2024 NCAA Women’s Hockey Tournament Preview
Postseason college hockey is in full swing, and this week, the NCAA Women’s Hockey Tournament will begin.
Along with the heavyweight programs expected to make it to the Frozen Four, there are a few schools and a couple of talented players looking to make an impact.
For those unfamiliar with the women’s tournament, 11 schools make up the field, including the five conference champions — from the CHA, ECAC, Hockey East, WCHA and NEWHA – along with six at-large bids based on national PairWise rankings.
Let’s break down the teams, and the players to keep an eye on as they battle their way to the Frozen Four in New Hampshire.
Who’s in?
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes come into the tournament as the No. 1 team in the country, with WCHA coach of the year Nadine Muzerall leading the team to a 29-3 regular-season record. However, despite finishing with the conference’s best record, they again fell in the conference championship game.
The reigning runners-up might have lost the reigning Patty Kazmaier Award winner in Sophie Jaques, but they have seemingly only improved over the past season. With fifth-year transfer Hannah Bilka bringing in a load of scoring over from Boston College, Ohio State has continued to have a one-two punch with her and Jennifer Gardiner leading the way.
Wisconsin Badgers
The team that became the Buckeyes’ Achilles’ Heel at the end of the season beat them in the national championship game last year.
Thanks to their talent pool and how they played this season, the Badgers are no longer an underdog story. They won the regular season finale against OSU, and followed that up by beating Bucky again in the WCHA Championship Game last Saturday to win a record 10th conference title.
This team is deep with talent. From WCHA player of the year Kirsten Simms to current U.S. national team defender Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin has all the tools to go back-to-back.
Colgate Raiders
The Raiders’ dominance over the ECAC rides into another season, but the question is can they turn it into success on the national stage?
Again, Colgate won its fourth consecutive conference championship by beating No. 3 Clarkson in the title game. However, they have lost in the quarterfinals in the last three seasons. The last time the program won a game in the tournament, they made it to the final game before losing to Clarkson back in 2018.
Despite finishing atop the conference standings for the first time in three seasons, my concern is the team’s inconsistency against top teams. While they started the season strong against teams like Cornell and Ohio State, they lost a couple of tough games to Yale and Clarkson before the postseason. With players like ECAC rookie of the year Emma Pais, the Raiders will try to change their fortunes this week.
Clarkson Golden Knights
Speaking of Clarkson, the Golden Knights are not just trying to get over losing to Colgate in the ECAC Championship Game for the second year. Still, they are also trying to score a win in the national tournament for the first time since 2019, having lost in the first round in back-to-back seasons to WCHA opponents.
Unlike previous seasons, Clarkson has relied on scoring-by-committee. Five players, including Nicole Gosling and Haley Winn, have scored over 30 points. Gosling was one of the best two-way blueliners in the country, earning ECAC Defender of the Year honors after leading Clarkson with 37 points.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
It was almost certain that the Gophers would suffer after losing star players Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, and Abby Boreen to the PWHL. Yet, redshirt junior Abbey Murphy picked up the slack and led the team to a third-place finish in the WCHA, ultimately losing in the conference semifinals to Wisconsin.
While Minnesota’s depth might be lacking compared to years past, they have a solid blueline led by sophomores Nelli Laitinen and Madeline Wethington, earning All-WCHA honors. If they can hold off a team like Clarkson’s top scorers, they could return to the Frozen Four for the second consecutive season.
Cornell Big Red
This is the best Big Red team since 2020, when the pandemic robbed the Lindsay Browning and Micah Zandee-Hart-led squad of a potential championship run.
It has been tough sledding for the Ivy League power to get back to the national tournament, losing in the ECAC quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons. Still, coach Doug Derraugh’s team has a couple of weapons that can help Cornell sneak into the Frozen Four.
Patty Kazmaier nominee Izzy Daniel, who was on that 2019-20 team, has come into her own as a senior and was named conference Forward and Player of the Year. Freshman goaltender Annelies Bergmann took over the starting job and had the makings of becoming one of the best puck-stoppers in the country.
St. Lawrence Saints
There is no question, the Saints will be a tough out. While they did not post a winning record against top-10 teams during the regular season, they certainly proved they belonged with wins over Clarkson, Cornell and Colgate late in the regular season, and was good enough to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years.
