It comes over a month after we had hoped and expected, but the 2020-21 NCAA Women’s Hockey season officially opened this past weekend. Not every team took the ice, numerous teams have opted out and the University of Vermont has paused operations for all sports for the time being, but it was still a sight for sore eyes.
Here are the scores and headlines from this past weekend, the first of the women’s college hockey season!
Hockey East
Friday, November 20th:
Boston College 6 @ UNH 2
Maine 2 @ Holy Cross 1
Gaby Roy stole the show for Boston College on Friday. The freshman scored four goals in her college debut as the Eagles look to rebound after a relatively down 2019-20 season. Maine, meanwhile, started off with two points as they looked to build on a playoff appearance and Quarterfinal upset of Boston University in 2020.
Saturday, November 21st:
Maine 2 @ Holy Cross 3
UNH 1 @ Boston College 4
UConn 2 @ Providence 6
The Crusaders, in just their third Hockey East season, scored a big 3-2 home victory to earn a 1-1-0 split to start the season. Personally, I thought Holy Cross was strong in the second half of 2019-20, and they should challenge for their first playoff berth this season. Defeating a Maine team that is also likely to be ‘in the hunt’ this season is a huge step for this program. Ida Kuoppala stood out in a big way this weekend for me, scoring three goals in two games for Maine.
BC completed an impressive and dominant weekend sweep, while Providence opened the season with a dominant win of their own at home.
The UConn/Providence home-and-home series was a last second addition. The Friars were supposed to play Merrimack this weekend, while UConn was set to face Vermont. With both those teams on the shelf, the change was made for Providence and UConn to play each other. Welcome to the COVID world.
Sunday, November 22nd:
Providence 1 @ UConn 1 OT (UConn wins Shootout 2-0)
The lone Hockey East game on Sunday brought us the first shootout in conference action! UConn won the skills competition 2-0, getting goals from Savannah Bouzide and Natalie Snodgrass. Bouzide also scored UConn’s lone goal in regulation, already her second on the young season.
WCHA
Friday, November 20th:
Minnesota-Duluth 5 @ Minnesota State 0
Minnesota-Duluth got five different goal scorers in the victory, with Emma Soderberg collecting the opening night shutout. Meanwhile, the Bemidji State @ St. Cloud State game was postponed on Friday.
Saturday, November 21st:
Ohio State 0 @ Minnesota 4
Minnesota-Duluth 7 @ Minnesota State 3
Again, Bemidji State and St. Cloud State were on the shelf and did not play.
UMD completed the weekend sweep of Minnesota State on the road. Anna Klein scored two goals in the victory, finishing the weekend with three goals for the Bulldogs. Anneke Linser also scored a pair, while Soderberg made 22 saves for her second win of the weekend.
The Golden Gophers, meanwhile, knocked off a strong Ohio State team in a heavyweight battle to open their WCHA season. Senior star Grace Zumwinkle scored a pair, while expected impact freshman Josey Dunne scored her first career goal. Lauren Bench, the former Bemidji State starter, made her Gopher debut on her birthday, and stopped 36 shots to collect not only her first victory, but her first shutout as well.
Sunday, November 22nd:
Ohio State 2 @ Minnesota 1
The Buckeyes rebounded quite nicely and showed the grit and skill that had them among the top tier of teams a season ago. Liz Schepers and Tatum Skaggs each scored in the first period, with Skaggs’ goal at 9:19 standing as the eventual winner. Zumwinkle had the lone tally for the Golden Gophers, as both teams walk away from the weekend with a 1-1-0 record.
ECAC
Friday, November 20th:
Colgate 3 @ Syracuse 2 (OT)
There were no conference games in the ECAC this past weekend, but Colgate did take the ice against Syracuse in non-conference action. Rayla Clemons scored twice in the first period for Syracuse, but Maggie MacEachern and Malia Schneider each scored in the third period to force overtime. Sydney Bard netted the winner just 19 seconds into overtime, giving Colgate a big opening night victory on the road.
Saturday, November 21st:
Syracuse 1 @ Colgate 3
The sides finished their home-and-home set on Saturday at Colgate. Eleri MacKay and Kristen Siermachesky traded first period goals, but Colgate was able to pull away in the final forty minutes. Rosalie Demers scored 12:20 into the third to give Colgate a lead, then MacKay netted her second of the night at 13:01 for the all important insurance marker.
Kayle Osborne made 14 saves for the victory.
Sunday, November 22nd:
No Games Played
CHA
The only CHA team in action this past weekend was Syracuse, who dropped both games in their home-and-home with Colgate. The rest of the conference kicks off games this weekend, with RIT visiting Syracuse on Friday and Sunday. Penn State will host Lindenwood on Sunday and Monday. All times are ‘TBD’, per the CHA’s official website.
