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Women's Hockey Opens ECAC Play at Union (Fri.) and RPI (Sat.)
10/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Brown women's hockey team will embark on its first road trip of 2017-18 and start ECAC play at Union on Friday, Oct. 27 and at Rensselaer on Saturday, Oct. 28. Both contests will begin at 3:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
at Union (Fri.): Live Stats | Video
at RPI (Sat.): Live Stats | Video
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Complete Game Notes (PDF)
SCOUTING THE DUTCHWOMEN
Union has opened the season 0-5-1 and has lost three straight - at Vermont (7-0) and at UConn (6-1, 5-0). The Dutchwomen's lone tie came against Penn State (1-1) on Oct. 7. Arianna Kosakowski leads the team in goals and points with three goals, one assist and four points. Cheyenne Harris carries the squad's assist lead with two on the year. Coco Francis, Kate Spooner and Amelia Murray have all shared time in goal. Francis leads the netminder group with a 1.31 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage while playing in four games.
SCOUTING THE ENGINEERS
RPI carries a 2-4-0 record into the weekend and will host Yale on Friday, Oct. 27 before welcoming Brown to Houston Field House. The Engineers have won two straight, with a series sweep over RIT (3-1, 4-1) on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14. Shayna Tomlinson leads the Engineers in scoring with two goals and a team-best four assists for six points. Madeleine Burnett shares the RPI lead in goals with Tomlinson with two on the year. She also has one assist on the year to tie four other players for second on the team in scoring. Lovisa Selander has seen all of the action in goal for RPI and has recorded a 2.52 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.
BROWN TALKING POINTS
The Bears are unbeaten in their last five games versus Union, winning both contests last season, 3-1 at Meehan Auditorium on Nov. 4, and 4-3 at Messa Rink on Jan. 7 to close out the series. Brown has tied Union twice in that five game span, 2-2 on Jan. 23, 2016 and 3-3 on Feb. 13, 2015.
Against RPI, Brown has lost six straight to the Engineers, including a 4-3 battle in Troy, N.Y. in the last meeting on Jan. 6.
The Bears return 93-percent of the scoring attack from last season, including 2017 Connecticut Whale CWHL selection, senior Sam Donovan. Donovan has led the Bears in goals three-straight years, and led the 2016-17 squad in goals (9), assists (12) and points (21) while playing in all 29 games. Sophomore Sena Hanson had a strong rookie campaign with five goals and 12 assists for 17 points, ranking second on the team in scoring. Her 12 assists tied Donovan for the team lead.
Defensively, Brown returns six core blue liners, including junior Leah Olson, who scored 11 points (4G, 7A) to lead all defenders and rank fourth on the team in scoring last season.
In goal, senior Julianne Landry and sophomore Calla Isaac return between the pipes while freshman Lauren Rippy joins the group of netminders.
LAST TIME OUT
After getting shutout (11-0) in the team's first game of the season against No. 10 Robert Morris on Friday, Oct. 20, the Bears competed from start to finish with the Colonials in game two. Brown carried a 2-1 lead from the first period until the third, with scores from sophomore Veronica Alois and senior Sam Donovan, before RMU tied the contest at 7:21 in the final period and then won the game in heartbreaking fashion with the game winner scored with two seconds remaining in regulation. Sophomore goaltender Calla Isaac concluded the game with a career-high 48 saves. Rookie Kaitijane Blumberg registered her first collegiate point on the primary assist on the contest's first goal (Alois) while on the power play.
LAST SEASON VS. UNION
Brown swept last season's series against the Dutchwomen with a 3-1 win at Meehan Auditorium in game one on Nov. 4 and a tight 4-3 victory at Union on Jan. 7 to close out the series. The Bears did all of their scoring in each contest before the Dutchwomen got on the board, jumping out to a 3-0 lead after two periods in game one, and again scoring the game's first goals in the series finale with four straight, which included the game winner form Steph Rempe, her first career goal.
LAST SEASON VS. RPI
The Engineers claimed last year's series with a 4-1 win at Meehan Auditorium on Nov. 5 and a 4-3 showing at Houston Field House on Jan. 6. Three power-play goals were scored in the first game, with one from Brown and two from RPI. In the second game, senior Samantha Swanstrom tied the game at 12:16 in the third period with a power-play score before Whitney Renn put in the game winner for RPI at 16:26.
THE CAPTAINS
Senior Cynthia Kyin will suit up as the lone captain on the 2017-18 squad while senior Sam Donovan and juniors Bridget Carey and Abby Niewchas will join her as assistant captains.
DOUBLE TAKE
The Bears have two sets of twins on the 2017-18 roster in seniors Katie and Samantha Swanstrom and sophomores Alley and Steph Rempe. The Swanstrom twins are both forwards and have combined for 12 goals, 17 assists and 29 points in their careers, with Samantha leading the way with nine goals, 15 assists and 24 points. For the Rempe twins, Alley is a forward and Steph is a defender. Alley recorded three goals, six assists and nine points in her rookie campaign that was cut short due to injury, while Steph added one goal from the blueline.
NEW FACES
The Bears welcome seven incoming freshmen for the 2017-18 season as part of the class of 2021. The rookies include: forward Kaitijane Blumberg (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), forward Megan Forrest (Enfield, Nova Scotia), defender Maddie Fouts (Rye, N.Y.), forward Darby Melia (Marshfield, Mass.), defender Abby Nearis (Beverly, Mass.), goalie Lauren Rippy (Plymouth, Mich.) and forward Maddie Sisokin (Oakville, Ontario).
NEXT UP
Brown returns home to Meehan Auditorium to host a pair of ranked opponents in No. 7/8 St. Lawrence and defending NCAA Champion No. 2/2 Clarkson on Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4, respectively. The game against the Saints will begin at 6:00 p.m. while the contest versus the Golden Knights will start at 3:00 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on the Ivy League Network.
