Upcoming Event: Women's Ice Hockey at Sacred Heart University on September 25, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Women's Ice Hockey
at Sacred Heart University
6:00 PM
Providence College Athletics
Friday, September 25
Fairfield, Conn.
6:00 PM
Providence College
at
Sacred Heart University
Photo by: Foley Photography
Women’s Hockey Opens Regular Season With Weekend Series Against Sacred Heart
9/24/2026 12:32:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
The Friars will start the series on the road vs. the Pioneers in Fairfield, Conn. on Friday before hosting Sacred Heart on Saturday.
GAME INFORMATION VS. SACRED HEART
SEPTEMBER 25 | MARTIRE FAMILY ARENA | FAIRFIELD, CONN. | 6:00 PM
SEPTEMBER 26 | SCHNEIDER ARENA | PROVIDENCE, R.I. | 3:00 PM
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence College women's hockey team returns for their 2026 season opener series this weekend versus Sacred Heart. Providence will head to Fairfield, Conn. on Friday, Sept. 25 for a 6:00 p.m. puck drop at Martire Family Arena before returning back home to host Sacred Heart at Schneider Arena on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 3:00 p.m.
SCOUTING THE FRIARS…
The Friars finished the 2025-26 season with an 11-22-2 overall record, including a 8-14-2 mark in Hockey East play. Providence fell in the opening round of the Hockey East playoffs after a 3-0 loss to Boston University.
RETURNING FOR THE FRIARS…
Providence returns senior forward Audrey Knapp (Stevens Point, Wis.), who reached 20-plus points for the second consecutive season last year. The rising senior posted seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points and was one of four Friars to reach the 20-point mark. In the 2024-25 season, Knapp was named a Hockey East First Team All-Star, tied for the conference lead in goals with 15 and finished the season with 35 points.
Senior forward Kiara Kraft (Churchville, N.Y.) and junior forward Emma Hofbauer (Vomperbach, Austria) also return for the Friars. Both players recorded 10-plus points with Kraft recording five goals and seven assists for 12 points while Hofbauer posted five goals and five assists for 10 points.
On defense, junior Hannah Clarke (Richmond Hill, Ont.) led the returning defenseman last season in points with one goal and seven assists for eight points.
FRESH FRIAR FACES...
Providence welcomes 10 new players (two transfers and eight freshmen) to the roster for the 2026-27 season. Reese Strauts (Brandon, Wis.) and Hanna Olson (Andover, Minn.) are two sophomore transfers from St. Cloud State University and St. Lawrence University, respectively. The eight freshmen are Bianca Birrittieri (Flower Mound, Texas), Avery Ide (Skaneateles, N.Y.), Elizabeth Janovski (Stouffville, Ontario), Reese Kletke (Oakville, Ontario), Mirella Martinelli (North Providence, R.I.), Mackenzie Riches (Pickering, Ontario), Cameryn Shiels (Surrey, British Columbia) and Grace Van Volsen (Whitby, Ontario).
NICOLE NORTON NAMED INTERIM HEAD COACH...
It was announced on Aug. 16 that Providence College women's ice hockey Head Coach Matt Kelly stepped down. Assistant Coach Nicole Norton will take over the program as interim head coach, while Assistant Coach Katie Burt will be elevated to interim associate head coach.
DANIELLE SLOMINSKI JOINS STAFF AS AN ASSISTANT COACH...
Head Coach Nicole Norton announced on Sept. 21 that Danielle Slominski has joined her staff as an assistant coach. Slominski spent the last two seasons at the University of Vermont, where she served as an assistant coach and director of hockey operations.
SANDRA ASBTREITER WINS WALTER CUP...
Former Friar goaltender Sandra Abstreiter was a member of the Montréal Victoire PWHL team that won the Walter Cup in the 2025-26 season. Abstreiter became the first Friar to win the Walter Cup.
CINDY CURLEY TO THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME...
