Brown Bears women's ice hockey


The Brown Bears women’s ice hockey program is a NCAA Division I ice hockey team that represents Brown University. The Bears play at the Meehan Auditorium in Providence, 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 Margaret Murphy, who became the winningest coach in Division I women's ice hockey history during her 18th season at Brown.

History

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 women’s ice hockey team played their first game. Against the Walpole Brooms, the club lost by a 4–1 score.
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.
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. 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.
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, St. Lawrence, Niagara twice, and Colby.
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.
Won ChampionshipLost ChampionshipRegular Season Conference Champions

YearCoachWLTConferenceConf.
W		Conf.
L		Conf.
T		PointsConference RankConf. TournamentNCAA Tournament
1994–95Margaret Degidio Murphy1643ECAC112123Tied 1stLost Quarterfinals vs. St. Lawrence Tournament did not exist
1995–96Margaret Degidio Murphy1645ECAC1204281stWon Quarterfinals vs. Colby
Lost Semifinals vs. Providence 		Tournament did not exist
1996–97Margaret Degidio Murphy2821ECAC2200441stWon Quarterfinals vs. Colby
Lost Semifinals vs. Northeastern 		Tournament did not exist
1997–98Margaret Degidio Murphy2274ECAC154333Tied 3rdWon Quarterfinals vs. Cornell
Won Semifinals vs. Dartmouth
Won Championship vs. New Hampshire 		AWCHA
Won Semifinals vs. Northeastern
Lost Championship vs. New Hampshire
1998–99Margaret Degidio Murphy2074ECAC194341Tied 2ndLost Quarterfinals vs. Dartmouth AWCHA
Lost Semifinals vs. Harvard
Lost Third Place Game vs. Minnesota
1999–2000Margaret Degidio Murphy2543ECAC1923411stWon Quarterfinals vs. Niagara
Won Semifinals vs. Northeastern
Won Championship vs. Dartmouth 		AWCHA
Won Semifinals vs. Dartmouth
Lost Championship vs. Minnesota
2000–01Margaret Degidio Murphy1973ECAC1563334thWon Quarterfinals vs. New Hampshire
Lost Semifinals vs. Dartmouth 		—
2001–02Margaret Degidio Murphy2582ECAC123125Tied 2ndWon Quarterfinals vs. Yale
Won Semifinals vs. St. Lawrence
Won Championship vs. Dartmouth 		Won Semifinals vs. Minnesota
Lost Championship vs.
2002–03Margaret Degidio Murphy14144ECAC961195thWon Quarterfinals vs. St. Lawrence
Lost Semifinals vs. Harvard 		—
2003–04Margaret Degidio Murphy18112ECAC1251254thWon Quarterfinals vs. Princeton
Lost Semifinals vs. Harvard 		—
2004–05Margaret Degidio Murphy15152ECAC118123Tied 5thLost Quarterfinals vs. St. Lawrence —
2005–06Margaret Degidio Murphy15135ECAC106424Tied 3rdWon Quarterfinals vs. Dartmouth
Won Semifinals vs. Princeton
Lost Championship vs. Harvard 		—
2006–07Margaret Degidio Murphy10172ECAC6151139th——
2007–08Margaret Degidio Murphy5195ECAC41441210th——
2008–09Margaret Degidio Murphy7211ECAC61601210th——
2009–10Margaret Degidio Murphy3214ECAC1183511th——
2010–11Margaret Degidio Murphy2234ECAC1174611th——
2011–12Amy Bourbeau8167ECAC513414Tied 8thLost Quarterfinals vs. Cornell —
2012–13Amy Bourbeau6201ECAC51701011th——
2013–14Amy Bourbeau4205ECAC3163911th——
2014–15Amy Bourbeau5231ECAC2191512th——
2015–16Robert Kenneally3233ECAC1183511th——
2016–17Robert Kenneally5220ECAC51701011th——
2017–18Robert Kenneally2270ECAC1210212th——
2018–19Carisa Wahlig5204ECAC2164811th——

Olympians

The Sakuma Award is a team award given for perfect attendance at practices and games.