Women’s D-III in general
Lake Forest College coach Carisa Wahlig found herself in an unusual and frankly somewhat uncomfortable position this past off season. Despite 12 years at the helm of the Lake Forest women’s program, she had absolutely no idea what to expect from her squad for the coming season. The Foresters graduated six seniors, including national Player … Read more
The Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation announced on Thursday the 15 nominees for the 2017 Hockey Humanitarian Award. The Foundation and its long-time lead sponsor BNY Mellon Wealth Management present the award annually to college hockey’s finest citizen — a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team, but also to the … Read more
There’s a sign above the locker room door at Middlebury that says “Bring your best.” In practice. In games. In the classroom. In the community. “It’s a journey. The goal is to get better every day. The games are learning experiences. The goal is to get better each and every day so that when you … Read more
Six schools announced Tuesday the creation of a scheduling alliance for their women’s hockey programs, beginning with the 2017-18 school year. Division I institutions Holy Cross and Sacred Heart will join Division II members Franklin Pierce, Post, St. Anselm and St. Michael’s to account for 20 of its contests next season, as all schools will … Read more
The American Hockey Coaches Association has announced its major awards for 2017. Eight individuals who have made unique contributions to amateur hockey in the United States will be recognized during the 2017 AHCA Convention in Naples, Fla., with the men’s hockey honorees being recognized on Wednesday, April 26, and the women’s hockey award recipients honored … Read more
Dave Ogrean will retire as executive director of USA Hockey on August 1, 2017, but remain with the organization in an advisory capacity. USA Hockey president Jim Smith made the announcement Thursday. A national search for a new executive director will begin immediately. Ogrean has served as executive director of USA Hockey since August 1, … Read more
Every program feels the pressure to win. Every player is hoping to be a national champion. Few programs have the urgency to win right now that Adrian does. Two seasons ago, they went undefeated in regular season conference play. They set a record for the longest unbeaten streak. They held opponents to just 33 goals … Read more
With a second-place finish last season and third-place finishes each of the two seasons before that, Wisconsin-River Falls has established itself as the program to beat from the west. Despite the fact that their conference (WIAC) does not receive an autobid to the NCAA tournament, the Falcons have earned themselves a spot each of the … Read more
Less the midpoint and more just the beginning, we’re partway through the Division III season and ready to head into the holiday break. While students finish up finals and you all finish your holiday preparation, here are the things I’m asking Santa for in women’s DIII hockey: More parity. It’s an old refrain, but with … Read more
It’s the second straight season that Connecticut College has opened its schedule with four games against Amherst and Middlebury, but the results this year were completely different. It was difficult for the Camels to build momentum after their 0-3-1 start last season. But when they matched up with the top two conference finishers earlier this … Read more
Last week, the Elmira Soaring Eagles tied Plattsburgh for the top place in the polls. It was the first time someone other than the Cardinals held the No. 1 spot since Elmira themselves were first on March 2, 2015. It was a 25-week reign for Plattsburgh. It was an accomplishment to be proud of for … Read more
In recent years, any discussions about women’s Division III hockey start and end with Plattsburgh. The Cardinals are three-time defending national champions and own a total of five of the past 10 national titles. To say expectations are high in Plattsburgh would be an understatement, but no one expects more than coach Kevin Houle and … Read more
The decision by the New England Hockey Conference was one factor that led Holy Cross to decide to upgrade it’s women’s program and seek membership in either the CHA, ECAC, or Hockey East. That decision has left three other schools, Franklin Pierce, St. Anselm, and St. Michael’s, scrambling for scheduling options for next season.
Last year’s champion Massachusetts-Boston defeated regular season champion Norwich 2-0 to win the NEHC Tournament. Favorites Norwich gets the nod to repeat as champions. They are currently ranked no. 6 in the USCHO poll. Holy Cross has a strong defense as well as scoring from the blue line. Dark horse St. Anselm has a potent … Read more
With two ranked teams, the NCHA looks to be a race to the NCAA tournament. Adrian and St. Scholastica are early favorites, but other teams like St. Norbert could have something to say about that. Last year’s champion Adrian was the regular season and conference tournament champions. They lost to Elmira in the first round … Read more
Though it’s a small conference, the WIAC boasts some of the country’s top teams, including Wisconsin-River Falls. Last year’s champion Wisconsin-River Falls won the regular season crown with 18 points and a 9-3 conference record. They defeated Wis.-Stevens Point to win the O’Brien Cup and the WIAC Tournament championship. The Falcons would go on to … Read more
With multiple NCAA tournament teams, including the national champion from last year, the ECAC West might be the toughest conference in the country. It will be changing after this year however, as Elmira, Utica, Neumann, and William Smith have all announced they’ll be joining the new United Collegiate Hockey Conference for the 2017-18 season. Last … Read more
Last year’s champion Stevenson was the inaugural regular season and CHC tournament champion. Favorites Endicott topped Stevenson in the conference preseason poll by just two points. The Gulls return most of their roster, while Stevenson graduated 13 players. Dark horse If anyone will unseat the top two, it’s Morrisville State College. They made a great … Read more
The Holy Cross women’s hockey program has existed in an interesting state of limbo since it was started for the 1999-2000 season. Though Holy Cross is officially a Division I school, and the men’s team has in the last 10 years had great success, up to and including two appearances in the NCAA tournament and … Read more
On Thursday, the NEHC released its annual women’s preseason coaches poll. The poll is compiled based on rankings from the league’s 14 head coaches. Last year’s NEHC regular-season champion, Norwich, was selected to finish first, receiving seven first-place votes. NEHC Open champion Holy Cross followed with three first-place votes, while St. Anselm ranked third. Reigning … Read more