The Forecheck: Megan Warrener closing in on history

Warrner is a semifinalists for national goaltender of the year and may set some records, too.

Author

Daniel Connolly
February 09, 2024

Photo: Ian Bethune

Welcome to the UConn Hockey Hub newsletter, which catches you up on all the stories, trends, and anything else you might have missed, along with some quick takes and leftover notes from the weekend.

Megan Warrener closing in on history

On Wednesday, UConn’s Megan Warrener was named a semifinalist for the National Goalie of the Year Award. She’s one of 10 net-minders on the list. The three finalists will be revealed during conference championships while the winner will be unveiled during the Frozen Four.

Warrener has been stellar between the pipes, owning a 11-0-1 record with a 0.84 GAA and .960 save percentage. If she can keep those marks up, she’ll set some new program records.

No goaltender in UConn history has ever finished a season with a GAA below 1.00. Warrener actually owns the top mark, putting up a 1.28 as a freshman in 2021-22. In fact, she also has the single-season save percentage as well at .944.

In national terms, Warrener leads the nation in GAA and save percentage. She’s also the only qualified goalie in the country without a single loss.

As UConn is trending towards a historic season with a chance to win its first-ever Hockey East title, Warrener is putting up an equally impressive year herself. Fellow goaltender Tia Chan isn’t bad, either. She has a 1.61 goals against average and a .940 save percentage. Those two marks would rank tied for second and third in the Huskies’ single-season history.

Headlines

Last week’s Forecheck

Three stars

First star: Ethan Haider

Haider bounced back from a rough stretch to stop 42 of 43 shots in the 2-1 win on Friday. He kept the game under control by killing plays, limiting rebounds and making big saves when called upon. Haider played like the goalie who won the starting job in the first half.

Second star: The penalty kill

While UConn shouldn’t have needed to kill eight penalties, the PK unit stepped up to the task. It only allowed a score on a full 5-on-3 and even then hung in for over a minute. The Huskies won on Saturday because of the penalty kill.

Third star: Late-game heroics

On Friday, UConn women’s hockey rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the final 2:49 to force overtime and earn a point at Providence. On Saturday, the Huskies won in overtime courtesy of an Ashley Allard game-winner.

Plays of the Week

Best of social media

The week ahead

UConn men’s hockey has a weekend series with UMass while UConn women’s hockey has two games away: Northeastern on Friday and Holy Cross on Saturday.