The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team released its schedule for the upcoming 2023-24 regular season, featuring an Oct. 13 home opener against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats.
UMaine’s first week of play includes an exhibition game against the University of New Brunswick at home on Saturday, Sept. 23, and a two-game series at Quinnipiac University the following Friday and Saturday to begin its regular season.
After another two-game series on the road against Stonehill College on Oct. 6 and 7, the Black Bears will return to Orono to face their rival UNH.
UMaine’s home opener against the Wildcats will be played at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at the Alfond Arena.
The Black Bears beat the Wildcats two out of three times last year, en route to a 15-18-2 record (12-13-2 in-conference) and a sixth place finish in the Hockey East standings. They lost to Providence College away in the Hockey East tournament quarterfinals on Feb. 25.
The upcoming 2023-24 season will be head coach Molly Engstrom’s second since joining UMaine’s program last summer. Engstrom will be coaching a young squad, with 10 freshmen and 13 total incoming players.
The Black Bears’ incoming class features Ohio State University transfer Jamie Grinder, a junior defenseman who joins UMaine a year after winning the national title with the Buckeyes.
“We are very excited about the incoming class,” Engstrom said in a statement. “We have an array of players we think have the ability to make a big impact on this program.”
Of the Black Bears’ 12 returning players, star juniors Mira Seregely and Alyssa Wruble will lead the UMaine attack. The pair of forwards finished first (23) and third (21) in points, respectively, for UMaine last season. Wruble was Engstrom’s leading scorer with 12 goals.
After playing the Wildcats on Oct. 13, the Black Bears will hit the road again to play the Providence Friars on Oct. 20 and 21. They will return home the following weekend to play the Boston University Terriers twice, at 6 p.m. Oct. 27 and 4 p.m. Oct. 28.
Skipping ahead to Nov. 17, Nov. 18 and Dec. 1, UMaine plays the University of Vermont Catamounts three times in a row. The November tilts will be played in Burlington, Vermont, and the December match in Orono at the Alfond Arena.
Finally, UMaine will play non-conference opponents Colgate University, Dartmouth College and Bemidji State/Robert Morris University later in December, then finish out its season against Hockey East opposition over the next couple months. Twenty-seven of the Black Bears’ 35 games this season will be against members of Hockey East.
The Hockey East conference tournament begins on Feb. 28, with the championship game scheduled for March 10. If the Black Bears were to win the tournament, they would automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament.
