Upcoming Event: Women's Ice Hockey versus Sacred Heart University (Exhibition) on September 27, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Women's Ice Hockey
vs Sacred Heart University (Exhibition)
3:00 PM
Providence College Athletics
Saturday, September 27
Providence, R.I.
3:00 PM
Providence College
vs
Sacred Heart University (Exhibition)
Photo by: Brian Foley for Foley-Photograph
Women’s Hockey Opens 2025-26 Season With Exhibition Game Against Sacred Heart
9/25/2025 3:00:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
Friars are picked to finish fifth in the Hockey East Preseason Poll.
GAME INFORMATION VS. SACRED HEART (EXHIBITION)
SEPTEMBER 27 | SCHNEIDER ARENA | PROVIDENCE, R.I. | 3:00 PM
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence College women's hockey team will hit the ice for the first time in 2025-26 with a home exhibition game against Sacred Heart University. The Friars will host the Pioneers at Schneider Arena on Saturday, September 27 at 3:00 p.m.
Scouting the Friars
The Friars finished the 2024-25 season with a 20-12-3 overall record, including a 16-9-2 mark in Hockey East play. Providence fell in the Hockey East Quarterfinals in a 3-2 defeat to Northeastern University. The Friars are receiving votes in both the USCHO and USA Hockey polls.
Providence will open the 2025-26 regular season on Friday, October 3 in a home-and-home series against Quinnipiac University. The Friars will host the Bobcats on Friday, October 3 at 2:00 p.m. at Schneider Arena before heading to M&T Bank Arena on Saturday, October 4 at 3:00 p.m.
Returning for the Friars
Providence returns senior forward Reichen Kirchmair (Oakville, Ontario), the 2024-25 Cammi Granato Award winner as Hockey East Player of the Year and the league's scoring champion. She became the first Friar to earn Player of the Year honors since 2004-05 and the first to claim the scoring title since 2002-03. Kirchmair was the only unanimous selection to the Hockey East First Team after leading the league with 15 goals and 15 assists in conference play. The senior paced all league players with 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in 34 games.
Junior forward Audrey Knapp (Stevens Point, Wis.) also returns for the Friars after being named a Hockey East First Team All-Star last season. Knapp tied for the conference lead in goals with 15, alongside Kirchmair, making them the only Friars to achieve the feat in the Hockey East era with Sara Hjalmarsson in 2022-23. The junior finished the season with 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points.
In net, graduate student Hope Walinski (Lincoln, R.I.) returns for Providence. Walinski started 33 games for the Friars, posting a 1.87 goals against average, a .922 save percentage, four shutouts and a 19-11-3 record. Walinski was awarded as a Hockey East Third Team All-Star and named to the Watch List for the National Goalie of the Year Award last season.
Climbing Up The Second Half
The Friars opened the second half of the 2024-25 season with an 8-1-0 record in January, their most wins in the month since 1998-99. From January through the end of the regular season, Providence earned points in 17 of its final 20 conference games, posting a 13-3-0 record in the second half, the best mark in Hockey East after the new year. Against ranked opponents, the Friars went 7-5-0, their most ranked wins in a season under Matt Kelly and the most since 2009-10.
Hats Flying
Providence recorded four hat tricks in 2024-25, its most in a single season since 2004-05. Three of those came from current returners: Reichen Kirchmair, Audrey Knapp and Kiara Kraft.
Hockey East Preseason Poll
The Friars were picked to finish fifth in the Hockey East Preseason Poll, which was released on Monday, Sept. 16. Providence received 61 points and were picked to finish behind UConn (86), Boston University (82), Northeastern University (76) and Boston College (64). The Huskies and Terriers each received five first place votes.
Fresh Friar Faces
Providence welcomes 10 new players (one transfer and nine freshmen) to the roster for the 2025-26 season. Taylor Porthan (Edina, Minn.) is a sophomore from UConn. The nine freshmen are Molly Farace (Otonabee, Ontario), Sophie Harold (Cobourg, Ontario), Mallory Hartl (Askov, Minn.), Izzy King (Bedford, Mass.), Taylor Leemrijse (Toronto, Ontario), Lauren Mack (Excelsior, Minn.), Brenna O'Reilly (Burlington, Mass.), Bella Paolucci (Groose Pointe Woods, Mich.) and Sami Snyder (Waterloo, Ontario).
Friars Under Head Coach Matt Kelly
Including the 2024-25 campaign, Matt Kelly has posted an overall record of 125-87-25 (.580) and 96-64-19 (.590) in Hockey East play. Last season's 20 wins marked the third time during Kelly's tenure the Friars have reached the 20-win mark. In his inaugural season, the 2018-19 Friars tied the school-record with 24 wins.
In 2020-21, Kelly led the Friars to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005, marking the program's second appearance in school history. The Friars have reached the Hockey East Championship twice under Kelly, in 2020-21 and 2022-23.
Through 40
In the Kelly era, the Friars are 86-8-5 when taking the lead into the third period. They are 25-19-13 when tied after two periods and 14-60-7 when trailing.
Three is the Number
Under Kelly, Providence is 94-7-3 all-time when scoring three or more goals. The Friars were 18-1-0 last season when scoring three or more goals. Providence was a perfect 10-0-0 when scoring four or more goals and 5-0-0 when netting five.
Scouting the Pioneers
Sacred Heart enters the new season after a historic 2024-25 season. The Pioneers played their first NCAA Tournament game in program history against Minnesota Duluth after earning the New England Women's Hockey Alliance automatic bid by defeating Long Island University 4-2 in the league's championship game. Sacred Heart finished the season with a 21-15-3 record, the most wins since 2019-20.
Who to Watch For Sacred Heart
The Pioneers return their top-two point leaders from last season in junior Isabella Chaput and sophomore Ella Holm. Chaput led the Pioneers with 21 points on 14 goals and seven assists along with four power play goals in 38 games. Holm recorded 15 points on nine goals and six assists.
In goal, senior Jillian Petruno and junior Lauren Larson return for the Pioneers. Petruno played in nine games last year, posting a 6-3-0 record with a 1.38 goals against average and a .948 save percentage with three shutouts. Larson started 13 games with a 4-6-3 record while recording a 2.51 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.
All-Time Series with the Pioneers
This is the first ever matchup between the Friars and Pioneers.
-GO FRIARS!-
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