As part of their U.S. tour, the Beijing Swift will face off against Oswego State in an exhibition match on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The Beijing Hockey Association (BHA) represents a top tier of competition throughout China, serving as a key talent pipeline for Chinese women’s ice hockey. As part of the association’s plan for the upcoming season, the Beijing Swift intend to run a sequence of training camps and college exhibition games in the U.S. This October marks their first stop in Central New York.

The season-opening competition will take place on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Deborah F. Stanley Ice Arena. The Swift compete in the Chinese Women’s Ice Hockey League (WCIHL), giving the Lakers, who were initially slated to face Elmira College on Saturday, a taste of unfamiliar competition.

The Swift have continuously been contenders throughout the WCIHL, earning 14 points and finishing third in the 2025-26 standings. The team is coached by Baiwei Yu, who is a former Chinese national team captain and holds a strong track record in both domestic and international women’s hockey.

Though a 2026-27 roster has not been confirmed yet, a slew of key players with Olympic experience are expected to return under head coach Baiwei Yu. Two-time Olympian Zhang Mengying, who won gold at the 2014 IIHF Women’s Challenge Cup of Asia and has competed in eight IIHF Women’s World Championships, is continuously one of the top contributors. The Swift are also expected to roll out top contributor Xiang Han, a defender who has tallied 12 goals and 15 assists through two seasons with the team as an alternate captain. Biyang Zhang brings in the most recent Olympic experience, having logged one goal and two assists through three games at the 2026 IIHF Women’s Asia Championship. The forward has been a consistent piece for the team, contributing 10 goals and 11 assists during the 2024-25 season.

As for the Lakers, head coach Mark Digby returns a mix of youth and veteran experience.  Senior Jenna Majewski dons the green and gold as an enforcing and speedy forward, having tied Meagan Smith for the team lead in goals (8) during 2025-26. Georgia Cunliffe enters her sophomore year as an efficient forward, having led the team in plus/minus (+16) last season, while netting a game-winning goal against VTSU-Castleton on Oct. 30, 2025.

Mia DeVivo enters her junior year as the Lakers’ top goalkeeper, recording a .925 SV% alongside just 1.69 GAA last season. The Lakers also boast a strong tandem of backup goalies in Ava Christensen and Erika Finney.

The Lakers and Swift are set to drop the puck this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. 
Oswego women’s hockey to host Beijing Swift