WORCESTER, Mass. — The Holy Cross women's ice hockey team begins a series of road games on Feb. 10 and 11. The Crusaders will face the No. 13 Providence Friars for a Friday matinee at 2 p.m. for the third and final meeting between the two programs this season.
 
On Saturday, Holy Cross will travel to Storrs, Conn. to go head-to-head with No. 15 Connecticut for the first time this season. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m. in Toscano Family Ice Forum. 
 
Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CRUSADERS (6-22-1, 5-18-0 Hockey East): 

• Senior Mary Edmonds has recorded 11 points in her last 11 games. She has set a career-high in goals this season with nine. Her latest goal was against New Hampshire on Sunday. She, also, tallied an assist against the Wildcats, bringing her point total to a team-high, 16. Edmonds was listed as a Hockey East Weekly Top Performer on Tuesday.
• Freshman Alexia Moreau owns the second-highest goal total with eight. She scored the game-winning goal against Maine on Friday, to lead the Crusaders to a 2-1 overtime win. Moreau leads the freshmen class in points with nine. On Tuesday, she was awarded Rookie of the Week by Hockey East for the third time this season. 
• Senior Sofia Smithson tallied three assists over the weekend, including two against New Hampshire. She holds the team-high in assists with 11 and the second-highest point total with 14.
• Junior forward Millie Sirum logged two goals and one assist against the Wildcats, bringing her season point total to 11.
• Junior goaltender Madison Beck and freshman Brooke Loranger both spent time in between the pipes over the weekend. Beck owns 638 saves, a .922 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.65. Loranger has tallied 260 saves, a .903 save percentage and a goals-against average of 3.27 during her rookie season.
• The Crusaders' defense has remained consistent with a high volume of blocked shots. They rank second in Hockey East with a total of 372 and first with an average of 12.83 blocks per game. Sophomore defensemen Emma Min leads the Crusaders with 52. She is closely followed by sophomore Carmen Elliott and Kailey Langefels, with 42 apiece.
• The Crusaders have tied the program record for most wins in Hockey East play since joining the conference in 2018-19, after defeating Maine.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE FRIARS (18-9-4, 13-7-4 Hockey East): 

• No. 13 Providence is coming off a single game weekend on Friday, Feb. 3 against Boston College. The Friars were shut out, 3-0, by the Eagles.
• Graduate student Sara Hjalmarsson leads Providence in goals (20), assists (16) and points (36). She posted a 5-point performance (three goals & two assists) against New Hampshire on Jan. 27.
• Graduate student Noemi Neubauerova and freshman Reichen Kirchmair are closest to Hjalmarsson with 20 points apiece. 
• Graduate student Sandra Absteiter has spent majority of the season in net for the Friars. She has posted 732 saves, with a goals-against average of 1.83 and save percentage of .928.

LAST TIME THEY MET:

• These programs have met twice for a home-and-home series on Oct. 14 and 15. 
• In the first matchup, the Friars shut out the Crusaders, 4-0. Junior Brooke Becker and graduate student Hunter Barnett posted two-point performances. 
• The following day, history repeated itself as the Crusaders were shut out, 4-0, in the Hart Center. Hjalmarsson tallied a game-high two goals in the third period.
• Beck and Loranger split time in net, sharing 25 saves in the first contest. Loranger posted 29 saves in the second. 
• Absteiter made 11 saves in the first game and claimed. 14 saves the following day.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE HUSKIES (16-10-4, 10-9-4 Hockey East): 

• No. 15 Connecticut is coming off a single game weekend against Hockey East opponent Boston University on Friday night.  The matchup ended in a 2-2 draw.
• Six Huskies recorded a point during the game. Sophomores Ava Rinker and Riley Grimley tallied the goals for UConn.
• Senior forward Coryn Tormala leads the Huskies in assists (11) and points (18), recording her latest assist against the Terriers on Friday. 
• Junior forward Jada Habisch holds the team-high goal total with 11, after scoring two goals against Maine on Jan. 27.
• Sophomores Tia Chan and Megan Warrener have split time in goal for the Huskies. Chan has posted 512 saves in 21 games. She owns a 1.64 goals-against average with a save percentage of .936.
• Warrener owns a goals-against average of 1.90 and a save percentage of .916. She has tallied 185 saves in nine games.

LAST TIME THEY MET:

• These programs met three times during the 2021-22 season, with Connecticut sweeping the series, 3-0. 
• In their most recent meeting, the Huskies took a 2-1 win over the Crusaders on Jan. 30, 2022. Millie Sirum scored the lone goal for the Crusaders, one of two goals scored by Holy Cross throughout that season's series.

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