On Saturday, the Brown women’s hockey team (5-7-1) hosted the Providence College Friars (5-10-0) in the 28th Mayor’s Cup, an annual game between the two Rhode Island schools. In a nail-biter, the Friars escaped Meehan Auditorium with victory after a second-period goal from Audrey Knapp, the lone score in a 1-0 defeat for Bruno. The Bears’ loss on Saturday afternoon marked their eighth consecutive Mayor’s Cup loss.
Despite falling short in Saturday’s contest, the Bears gave Providence a run for their money, firing 21 shots on goal and keeping the Friars on their toes. Brown came out with a sense of urgency, launching four shots at the Friars’ goal within the first two minutes of the game.
Nevertheless, Providence responded with their own forceful attack, sending 15 shots at the Bears’ defense in the first period alone. Goalkeeper Kaley Doyle ’24 — who finished with 26 saves — shut out a dynamic Friar offense in the first period.
“I felt that we did a great job limiting Providence's opportunities, but I think we ultimately need to prioritize our game, our strengths and our identity,” Doyle wrote in a message to The Herald. “We lacked the details and structure we needed to win that game.”
In the second period, the Bears’ offensive tempo slowed, with only five shots in the entire period. Meanwhile, the Friars remained aggressive, zipping eight shots of their own at the Bears in the period.
Within this offensive blitz, Knapp emerged as the star of the afternoon. After a wide shot from fellow Friar Brooke Becker, Knapp blasted the puck behind Doyle, giving Providence a lead as well as the game’s only goal.
Down one, the Bears picked up the pace in the third and final period, firing eight shots at the Friars. The Bears’ last-minute effort was spearheaded by Jade Iginla ’26, who led all players with six shots on goal.
Bruno’s best chance came at the 5:51 mark in the third period on a five-minute power play, firing five shots in five minutes. Three shots missed and two were saved by Friar goalie Hope Walinski.
At the 18:33 mark, Bruno pulled Doyle from the net, leading to two more shots — one from Iginla and the other from Cameron Sikich ’25 — that missed.
“We know that we're better than that and we felt like we were very much within our right to win the Mayor's Cup for the first time since the 2014-15 season,” Head Coach Melanie Ruzzi said in a statement to Brown Athletics. “There are things we need to look at to get back to our identity. Just not a great performance from top-to-bottom.”
The Bears will now prepare for their next opponent, the Yale Bulldogs. Bruno will face Yale Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at the Meehan Auditorium.
Cooper Herman is a senior staff writer covering sports and arts & culture. He is a freshman from Alexandria, Virginia studying Economics and International and Public Affairs.
