New England is one of the strongest regions in women’s college hockey, but the local programs have struggled to find success on the national stage in recent years. Two schools qualified for last season’s national tournament, and neither was able to win a game. No New England team has reached the final game since Northeastern...
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New England is one of the strongest regions in women’s college hockey, but the local programs have struggled to find success on the national stage in recent years.
Two schools qualified for last season’s national tournament, and neither was able to win a game. No New England team has reached the final game since Northeastern in 2021, but many programs, including the Huskies, are looking to return to that stage.
To get there, the coveted automatic bids for winning the ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and NEWHA conferences provides the easiest path. Each conference should have many contenders, but peaking at the correct time will be vital.
Here’s a look at our power rankings for the region at the start of a new season.
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1. Northeastern
2023-24 record: 25-11-3
Coach: Dave Flint
The Huskies have become the dominant force among Boston’s women’s teams. Northeastern has won two consecutive Beanpots and ruled Hockey East from 2018-23.
Northeastern was unable to take the title last season but should be a strong contender to retake the crown this winter. The Huskies return 21 players from last year’s squad, including leading scorer Skylar Irving (Kingston, Mass.) and leaders including Taze Thompson, JulesConstantinople (East Haven, Conn.) and Allie Lalonde.
The Huskies will have some interesting non-conference matchups against Penn State and Quinnipiac to open the season and will look to win a third consecutive Beanpot in January.
These Huskies outlasted the Northeastern Huskies to take the Hockey East title last season but were unable to capitalize in the NCAA tournament.
UConn fell to Minnesota Duluth, 1-0, in double overtime in the first round of regionals. It was a sour way to end the season but does not change the fact that UConn is a real contender to win Hockey East again.
Tia Chan will be back in the crease for UConn, and that alone makes the team formidable. She went 13-5-4 with a 1.15 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage in 23 games, yielding only 27 goals all season.
The Huskies return 19 players from last year’s squad and picked up transfer defender Sophie Robinson from Dartmouth.
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3. Quinnipiac
2023-24 record: 25-11-1 Coach: Cassandra Turner
The first ECAC Hockey representative on this list was unable to reach the national tournament last winter after qualifying the prior two seasons. Last year’s squad fell short against a tough Cornell team, and now the Bobcats look for revenge.
Quinnipiac returns 11 players from last year’s team and brought in multiple transfers, including Kaley Doyle from Brown, JennaDonohue from Dartmouth and Laurence Frenette from Clarkson.
Quinnipiac will face Maine, Northeastern, Providence and Syracuse in notable matchups before diving into ECAC play.
The Eagles haven’t been the same dominant force in recent seasons, but that could change.
The team finished just a tick above .500 last season and hasn’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2020-21. However, rising stars Sammy Taber (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Molly Jordan (Berlin, Conn.) should boost the program.
The Eagles return 20 players from last season, including standout Abby Newhook. The Eagles likely are still behind UConn and Northeastern but could be a team that really hits its stride by the time the Hockey East tournament begins.
5. Yale
2023-24 record: 16-15-1
Coach: Mark Bolding
The second ECAC entrant on this list projects to improve on a slightly above .500 season from last season and aim for a berth in the NCAA tournament.
The program reached the tournament for the first time in 2022 and advanced all the way to the Frozen Four. It qualified again in 2022-23 but fell short in the quarterfinal last season.
Captain Anna Bargman (Boxford, Mass.) headlines the returning group, with other notables being Jordan Ray, Carina DiAntonio and Stephanie Stainton.
Stonehill’s rise has been an entertaining one to follow. The Skyhawks started their program in 2022-23 and won the NEWHA in just their second season, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Stonehill lost, 7-1, to Cornell in the first round, but it was still a major step for the young program. Goaltender Eve Stone (North Billerica, Mass.) is the catalyst of the team, but the returning 18 players and Penn State transfer Maeve Connolly (West Roxbury, Mass.) also help make the team an intriguing watch.
7. New Hampshire
2023-24 record: 18-16-2 Coach: Hillary Witt
UNH took a huge step forward last season. The Wildcats had not finished above .500 since 2019-20 but accomplished that last season and knocked out Vermont in the first round of the Hockey East tournament.
UNH returns 15 players from that team and brought in multiple transfers to capitalize on the momentum swing and push toward the top of Hockey East.
Last season was a year of transition for the Terriers.
Tara Watchorn replaced Brian Durocher, who had been the program’s first and only head coach, and steered the team to an improved record.
It was still below .500 and a far cry from the program’s previous form, but the rebuilding days could be coming to a close. The roster is full of upperclassmen, including multiple transfers, and BU is looking to restake a claim within the Boston women’s hockey landscape.
9. Providence
2023-24 record: 13-17-2 Coach: Matt Kelly
The Friars are coming off a down season and are looking to wipe it from memory.
Providence had finished above .500 in every season since 2016-17 and reached the NCAA tournament in 2020-21. It is Matt Kelly’s seventh year at the helm of the program, and he will have 20 upperclassmen to work with, including standout goalie Hope Walinski (Lincoln, R.I.).
10. St. Anselm
2023-24 record: 20-16-1 Coach: Sam Ftorek
The Hawks have been a Division 1 program for three seasons and have managed to finish above .500 in every one. Now that the team has assimilated to the level, it’s time to start seeing some more hardware.
St. Anselm didn’t reach the NEWHA championship game for the first time in 2023-24, bowing out in the semifinals to the Stonehill Skyhawks. Still, the team is capable of securing a tournament berth.
The Hawks will face some interesting opponents including Yale, Holy Cross and Robert Morris, but their destiny will be determined by the NEWHA tournament.
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