It’s early. Leaves are just starting to fall and snow isn’t on anyone’s radar right now.
But as the college women’s season turns into the third week of October, several Division 1 programs are being bolstered by impact freshmen.
Some players take longer to develop than others. Some players just need a chance.
It’s a difficult jump to make, but a handful of players are starting to shine. Here’s a look at five.
Audrey McCutcheon
RPI did not play last season. The last time the Engineers took the ice was in 2019-20 when they finished 12th in the ECAC.
McCutcheon is giving RPI fans hope. The product of Saint-Jean-sur-Richeliu, Quebec, was named the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week after a sweep of Union.
She had a team-high four points last weekend, scoring three goals and adding an assist. She tallied her first collegiate hat trick in a 9-2 rout. Overall, she’s second in the team in scoring with five points (4-1-5) in five games.
Ann-Frederick Naud
The 5-foot-6 forward from Montreal has made an immediate impact at Quinnipiac.
Naud is riding a four-game points streak after picking up assists in back-to-back games against Long Island, a three-assist effort against Saint Anselm and a solo assist game against Saint Anselm.
Naud is tied for 23rd in the nation in scoring with a 0-6-6 line in six games. Though she has yet to score a collegiate goal, she’s had plenty of chances - she has put 18 shots on net.
In Quinnipiac’s first two games of the season, a set against Maine, she was a factor despite earning any points, registering five shots on net.
Callie Shanahan
Senior Kate Stuart returned to Boston University’s net to backbone a 2-1 upset over second-ranked Northeastern and a 3-3 tie with New Hampshire.
But Shanahan helped get the Terriers off to a 2-0 start after outstanding performances in a 4-2 win over UNH and a 5-0 blanking of the Wildcats. She stopped 26 of 28 shots in Durham and then registered a 16-save shutout the next day in Boston.
Shanahan sports a .955 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average.
Megan Warrener
Warrener is a major reason the Huskies are off to a 4-0 start for the first time in the Hockey East era.
The rookie netminder from Stoney Creek, Ontario, is 2-0 following a 6-2 victory at RIT last Saturday. She stopped 17 of 19 shots to record her second collegiate win.
UConn swept both games at RIT last weekend.
“Megan is a hard worker and a passionate student of the game. She competes hard, works to see the puck and makes timely saves. It was fun to see her earn a shutout her first game and we can see her confidence growing daily. She is learning from our two senior goalies, Sam Carpentier-Yelle and Mackenzie Nicholas, and getting better every day,” UConn head coach Chris MacKenzie said.
Warrener is 2-0 with a .949 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average. She blanked Long Island University, 2-0, in her first UConn start, stopping all 20 shots.
The Huskies are strong in net with Warrener and Carpentier-Yelle.
Haley Winn
Winn arrived at Clarkson with lofty expectations and she’s living up to the hype.
The defenseman, who hails from Rochester, N.Y., is off to a terrific start for the Golden Knights. Winn is averaging a point a game (2-2-4 in four games) entering this weekend. She already has a game-winning goal to her credit.
Winn was a member of the U.S. U18 Women’s National Team which won silver in 2019 and gold in 2020. Clarkson won the recruiting battle to net Winn, who also received attention from Wisconsin, Colgate, Quinnipiac, Penn State and Princeton.
Clarkson is off to a 3-0-1 start.
