(OXFORD, Oh., Oct. 1) – The McKendree University women's ice hockey team lost two contests to the University of Miami (Ohio) at the Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, Ohio.
 
On Friday the Bearcats opened their season against the 2015-16 national champions, in the University of Miami (Ohio) Redhawks. The Redhawks had four returning starters from last season's team. The Bearcats went scoreless through 60 minutes, but freshman goaltender Haylee Gannaway (Moreno Valley, CA/Rancho Verde) kept McKendree in the game by making 31 saves on 34 shots on goal. The McKendree women's team fell 3-0 in the first game of the season.
 
Saturday afternoon, the Bearcats played their second game of the season but would again fall to the Redhawks by a final score of 8-0.

"In spite of enthusiasm and excitement of these first two games, it was evident that there's a lot of things we need to improve upon to be more competitive," said head coach Craig Buntenbach. "Our players showed that they can move the puck well, but obviously, we must be able to do this for 60 minutes to win games. The girls will need to continue their hard work and to remain focused on the team goals and what we expect of them in order to be successful at this level of play. We know the girls will reach the objectives that the team seeks."
 
The women hit the road again on October 8 & 9 to take on the University of Wisconsin, at the Camp Randall Shell Ice Arena.