UMaine Women's Hockey Seeks Upset Over No. 6 UConn

The 7th-seeded Black Bears face a tough challenge against the nationally-ranked Huskies in the Hockey East quarterfinals.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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The University of Maine women's ice hockey team will be a heavy underdog when they take on the 6th-ranked University of Connecticut Huskies in the Hockey East quarterfinals on Saturday. UConn has an eight-game unbeaten streak against UMaine, but the two teams played close games earlier this season with UConn winning 2-1 and 4-3. UMaine is led by a young roster of freshmen and sophomores, while UConn has an experienced lineup of upperclassmen. However, UMaine head coach Molly Engstrom believes her team can compete if they limit mistakes and contain UConn's top scorers.

Why it matters

This matchup represents a significant challenge for the youthful UMaine squad, as they look to pull off an upset against the nationally-ranked Huskies and advance in the Hockey East tournament. A win would be a major accomplishment for the Black Bears program.

The details

UConn's top five scorers are two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore, while UMaine's are four freshmen and a sophomore. UConn's goalie, Tia Chan, is a graduate student, while UMaine's Kiia Lahtinen is a sophomore. Despite UConn's dominance in the head-to-head matchup, the two teams played close games earlier this season, with UConn winning 2-1 and 4-3. UMaine will need to limit mistakes and contain UConn's top scorers like Kyla Josifovic, Claire Murdoch, Julia Pellerin, Megan Woodworth and Ashley Allard.

  • The quarterfinal game is scheduled for Saturday, February 28th at 3 p.m.
  • UMaine defeated Merrimack 4-0 in the first round on Wednesday, February 26th.

The players

Molly Engstrom

The fourth-year head coach of the University of Maine women's ice hockey team.

Tia Chan

The graduate student goaltender for the University of Connecticut Huskies, who has a 1.62 goals against average and .947 save percentage, ranking 7th and 3rd nationally respectively.

Kiia Lahtinen

The sophomore goaltender for the University of Maine Black Bears, who has a 12-15-4 record, 2.28 goals against average and .925 save percentage.

Kyla Josifovic

The senior forward for the University of Connecticut Huskies, who has 11 goals and 23 assists this season.

Scott Pellerin

The former University of Maine hockey player and Hobey Baker Award winner, whose daughter Julia Pellerin is a junior forward for the University of Connecticut Huskies.

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What they’re saying

“After losing two close games, the message to our players is let's do everything we can to turn the script. It's about the small details.”

— Molly Engstrom, Head Coach, University of Maine Women's Ice Hockey (Bangor Daily News)

What’s next

The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal game between UMaine and UConn will advance to the Hockey East semifinals next weekend.

The takeaway

This matchup represents a significant challenge for the young UMaine squad, as they look to pull off an upset against the nationally-ranked Huskies and continue their unexpected postseason run. A win would be a major accomplishment for the Black Bears program.