WORCESTER, Mass.- The Holy Cross women's ice hockey team will host Providence on Friday, Feb. 7, and head to UConn on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Crusaders will hold their Winter Homecoming and Purple Out game at 6 p.m. on Friday in the Hart Center Rink. The team will then travel to Storrs, Conn. on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Toscano Family Ice Forum. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Saturday's game can also be followed on NESN. 

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HOLY CROSS (8-16-3, 4-14-3 Hockey East): 

• The Crusaders recently hosted New Hampshire on Jan. 31 and Maine on Feb. 1. Holy Cross fell in a close 1-0 result to the Wildcats but rallied to take home the 1-0 OT victory on Senior Day over the Black Bears.
• In game one, neither team scored in the first or second period. Midway through the third period, New Hampshire picked off a Crusader pass while on the penalty kill and netted a solo short-handed goal at 13:16. Despite a great effort of 19 shots on goal in the period, the Wildcats pulled out with the 1-0 win over the Crusaders.
• In game two, a very close game ended regulation time with a 0-0 score. 
• At 2:56 in overtime, senior defender Carmen Elliott fired a one-time on the power-play fed in by sophomore forward Lulu Rourke and assistant captain Alexia Moreau to take home the 1-0 OT victory over Maine on Senior Day. Elliott netted her first goal of the season and first game-winner of her career. Her efforts earned her Hockey East Army ROTC Co-Defender of the Week honors.
• Sophomore assistant captain Emily Crovo currently leads Holy Cross in every offensive category. She has scored six goals on the year, three of which were on the power-play, and had 10 assists for 16 points. Senior captain Emma Min leads the Holy Cross defense with 71 blocks so far this season, 39 more than the closest Crusader and 13 more than anyone else in the league. Min is currently tied for sixth in the nation in blocks.
• Junior goalie Abby Hornung started between the Crusaders' pipes for both games on the weekend. She made 32 saves against New Hampshire and 27 saves against Maine for the win and her first career shutout. She now owns a 1.85 goals against with a .941 save percentage. Hornung is currently tied for fifth in the nation for her save percentage. Her efforts earned her Crusader of the Week honors.

FACTS ON THE FRIARS (16-9-3, 12-7-2 Hockey East):

• The Friars took home two overtime wins against Maine, 3-2 OT, on Jan. 31 and New Hampshire, 4-3 OT, on Feb. 1.
• After a scoreless first period in game one, Maine opened the second period with a power-play goal at 5:42. It wasn't until the third period that sophomore forward Audrey Knapp equalized with help from senior forward Hannah Johnson and junior defender Cristina Cavaliere. Four minutes later and the Black Bears reclaimed the lead. Knapp scored her second goal of the game at 15:55 to ultimately end regulation with a 2-2 score and force the game into overtime. She was assisted by Cavaliere and junior forward Reichen Kirchmair.
• Knapp scored a third goal, for her first career hat trick, at 3:11 to seal the 3-2 OT victory for Providence. Cavaliere and Kirchmair once again assisted her.
• In game two, the Friars scored two goals midway through the opening period. Sophomore forward Kiara Kraft scored at 9:06, with help from senior defender Lily Hendrikson, followed by a goal put in by Knapp at 13:41. Cavaliere and Kirchmair assisted her.
• The Wildcats quickly scored two goals to tie the game 2-2 in the second period at 6:39 and 12:01.
• New Hampshire took the lead with a power-play goal at 6:36 in the final frame. Knapp netted her second goal of the game at 18:29 to tie things up again and force the game into overtime. Johnson and graduate defender Brooke Becker were credited with the assists.
• At 3:09 in overtime, Becker called game with a goal fed in by junior forward Sarah Davies for the 4-3 OT results in favor of the Friars.
• Knapp picked up five goals, five points and the first hat trick of her career. Due to her efforts, she was named Hockey East Player of the Week.
• Knapp currently resides as Providence's leading scorer with 16 goals, two on the power-play, so far this year. Johnson has made the most assists on the team with 14 on the season. Kirchmair leads the squad with 28 points (15g, 13a) and counting. Becker has the most blocks of any Friar, 36, so far this season.
• Walinski is Providence's go-to choice in net starting both games on the weekend. She made 27 saves against Maine and 11 saves against New Hampshire earning the OT win in both outings. Walinski owns a 1.79 goals against average and a .926 save percentage with three shutouts and a 15-8-3 record. Due to such a strong January in goal, taking home eight wins on nine games, she was named Hockey East Stop It Goaltending Goaltender of the Month.

HINTS ON THE HUSKIES (17-9-2, 15-4-2 Hockey East):

• UConn recently split the weekend with Merrimack and No.14 Northeastern. The Huskies took game one against the Warriors 3-1 on Jan. 31 but fell to No. 14 Northeastern 4-3 OT on Feb. 1.
• After a scoreless first period in game one, the Huskies got things going with a goal by freshman forward Sadie Hotles at 13:07. She was assisted by sophomores Maya Serdachny and Martha Mobarak. With 3.8 seconds left in the second, graduate forward Jada Habisch converted on the power-play to double their lead heading into the final frame. Senior defender Ava Rink and sophomore forward Ashley Allard were credited with the assists.
• Merrimack showed signs of life with a goal at 13:20 in the third period by freshman forward Claire Murdoch sealed the 3-1 victory for the Huskies with an empty netter at 17:59. Junior defender Emma Eryou assisted her.
• Another scoreless opening period in game two, with No. 14 Northeastern kicking things off with a goal at 6:23 in the second period. UConn responded with Habisch tying the game 1-1 with help from forwards Riley Grimley and Brooke Campbell at 16:51. 
• Rinker stole the lead for the Huskies with a power-play goal at 5:18 in the third period. Habisch and Murdoch assisted her. No. 14 Northeastern fired back with two goals scored within two minutes of each other. Habisch converted on the power-play to once again tie the score up at 3-3 and ultimately force the game into overtime. Allard and junior forward Kyla Josifovic were credited with the assists.
• Just over one minute into overtime, No. 15 Northeastern scored to take the 4-3 OT win over UConn.
• Freshman forward Claire Murdoch is currently UConn's leading scorer with 12 goals and holds the most points with 22 on the season. Ava Rinker leads UConn with the most assists (15) and the most blocks (38) so far this year.
• Senior goalies Megan Warrener and Tia Chan split the weekend between the pipes. Warrener started in net for the Merrimack game making 19 saves and earning the win. She owns a 1.65 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. Chan was in goal for the Northeastern game making 26 saves for a current 1.57 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.

LAST TIME THEY MET:

• Holy Cross and the Friars met earlier this season with Providence hosting the two-game series on Jan. 10 and 11. The Friars claimed both games taking game one 3-1 and game two 1-0.
• The Crusaders and UConn met earlier this season, and the Huskies, ranked 10th at the time, took game one 2-1 in overtime on Nov. 1 and won 2-0 in game two on Nov. 2.
• Holy Cross holds a 0-20-1 all-time and conference series record against the Friars.
• The Crusaders hold a 6-19-0 all-time and 1-19-0 conference series record against the Huskies.

Be the Power of Purple and celebrate Holy Cross' 10th Giving Day on February 7 & 8 — because when you make a gift, you make an impact!

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