NCAA Division I Women's Hockey conferences and teams

The following is a list of NCAA women's collegiate ice hockey teams, and conferences they compete in, that compete for berths in the annual NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament. The championship has existed since the 2000–2001 season and conferences include the university teams of Divisions I and II of the NCAA.[1]

Independents

  • Franklin Pierce Ravens women's ice hockey
  • Post Eagles women's ice hockey
  • Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey
  • Saint Anselm Hawks women's ice hockey
  • Saint Michael's Purple Knights women's ice hockey
  • Long Island University women's ice hockey (2019 start)

Since the 2017–18 season, there have been at least five independent programs that compete at the National Collegiate (Division I/II) level in women's ice hockey. Sacred Heart has competed as in independent since 2003; five other schools began play as independents in 2017–18. Holy Cross only played as an independent for the 2017–18 season, joining Hockey East for 2018–19 and beyond. LIU Brooklyn will add women's ice hockey in 2019–20, and will initially play as an independent.

All current independents participate in a scheduling agreement known as the New England Women's Hockey Alliance. LIU Brooklyn will also participate once its team begins play.

Hockey East Association (HEA)

Hockey East (full name: Hockey East Association) is a college athletic conference which operates primarily in New England, and features men's and women's competition.[2] While the men's side of the conference temporarily added Notre Dame, located in Indiana, from 2013-2017, the women's side has remained a New England-only organization. It has emerged as one of the top women’s ice hockey conferences in United States. Hockey East continues to send teams to the Frozen Four as well to the NCAA Tournament.

College Hockey America (CHA)

College Hockey America (CHA) is a women’s college ice hockey conference (it participates in the NCAA’s Division I as a hockey-only conference).[3] The conference began as a men's hockey conference in 1999, and added women's competition in 2002. After several of its member schools dropped the sport or moved to other conferences, the men's side of CHA folded after the 2009–10 season. CHA remains in operation as a women-only conference, currently with six teams — two from New York state; one from Missouri; and three from Pennsylvania:

The CHA conference champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament.

ECAC Hockey

Located in the northeastern United States, the ECAC Hockey has changed to meet the needs of the exploding collegiate sport as 24 teams have called ECAC Hockey home since the first regional championship was contested in 1984.[4] Clarkson became the first non-WCHA team to win the national championship when it defeated the Minnesota Gophers in the 2014 Frozen Four.

Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA)

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States.[5] It participates in NCAA Division I as a hockey-only conference. The WCHA teams won every NCAA Women’s National Championship from 2001-13.

References

  1. ↑ NCAA Division I manual
  2. ↑ women's in Hockey East
  3. ↑ Women's in CHA
  4. ↑ Women's in ECAC Hockey
  5. ↑ Women's in WCHA
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