The University of Arizona women’s hockey team has completed its first year as an official program. The team finished the 2024-2025 season 6-15-1, and despite not making it to postseason games, there were many remarkable moments throughout its season. 

As the first women’s hockey team to represent the University of Arizona, fans were thrilled in their first game of the year at the Tucson Convention Center Arena. The arena was packed with fans showing support for their new athletes. 

The Wildcats competed against Grand Canyon University to open the season. Arizona ended up falling to GCU 2-1; however, the game was so close that it held no expectations as to how the rest of their season would go. 

Arizona took on GCU again only two days after this season-opening loss and came away with a big 5-4 win in Phoenix. This was a major improvement offensively for the team coming off of their last game where they could only find the net once. 

Less than a week after their win in Phoenix, the Wildcats traveled to North Dakota and fell to Minot State University in two back-to-back games. 

Arizona struggled both offensively and defensively, competing against programs who have been in place for years. Finding goals against these teams were victories in themselves. 

The day following the brutal losses against Minot State, Arizona played the University of Jamestown. With no rest or practice between competitions, the Wildcats suffered an 8-1 loss.

The team wasn’t able to find its second win of the season until Nov. 2, 2024, against the University of Denver where they dominated 6-0 at home. 

The team traded off wins and losses until they faced GCU again in a two-game series on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, and Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. The Wildcats secured two back-to-back wins, 4-3 and 4-0. 

Coming off of winter break, Arizona won their first match back. However, things started to take a turn for the worse as games went on. 

The team suffered five straight losses against different competitors, including ASU, who they would play in their final two games of the season. 

The Wildcats rallied after these losses for a 5-3 win against Lindenwood University. Unfortunately, this winning was short lived; the Wildcats faced another loss against the same competitor the following day. 

The program lost their last two games of the season against ASU. 

While the Wildcats dealt with more losses than wins, there were still many things to celebrate in their first season. There were several Wildcats with impressive results and performances despite the difficulty dealt to them from other teams. 

Key players 

Brynn O’Neill, a freshman forward, led the Wildcats in goals for the season with 11. O’Neill’s performances helped secure several wins for the team. However, O’Neill is no longer with the team for undisclosed reasons.

Another major player on the team this year was Kenzie Carson, a freshman forward. Carson secured 5 goals this season, falling just behind O’Neill. Carson scored many of the Wildcats’ goals towards the end of the season, becoming a crucial player on the ice. 

On the defensive end, Olivia Sorlie, a freshman goalie, often kept the team in the game with numerous impressive saves in front of the net. For the season, only 85 goals were scored against the Wildcats, a credit to Sorlie’s efforts. 

Key game

The Wildcats took on the University of Denver on Nov. 2, 2024 and came away with a dominant 6-0 win. This was the team’s first shutout of the season as well as the highest number of goals they scored in a single game throughout the entire season. 

O’Neill and Carson led the team with 2 goals each for the game. Britney Bridel, a junior forward, secured a goal in the second period of the match. The Wildcats’ final goal was scored by Hannah Strand, a freshman forward. 

Arizona got 46 shots off on Denver’s goalie, an impressive offensive attempt. On the contrary, Denver earned 23 shots, not one of them finding the back of the net. 

This was a huge game for the Wildcats and served as a crucial game to move them forward halfway through their season. 

Looking ahead

The Wildcats’ roster was filled with freshmen, a sign that the program will continue to build after this season. As the team spends more time building chemistry on and off the ice, they are sure to improve and find new looks in the 2025-2026 season. 

Entering its second year as a program, Arizona’s women’s hockey team has a bright future ahead.

Follow the Daily Wildcat on Instagram and Twitter/X