Bears Return to the Ice to Open ECAC Play

Friday, October 29

Providence, R.I.

6:00 PM

Brown University

Quinnipiac

Photo by: David Silverman Photography

10/28/2021 7:26:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

Watch on ESPN+ (Quinnipiac)Watch on ESPN+ (Princeton)Live Stats

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After opening the 2021-22 season last weekend against Penn State, the Brown women's hockey team will return to the ice this Friday evening and open ECAC play with a matchup against No. 7/8 Quinnipiac, followed by a showdown against Princeton on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. Both games will cap off a four-game homestand at Meehan Auditorium to open the season, and can be watched live on ESPN+.

Brown is off to an 0-1-1 start to the season after tying reigning-CHA regular season champ Penn State 2-2 last Saturday, before falling 5-2 on Sunday. Freshman Anna Hurd scored both goals for the Bears on Saturday, including the game-tying goal with the extra attacker on and 53 seconds left in regulation. Freshman Cameron Sikich assisted on both of Hurd's goals while Shay Maloney added an assist on Sunday. Hurd also added an assist on Sunday to finish off a three-point weekend. In goal, senior Hayley Kliczko made 59 stops, including three in a one-minute span late in regulation and three in overtime on Saturday.

Quinnipiac enters the first weekend of conference play unbeaten on the season at 6-0-2, and is ranked No. 7 in the latest USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll and No. 8 in the latest USCHO poll. The Bobcats opened the season with six straight wins, all at home, before skating to a pair of ties in their two most recent games on Oct. 15-16 in a home-and-home against a ranked Providence squad. QU is outscoring opponents 33-10, led by Sadie Peart and Alexa Hoskin, who have six goals apiece. Jess Schryver leads the squad with eight assists while Peart adds in seven as part of a team-leading 13 points. The Bobcats have used three goaltenders, who have combined for a 1.23 GAA and .932 save percentage. Grad student Corrine Schroeder has made four starts and six appearances, and is averaging less than one goal allowed per game (0.74).

Princeton will open its season on Friday evening at Yale before heading to Providence for their Saturday matinee with the Bears. The Tigers are receiving votes in both national polls despite not having played a game yet this season. Junior Maggie Connors is the Tigers' leading returning scorer, netting 22 back in 2019-20. Senior goaltender Rachel McQuiggle returns after posting a 1.51 GAA in 2019-20. Princeton head coach Cara Morey, a Brown alum from the Class of 2001, enters her fifth season behind the Tigers' bench. Brown's first year head coach Melanie Ruzzi previously served as an assistant under Morey at Princeton, helping lead the Tigers to the 2020 ECAC tile.

Following this weekend, Brown will hit the road for the first time next weekend with trips to a pair of top 10 teams in Colgate (Nov. 5) and Cornell (Nov. 6).