St. Thomas women’s hockey games scheduled for Friday and Saturday have been postponed “due to COVID-19 protocols,” the St. Thomas athletics department announced in a statement Thursday afternoon.

These games against the College of St. Benedict and Hamline University would have been the first in over 11 months for the women’s hockey team, as well as the first Tommie athletic match since COVID-19 shut down athletics.

Hamline and St. Benedict officials announced they will play each other at 2 p.m. Saturday at TRIA Rink in St. Paul, the original time and place that the Pipers were set to play the Tommies.

The men’s hockey team will now have the first game after St. Thomas’ 10-month athletics drought, playing the College of St. Scholastica at 7 p.m. Saturday at Saint Thomas Ice Arena.

The St. Thomas athletics department did not give further response as of press time.

Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.