College hockey returns to Northern Ireland this weekend when Providence and Princeton clash in the Friendship Series.

The Friars and the 12th-ranked Tigers, both of whom are taking to the ice for the first time in 2024, will play a two-game set Friday and Saturday at Belfast’s SSE Arena. It’s the third time the women’s college hockey event will take place in Belfast; Clarkson and Northeastern met in 2018-19, and Merrimack faced Quinnipiac in 2019-20.

The Friendship Series is the only NCAA Division I women’s hockey event to be held outside of the United States.

Princeton (9-5-2) enters the series with just two losses since the start of November, going 6-2-2 during that stretch. Providence (6-12-1) closed out the first half of the season with a 6-0 win at New Hampshire (Dec. 8) and a 5-1 loss at Boston University (Dec. 9).

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Must Read:

Boston Globe: It’s looking like an eventful year ahead for women’s college hockey
Huntington News: Northeastern women’s hockey charts upward trajectory heading into 2024
Irish Star: Ice hockey match in Belfast will celebrate 30 years of Study USA for Northern Ireland students
NHL.com: Women in Hockey: Sheri Hudspeth
Ottawa Citizen: She shoots, she scores! Ella Shelton makes history as PWHL debuts
The Score: Meet Élizabeth Giguère, the PWHL’s rising star

Must Hear:

Inside College Hockey America: Featuring RIT junior G Sara Coe
Inside ECAC Hockey: Featuring Colgate graduate F Danielle Serdachny
Inside Hockey East: Featuring Maine freshman F Haley Ryan
The PodKaz: Talking games over the break and some big ranked matchups coming up

Must Watch:

NCAA.com: Minnesota rises, Minnesota Duluth enters latest women’s hockey Power 5
Northern News Now: UMD women’s hockey reflects on 25 years as a program
WWNY 7News: Clarkson Lady Golden Knights remain undefeated in season’s first 20 games on the ice

Clarkson Staying Golden:

When fifth-ranked Clarkson returns from its holiday break Friday at No. 9 Cornell, it will put its season-opening 20-game unbeaten streak on the line.

The Golden Knights went 18-0-2 in the first half, including a 7-0-1 mark in ECAC play. It compiled separate winning streaks of five, eight and five games over the first four months and brings that latter five-game streak into Friday’s clash with the Big Red.

Clarkson is the nation’s stingiest defensive team, having allowed just 19 goals in 20 games, thanks in large part to a combined .950 save percentage from goalies Michelle Pasiechnyk (Sr., Ottawa, Ontario) and Julia Minotti (So., Laval, Que.).

The Race is On:

As 2023 gives way to 2024, several players are jockeying for position at the top of the national individual scoring race.

Colgate senior F Kristýna Kaltounková (Vlasim, Czechia) currently paces the field with 35 points, one better than Wisconsin’s Kristen Simms (So., Plymouth, Mich.). Four players follow in a tie for third place with 33 points each: Colgate’s Danielle Serdachny (Gr., Edmonton, Alberta), Wisconsin’s Britta Curl (Gr., Bismarck, N.D.), Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy (Jr., Evergreen Park, Ill.), and Cornell’s Izzy Daniel (Gr., Minneapolis).

Serdachny was the 2022-23 national scoring champion after racking up 71 points (25 goals, 46 assists) in 40 contests.

Lapp of Luxury:

Harvard sophomore F Gwynn Lapp (Andover, Mass.) scored both goals the Crimson’s 2-1 win over Sacred Heart on Tuesday. She now has five goals in her last five games and leads Harvard in both points (10) and goals (seven) in 16 games this season. Lapp had two assists in 26 games as a freshman in 2022-23.

Fit To Print:

“It was a great trip. I’m proud of them. We knew Colgate was going to be a tall task. To be able to match up like that and see what kind of a game you need to play to be in the top five in the country is invaluable. We knew we’d learn a few things, and we did, from both contests. I’m grateful for the players’ commitment and attitude and look forward to the second half.”  

-- Maine head coach Molly Engstrom after the Black Bears defeated Robert Morris in the Battle at the Burgh consolation game. (source: GoBlackBears.com)

PWHL Note of the Week:

Clarkson alumna Ella Shelton (2016-20) made hockey history on New Year’s Day when the former Golden Knights captain scored the first goal in PWHL history. Shelton, a defenseman with New York, found the net against Toronto midway through the first period of the league’s inaugural game. The goal was assisted by Boston College alumna Alex Carpenter (2011-13, 2014-16).

New York went on to a 4-0 victory at a sold-out Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. Ninety-one percent of the PWHL’s rostered players are comprised of NCAA alumnae.

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:

Northeastern fifth-year G Gwyneth Philips (Athens, Ohio) made a season-high 45 saves in Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime win over No. 13/14 Yale … Union freshman F Emma Fulawka (Etobicoke, Ontario) notched her first collegiate hat trick in a New Year’s Day win over Saint Michael’s … New Hampshire has not allowed a power-play goal in any of its last six games and has successfully killed off 18 straight opponent power plays dating back to Nov. 11. The Wildcats are back in action Jan. 12 at Boston University.

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Did you know? 98% of NCAA Division I women’s hockey players earn their degree!