SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 10, 2026) – A pair of Golden Bears from women's ice hockey have been named Conference of New England Athletes of the Week, Michaela Birmingham as the CNE's Player of the Week, and Lilly Ainley as the CNE's Rookie of the Week. 

Birmingham opened last week by leading the Golden Bears to a victory on the road over Nichols College, scoring the first two goals of the game, the second being the game-winner, in a 5-1 win over the Bison. Birmingham took five shots in the game, while both goals she scored came on the power play. On the defensive end, Birmingham blocked a pair of shots. The WNE sophomore continued her week with two more points against No. 11 Endicott College, picking up two assists for the Golden Bears in the 3-3 tie, with Western New England taking the extra point in a 1-0 shootout victory. Birmingham took another five shots in the game, adding to her team-leading 98 this season. Overall, the Enfield, Connecticut, native has six goals and 11 assists, good for 17 points on the season, matching her totals from a season ago. 

Ainley led the Golden Bears with five points on the week, one goal, and four assists. Ainley opened the weekend with a career-high three assists in a 5-1 win over Nichols College. Ainley's assists came on the opening two goals of the game and finished off the Bison with an assist on the final goal of the game, helping the Golden Bears to a big road conference victory. Ainley stole the show in a 3-3 tie with Endicott, scoring her third goal of the season while adding an assist for Western New England in the game. Ainley took four shots against the Gulls and blocked four shots, part of Western New England's 30 blocks in the game. Ainley's biggest moment in the game came in the sixth round of the shootout, where the Cranston, Rhode Island, native lifted the Golden Bears to a win with the game-winner, earning the Blue and Gold the extra point in the CNE standings. Ainley now has three goals and ten assists on the season, good for 13 points overall, sitting fifth most on WNE and tops among first-year players on the team. 

The Western New England women's ice hockey team plays four more regular-season games before they enter the CNE Tournament, with a road game at Curry College this coming Friday, February 13, at 7:00 PM, and a home game against Suffolk University on Saturday, February 14, at 7:30 PM on tap for the week.