Patty Kazmaier nominee Abby Hustler leads them. The junior forward has lived up to her namesake this season, leading St. Lawrence with 24 goals and 31 assists. If the Saints want to go far, they will need Anna Segedi and Sarah Marchand to play big minutes as well.
Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
Just two years removed from their outstanding run to the national championship game, Duluth is facing another uphill battle. Like the Gophers, the Bulldogs saw two of their best players, Gabbie Hughes and Aston Bell turn pro, seemingly leaving the longstanding program in offensive shambles.
However, this team has been bailed out by arguably the best tandem in the country. Sophomore Hailey MacLeod and freshman Eve Gascon were second and third in the NCAA in save percentage, respectively, and both were in the top 10 in goals-against average.
Connecticut Huskies
The only representative from Hockey East is a team having its greatest season in program history. The Huskies, who had only made it to the conference championship game five times before this season, ran away with the best record during the regular season, and beat Northeastern in overtime to win their first Hockey East title.
Led by conference Coach of the Year Chris MacKenzie, the Huskies have a balanced attack led by veteran forward Jada Habisch and defender Camryn Wong. Junior netminder Tia Chan was one of the most consistent netminders in the conference, earning HEA Second-Team All-Star honors.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Jeff Kampersal has done his due diligence and turned the Nittany Lions into the top team in College Hockey America, winning back-to-back conference championships. Penn State had their hearts broken in its first NCAA Tournament appearance last season, losing to Quinnipiac in triple overtime in the first round.
It will be tough for the Nittany Lions to become the first team from the CHA to win a game in the national tournament, it will rest on the shoulders of the CHA Forward and Player of the Year, Tessa Janecke.
Stonehill Skyhawks
In only its second season as a D-I program, the Skyhawks won its first NEWHA Championship. Like UConn, they needed overtime to clinch the title, beating Franklin Pierce this past Saturday.
The team comes into the tournament on an eight-game win streak, having not lost since early February. They are led by sophomore forward Alexis Petford, who notched 34 points in 38 games.
This is just the second season the NEWHA champions have received an automatic bid into the tournament. Last year, Long Island was beaten by Wisconsin in the first round, 9-1.
Players to watch
Kirsten Simms (So., F, Wisconsin)
Simms has stood out in many ways on a stacked Badger team. The Plymouth, Michigan native finished with more points than anyone in the country (71), and was held off the scoresheet just five times. Dynamic with the puck, and has that clutch gene that sets her apart.
Abbey Murphy (Jr. F, Minnesota)
Despite what people in Canada might believe, if Murphy played in the last three games of the Rivalry Series, there is no way the Americans blow a 3-0 lead again. That’s how important Murphey was to this Gophers team.
Murphy led the NCAA in goals (33) and managed to achieve that mark while leading the country in penalty minutes (114).
Izzy Daniel (Sr., F, Cornell)
I have been fortunate enough to watch Daniel in previous seasons, and even on a mediocre Big Red team, she stood out. As one of just five players in the ECAC to reach the 50-point mark this season, she has carried Cornell’s offense over the last couple of years and was more than deserving of being named the conference’s MVP.
Danielle Serdachny (5th, F, Colgate)
Though Serdachny had already won ECAC Player of the Year before, she was certainly good enough to do so again this season. With 61 points, she tied for third in the country in scoring and will definitely be in the running for the Patty Kaz again.
Tessa Janecke (So., F, Penn State)
As I stated earlier, the Nittany Lions will live and die in this tournament based on how Janecke plays, as has been the case all season. She led the CHA with 53 points and earned a Patty Kazmaier nomination.
There has only been one player from the CHA to win the individual accolade, and that came in 2010 when Mercyhurst’s Vicki Bendus won the award.
First-round matchups (March 14)
(9) UConn vs. (8) Minnesota-Duluth (7 p.m. ET)
(11) Stonehill vs. (6) Cornell (7 p.m. ET)
(10) Penn State vs. (7) St. Lawrence (8 p.m. ET)
Quarterfinal matchups (March 16)
Stonehill/Cornell vs. (3) Colgate (2 p.m. ET)
(5) Minnesota vs. (4) Clarkson (3 p.m. ET)
Penn State/St. Lawrence vs. (2) Wisconsin (3 p.m. ET)
UConn/Minnesota-Duluth vs. (1) Ohio State (4 p.m. ET)
For the full tournament schedule, click here