It was championship Saturday across women’s Division 1 college hockey. Five titles were on the line with regular season champions and NCAA tournament hopefuls battling it out all day.
Here’s a quick and simple recap of who won which title across college hockey.
The Results:
Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) – Penn State
The Penn State Nittany Lions faced the Mercyhurst Lakers for the second straight year in the championship game. PSU got on the board in the first period and added two more goals in the second before the Lakers tried to climb back in the third. The Nittany Lions managed to hold on and win their fourth straight conference championship with a 3-2 win. Penn State will head to the NCAA tournament while Mercyhurst’s season comes to an end.
Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) – Ohio State
The WCHA championship game came down to the top two teams in the conference. Wisconsin and Ohio State battled it out and it took two scoreless period before either team could find the back of the net. The Badgers struck midway through the third for a 1-0 lead. The Buckeyes then tied it with a goal from the Rookie of the Year, HIlda Svensson a few minutes later. But it was Jordan Baxter who played hero scoring the game winner for a close 2-1 win. This is the first conference championship since 2022 for Ohio State and their third overall. The two top teams in the WCHA and in the country will be heading to the NCAA tournament.
Hockey East – UConn
Out in Connecticut, the top two teams in that conference also faced off in the championship game. The game went to overtime tied at one before Kyla Josifovic won it for UConn with a little over four minutes left in the second overtime period for a 2-1 win. This is UConn’s second conference title in three years. Both Huskies teams will appear in the NCAA tournament.
Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) – Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac took home the ECAC title with a dominant 5-1 win over Yale in Lake Placid, N.Y. