Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Women’s Notes: College Hockey is Here  

Minnesota Duluth Starts Season with Sweep

Women’s Notes: College Hockey is Here
Caitlin Kraemer scored twice to clinch UMD’s sweep of OSU (Photo: OSU Athletics).

The 2024-25 NCAA Division I women’s hockey season kicked off last weekend with a host of exhibition matchups and an early-season WCHA tilt.

Boston University marked the unofficial start on Friday with an exhibition 4-1 victory over Concordia. The Terriers outshot the Stingers 38-to-19 to secure their first unofficial win of the season.

Minnesota Duluth started the season strong, sweeping the defending champions, Ohio State, in Columbus. Freshman Caitlin Kraemer (Waterloo, Ontario) scored the first collegiate goal of her career to tie the game and later added her second to clinch a Bulldogs victory.

St. Cloud State netminder Sanni Ahola (Gr., Helsinki, Finland) led the Huskies in their non-conference matchup with Lindenwood. Winning both games, she posted a .950 save percentage, allowing only two goals against on the weekend.

Week two kicks off Thursday with a non-conference matchup between No. 9 ranked UConn and No. 13 Northeastern, a showdown between teams ranked in the top 15 of both the USA Hockey/The Rink Live and USCHO national preseason polls.

In total, 28 teams are in action this weekend. To see all the matchups and live scoring, visit the links below.

Daily Scoreboard | Weekly Schedule | Composite Schedule | Stat Leaders | Goaltending Leaders

Coaches Corner:

The season brings new perspectives, as 10 of the 44 women’s hockey teams have new head coaches. Teams with new or elevated leadership behind the bench include:

Going Global:

For the first time, Division I women’s hockey will play a tournament in Europe. The 2026 Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, will feature four women’s teams: Boston University, Harvard, Quinnipiac, and Minnesota Duluth.

GoBobcats: Bobcats to Compete in First Women’s Friendship Four in Belfast

Must Read:

NHL.com: Color of Hockey: Alvarez hometown hero for RIT women’s team

USCHO: Longtime Augsburg women’s hockey coach, McAteer named new commissioner of WCHA

St. Cloud Live: Gentry puts up 3 points in sweep over Lindenwood

The Hockey News: Cornell’s Regalado continues to take smooth strides forward

FloHockey: AHA Women’s Hockey on FloHockey

Must Hear:

Inside Atlantic Hockey America: Featuring Michelle Morgan, AHA Commissioner

The PodKaz: Premier Previews all 44 Teams

Must Watch:

WDIO: UMD Women’s Hockey Completes Sweep

Our Girls Play Hockey: Featuring Megan Bozek – How Long Should Girls Play Boys’ Hockey

Poll Position:

A split decision in the aforementioned polls placed Ohio State and Wisconsin at the top of the preseason rankings.

The last two national championship games featured the Buckeyes and the Badgers, both resulting in 1-0 nail-biters (Wisconsin in ’23 and Ohio State in ’24).

All five conferences released their preseason league polls:

  • AHA preseason No. 1: Penn State | Link
  • ECAC preseason No. 1: Clarkson | Link
  • Hockey East preseason No. 1: UConn | Link
  • NEWHA preseason No. 1: LIU | Link
  • WCHA preseason No. 1: Wisconsin | Link

Fit To Print:

“She was told that girls don’t play hockey, so she played soccer at a high level. My mom was, like, ‘You should have this opportunity since I didn’t when I was younger.’”

— RIT forward Addie Alvarez (Rochester, NY) reflects on her mother’s support for her hockey career—an opportunity her mother, Melissa, did not have growing up (source: NHL.com).

CONFERENCE WEBSITES
 CHA | ECAC | Hockey East | NEWHA | WCHA

Did you know? 97% of NCAA Division I women’s hockey players earn their degree!