Clarkson opened its home schedule in style Friday night at Cheel Arena, riding an early spark and a stellar goaltending performance from Holly Gruber to a 2–0 victory over the University of Connecticut.

The Golden Knights wasted no time getting the home crowd of 800+ on its feet. Just 23 seconds into the first period, sophomore forward Rhea Hicks buried a feed from Keira Hurry and Lara Beecher, giving Clarkson an immediate 1–0 lead.

Clarkson doubled its advantage midway through the second period. Graduate forward Janelle Evans found the back of the net at 11:02, assisted by Manon Le Scodan and Sara Manness, to provide some breathing room.

That was more than enough support for Gruber, who turned aside all 24 shots she faced to earn her first shutout of the season and improve Clarkson's record to 2–1–0.

At the other end, UConn goaltender Tia Chan kept the Huskies within reach, stopping 27 of 29 shots, but the visitors could not solve Clarkson's defensive structure. The Huskies (1–2–0) had multiple power play opportunities but finished 0-for-3 with the advantage. Clarkson was also blanked on the power play, going 0-for-2.

The win continues Clarkson's strong start to the season and moves the all-time series against UConn to 5–1–1 in favor of the Golden Knights. The two teams will close out the weekend set on Saturday afternoon at Cheel Arena.