On Sunday afternoon in the Meehan Auditorium, the women’s ice hockey team (8-5-1, 4-3-1 ECAC) fell 4-1 to New Hampshire (8-7-2, 4-4-1 Hockey East).
The hard-fought match began with an early goal from Brown, but New Hampshire’s offensive play catalyzed 4 consecutive goals for the Wildcats that the Bears couldn’t come back from.
Melanie Ruzzi, the team’s head coach, said in an interview with The Herald that it was a “tough weekend.” The day before their match against New Hampshire, the Bears lost 3-2 in overtime to Providence College.
On Sunday, the Bears played without Monique Lyons ’28 and Margot Norehad ’27, the team’s top two scorers. Last season, Lyons and Norehad led the team in goals with 14 and 12, respectively. Lyons was also ranked second in the country in goals per game among first-year players.
Losing key players like Lyons and Norehad “can shake the team up a little bit,” Ruzzi said.
From the moment the opening whistle blew on Sunday, both teams were aggressive on the ice. Eleven seconds into the game, the Wildcats’ Nina Rossi stole possession and dashed to Brown’s goal from the left. She fired at close range, but the puck streaked wide.
But Brown did not remain in its defensive position for much longer. Just moments later, Jade Iginla ’26 seized the puck and charged toward the New Hampshire goal. But New Hampshire’s goalkeeper Noemi Martinez blocked Iginla’s shot, leaving both teams scoreless after a tense start.
Two and a half minutes later, Brown eyed its next chance. As Iginla made her way behind New Hampshire’s goal in an attempt to shake off a Wildcat defender, she lost control of the puck. But it was quickly picked up by India McDadi ’26, who dodged New Hampshire’s Charlie Rauch, closed in on the goal and sent a missile streaking toward the net.
For a moment, the Wildcats breathed a sigh of relief as their teammate Addison Finn obstructed the shot from its path. But waiting to the right of the goal was Iginla, who slammed the puck through an opening and put Brown on the board.
Iginla has been “playing great” this season, Ruzzi said. “She’s a very powerful athlete, and she’s got a great shot, and so I think when she drives pucks wide (and) takes (them) deep in the zone, good things happen.”
“I think that she and India have had great chemistry for 4 years, and so having them together is always a great thing, too,” she added, commending McDadi’s assist.
For the rest of the period, Brown continued to put pressure on New Hampshire’s defense, taking 15 out of the 27 shots fired in the period after the initial goal. But neither team was able to capitalize on any scoring opportunities, and the game entered the second period with the score still at 1-0.
Despite Brown’s lead, both sides continued to wrestle for offensive control, taking a total of 7 shots in the first 3 minutes of the period.
But the Wildcats’ next attempt to score would turn out to be more successful. After a short tussle in the neutral zone, New Hampshire’s Kelly Harty stole possession from the Bears. Harty passed the puck to her teammate Addison Spitz, who then made her way along the right side of the rink.
With a clean swing, Spitz sent the puck toward Brown’s goal, but the shot was blocked by goalie Anya Zupkofska ’28. But Zupkofska’s kneepads rebounded the puck right to Harty, who was positioned next to the goal. With a quick flick of her stick, Harty launched the puck into the net, leveling the score at 1-1.
After losing their lead, the Bears saw an opportunity present itself when the Wildcats’ Alyson Hush was sent to the penalty box for roughing 8 minutes into the period, starting a 2-minute power play for Brown. Although the Bears took 7 shots during the power play, none found the back of the net.
To close out the second period, each team took an additional 9 shots — all of which were unsuccessful. The Bears and the Wildcats headed into the final 20 minutes tied.
The third period saw yet another early goal — this time by the Wildcats. New Hampshire’s Hush corralled a loose ball, sending it to teammate Danika Botterill in front of the net. Without hesitating, Botterill knocked the puck cleanly to Zupkofska’s left, catapulting the Wildcats to a 2-1 lead.
With only 3 minutes left in the game, Brown’s desperation to level the score only grew. To improve the team’s odds, Zupkofska stepped off the ice in exchange for an offensive player, leaving Bruno without a goalie.
But as soon as the Wildcats gained control of the puck, the game moved out of reach for the Bears. Once again, Hush took advantage of an unobstructed path to the net and charged along the left side of the rink. One Bear slid on her stomach in a frantic attempt to stop the shot, but Hush easily sent the puck toward the open net for the goal.
With New Hampshire now boasting a 3-1 lead, the Bears’ chances of emerging victorious looked bleak. Any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Spitz bagged the Wildcats’ second empty-net goal with just over 1 minute to spare.
As time ran out, Brown was unable to launch a counter-offensive, and the final score rested at 4-1.
Looking ahead, Ruzzi said the team plans to bounce back from the loss.
“We’ve climbed the ranks nationally to 11th in the country, which is a huge thing for Brown women’s hockey,” she said. “We’ll probably take a dip after this weekend, but we’ll be ready to fight back.”
This Saturday, the Bears will face Yale (8-6, 4-4 ECAC) at home. After losing to the Bulldogs twice last year, Brown hopes to flip the script this weekend.
