Women’s D-I in general
Lindenwood Lady Lions USCHO prediction: Sixth Coaches’ prediction: Fifth (tie) Last season: Fifth (10-21-2, 7-11-2 CHA) The names Lindenwood graduated its first group of varsity recruits in the spring, so this season begins a new cycle for the program. The Lions’ had lost several players from that initial group along the way, so the graduating … Read more
Penn State Nittany Lions USCHO prediction: Fifth Coaches’ prediction: Fourth Last season: Third (tie) (17-16-4, 9-9-2 CHA) The names Coming off a four-win season in 2013-14, Penn State made a dramatic leap. The Nittany Lions enjoyed a winning season, finishing at 17-16-4, and were dead even in conference play. Coach Josh Brandwene has attracted some … Read more
Robert Morris Colonials USCHO prediction: Fourth Coaches’ prediction: Fifth (tie) Last season: Third (tie) (11-19-5, 8-8-4 CHA) The names Last year was somewhat of a lost season for Robert Morris. Brittany Howard was lost to injury right out of the gate, and the team never found high gear. Now she returns for a much-delayed sophomore … Read more
Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers USCHO prediction: Third Coaches’ prediction: Third Last season: Sixth (15-19-5, 5-12-3 CHA) The names RIT loses star goaltender Ali Binnington, who backstopped her team to consecutive CHA titles, but at least her returning backups, senior Jetta Rackleff and junior Brooke Stoddart, have some experience, having played in 15 and 14 … Read more
Syracuse Orange USCHO prediction: Second Coaches’ prediction: First Last season: Second (11-15-10, 8-6-6 CHA) The names A number of teams came close to getting into the NCAA tournament last year. Bemidji State was a game away. Cornell was 17 minutes away. Syracuse was a bounce away in sudden death, and ultimately, it was RIT that … Read more
Mercyhurst Lakers USCHO prediction: First Coaches’ prediction: Second Last season: First (23-9-3, 14-5-1 CHA) The names It would have been the ultimate irony had Mercyhurst been in position to be the final at-large selection to the NCAA tournament, only to be denied an 11th-straight trip by the CHA’s first-ever automatic qualifier. Instead, the Lakers saw … Read more
Minnesota State Mavericks USCHO prediction: Eighth Coaches’ prediction: Eighth Last season: Eighth (3-32-1, 1-26-1-0 WCHA) The names That Minnesota State landed with a thud in the WCHA’s basement wasn’t that difficult to predict; the Mavericks were just too young to compete in the rough and tumble league. They’ll have new direction as they start the … Read more
Veteran WCHA women’s official Kristine (Langley) Morrison, who has worked four NCAA Women’s Frozen Four tournaments and several international competitions, will serve as a referee this weekend at Ferris State. A member of the on-ice officiating staff for the women’s WCHA since 2005, Morrison will skate Ferris State’s Crimson & Gold intrasquad game Saturday and … Read more
St. Cloud State Huskies USCHO prediction: Seventh Coaches’ prediction: Seventh Last season: Seventh (8-28-1, 5-22-1-1 WCHA) The names His first season at St. Cloud State was a learning experience for both coach Eric Rud and his players. “Last year was just a year where we knew we would struggle with wins and losses and tried … Read more
Ohio State Buckeyes USCHO prediction: Sixth Coaches’ prediction: Sixth Last season: Sixth (17-6-3, 12-13-3-1 WCHA) The names In March, Bemidji State became the sixth different WCHA team to play in the league’s championship game. Ohio State has been there — back in the conference’s second year of competition. That was so long ago that the … Read more
Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs USCHO prediction: Fourth Coaches’ prediction: Fifth Last season: Fourth (20-12-5, 14-10-4-2 WCHA) The names Maura Crowell makes the transition from being Katey Stone’s top assistant at Harvard to the second coach in Minnesota-Duluth history. “Being a head coach in the WCHA is an unbelievable opportunity,” Crowell said. “Hands down, that was the number … Read more
North Dakota USCHO prediction: Third Coaches’ prediction: Third Last season: Third (22-12-3, 16-9-3 WCHA) The names “We’ve kind of been on the PairWise bubble for two years; it’s no fun,” coach Brian Idalski said. “The real challenge is when we started, it was a Big Three. Now, it’s become a Big Two. The challenge for … Read more
Wisconsin Badgers USCHO prediction: Second Coaches’ prediction: Second Last season: Second (29-7-4, 19-6-3-1 WCHA) The names After a drought of three years without a tournament crown, Wisconsin was able to claim a trophy at the WCHA Final Face-Off in March. “It was definitely an exciting time for us,” coach Mark Johnson said. “As any coach … Read more
Minnesota Golden Gophers USCHO prediction: First Coaches’ prediction: First Last season: First (34-3-4, 22-2-4-2 WCHA) The names Coach Brad Frost has the Minnesota roster in such good shape that last season it was able to shake off the disappointment of the NCAA title game defeat in 2014 and the loss of star Amanda Kessel to … Read more
Though Wisconsin will mount a stiff challenge, the WCHA still looks to belong to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Union Dutchwomen USCHO prediction: 12th Coaches’ prediction: 11th Last season: 11th (4-22-8, 1-16-5 ECAC) The names Coach Claudia Asano Barcomb says this is the most talented group of seniors she has seen at Union as she enters her ninth season. As juniors, Kathryn Tomaselli and Jessica Kaminsky gave her two players with at least 20 … Read more
Rensselaer Engineers USCHO prediction: 11th Coaches’ prediction: 10th Last season: Ninth (7-23-4, 5-16-1 ECAC) The names Two years ago, Rensselaer got off to a 6-5-1 start in ECAC play, only to go winless over the final 10 games. Last year, the Engineers started slowly and were never really in the hunt. Two different routes led … Read more
Colgate Raiders USCHO prediction: Ninth Coaches’ prediction: Ninth Last season: 10th (7-25-2, 4-16-2 ECAC) The names Now in his fourth season at Colgate, coach Greg Fargo is in the process of trying to reshape the roster to fit his style. “[We have] 15 first or second-year players out of our 22-person roster,” he said. “So … Read more
Yale Bulldogs USCHO prediction: Eighth Coaches’ prediction: Eighth Last season: Seventh (15-15-1, 12-10-0 ECAC) The names This figures to be a key season in the evolution of the Yale program. The Bulldogs have thrust themselves back into the playoff mix with consecutive seventh-place finishes. Now, they have to deal with the graduation of one of … Read more
Dartmouth Big Green USCHO prediction: Seventh Coaches’ prediction: Seventh Last season: Eighth (13-15-2, 9-11-2 ECAC) The names Dartmouth’s senior class is a big reason why its coach is optimistic about the upcoming season. “We’ve got six players in our senior class and they’ve all contributed significantly, one way or the other — on the ice, … Read more