UM-Dearborn Women’s Ice Hockey makes history in breakthrough season

The 2025-26 season was a breakthrough year for the University of Michigan-Dearborn Women's Ice Hockey team, with each new accomplishment building toward the most successful season in program history. “This was a big season of firsts for our team,” says head coach Carrie Sirola. “We had the first time we beat Maryville University, the first time we beat McKendree University. We had quite a few comeback wins in the third period. It just kept building all the way through the season.” The Wolverines went on to capture their first Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association playoff championship and then advanced further than any team in program history at the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament. By season's end, UM-Dearborn Women’s Ice Hockey had established itself as one of the top teams in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

Founded just seven years ago, the program has steadily evolved into a national contender. Sirola, who has been with the program since its inception and has served as head coach for the past three seasons, has watched the foundation take shape through strong recruiting, player development and a core group of student-athletes who continued to raise expectations year after year. For players like Cadence Pero, who serves as a team captain, that progress has been evident throughout her time with the program. “Every year we've broken more records, we've made history, and that's what we want for the program,” Pero says. “The program has grown, the players have grown, and we get more talent every year.”

That growth was showcased throughout the 2025-26 campaign with the Wolverines entering the season believing they could compete with anyone. “Every game we had, it was like, who's going to break a record this week?” says Pero, a London, Ontario, native who recently completed her bachelor's degree in criminology and criminal justice through UM-Dearborn's 4+1 program. “This season, it was like we had the opportunity and chance to win every game no matter who we were playing against.” That confidence was well earned. UM-Dearborn finished the regular season with a 26-3 record and carried that momentum into the postseason. 

The team's defining moment came during the CCWHA playoffs. After reaching the championship game the previous year and falling just short, the Wolverines returned determined to finish the job. "Everyone played their own role and just showed up with the idea that we were going to win,” Pero says. When the final buzzer sounded, UM-Dearborn had secured its first conference playoff championship in program history. That success carried into the ACHA National Tournament, where the sixth-seeded Wolverines knocked out higher-ranked opponents and advanced to the Frosty Four semifinals. Their tournament run ended with a loss to defending national champion Liberty University. “You never want to lose your last game, but I think once the women sat back and took it all in after the initial disappointment, they realized that we had a pretty historic season,” Sirola says. 

The team’s success was fueled by a veteran core. Captains Taylor Spence, Zoe Zaifman and Amy Palaian joined Pero in leading the team on and off the ice. "I think the captains really, really helped us," says Sirola. “They've learned the ropes. They've been to nationals the past two years, and for most of them, they knew it was their last chance to win. That experience helped prepare the team.”

With historic success at the team level, individual Wolverines also earned national recognition for their performance on the ice. Pero was named the ACHA Division I Player of the Year and earned First Team All-Athletic honors after leading the nation with 33 assists and 59 points. Goaltender Kenna Borso was also named to the ACHA First Team after posting a nation-leading 20 wins, 12 shutouts and a .940 save percentage. Defenders Stephanie Hatch and Zaifman earned Second Team All-Athletic recognition, while freshman forward Pallavi Hari was named to the ACHA All-Rookie First Team after setting the UM-Dearborn rookie scoring record with 41 points. At the university’s annual All-Sports Banquet, Pero was named Female Athlete of the Year, Hari earned Female Newcomer of the Year honors and Sirola was selected as Coach of the Year by her fellow UM-Dearborn head coaches.

The team’s success is already helping to attract future Wolverines. Sirola says the program saw a surge of interest from prospective student-athletes following its national tournament run and postseason recognition. The timing coincides with a pivotal moment for women's hockey as the sport continues to experience significant growth fueled by Team USA’s international success and the expansion of the Professional Women's Hockey League, which recently announced a franchise in Detroit. For Sirola, who has spent decades involved in girls’ and women's hockey, the momentum is impossible to ignore. “I've been in this world for 30 years with girls' and women's hockey, and every four years when the Olympics come, there's always a bump in registration,” Sirola says. “I feel like it's almost getting to the point where women’s hockey is so popular that we don't need that Olympic bump. Now it's just growing in popularity, which is great.”

With most of the roster returning next season — including Pero, who will play for a fifth and final season while completing her master’s degree — the team hopes this year’s historic run is only the beginning. “I'm really excited about the fact that our women got so close to the national final. With only three players graduating and so many key pieces returning, I'm excited to see their drive to get back to that point,” Sirola says. But neither Sirola nor her players are interested in dwelling on what they've already accomplished. “We don't want to be complacent and just accept that we made history,” Pero says. “We want to keep going. We know that there's more room for growth, and there are bigger things that we can do.”

Article by Kathryn Bourlier Kronner. Photos by Matthew Stephens