SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 8, 2026) – Two members of the Western New England women's ice hockey team have been named to the 2025-26 New England Hockey Writers Association (NEHW) Women's All-Star Team, the fifth and sixth members in program history to be named as All-Stars from the organization.

Western New England's Michaela Birmingham and Mabel Gerard earned honors for the Golden Bears this season, the first time for both student-athletes in their respective careers. In total, 18 student-athletes across NCAA Division III have been announced as NEHW All-Stars from 11 schools.

After being named as the first All-American in program history, Birmingham takes honors as a NEHW All-Star. Birmingham skated in all 27 games on the year, coming away with seven goals and 18 assists on the season, good for 25 points, nearly averaging a point per game. Birmingham led the Golden Bears with 143 shots on the year and scored four power-play goals for the season. 16 of Birmingham's 25 points on the year came in Conference of New England action, and had a +9 rating on the ice in those games. Defensively, Birmingham had 33 blocked shots, the third-most on the team. 

Gerard played in all 27 games for the Golden Bears during the year, picking up 17 goals, a team-high, and adding 13 assists, good for 30 points. Gerard led the Golden Bears with a +13 rating on the year while scoring over half her goals on the power play (9). Four of Gerard's 17 goals came as game-winning goals; three of four came against Conference of New England opponents. Gerard has skated in 53 games over her first two seasons at Western New England, scoring 27 goals and adding 20 assists, good for 47 points overall. 

Birmingham and Gerard join Rachael Irving, Alyssa Murphy, Maddie Pope, and Riley Jessie-Gerelli to be named to the NEHW All-Star Team. The Golden Bears made it to the Conference of New England Championship game this past season for the second time in program history, going 18-8-1 on the year.