional games above the normal limit of 34. Notably, all four teams in the tournament participated in the 2023-24 NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes are the tournament host and represent the WCHA. The reigning national champs finished with a 35-4-0 record and won their second national championship in the last three years.
Cornell: The Big Red of the ECAC will look to build on a successful 2024-25 campaign. Cornell posted a 25-8-1 record and made its ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions – of the AHA – return their Patty Kazmier finalist, Tessa Janecke, for the ‘24-25 season. Penn State made their second NCAA Tournament last year with a 22-13-3 record.
Stonehill: The Skyhawks were the 2023-24 NEWHA champions with a final record of 21-16-2. The championship secured their debut appearance in the NCAA Tournament in just their second season of competition.
To see previous host sites and winners, visit here.
Daily Scoreboard | Weekly Schedule | Composite Schedule | Stat Leaders | Goaltending Leaders
Must Read & Hear:
USCHO: Women’s DI College Hockey Weekend Recap
NHL: NY Islanders Expand Commitment to Girls Youth Hockey
The Hockey News: Wisconsin Remains Dominant in Undefeated Start
Duluth News Tribune: Walter Cup Draws A Crowd During UMD Alumni Weekend
The Rink Live: USA Hockey / Rink Live Women’s Hockey Polls
Toronto Star: Hockey Canada Releases Discussion Paper on State of Women’s Game
The Conversation: Jessica Campbells NHL Gig Marks Pivotal Turning Point for Pro Hockey
USCHO: PWHL Training Camp Rosters Dominated by Former NCAA Players
The PodKaz: Ep. 25 Weekly Updates and the Upcoming Ice Breaker
We Were(n’t) Merely Freshman:
Forwards Jordyn Petrie (Lincoln, Neb.), Eloise Caron (Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec), Lola Reid (Lincoln, Neb.) and Raedyn Spademan (Cochrane, Alberta) may be freshmen, but all four are posting at least one point per game (ppg) early in the season.
Ohio State’s Petrie has eight goals and three assists in her first 11 games. Her point per game pace earned her WCHA Rookie of the Week honors earlier in the season.
Caron, of Northeastern, has four goals and five assists, or 1.13 ppg. Her fast start marks the best by a Husky rookie since Kendall Coyne Schofield (Oak Lawn, Ill.) recorded eight points in her first six games of the 2011–12 season.
On their tails are Boston University’s Reid with eight points in seven games (1.14 ppg) and Spademan of Clarkson with seven points in six games (1.17 ppg).
All Hands-on Deck:
Colgate swept Post last weekend in true team fashion. Friday night’s game saw 12 different Raiders tally points to secure the victory, the most in a single game this season.
Perhaps the most notable point of the weekend came from senior goaltender Hannah Murphy (Bradford, Ontario) who earned an assist on Sarah Stewart’s (Sr. Antigonish, Nova Scotia) third-period goal. The assist marked the third point of Murphy’s career.
Big Firsts for Beavers
Amber Fryklund celebrated her first victory as head coach of the Bemidji Beavers this weekend, leading the team to a win against Lindenwood. But the spotlight didn’t stop there for Bemidji. Sophomore forward Hailey Armstrong (Dawson Creek, B.C.) not only netted her first career hat trick but also fired 14—yes, 14—shots on goal, setting a new program record for SOG in a single game.
Special Teams:
Through six games, the New Hampshire Wildcats have maintained perfection, killing all 14 penalties against. Although early in the season, nine teams are currently posting a penalty kill percentage above 90%:
- Harvard, New Hampshire, Quinnipiac, Northeastern, Minnesota State, Boston University, Providence, Maine, and St. Lawrence
Five teams ended the 2023-24 season above 90%:
- Clarkson – 92.2%
- Colgate – 91.6%
- Northeastern – 91.5%
- Boston University – 91.1%
- Long Island University – 90.2%
Fit To Print:
“When you get down like that, you’re facing adversity, you lean on your leadership and can they do something and can they make a play to create some energy, and she’s been able to do that quite often.”
–Badgers head coach Mark Johnson on team captain Casey O’Brien (Milton, Mass.) and her leadership. The Badgers erased a three-goal deficit to complete the sweep of No. 3/4 Minnesota. O’Brien led the comeback with a goal and two assists.
PWHL Note of the Week:
Abigail Boreen (Somerset, Wis.) is the latest NCAA alum to secure her PWHL contract. The former Golden Gophers standout signed a three-year deal with the Montreal Victoire. As a Gopher, she amassed 126 points in 166 games and captained the team in her fifth year.
Already acquainted with the league, Boreen was on the active-reserve roster for PWHL Minnesota last season and won an inaugural-season Walter Cup. Due to the unique timing and structure of the league, Boreen then entered the 2024 draft and was selected in the third round.
Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:
The Brown Bears scored 14 goals in their weekend sweep over Franklin Pierce, the most they’ve scored in a two-game span since the 2011-12 season … There were 15 total shutouts last weekend across the 39 games played … The undefeated Wisconsin Badgers have three players averaging over two points per game, Caroline Harvey (Salem, N.H.), Laila Edwards (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) and Casey O’Brien (Milton, Mass) … Vermont Goaltender Jane Gervais (Valcourt, Quebec) posted 37 saves in their 1-0 win over ranked St. Lawrence … Princeton completed the sweep of Robert Morris with an 11-goal effort that saw nine different goal scorers … St. Cloud State goaltender Emilia Kyrkko (Nokia, Finland) made a career-high 45 saves in their shoutout win over Ohio State … Harvard took down No. 8 ranked UConn to give head coach, Laura Bellamy, her second win over a top-10 opponent.
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Did you know? 97% of NCAA Division I women’s hockey players earn their degree!