Thursday, September 25, 2025

Women’s Notes: Week 2 Begins Tonight with Top-10 Tilt

Delaware Makes Division I Debut This Weekend

After a handful of programs opened the season last weekend, the women’s college hockey slate resumes tonight with a quartet of games, including a matchup between two nationally-ranked teams: host No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 St. Lawrence.

It’s the highest ranking in program history for Penn State, which won a school-record 31 games last season and returns 2024-25 AHA Player of the Year Tessa Janecke (Sr., Orangeville, Ill.).

Janecke is one of four returning All-AHA First Team performers for the Nittany Lions, along with D Kendall Butze (Sr., Cleveland, Ohio), G Katie DeSa (Sr., Pawcatuck, Ct.) and F Katelyn Roberts (Sr., Chanhassen, Minn.).

St. Lawrence, meanwhile, is coming off consecutive berths in the NCAA Tournament but will be integrating nine freshmen into the lineup under 18th-year head coach Chris Wells (St. Lawrence ’92).

The Saints will be anchored once again by senior G Emma–Sofie Nordström (Herning, Denmark), who has won 44 games over the past two seasons and earned All-ECAC Hockey accolades in 2024-25.

Visit the Daily Scoreboard link below to view this week’s matchups.

Daily Scoreboard | National Schedule | Scoring Leaders | Goaltending Leaders

New Kids on the Block:

The newest program in NCAA Division I college hockey, the Delaware Blue Hens, will make its debut this weekend against LIU.

Delaware, which announced the formation of the program nearly two years ago, will compete as a member of Atlantic Hockey America. The addition of the Blue Hens now gives Division I women’s hockey 45 teams.

Head coach Allison Coomey (Niagara ’02, ’08) was hired after a seven-year stint on the Penn State staff. Her coaching career also includes nine years at Boston University. She’ll ice a youthful Blue Hens roster that features 17 freshmen, two juniors, two seniors and one graduate student.

Gabbing About Goalies:

Four veteran netminders – all from the WCHA – began their season with shutouts during opening weekend:

St. Cloud State’s goaltending duo each chipped in during the team’s sweep of Lindenwood. Sophomore Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) stopped 18 shots in Friday’s victory, while graduate student Jojo Chobak (Chicago) followed up with a 22-save showing Saturday.
St. Thomas senior transfer Julia Minotti (Laval, Quebec) registered her first shutout as a Tommie in their season opener at Post on Friday.
Minnesota State’s Hailey Hansen (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) turned aside all 30 shots she faced in Friday’s 3-0 victory at RPI.

Home Sweet Home:

Union opens the doors this weekend on its brand-new M&T Bank Center in Schenectady.

The $50 million dollar venue, located near campus at Mohawk Harbor, provides the Garnet Chargers and their fans with modern amenities with a seating capacity of 2,200.

The Garnet Chargers will host Franklin Pierce on Friday and Saturday in their new home.

Bartz Desire:

St. Thomas junior F Rylee Bartz (Warroad, Minn.) tallied the game-winner both nights in the Tommies’ road sweep of Post last weekend.

Bartz led St. Thomas with four game-winners as a freshman in 2023-24 but did not count any GWG among her eight goals last season.

She finished last weekend’s series against Post with three goals and five points to earn WCHA Forward of the Week honors.

Notebook Quotebook:

“We knew it was not going to be a masterpiece in game one, but we found a way to get the win.”

— Minnesota State head coach Shari Dickerman on her team season-opening 3-0 win at RPI last Friday (source: MSUMavericks.com).

PWHL Note of the Week:

The Minnesota Frost have won the Walter Cup championship in each of the first two seasons of the PWHL’s existence and did so both times with a roster made up entirely of NCAA alumnae.

Former Minnesota Golden Gopher F Taylor Heise (2018-23) captured playoff MVP honors during Minnesota’s 2023-24 title run, while Ottawa Charge G and Northeastern alum Gwyneth Philips (2019-24) was named playoff MVP after last year’s championship series loss to Minnesota.

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:

St. Cloud State head coach Mira Jalosuo (Minnesota ’13) earned her first win at the helm of the program in the Huskies’ season opener against Lindenwood last Friday … Mercyhurst sophomore Magdalena Luggin (Vienna, Austria) made a career-high 47 saves in Friday’s 4-3 overtime loss to Minnesota Duluth … RPI senior D Sophia Jones (Westfield, Mass.) blocked a nation’s best nine shots in last weekend’s series with Minnesota State … Jones’ RPI teammate Sabrina Beaudoin (Sr., Saint-Sauveur, Quebec) won 41 faceoffs in that series, nine more than anyone else in the country on the weekend. She finished 41-19 for a 68.3 faceoff percentage.

Conference Websites

Atlantic Hockey America | ECAC Hockey | Hockey East | NEWHA | WCHA

College Hockey Inc. Resources:

Did you know? 97% of NCAA Division I women’s hockey players earn their degree!