HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

The Hockey East women’s league began last weekend with a tough non-conference schedule that saw five series against top-12 ranked opponents. Boston College dueled No. 1 Wisconsin, Boston University traveled to No. 2 Minnesota, Vermont was at No. 5 Clarkson, No. 13 Northeastern hosted and split with No. 10 Quinnipiac, and #9 UConn split a home series with No. 12 Penn State.

Boston University and Merrimack opened women’s league play on Tuesday, with the Terriers taking down the Warriors, 7-1, at Agganis Arena, which will host both the men’s and women’s BU teams while Walter Brown Arena is renovated this year. Rookie forward Lola Reid racked up the game-winning goal and two assists in her Hockey East debut while Mari Pietersen made 16 saves in the win.

Northeastern senior Skylar Irving exploded for four points on Friday, factoring in on each Husky goal in a 4-2 win over No. 9/10 Quinnipiac. She netted the game-winning goal just 20 seconds into the third period and two primary assists as part of her impactful night.

UConn’s Ava Rinker assisted on all five of the Huskies’ goals in a weekend split with No. 12 Penn State, sparking a come-from-behind win on Friday.

New Hampshire and Providence went undefeated in non-conference series against Assumption and St. Michael’s, outscoring their opponents 21-1. Providence’s Audrey Knapp had three goals and two assists, Andi Calderone scored the game-winning goal for UNH on Friday and added another in a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Skylar Irving - Northeastern

Skylar Irving (Sr., F; Kingston, Mass.) posted a four-point performance in a 4-2 victory over then-No. 10/9 Quinnipiac on Friday. Irving was involved in all four Husky goals with one game-winning goal and three assists. She is tied to lead all Hockey East players with six points. Additionally, the forward posted four blocks over two games against the Bobcats.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Lola Reid - Boston University

Lola Reid (Fr., F; Lincoln, Neb.) racked up four points in her first three collegiate games on one goal and three assists. She netted her first NCAA goal in a 7-1 win over Merrimack on Oct. 1, which proved to be the game-winning strike, and finished the game with a plus-three rating. She picked up a prima- ry assist on Sunday at No. 2 Minnesota.

DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Ava Rinker - UConn

Ava Rinker (Sr., D; Elverson, Pa.) had five points in a split weekend, setting up each of UConn’s goals in the two-game series against No. 12 Penn State. Rinker was a part of all three goals in UConn’s comeback win on Friday, tallying a career high three assists. She followed up with another prime time performance on Saturday, assisting on both UConn goals. Rinker was key on defense, recording six blocks and staying out of the penalty box and three of her helpers were the primary assist.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Sedona Blair - Merrimack

Sedona Blair (So., G; Eden Prairie, Minn.) in her only game of the week, Blair stopped all 23 shots on target to record her sixth career shutout and backstop UNH to a 6-0 season-opening win against Assumption on Friday. She held the Greyhounds scoreless on two power plays. Blair picked up where she left off last season, when she broke the UNH record for single-season saves and garnered both Hockey East All-Star Third Team and All-Rookie Team honors, and was runner-up in Rookie of the Year balloting.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Abby Newhook, BC (Sr., F; St. John’s, N.L.) Potted the Eagles’ lone goal in last week’s series against No. 1 Wisconsin.

Lilli Welcke, BU (Jr., F; Heidelberg, Germany) Scored one goal in a weekend series at No. 2 Minnesota. Her tally knotted Sunday’s game at 1-1. In a 7-1 win over Merrimack on Oct. 1, she added two assists for three points on the week.

Tamara Giaquinto, BU (Gr., D; Toronto, Ont.) Potted two power-play goals and added an assist in a 7-1 win over Merrimack on Oct. 1 to open the Hockey East season. She added eight blocked shots in a two-game set at No. 2 Minnesota.

Callie Shanahan, BU (Sr., G; Commerce, Mich.) Made 40 saves against No. 2 Minnesota in a 1-0 setback on Friday night, the third 40-plus save game of her career. The lone goal allowed came on the power-play.

Claire Murdoch, UConn (Fr., F; Toronto, Ont.) Recorded her first collegiate goal in UConn’s comeback win against No. 12 Penn State on Friday, tying the game at two in the third period. She finished the weekend by adding two shots on goal.

Emily Crovo, HC (So., F; Melrose, Mass.) Helped power Holy Cross to a sweep of St. Anselm, scoring two goals, including a power-play strike and the game-winner, in Friday’s 5-1 win. She added seven shots on goal in the two-game set.

Amanda Aslan, HC (Fr., F: St. Johns, Fla.) Earned her first career NCAA point when shes scored the first goal of a 5-1 win over St. Anselm at 12:55 in the opening frame on Friday.

Emma Min, HC (Sr., D; London, Ont.) Led the Holy Cross defense with five blocked shots in a weekend sweep of St. Anselm. She also picked up an assist in Friday’s 5-1 victory.

Brooke Loranger, HC (Jr., G; Niagara on the Lake, Ont.) Made 23 saves in a 5-1 win over St. Anselm on Friday, posting a 1.00 GAA and .958 SV%.

Alyson Hush, UNH (Jr., F; Toronto, Ont.) Scored two goals in UNH’s season-opening undefeated series against Assumption. She finished the two-game series with a plus-one rating. Hush recorded her first career multiple-point game with a two-goal effort in a 6-0 win on Friday. She broke the scoreless tie at 8:43 of the first period and gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead at 9:37 of the second period.

Andi Calderone, UNH (Gr., D; Kirkland, Que.) Netted a goal in each game of an undefeated set against Assumption. Her other stats included one block and a plus-one rating. In her first game as a Wildcat, Calderone scored a goal 27 seconds into the third period to ignite a four-goal third stanza en route to a 6-0 win. On Saturday, Calderone scored the game-tying goal with 2:13 remaining in regulation to lift UNH into a 1-1 tie. She was credited with one block.

Éloïse Caron, NU (Fr., F; Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.) Tallied a career-high three points (1g, 2a) in a 4-2 win against then-No. 10/9 Quinnipiac on Friday. Caron posted two blocks over two games against the Bobcats. She is tied for second nationally among all freshmen with five points on the season.

Paige Taborski, NU (Sr., G; Roscoe, Ill.) Recorded a split weekend in net against the then-No. 10/9 Quinnipiac Bobcats. Taborski posted a career-high 33 saves in goal in a 4-2 victory over the Bobcats and 23 saves in a 3-0 loss. She had a .933 save percentage and 2.02 GAA in two games against the Bobcats.

Audrey Knapp, PC (So., F; Stevens Point, Wisc.) Poured in three goals and added two assists in a weekend sweep of St. Michael’s. She scored one even strength goal, one power-play tally, and one shorthanded strike.

Emma Hofbauer, PC (Fr., F; Vomperbach, Austria) Scored one goal and added three assists in a weekend sweep of St. Michael’s.

Brooke Becker, PC (Gr., D; Orchard Park, N.Y.) Scored one goal and dished out two assists for three points in a weekend sweep of St. Michael’s.