GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's ice hockey team has earned the No. 3 seed in the inaugural Little East Conference Women's Ice Hockey Championship Tournament, presented by Townshend Hockey. The Huskies finished the regular season with a record of 9-8-1 in conference play to earn 27 points in the standings. The team will face No. 6 seed Plymouth State on Wednesday, February 25 at 4:00 pm in the USM Ice Arena.
 
About the 2025-26 Huskies
Southern Maine is averaging 2.3 goals per game this season and has five players with at least 13 points. Graduate student forward Madison Chagnon (St. Albans, Vt./Rice Memorial) has put together an impressive final season with a team-leading 12 goals and 20 points as she continues to climb up the program's career leaderboards. Her 18-career game-winning goals are the most in program history and she also ranks second in career goals with 58 and fourth in points with 86. Ranking second on the team in goals this season is fifth-year forward Jillian Jackson (Fredericton, New Brunswick/Ontario Hockey Academy) with 11. Jackson is another consistent source of offense for the Huskies and is tied for second on the team in points with 14.
 
Along with Chagnon and Jackson, a pair of rookie forwards have proven to be solid contributors on offense as freshmen Gracelyn Koch (Maple Grove, New Brunswick) and Charlotte Hughes (Mississauga, Ontario) each have 12 or more points. Koch leads the team in assists with 10 and her 14 points are tied with Jackson on second in the lineup. Hughes ranks third on the team in goals with six and has six assists as well.
 
Defensively, seniors Audrey Donahue (Timberlea, Nova Scotia/Kimball Union Academy) and Caroline Thompson (Crapaud, Prince Edward Island/Mount Academy) provide veteran leadership at both ends of the ice. Donahue, in addition to leading the team in blocked shots with 60, leads all defensemen in both goals with four and points and 13. Her nine assists are the second most on the team. Thompson has three goals and five assists on the year.
 
Junior Maggie Jones (St. John's, Newfoundland/Mount Academy) has seen the bulk of action between the pipes with a 7-7-1 record and four shutouts to her credit, including one against Plymouth State earlier in the year. She finished the regular season with a .941 save percentage and a 1.61 goals against average despite missing a few weeks due to injury. Freshman Megan Gawley (Calgary, Alberta) stepped up in her absence with three wins including a shutout.
 
About No. 6 Plymouth State
Plymouth State earned the final seed of the tournament with a 6-12 record in conference play and 19 points. The Huskies went 2-1 against the Panthers this season including a weekend split two weeks ago. Southern Maine won the first meeting 2-0 in Gorham on November 22. Plymouth State won the next meeting between the two teams 5-4 on February 14 before the Huskies earned a 4-2 win the following day in the rubber match.
 
Katie Porrello, Grace Bonnell and Emily Gerrie share the team lead in points with 17 apiece. Porrello leads the team in goals with seven, while Bonnell and Gerrice are tied for the lead in assists with 11 each. Lisi Palmer (4-10-14), Laura Castronova (6-4-10), Olivia Robbins (5-5-10) and Lilli Warnock (4-6-10) also have at least 10 points of the year.
 
Bonnell leads all Plymouth State defensemen in points and has blocked a team-leading 28 shots. Defensemen Erika Johnson, Maddie Wiggins and Jamies Steinmetz also rank in the top five on the team in blocked shots.
 
Jorja Moore has played the most minutes in goal for the Panthers with 597:32 and has a 5-5 record with three shutouts and a .932 save percentage. Karlee Lehner has also played a significant amount in goal with a 5-3 record and a .912 save percentage in nine starts. 
 
The Basics
Who: No. 3 Southern Maine vs No. 6 Plymouth State
When: Wednesday, February 25 – 4:00 pm
Where: USM Ice Arena – Gorham, Maine
What: Quarterfinal Round
 
2026 LEC Championship Tournament Schedule
First Round - Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at Higher Seeds
No. 3 Southern Maine vs No. 6 Plymouth State – 4:00 pm
No. 4 Castleton vs. No. 5 Keene State – 6:00 pm
 
Semifinal Round - Saturday, February 28 2026 at Higher Seeds
No. 1 Norwich vs. No. 4/ No. 5 Winner
No. 2 UMass Boston vs. No. 3/ No. 6 Winner
 
Championship Final - Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Higher Seed
Semifinal Winners