Women’s hockey season is well underway, and the action is heating up as we get into conference play in late October. Let’s break down which teams look like conference title contenders through the first four weeks of the season.
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WCHA — Wisconsin
To no surprise, the defending national champs sit atop the USCHO rankings after four weeks, and they look like the frontrunner in a very deep WCHA. The Badgers have started the season a perfect 6-0, and they look as dangerous as ever heading into the thick of WCHA play.
Wisconsin is outscoring opponents 32-5 over six games to start the season and has gotten a head start in the WCHA standings with series sweeps over Bemidji State and No. 4 Minnesota Duluth. Kirsten Simms sits third in the nation in points with 12 (5G, 7A), and talented freshman scorer Adéla Šapovalivová is having an impressive start to the season, tallying three goals and three assists through six games. Junior goaltender Ava McNaughton has been lights-out in six starts, posting a .952 SV%, three shutouts and a 0.86 GAA.
Take a look 👀, that’s three sweeps in the books. 🧹📚 pic.twitter.com/sPpuFIEffk
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) October 12, 2025
The Badgers have been ranked No. 1 since the preseason USCHO poll, and they show no signs of slowing down as WCHA play heats up.
Other teams to watch in the WCHA:
The WCHA is definitely the deepest conference in NC women’s hockey, with five teams ranked in the top 10 through four weeks. Wisconsin might be the frontrunner, but don’t be surprised to see these teams make some noise in the WCHA:
- No. 2 Ohio State
- No. 3 Minnesota
- No. 4 Minnesota Duluth
- No. 10 St. Cloud State
ECAC — Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac has also gotten out to a hot start, remaining unbeaten after six games. The Bobcats have steadily climbed the USCHO rankings, sitting at No. 7 after four weeks. They have outscored opponents 25-8 so far, powered by sophomore goaltender Felicia Frank, who has a .949 SV% and two shutouts in six starts. Junior forward Kahlen Lamarche leads the team in scoring with 11 points (5G, 6A) in six games.
𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐊ly unstoppable.#BobcatNation x #NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/5s3ahtnU9Q
— Quinnipiac Women’s Ice Hockey (@QU_WIH) October 12, 2025
Quinnipiac notched back-to-back shutout wins against Providence and Syracuse. If the defense can keep shutting down opponents like it has so far, they are going to be a tough matchup in ECAC play. The Bobcats open conference play with road games at Yale and Brown before returning home to face Union and RPI.
Other ECAC teams to watch out for:
It’s worth noting that No. 5 Cornell hasn’t played yet, so it remains to be seen what the Big Red has in store when it opens its season on Oct. 17 against Boston College. The ECAC is another very deep conference, so keep an eye on these teams once conference play begins Oct. 24:
- No. 5 Cornell
- No. 8. Colgate
- No. 9 Clarkson
- No. 14 St. Lawrence
AHA — Penn State
Penn State is another team that has started strong, going 6-0-0 through the first four weeks. The Nittany Lions opened conference play with an away series at Delaware, where they shut out the Blue Hens 5-0 and 7-0 in a two-game sweep Oct. 10-11. Penn State’s defense has been stellar to start the year, allowing just six goals and 73 shots in its first six games. They set a program record against Delaware, allowing just one shot on goal on Oct. 11.
Freshman defenseman Danica Maynard leads the team with nine points (2G, 7A), while senior forward Maddy Christian has a point in all six games (8 total) and leads the nation in game-winning goals (3).
Dani’s first of her career doubles our lead🎯🎯#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/DQjtIHiKCQ
— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) October 11, 2025
The Nittany Lions will face their toughest test yet Oct. 17-18 as they face No. 15 Mercyhurst at home. Mercyhurst looks like the next strongest team out of the AHA so far, starting the season 3-3-0.
Hockey East — UConn
Before the season, UConn was voted to finish first in the Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll for the second-straight year. The Huskies have put together back-to-back 19-win Hockey East campaigns, and they’ll look to continue their streak of success in conference play this year.
UConn has split its first two series against ranked opponents to open the season — first against No. 13 St. Cloud State, then against No. 9 Clarkson — for a 2-2-0 record. Each of their four games has been a tight, low-scoring affair, with a 2-0 loss to Clarkson being the only game decided by more than one goal.
Graduate student goaltender Tia Chan has been excellent to start the season, backstopping the Huskies with 37 saves in the win over Clarkson and posting a .948 SV% in four starts. UConn’s offense will need to find another gear in conference play to support the strong start from Chan.
Tia Chan makes her first save of the game, keeping us scoreless!
UConn 0, Clarkson 0
📺: https://t.co/Tv8mMuYS0x pic.twitter.com/02luuvX12j
— UConn Women’s Hockey (@UConnWHOC) October 4, 2025
UConn opens conference play with a home series against Holy Cross, Nov. 1-2.
Other Hockey East contenders:
Northeastern has looked good in its own right, starting 4-0. Boston University has had a disappointing 0-4-0 start, getting swept in two series against No. 3 Minnesota and No. 8 Colgate, but look for the Terriers to bounce back and make a run in the Hockey East.
NEWHA — Saint Anselm
It’s still early in the season, but no conference seems as wide-open at this point as NEWHA. One team that has surprised through the first few weeks though is Saint Anselm. Saint Anselm’s young core has blossomed quickly, sweeping Saint Michael’s in its opening series. The Hawks then dropped two games to Boston College and Maine but came back with another conference win against Stonehill on Oct. 11.
After finishing last season 10-11-7 in conference play, Saint Anselm will need to steal some close games to be a serious contender for the NEWHA title, but senior Brooklyn Schneiderhan (5G, 3A), has stepped up in the absence of the team’s top scorers from last year, leading the way for their young core in the first five games. Freshman goaltender Kayla Czukoski has also been named the NEWHA Rookie of the Week for three-straight weeks after starting the season with a .945 SV% and 2.40 GAA in five starts.
Other NEWHA contenders:
Of course, don’t count out LIU, which dominated the 2024-25 regular season. The Sharks have started this season 3-1-0, splitting their opening NEWHA series against Saint Michael’s. Then there’s the defending NEWHA tournament champion Sacred Heart, which has perhaps the most experienced roster in the conference that should power through NEWHA competition.
