Completed Event: Women's Ice Hockey at #13/13 University of St. Thomas on October 25, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 5
Women's Ice Hockey
at #13/13 University of St. Thomas
Final
1
-
5
Providence College Athletics
Friday, January 31
Providence, R.I.
6:00 P.M.
Providence College
vs
Merrimack
Photo by: Stew Milne
Women's Hockey Prepares For Merrimack And UConn
1/30/2020 1:39:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
Puck Drop
Providence will host Merrimack at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31 before traveling to Storrs, Conn. to take on the UConn Huskies at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Earlier this season vs. Merrimack:
The Friars earned a weekend sweep over the Warriors back on Nov. 22-23. Providence skated to a 2-1 road win and a 3-2 overtime win at home. Bailey Burton and Whitney Dove scored third-period goals on Friday, while Clare Minnerath stopped 16 of 17 shots in net. Emma Gorski made 31 saves at the other end for Merrimack. On Saturday, Merrimack led 2-0 until late in the third period. Neve Van Pelt and Hayley Lunny scored goals over the final six minutes to force overtime. Meaghan Rickard ended the game 2:59 into the extra period.
Earlier this season vs. UConn:
The Friars and Huskies met for a home-and-home series on Dec. 5/6, with each team earning a road win. UConn earned a 1-0 shutout win at Schneider Arena, before Providence picked up a 2-1 overtime win in Storrs. Morgan Fisher made 26 saves in the shutout win. On Saturday, UConn led for a majority of the game before Whitney Dove scored 7:57 into the third. Avery Fransoo was the game's hero, scoring 2:11 into the overtime period.
Abstreiter Earns Defensive Player Of The Week Honors
Sandra Abstreiter (Freising, Germany) stopped 64 of 66 shots over the weekend, earning her the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week honors. She posted a .970 save percentage, including a 1.00 goals against average in two games against New Hampshire. Abstreiter recorded a career-high 32 saves on Friday, Jan. 17 before matching the feat the following day with another 32 saves.
Abstreiter took over in net on Jan. 4 against Vermont and has started every game since between the pipes. She holds a 4-1 record over her last five starts and has allowed just one goal in four of the last five matchups.
Road Stretch
The Friars have played seven of their last nine games on the road, posting a 4-3 record in those contests. Prior to the series sweep at Vermont, Providence split its home-and-home series with No. 8 Boston University followed by a split with Boston College.
Providence vs. Ranked Opponents
Providence now holds a 2-3 record against ranked opponents this season including a 2-1 record at Schneider Arena.
Dove And Hjalmarsson Leading The Way
Sophomore Sara Hjalmarsson leads the offensive charge, recording a team-high 15 goals alongside nine assists for 24 points. She ranks tied for fourth in the Hockey East in goals (15) and ranks ninth in points (24).
Captain Whitney Dove ranks second on the team in points (21), with six goals and a team-high 15 assists. She ranks tied for seventh in the Hockey East in assists.
Providence In The Polls
January 27 marked the fourth time this season that Providence has received votes in the USCHO Women's Poll. The Friars received two votes.
Scouting the Friars
The Friars are currently 14-10-2 overall and 11-8-0 in Hockey East play. Providence ranks tied for 11th in the nation in scoring defense.
Hjalmarsson leads the Friars in points with 24 on 15 goals and nine assists. Dove holds a team-high 15 assists while adding six goals. Hayley Lunny ranks third on the team in points with 16, while freshman Lauren DeBlois (Lewiston, Maine) trails Lunny with 15 points.
Katrina Broccoli (North Haven, Conn.), Minnerath and Sandra Abstreiter have all seen time in net for the Friars, with Abstreiter getting her first action against Holy Cross (Nov. 1). Minnerath has sixteen starts, a 2.21 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. Abstreiter posted her first shutout of the season against the Crusaders with 26 saves. She has 12 appearances on the season with a 1.72 goals against average and .936 save percentage.
Four-Game Win Streak
The Friars held a season long winning streak of four games spanning from Nov. 17 to Nov. 30. Providence won 3-2 on home ice to begin the winning streak before defeating Merrimack in a home-and-home series on Nov. 22 and Nov. 23.