Cindy Curley '85 will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026 as announced on June 22, 2026. Curley ranks third all-time in Providence history with 225 career points and helped lead the Friars to their first two ECAC Championship titles in 1984 and 1985. She will join Cammi Granato '93 as the only Friar women's hockey alumni inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The induction will be held on November 9 in Toronto, Ontario.
BIANCA BIRRITTIERI WINS GOLD...
Freshman goaltender Bianca Birrittieri won gold with the United States national team at the U18 Women's World Championship in Cape Breton, Canada on Sunday, Jan. 18. Birrittieri played in four games for the United States and posted a 0.50 goals-against average, a .975 save percentage, two shutouts and a 4-0-0 record. In the gold medal game against Canada, Birrittieri recorded a shutout with 38 saves and was named Player of the Game. Birrittieri, originally from Flower Mound, Texas, will join the Friars next season.
BIANCA BIRRITTIERI AND MIRELLA MARTINELLI INVITED TO USA HOCKEY WOMEN'S NATIONAL FESTIVAL...
Freshman goaltender Bianca Birrittieri (Flower Mound, Texas) and freshman defenseman Mirella Martinelli (North Providence, R.I.) were invited to the 2026 USA Hockey Women's National Festival on Aug. 2-9 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. The group was comprised of 46 collegiate players and 46 players under the age of 18. The festival marked Birrittieri's third appearance and Martinelli's second at the Festival.
REICHEN KIRCHMAIR SELECTED IN 2026 PWHL DRAFT
Former Friars Reichen Kirchmair (Oakville, Ontario) '26 was selected in the 2026 PWHL Draft. Kirchmair was chosen in the sixth round (64th overall) by PWHL San Jose. Kirchmair becomes the fifth Friar in program history to be selected in the PWHL Draft, joining Sandra Abstreiter '22, '23G (2023), Noemi Neubauerová '23G (2024), Sara Hjalmarsson '22, '23G (2025) and Brooke Becker '24, '25G (2025).
FORMER FRIARS AT THE OLYMPICS...
Former Providence College women's ice hockey players Sandra Abstreiter (Germany) '22, '23G, Sara Hjalmarsson (Sweden) '22, '23G and Noemi Neubauerová (Czechia) '23G have been selected to their respective national team rosters for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, scheduled for Feb. 5–19 in Italy. Abstreiter will be making her first Olympic appearance, Hjalmarsson her third and Neubauerová her second.
HOCKEY EAST PRESEASON POLL...
The Friars were picked to finish ninth in the Hockey East Preseason Poll, which was released on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Northeastern was picked first with 89 points overall and eight first place votes.
CAPTAINS NAMED...
Hannah Clarke (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Audrey Knapp were named captains for the 2026-27 season. Emma Hofbauer (Vomperbach, Austria) was named an alternate captain.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS…
Sacred Heart enters the new season after finishing 2025-26 with a 13-21-2 overall record and a NEWHA conference record of 12-14-2. The Pioneers fell to Saint Anslem in two games in the NEWHA Quarterfinals. Sacred Heart was 7-8-2 at home, 6-11-0 on the road and 0-2-0 in neutral site games. Coming into the season opener, the Pioneers have not lost their opening game since 2022. Sacred Heart was picked to finish fifth in the NEWHA Preseason Poll.
WHO TO WATCH FOR SACRED HEART…
The Pioneers return their top-two point leaders from last season in senior Ella Holm and junior Addie Bowlby. Holm led the Pioneers with eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points. Bowlby led the team in goals with 10 along with five power play goals and six assists for 16 points.
In goal, senior Lauren Larson is the only goaltender of four on the roster who played for the Pioneers last season. Larson played four games last season and posted a 4.67 goals against average with a .848 save percentage.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH THE PIONEERS… Friday will mark the first ever regular season matchup between the Friars and Pioneers. Last season, the two teams met at Schneider Arena on Sept. 27 for an exhibition game to begin the season. Providence defeated Sacred Heart 6-1 with sophomore Molly Farace (Otonabee, Ont.), Knapp, sophomore Bella Paolucci (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) and Hofbauer getting on the scoresheet.
-GO FRIARS!-
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