BRUNSWICK

The winter season has arrived at Bowdoin College, and on Friday night, the women’s basketball team will take the court at Morrell Gymnasium.

On Friday, the Polar Bears, ranked 19th in the first D3hoops.com poll of the year, will host Central Maine Community College at 7 p.m. in the second game of the Graef Memorial Women’s Basketball Classic.

The two-day event is also being hosted by Bates College where administrator and coach Marsha A. Graef once coached current Bowdoin College leader Adrienne Shibles, who in turn hired Bates head coach Alison Montgomery as a Polar Bear assistant after Montgomery graduated from Bowdoin in 2005.

Bates takes on Norwich at 5 p.m. on Friday at Morrell Gymnasium, before the teams head to Lewiston on Saturday, with the Polar Bears facing Norwich (2 p.m.) and the Bobcats entertaining CMCC (4 p.m.).

“Alison and I are both excited to be part of this tournament,” said Shibles in honoring her former coach, who succumbed to cancer. “It is going to be a good tournament.”

Shibles has high expectations for her Polar Bears, who finished 22-7 overall last season and advanced to the NCAA Division III “Sweet 16,” falling to Rochester, 60-53.

A challenge for Shibles is replacing forward Shannon Brady, who averaged 16.8- points per game last season along with 6.6 rebounds. Brady, the team’s only senior last year, was a constant presence in the paint, leading the Polar Bears in blocked shots.

Shibles is confident in this year’s senior cast of Marle Curle, Ally Silfen, Rachel Norton, Sydney Hancock and Emily Campbell, along with the solid junior class of Kate Kerrigan, Lauren Petit, Brunswick native Lydia Caputi and Hannah Cooke.

“We have really strong senior leadership, and a strong junior class,” said Shibles. “You value those years of solid leadership, knowing that they set the standard and tempo for your team.”

Curle averaged nine points a contest last year, along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while Kerrigan posted solid numbers with 8.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.2 steals a contest. Petit (5.8 points), Caputi (5.1 points) and sophomore Abigail Kelly (5.9 points, 3.3 rebounds) will likely be asked to do more, along with sophomores Tyler Choate, Bridget Snow, Hannah Graham and Cordelia Stewart.

First-year players are Sam Roy, Maddie Hassan of South Portland and Olivia Ware.

“We have a talented group of freshmen who have a lot of work to do, especially defensively, but I see everyone playing a meaningful role this year,” said Shibles. “I know the talent and the depth of this program. I believe each game fans will see a different player leading the way.”

After hosting CMCC Friday, Bowdoin returns home on Nov. 27 against MIT, followed on Nov. 29 with its annual battle with the University of Southern Maine. The Polar Bears also host Bates (Dec. 10), Amherst (Jan. 20), Trinity (Jan. 21), Colby (Jan. 28), Wesleyan (Feb. 10) and Connecticut College (Feb. 11).

Men’s basketball

Tim Gilbride returns for his 32nd season on the Polar Bears bench a season after his team finished 12-11, falling to Amherst in the New England Small College Athletic Conference quarterfinals, 83-76.

Gilbride will be challenged to replace the scoring lost to graduation of Lucas Hausman, who averaged 25.3 points a year ago, along with Matt Palecki (9.3 points) and Jake Donnelly (4.2).

A pair of seniors return to the fold in Neil Fuller (5.7 points, 6.5 rebounds) and Jack Hewitt, while juniors Charles DiPasquale, former Brunswick High School standout Blake Gordon, Liam Farley and Richard McAllister are back.

As a freshman last season, Jack Simonds averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists a contest, and will be looked upon for more as a sophomore, along with classmates Tim Ahn, Jack Bors, Harrison Dunne-Polite and Huge O’Neil.

Newcomers for Gilbride are freshmen Stephen Ferraro, Drew Gagnon and David Reynolds.

Bowdoin will need to avoid long slumps that plagued the 2015/16 season that saw the Polar Bears drop six of seven games from Jan. 17 to Feb. 7.

Gilbride’s squad opens Friday against Southern Vermont at UMass-Dartmouth at 5:30 p.m. The Polar Bears play their first four games on the road before hosting USM on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Bowdoin’s home slate has Colby (Dec. 3), Anna Maria (Dec. 28), Tufts (Jan. 6), Bates (Jan. 7), UMaine-Presque Isle (Jan. 9), Williams (Jan. 14), Husson (Jan. 31), Hamilton (Feb. 3) and Middlebury (Feb. 4) this season.

Women’s hockey

As with Shibles and Gilbride, Polar Bear coach

Marissa O’Neil has a tall task

in replacing several key components

from last year’s 8-14- 2 squad that fell to Amherst, 2-1 in overtime, in the NESCAC quarterfinals.

Last year, Bowdoin struggled down the stretch, dropping its final five regular season games. The Polar Bears also lost four straight early in the season and had an 0-3-2 stretch from Jan. 16-29.

O’Neil begins her seventh season needing to replace two goaltenders, as Beth Findley graduated and Lan Crofton didn’t return for her senior season after posting a 2.87 goals against average last season as the team’s No. 1 goalie.

Sophomore Sophia Lattanzio was 2-3-2 last year with a 2.69 GAA, while freshman Kerri St. Denis of Harpswell joins the fold in goal.

Three seniors return — forwards Jess Bowen and Maddy Hall, along with defenseman Kimmy Ganong — as well as five juniors — Maureen Greason, Maryanne Iodice, Julia Dachille, Brigit Bergin and Jill Rathke. O’Neil has a large sophomore class, with Marissa Fichter, Brooke Soloman and Maegan Sheehan combining for 12 goals last year.

Maede Avery, Jess Cloutier, Tala Glass and Katie Leininger join St. Denis as the incoming freshmen.

Bowdoin opens this weekend with a home-and-home series with rival Colby, visiting Alfond Arena in Waterville Saturday night at 7 p.m. before hosting the Mules on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Other home dates for the Polar Bears are Holy Cross (Tuesday), Saint Anselm (Dec. 3), the University of New England (Dec. 9), Norwich (Dec. 10), Williams (Jan. 6-7), Endicott (Jan. 17), Middlebury (Jan. 20-21) and Connecticut College (Feb. 11).