The Brown Bears women’s ice hockey program is an NCAA Division I ice hockey team that represents Brown University. The Bears play at the Meehan AuditoriuminProvidence, Rhode Island. Brown women's hockey is the oldest women's hockey program in the United States. It was the first collegiate women's ice hockey program in the United States, started in 1964. The team was led from 1989 to 2011 by Head Coach Digit Murphy, who became the winningest coach in Division I women's ice hockey history during her 18th season at Brown (2006–2007).[2]
| Brown Bears women's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
 | |
| University | Brown University |
| Conference | ECAC |
| Head coach | Melanie Ruzzi |
| Arena | Meehan Auditorium Providence, Rhode Island |
| Colors | Seal brown, cardinal red, and white[1] |
| NCAA Tournament Runner-up | |
| 2002 | |
| NCAA Tournament Frozen Four | |
| 2002 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 2002 | |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| 1998, 2000, 2002 | |
| Conference regular season championships | |
| 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000 | |
Brown University Women's Ice Hockey is widely regarded as being one of the premier collegiate programs globally. Several former players are Olympic medal winners.
In 1964, the Brown Bears men's coach Jim Fullerton arranged for Nancy Schieffelin to attend a team practice. She was an experienced player and came to the practice disguised in full uniform. A year later, Brown University would have the first women’s ice hockey program. The team was known as the Pembroke Pandas. The Pandas would have to borrow equipment, and sell hockey rule sheets at the Bears men's games to raise money for equipment. In February 1966, the Pandas (Brown Bears) women’s ice hockey team played their first game. Against the Walpole Brooms, the club lost by a 4–1 score.[3]
In 1976, Brown would host the first ever Ivy League women's ice hockey tournament. The other competing schools were Cornell, Princeton and Yale. The Big Red would win the tournament.
Between 1994 and 1997, the Bears won three consecutive ECAC regular season championships. During that time span, the Bears were undefeated in the league during the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. The undefeated streak spanned 49 ECAC games. The Bears competed in the first AWCHA Division I National Ice Hockey Championship. Contested in March 1998, the Bears were defeated by the New Hampshire Wildcats by a 4–1 score.[4]
In 1999–2000, Brown reach its second national championship final in three years. Coach Digit Murphy, who has been building the program since 1988, used virtually every player on her bench and eventually wore out opponents. She even went so far as to take the advice of a volunteer assistant coach by allowing her centers to take turns choosing the wings on their lines. Jill Graat was named captain of the team. The team withstood a season-ending ACL injury to its best player, U.S. Olympic defenseman Tara Mounsey, and went on to win nineteen straight games entering the 2000 national championship game.[5]
Ali Brewer holds every Brown goaltending record for a season or a career. In her four seasons with the Bears, she posted a 1.37 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage. In addition, she had 2,490 saves and posting 39 shutouts. Numerous records were set by Brewer including, a 0.94 GAA and .957 save percentage in her freshman season, 13 shutouts in her junior season, and 25 wins in her senior campaign. Another record that she holds is five consecutive shutouts, set her junior season, in which she blanked Cornell (3–0), St. Lawrence (5–0), Niagara twice (6–0 both games), and Colby (9–0).
