Courtesy of the Athletic Department

Last weekend, the women’s hockey team (5–2–0; 3–1–0 NESCAC) snagged victories against William Smith College (5–3–0) and Manhattanville University (2–5–1), winning the 2025 Codfish Bowl Championship. The Polar Bears dominated the competition, recording 81 shots to the opposition’s 27.

As the first puck dropped, the Polar Bears went to work quickly, establishing pressure in the offensive zone, firing a series of shots. It took only four minutes for the team to find the back of the net.

After Bella Schifano ’28 won the faceoff on the right dot, Maddie Wojciak ’28 moved the puck to Bella Mele ’27, who then decisively found Luna Lu ’27 to rifle the puck into the back of the net. Mele noted a feeling of security and excitement with the Polar Bears to kickoff the tournament.

“It was a fun way to start the weekend,” Mele said. “I love playing on our team because it’s so easy for me to trust my partner and this team anywhere on the ice, especially in our offensive zone.”

Neither team would score for the rest of the first period and the majority of the second. It wasn’t until the Herons leveled the score in the 16th minute off of an error in the Polar Bears’ defensive half.

William Smith’s hopes of a comeback were shattered when Meghan Britt ’28 scored a minute later off an assist from previous goalscorer Lu. To close out the second period, first-year Molly Cataldo ’29 recorded her first collegiate goal off an assist from Kendrick LaPrade ’29.

Just four minutes into the third period, William Smith was penalized for boarding, which granted the Polar Bears a two-minute power play and a chance to extend their lead. Bea Palmer ’29 capitalized on the moment, recording her first collegiate goal off her own rebound. To seal the deal, off assists from Bella Schifano ’28 and Sara Ito-Bagshaw ’27, Britt once again scored with just a minute left in the third period.

Reflecting on the weekend, Mele highlighted the adversity the team overcame leading up to Saturday’s blow out win.

“Bouncing back from a game where we don’t play our best, like last Tuesday, for instance, against UNE, we know that we didn’t play our best game against a non-conference team, but being able to come back and have a really strong weekend in Boston and bring home the Codfish Bowl was huge,” Mele shared.

By the numbers, Bowdoin finished the game with a 51-15 advantage in shots, and goaltender Sarah Peterson ’27 stuffed all shots.

Against Manhattanville, the Polar Bears were firing on all cylinders in the first period, netting three goals and allowing zero. Ava Provenzo ’28 scored the first goal off assists from Elena DiMagno ’26 and Elizabeth Kent ’28, followed by Mele scoring the second goal just four minutes later, and  to close out the period, LaPrade scored her first collegiate goal with assists from Cataldo and Sofia Nesvold ’29.

Nesvold emphasized how LaPrade’s first goal is just one sign of what the team is capable of moving forward.

“Being on the ice with [LaPrade] was such an amazing feeling, and assisting her score her first goal was just very exciting for the future,” Nesvold said.

Later in the third period, both Manhattanville and Bowdoin scored, with the Valiants scoring off a power play and Palmer scoring off assists from Anyi Sun ’26 and Channing Brush ’29, respectively.

After a successful weekend with three first years recording their first collegiate goals, Mele emphasized how their effort and energy have helped raise the standard.

“All of our first years have just come in with the best mindset possible, and they really make an effort to show up every day to set the bar a bit higher. They bring a lot of energy and are all very skilled and talented ice hockey players,” Mele said. “It’s awesome to watch them shine.”

On Sunday, the team will play Keene State University (4–4–0) at home, hoping to not only build momentum toward the rest of the season but also bring them one step closer to a NESCAC championship.

“I really want us to make it far in NESCAC this year, and there’s no way we shouldn’t be able to. In conference games or non-conference games, the rest of the season will be a grind,” Ito-Bagshaw said. “It’ll be pedal to the metal.”