The NCAA is loaded with teams who will challenge for a national title with WCHA superpowers Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio State set for success, and Clarkson, Colgate, and Cornell set to contend from the East.
The NCAA is loaded with teams who will challenge for a national title with WCHA superpowers Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio State set for success, and Clarkson, Colgate, and Cornell set to contend from the East.
The NCAA season is rapidly approaching the the nation's top teams spent the summer again loading up through recruitment and the transfer portal. With Ohio State and Wisconsin facing off in the last two national championship games, and one of those two schools winning the past five national titles. It's likely one of those teams will again be in the national title game, but there are other contenders gunning for top spot.
Can Wisconsin or Ohio State do it again?
Wisconsin looks like the team everyone will have their eyes on as the year gets underway. Back are Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards, Casey O'Brien, Lacey Eden, Caroline Harvey, and Ava McNaughton. And the next wave including Cassie Hall, Laney Potter, and Ava Murphy are certainly all ready to take a massive step forward. In terms of incoming recruits, few schools can boast a cohort as NCAA ready as Wisconsin headlined by Emma Venusio, Maggie Scannell, and Finley McCarthey While Wisconsin may actually be stronger when it's all said and done this season, Ohio State will be playing catch up, but don't count them out. No team lost more stars through the PWHL Draft with their top four blueliners, starting goalie, and captain all being picked by PWHL teams. Ohio State did their best to recoup these losses through the transfer portal, which has become their main source of incoming talent bringing in Hailey MacLeod, Sara Swiderski, Brooke Disher, Maddi Wheeler, and Emily Zumwinkle, and rookie recruits Mira Jungaker, and Josie St. Martin should step in and contribute. Perhaps the biggest growth from Ohio State could come internally from Joy Dunne and Jocelyn Amos. It will be a constant back and forth yet again between these two WCHA powerhouse programs, but they aren't alone...
Minnesota Looks Ready To Disrupt The Hierarchy
There's reason to believe this is the year Minnesota pushes aside Ohio State or Wisconsin from their recent dominance. Starting with their returning players, the punch of Abbey Murphy, Josefin Bouveng, Ella Huber, and Peyton Hemp are all returning, and it's fair to assume Emma Kreisz and Ava Lindsay are set for another step forward. Minnesota also boasts Nelli Laitinen who is one of the best defenders in NCAA hockey. Add in transfers Natalie Mlynkova, Sydney Morrow, and Krista Parkkonen, all national team members, as well as incoming phenom Chloe Primerano, and a stellar recruiting class featuring Ms. Hockey Minnesota, Ayla Puppe, and U-18 national team veterans Kendra Distad, Gracie Graham, and Hannah Clark, and Minnesota looks like they're set to ice the most skilled roster we've seen from the Golden Gophers in since they lost Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Abigail Boreen, Catie Skaja, and Savannah Norcross to the PWHL.
Looking At The East's Top Contenders
It's unlikely someone outside of the three C's - Colgate, Clarkson, and Cornell - will come out of the east and challenge the WCHA's power programs. Cornell's blueline is perhaps the best in the nation with Rory Guilday, Grace Dwyer, Piper Grober, Ashley Messier, and Alyssa Regalado, and incoming rookie Rose Dwyer, it's a dynamic and skilled group that will cause problems for any team they play. Despite that, it's Colgate and Clarkson who are the East's favorites. Colgate lost significant firepower in Danielle Serdachny Dara Grieg, Allyson Simpson, Sydney Morrow, and Sydney Bard, but they still have Kristyna Kaltounkova, who is perhaps the best goal scorer in the nation, and they have young stars including Elyssa Biederman, Emmalee Pais, and Madeline Palumbo who can all take another step. Hannah Murphy is back in net, and expected to be one of the best goalies in NCAA hockey this season, and the team also added intriguing transfer Alexis Petford through the transfer portal, bringing over the best player in NEWHA the past two seasons. As for Clarkson, they have the powerful duo of Nicole Gosling and Haley Winn on the backend, who are Canadian and USA national team contributors respectively and they are also bringing back reigning NCAA Goaltender of the Year Michelle Pasiechnyk in net. Up front, Anne Cherkowski will look to have a statement season ahead of the PWHL Draft.
Don't expect any team to knock of the WCHA super forces, but there are plenty of teams to watch in NCAA women's hockey this season