During Brewer’s four seasons, the Bears never won fewer than 20 games in a season. The Bears won ECAC Championships in 1998 and 2000, with Brewer earning MVP honors during the 2000 Championship. The Bears also played in the AWCHA Tournament three times from 1998–2000, finishing as the National Runner-Up twice.[6]
| Won Championship | Lost Championship | Regular Season Conference Champions |
| Year | Coach | W | L | T | Conference | Conf. W |
Conf. L |
Conf. T |
Points | Conference Rank | Conf. Tournament | NCAA Tournament |
| 1994–95 | Digit Murphy | 16 | 4 | 3 | ECAC | 11 | 2 | 1 | 23 | Tied 1st | Lost Quarterfinals vs. St. Lawrence (1–2) | Tournament did not exist |
| 1995–96 | Digit Murphy | 16 | 4 | 5 | ECAC | 12 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 1st | Won Quarterfinals vs. Colby (7–2) Lost Semifinals vs. Providence (2–4) | |
| 1996–97 | Digit Murphy | 28 | 2 | 1 | ECAC | 22 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 1st | Won Quarterfinals vs. Colby (6–2) Lost Semifinals vs. Northeastern (1–2) | |
| 1997–98 | Digit Murphy | 22 | 7 | 4 | ECAC | 15 | 4 | 3 | 33 | Tied 3rd | Won Quarterfinals vs. Cornell (1–0) Won Semifinals vs. Dartmouth (3–1) Won Championship vs. New Hampshire (4–3) |
AWCHA Won Semifinals vs. Northeastern (3–2) Lost Championship vs. New Hampshire (1–4) |
| 1998–99 | Digit Murphy | 20 | 7 | 4 | ECAC | 19 | 4 | 3 | 41 | Tied 2nd | Lost Quarterfinals vs. Dartmouth (0–3) | AWCHA Lost Semifinals vs. Harvard (3–5) Lost Third Place Game vs. Minnesota (2–3) |
| 1999–2000 | Digit Murphy | 25 | 4 | 3 | ECAC | 19 | 2 | 3 | 41 | 1st | Won Quarterfinals vs. Niagara (8–0) Won Semifinals vs. Northeastern (2–1) Won Championship vs. Dartmouth (6–2) |
AWCHA Won Semifinals vs. Dartmouth (4–2) Lost Championship vs. Minnesota (2–4) |
| 2000–01 | Digit Murphy | 19 | 7 | 3 | ECAC | 15 | 6 | 3 | 33 | 4th | Won Quarterfinals vs. New Hampshire (4–3) Lost Semifinals vs. Dartmouth (2–3 OT) |
— |
| 2001–02 | Digit Murphy | 25 | 8 | 2 | ECAC | 12 | 3 | 1 | 25 | Tied 2nd | Won Quarterfinals vs. Yale (5–0, 7–0) Won Semifinals vs. St. Lawrence (3–1) Won Championship vs. Dartmouth (4–3 OT) |
Won Semifinals vs. Minnesota (2–1) Lost Championship vs. Minnesota–Duluth (2–3) |
| 2002–03 | Digit Murphy | 14 | 14 | 4 | ECAC | 9 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 5th | Won Quarterfinals vs. St. Lawrence (1–4, 3–1, 3–1) Lost Semifinals vs. Harvard (3–10) |
— |
| 2003–04 | Digit Murphy | 18 | 11 | 2 | ECAC | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 4th | Won Quarterfinals vs. Princeton (2–1, 3–2 OT) Lost Semifinals vs. Harvard (1–2 2OT) |
— |
| 2004–05 | Digit Murphy | 15 | 15 | 2 | ECAC | 11 | 8 | 1 | 23 | Tied 5th | Lost Quarterfinals vs. St. Lawrence (3–0, 2–3, 3–5) | — |
| 2005–06 | Digit Murphy | 15 | 13 | 5 | ECAC | 10 | 6 | 4 | 24 | Tied 3rd | Won Quarterfinals vs. Dartmouth (4–2, 3–0) Won Semifinals vs. Princeton (1–0) Lost Championship vs. Harvard (3–4) |
— |
| 2006–07 | Digit Murphy | 10 | 17 | 2 | ECAC | 6 | 15 | 1 | 13 | 9th | — | — |
| 2007–08 | Digit Murphy | 5 | 19 | 5 | ECAC | 4 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 10th | — | — |
| 2008–09 | Digit Murphy | 7 | 21 | 1 | ECAC | 6 | 16 | 0 | 12 | 10th | — | — |
| 2009–10 | Digit Murphy | 3 | 21 | 4 | ECAC | 1 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 11th | — | — |
| 2010–11 | Digit Murphy | 2 | 23 | 4 | ECAC | 1 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 11th | — | — |
| 2011–12 | Amy Bourbeau | 8 | 16 | 7 | ECAC | 5 | 13 | 4 | 14 | Tied 8th | Lost Quarterfinals vs. Cornell (2–4, 0–6) | — |
| 2012–13 | Amy Bourbeau | 6 | 20 | 1 | ECAC | 5 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 11th | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Amy Bourbeau | 4 | 20 | 5 | ECAC | 3 | 16 | 3 | 9 | 11th | — | — |
| 2014–15 | Amy Bourbeau | 5 | 23 | 1 | ECAC | 2 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 12th | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Robert Kenneally | 3 | 23 | 3 | ECAC | 1 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 11th | — | — |
| 2016–17 | Robert Kenneally | 5 | 22 | 0 | ECAC | 5 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 11th | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Robert Kenneally | 2 | 27 | 0 | ECAC | 1 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 12th | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Carisa Wahlig | 5 | 20 | 4 | ECAC | 2 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 11th | — | — |
