Last year's University of Connecticut women's hockey team went where no Huskies team had gone before — earning both the Hockey East regular-season and playoff titles, plus an NCAA tournament berth, all firsts in program history. Now the goal is to maintain the momentum that’s been built up the past few years.
"We were happy taking the next step as a program," said head coach Chris MacKenzie, "and hopefully we'll build off it this year."
The Huskies captured the 2024 Hockey East regular-season crown with a 19-4-4 mark in conference play. They then went a perfect three-and-oh in the playoffs, besting Holy Cross and Boston College before blanking Northeastern, 1-0, in overtime in the title tilt.
The ride came to an end with a 1-0 double OT loss to Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA first round — but the seeds have borne fruit in Storrs, with three straight winning seasons and three appearances in the Hockey East championship game over the past six campaigns.
“We were close, more than a few times,” said MacKenzie, a Niagara graduate who has helmed the Huskies since 2013-14. “We were fortunate to get over the hump, and hopefully will continue to take the next step to continue our success as a program.”
Not bad for a team that started with three consecutive losses in Hockey East competition, then reeled off a 21-game unbeaten string in conference play en route to finishing 25-8-5 overall.
UConn boasted players from nine different states and provinces on this year’s preliminary roster, including one New Englander in sophomore goaltender Shannon Moran (Grantham, N.H.). There’s been a pipeline from hockey-rich Ontario to eastern Connecticut in recent years, as a team-high nine Huskies hail from Canada's southernmost province.
“There’s an abundance of players (there), and it’s like Minnesota in the U.S.,” said MacKenzie. “There’s a great number of players, and it’s tougher sledding in Massachusetts, where more often than not, players stay there.”
One of those Ontario natives is senior goaltender Megan Warrener, who went 12-1-1 in net with a 1.01 goals-against average and four shutouts.
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“Last year was a dream come true,” she said. “We’re hoping to repeat, and elevate as well — and getting back to the NCAAs is the ultimate goal.”
Besides the program’s recent success, another attraction for UConn recruits is the Toscano Family Ice Forum, which opened in January 2023. The full effect of the new rink has yet to be realized, but it has been a boon so far.
“Two years out, it was a construction site,” said MacKenzie. “It has certainly helped us, and players can see how well we’re supported. It’s tangible, and they can come here and get better every day, while enjoying the game they love.”
The Huskies have won 75 percent of their contests in their new home since it was christened. How they have succeeded overall is another story, as UConn doesn’t win most games by scoring in bunches.
“If you talk to people, they’d tell you that we’re tough to play against,” said MacKenzie. “We’re disciplined and defend well, and we don’t beat ourselves.”
He pointed out that the Huskies play as a cohesive group and were the least penalized team in the nation last year. They averaged just 4.37 penalty minutes per outing, continuing a trend that saw them rank at or near the bottom nationally in PIMs the past several seasons.
“We try to be strong on special teams and play as a five-person unit,” added Mackenzie. “It’s not about super-elite players, it’s depth and teamwork that give us success.”
Only two skaters broke the 20-point threshold last year, topped by senior forward Jada Habisch (28 points), as UConn notched a total of 91 goals. Defensively, though, the Huskies allowed just 47 goals, while posting 12 shutouts.
“Last year was a great steppingstone for the program, and it shows how far we’ve come,” said senior forward Riley Grimley, who had a career-high 19 points. “It gives us something to compare to — but we’re still hungry, and our next step is to get to the Frozen Four.
“The environment on our team on and off the ice will push us to keep the momentum going.”
UConn set a program record with 24 wins in 2022-23, then topped that mark last season as it finally broke through in the conference championship game.
“We’ve been close, knocking on the door, and other teams graduated some good players,” said MacKenzie. “We didn’t have a ton of injuries, and we had a lot of 1-0, 2-1 games. It was just good team hockey, as cliché as that sounds.”
The Huskies will be up against the iron early to begin the 2024-25 season, with Minnesota, Penn State and New Hampshire on tap in October.
“We’re just trying to take the next step,” reiterated MacKenzie. “We play Minnesota, which will be a taste of a top-five program, and we’ll try to elevate our game and our program every step of the way.”
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The Huskies hope to not only duplicate last year’s Hockey East success, but also return to the NCAAs — and win.
“It’s an enjoyable event, and winning is fun,” said MacKenzie. “Our motivation is to try and get back, for sure.”
Even if there’ll be a target on the Huskies’ backs.
“We’re looking forward to it,” said Warrener. “We’ll definitely get everyone’s best game, and we’ll give them our best game, every single day.”
