Women’s D-I in general
Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. Eastern time, Niagara’s women’s hockey team will take to the ice against a team of Niagara alumni in a fundraiser for former Purple Eagle Jennifer Goulet, who has been diagnosed with throat cancer. A goal of raising $1,500 has been set by the 2003-04 team, to assist in covering the … Read more
The marquee matchup in women’s college hockey this week was one that didn’t even count. Even if it was an exhibition, even if it did have quirky rules like an all-power-play second period, it was still Dartmouth at Harvard. Dartmouth might have taken the contest between the consensus No. 2 and No. 3 teams in … Read more
Sure, there were signs that three-time defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth would be in for a tough time in Mankato last weekend. Consider a UMD team that was already adjusting to the loss of 12 players from its previous season, strip it of its head coach and four players (including two Canadian national representatives) for the … Read more
In the sequel to Women’s Hockey East’s inaugural season, defending champion Providence is once again the consensus pick for the league crown. While the preseason poll might not have changed much from last year’s Media Day, plenty else has. The second Media Day for Women’s Hockey East had a more festive atmosphere than the first, … Read more
The Division I Championships and Competition Cabinet has recommended the approval of the expansion of the NCAA Division I women’s tournament to eight teams from its current four, beginning with the 2004-05 season. The decision was made at its regular meeting last week in Indianapolis. It still faces approval from the Budget Committee and Management … Read more
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. If the coaches of College Hockey America’s Women’s League are right, that’s how things will shape up this season in the four-team Division I conference. Mercyhurst, the defending CHA regular season and postseason champion, was picked to set the pace once again this season by league … Read more
The defending ECAC Champion Big Green of Dartmouth garnered five of the nine first-place votes in the ECAC Preseason Women’s Coaches’ Poll. The Big Green defeated the Crimson of Harvard for the title last season and will try to repeat under new head coach Mark Hudak. The Crimson, who were the eventual runners-up in the … Read more
Athletic directors from seven of the eight schools affected by the Division III proposal to eliminate athletic scholarships for members playing a Division I sport, met to plan their opposition to the proposal on the campus of Rensselaer. Those attending were Sean Frazier (Clarkson), Joel Nielsen (Colorado College), Betty Powell (Hartwick), Tom Calder (Johns Hopkins), … Read more
Wayne State has hired Jim Fetter as its women’s hockey coach. Fetter spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with nationally-ranked women’s hockey programs. “Jim brings the kind of experience that is so important as we continue to develop our women’s hockey program,” said Rob Fournier, Wayne State’s athletics director. “His work ethic, … Read more
WCHA associate commissioner Sara Martin affirmed that written league policy did not guarantee Minnesota-Duluth coach Shannon Miller a tape of the Minnesota-Wisconsin semifinal during the women’s WCHA Final Five tournament in March, despite Miller’s claims last week that she had been victimized by league officials after waiting until 1:15 a.m. the morning of the final … Read more
Minnesota-Duluth women’s coach Shannon Miller will serve a one game suspension to open the 2003-04 season. The decision was made by the WCHA and the league’s Executive Committee. According to the WCHA, the suspension comes as a result of “unsportsmanlike conduct” during the league’s Final Five tournament in March 2003. Miller will miss the season … Read more
CHA Commissioner R.H. ‘Bob’ Peters announced that Quinnipiac’s women’s team has been accepted into College Hockey America, beginning with the 2004-2005 season, . The Bobcats will join Findlay, Mercyhurst, Niagara and Wayne State in the CHA, which formed a women’s ice hockey league beginning with the recent 2002-2003 campaign. “Joining the CHA is a great … Read more
Sacred Heart announced the hiring of Thomas O’Malley as the school’s new women’s ice hockey coach. O’Malley replaces Ed Bourget, who resigned at the conclusion of the 2002-03 season after the Pioneers finished 11-13-1. O’Malley, an 18-year veteran of coaching women’s collegiate ice hockey, comes to the Pioneers from Wayne State, where he started that … Read more
Mark Hudak, Dartmouth’s associate head coach for women’s hockey for the last two seasons, has been promoted to head coach, replacing Judy Oberting, who resigned in June due to personal reasons. He joined the Dartmouth athletic staff as assistant coach in July, 1998. “It’s an honor and a privilege for me to head this team … Read more
Mercyhurst men’s coach Rick Gotkin and women’s coach Michael Sisti were each awarded four-year contract extensions by the college today. “We are pleased to be able to guarantee stability in both of our Division I programs,” said Mercyhurst athletic director Pete Russo, “and are very proud of each team’s accomplishments.” Gotkin directed the Lakers to … Read more
Judy Parish Oberting, coming off four straight 20-win seasons at Dartmouth, has resigned as the team’s head coach, citing personal reasons. “For 10 years, I have been heading off to work knowing that there isn’t a job I would rather have at any other institution or in any other field,” said Oberting, coming off two … Read more
Sarah Hood, the ECAC Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Ice Hockey, has decided to resign due to personal reasons. Hood was in charge of all aspects of Women’s Division I ice hockey in her two-year tenure with the league. “I have very much enjoyed the past two seasons, and feel that I have been very fortunate … Read more
Tom Mutch, an assistant coach with the gold medal winning 1998 U.S. Women’s Olympic hockey team, was named the new head coach of the Boston College women’s team. Mutch leaves his post as men’s assistant coach at his alma mater, Northeastern, to take the reins of the Eagles. He succeeds Tom Babson, who retired as … Read more
A former member of Northeastern’s women’s hockey team has filed suit against coach Joy Woog and the school. The Boston Globe reported that in the civil lawsuit, Michelle Lorion charges Woog with assault and battery, emotional distress, and dismissal from the team without cause. According to the newspaper, Woog dismissed Lorion, an assistant captain, and … Read more
Hilary Witt, who served as interim head coach last winter and led Yale to its second straight ECAC playoff appearance, has been named permanent head coach of the Yale women’s hockey team. Witt led the Bulldogs to a 9-20-2 record, was the 2002-03 Coach of the Year in the ECAC and a finalist for the … Read more