WORCESTER, Mass. — The Holy Cross women's ice hockey team returns home for games against Maine and New Hampshire on Feb. 3 and 5. On Friday, the Crusaders will host the Maine Black Bears for their Mental Health Awareness game. This will be the and final third meeting between the two programs this season. Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m.
 
On Sunday, Holy Cross will face New Hampshire at 2 p.m. in the Hart Center Rink for their last meeting of the season.
 
Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CRUSADERS (5-21-1, 4-17-0 Hockey East): 

• Senior Mary Edmonds set a career-high in goals this season with eight. Her latest goal was against then-No. 11 Vermont. She, then, tallied an assist against the Merrimack Warriors, bringing her point total to a team-high, 13. She has recorded eight points in her last nine games.
• Senior Sofia Smithson and junior Bryn Saarela both recorded a single game career-high three points against Merrimack. Smithson tallied three assists to aid the Crusaders to a 5-1 victory. She holds the team-high in assists with eight and the third-highest point total with 11. Saarela posted one goal and two assists against the Warriors. She brings her season point total to 12, from five goals and seven assists. 
• Freshman Alexia Moreau owns the second-highest goal total with six.
• Senior defenseman Kailey Langefels logged two assists against the Warriors, bringing her season total to seven. She owns the most points of any defender with eight.
• Junior goaltender Madison Beck has spent the majority of the season in between the pipes for the Crusaders. She owns 596 saves, a .924 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.58 after 20 games.
• The Crusaders' defense has remained consistent with a high volume of blocked shots. Sophomore defensemen Emma Min and Carmen Elliott lead the team with 41 apiece. The pair are closely followed by Langefels (40).

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS (13-14-2, 10-10-2 Hockey East): 

• Maine is coming off a two-game weekend against Hockey East opponents then-No. 14 Connecticut and then-No. 13 Providence. On Friday, the Black Bears beat the Huskies in overtime, 5-4, followed by a 4-4 draw with the Friars on Saturday. 
• Six players tallied multiple-point performances over the weekend, including graduate student Ally Johnson (4 pts.) and freshman Lilli Welcke (3 pts.).
• Welcke leads the Black Bears in assists (13), recording her latest against UConn on Friday. 
• Sophomore Mira Seregely holds the team-high goal total with 11. She is joined by freshmen Luisa and Lilli Welcke for most points with 19 apiece.
• Junior Jorden Mattison and freshman Brooklyn Oakes have split time in goal for the Black Bears. Mattison owns a goals-against average of 2.80 and a save percentage of .905. She has tallied 228 saves in 10 games.
• Oakes has posted 333 saves in 15 games. She owns a 2.78 goals-against average with a save percentage of .902.

LAST TIME THEY MET:

• These programs have met twice for a two-game series in Orono, Maine on Nov. 11 and 12. 
• In the first matchup, the Black Bears shut out the Crusaders, 4-0. Lilli Welcke tallied a game-high two-point performance. 
• The following day, Holy Cross lost to Maine 4-1, with Moreau scoring the lone goal for the Crusaders. She was assisted by Saarela and Langefels.
• Brooke Loranger owned a career-high 46 saves in the first contest. Beck posted 37 saves in the second. 
• Oakes made 25 saves in the first game. The following day, she claimed 22 saves, alongside junior Anna LaRose who tallied four.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WILDCATS (10-18-0, 8-13-0 Hockey East): 

• New Hampshire is coming off a two-game weekend against Hockey East opponents then-No. 13 Providence and then-No. 14 Connecticut. The Wildcats fell to the Friars, 7-4, on Friday. The following day, New Hampshire picked up a shutout win against Connecticut, winning 3-0.
• 11 Wildcats recorded a point during the weekend. They were led by junior Chavonne Truter and senior Tamara Thierus, who each posted three-points against Providence.
• Graduate student Emily Pinto leads the Wildcats in assists (16) and points (22), recording her latest assist against Providence on Friday. 
• Sophomore Kira Juodikis holds the team-high goal total with 12.
• Senior Nicky Harnett and graduate student Ava Boutilier have split time in goal for the Wildcats. Harnett has posted 330 saves in 16 games. She owns a 2.06 goals-against average with a save percentage of .919.
• Boutilier owns a goals-against average of 3.50 and a save percentage of .888. She has tallied 382 saves in 16 games.

LAST TIME THEY MET:

• These programs have met twice for a home-and-home weekend on Oct. 28 and 29. 
• In the first matchup, the Black Bears shut out the Crusaders, 2-0. Brianna Brooks and Rae Breton each recorded a two-point game. 
• The following day, Holy Cross lost to New Hampshire, 4-1. Smithson scored the lone goal for the Crusaders, assisted by Vaia Graves.
• Beck owned 21 saves in the first contest. The following day, Beck and Loranger split time in goal, posting 11 saves apiece.
• Harnett made 13 saves in the first game, followed by 23 in the second.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
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