Providence then defeated Brown in the 25th annual Mayor's Cup, 10-0. The ten goals marked the most goals scored by a team in the Mayor's Cup history and first time the Friars have scored ten goals since Feb. 4, 2007, when they defeated Vermont, 10-1.
Hjalmarsson's Career Day
Sara Hjalmarsson (Bankeryd, Sweden) posted a career day against the Brown Bears, scoring three goals to go along with three assists. Her six points are the most by a player in the 25 years of the Mayor's Cup, and the most points scored by a women's player in a game this season in the NCAA.
She was named the Hockey East Player of the Week for her efforts. Hjalmarsson trails Dove for the team lead in points with 19 compared to Dove's 20.
Spreading The Wealth
Seventeen Friars have tallied a point this season with 16 players recording a goal. Eight players have reached double digits in Hjalmarsson (24), Dove (21), Lunny (16), DeBlois (15), Rickard (13), Fransoo (13), Murphy (11), Burton (11).
Minnerath Earns Defensive Player of the Week Honors
Minnerath was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28. It marked her first league honor as a Friar. The senior netminder made a career-high 33 saves en route to her first shutout of the season against No. 3 Northeastern (Oct. 25). She posted a 1-1-0 that last week and made a total of 53 saves in two starts.
Burton Earns Rookie of the Week Honors
Burton scored a goal in each of her first two collegiate games, including the game winner against Quinnipiac (Oct. 5). For her efforts, she was named Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on Oct. 7. Burton's two goals came on just two total shots over that weekend.
Hockey East Preseason Poll
The Friars were picked to finish fourth in the Hockey East Preseason poll, which was released on Thursday, Sept. 26. Providence received 56 points and was picked to finish behind Northeastern (81), Boston University (71) and Boston College (65).
Rounding out the poll were New Hampshire (42), UConn (41), Merrimack (30), Maine (29), Vermont (25), and Holy Cross (nine).
Hjalmarsson with Team Sweden
During the off-season, Sara Hjalmarsson had several chances to compete for Team Sweden. She was named to Sweden's National Team roster for the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship. She played four games for Team Sweden without tallying a point.
Scouting the Warriors
Merrimack is currently 4-19-4 overall and 1-15-4 in Hockey East. Last weekend, Merrimack earned a 1-1 tie at No. 7 Boston University, before falling 6-3 at home the next day. Merrimack's lone league win came back on Nov. 8 against Maine (4-3). As a team, the Warriors average 1.9 goals per game and give up 3.3 goals per game.
Who to Watch
Senior Mikyla Grant-Mentis leads the Warriors offensively with 28 points. She ranks 10th nationally in goals per game, having posted 18 this season. Junior Dominika Laskova has 17 points on four goals and a team-leading 13 assists. Courtney Maud is second on the team in goals, with seven.
Lea-Kristine Demers has played 21 games in net for Merrimack this season. She holds a 3.18 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. She's earned one shutout and is 3-14-4 overall.
Scouting the Huskies
UConn enters the weekend at 14-11-1 overall and 11-7-1 in league play. The Huskies are currently in fourth place, just one point ahead of the Friars. UConn snapped a three-game losing streak with a weekend sweep against Maine. The Huskies skated to a 2-1 win (Jan. 24) and a 5-2 win (Jan. 25). The Huskies average 2.1 goals per game and only give up 1.9, which ranks eighth nationally. UConn ranks ninth nationally on penalty kill (88.4%).
Who to Watch
Natalie Snodgrass and Catherine Crawley lead the team with 22 points apiece. They each have 10 goals and 12 assists through 26 games. Senior Briana Colangelo also has 12 assists and 17 total points.
Senior Morgan Fisher and sophomore Samantha Carpentier-Yelle have shared time in net this season. Fisher holds a 1.94 goals against average and a .922 save percentage in 17 starts. Carpentier-Yelle owns a 1.67 goals against average and a .928 save percentage through 11 games played.
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