| 2019-20 | Carisa Wahlig | 3 | 23 | 3 | ECAC | 2 | 18 | 2 | — | |||
| 2020-21 | Did not play due to COVID 19 | |||||||||||
| 2021-22 | Melanie Ruzzi | 6 | 18 | 5 | ECAC | 6 | 12 | 4 | 22 | 9th | — | — |
| 2022-23 | Melanie Ruzzi | 9 | 19 | 1 | ECAC | 7 | 15 | 0 | 19 | 9th | — | — |
As of September 7, 2022.[8]
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | DoB | Hometown | Previous team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Grace Kedziora | Sophomore | G | 5' 6" (1.68 m) | 2002-12-08 | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Young Americans |
| 2 | 
|
Cassidy Piersiak | Junior | D | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 2001-04-22 | Needham, Massachusetts | Noble and Greenough School |
| 3 | 
|
Hannah Partigianoni | Sophomore | F | 5' 4" (1.63 m) | 2003-01-01 | Cortland, New York | Cortland High School |
| 4 | 
|
Anna Shelden | Sophomore | F | 5' 4" (1.63 m) | 2001-10-14 | Kenai, Alaska | New Hampton School |
| 5 | 
|
Ellie Gauvin | Freshman | D | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 2004-04-14 | Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan | Notre Dame Hounds |
| 6 |
|
Maya Mangiafico | Junior | F | 5' 6" (1.68 m) | 2001-04-01 | Medfield, Massachusetts | Buckingham Browne & Nichols School |
| 8 | 
|
Meadow Carman | Sophomore | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 2000-10-05 | Barton, Nova Scotia | North York Storm |
| 9 | 
|
Vivian Lu | Senior | D | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 1999-12-22 | Studio City, California | KRS Vanke Rays |
| 10 | 
|
Abby Hancock | Sophomore | D | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 2003-01-08 | Maple Grove, Minnesota | Benilde-St. Margaret's |
| 12 |
|
Paige Gross | Sophomore | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 2003-07-28 | Clarence, New York | Nichols School |
| 13 | 
|
Madie Stockfish (A) | Junior | F | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 2000-08-02 | North Bay, Ontario | Kingston Jr. Ice Wolves |
| 14 |
|
Rose Jeneault | Sophomore | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 2002-05-20 | Ogdensburg, New York | Nepean Jr. Wildcats |
| 16 |
|
Maddie Morgan | Freshman | D | 5' 5" (1.65 m) | 2003-10-25 | Edina, Minnesota | Holy Family Catholic High School |
| 17 | 
|
Sonja Bjornson | Junior | F | 5' 3" (1.6 m) | 2001-01-25 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Providence College |
| 18 | 
|
Eva Durandeau | Senior | D | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 2000-09-01 | Beaconsfield, Quebec | Cégep Édouard-Montpetit |
| 19 |
|
Anna Gallagher | Junior | F | 5' 2" (1.57 m) | 2002-07-10 | Hermosa Beach, California | North American Hockey Academy |
| 21 | 
|
Jade Iginla | Freshman | F | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 2004-10-19 | Lake Country, British Columbia | Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna |
| 22 |
|
Anna Hurd | Sophomore | F | 5' 3" (1.6 m) | 2002-01-01 | Pelham, New York | Phillips Academy |
| 23 |
|
Cameron Sikich | Sophomore | D | 5' 5" (1.65 m) | 2003-06-09 | Thornhill, Ontario | Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins |
| 24 |
|
Jess Ciarrocchi | Junior | F | 5' 4" (1.63 m) | 2002-02-24 | West Chester, Pennsylvania | Penn State University |
| 25 |
|
Olivia Williamson | Sophomore | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 2002-07-07 | Faribault, Minnesota | Faribault High School |
| 26 |
|
India McDadi | Freshman | F | 5' 4" (1.63 m) | 2004-04-01 | Mississauga, Ontario | Philadelphia Jr. Flyers |
| 28 |
|
Lily Lacey | Junior | F | 5' 2" (1.57 m) | 2002-01-11 | Toronto, Ontario | Toronto Leaside Jr. Wildcats |
| 33 |
|
Mégane Pilon | Freshman | G | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 2004-02-01 | Saint-Jérôme, Quebec | Stanstead College |
| 39 | 
|
Kaley Doyle | Junior | G | 5' 5" (1.65 m) | 2001-03-23 | Livonia, Michigan | Meijer AAA |
In recognition of an outstanding first year female varsity athlete at Brown University
The Sakuma Award is a team award given for perfect attendance at practices and games.
| = CWHL All-Star | = NWHL All-Star | = Clarkson Cup Champion | = Isobel Cup Champion |
|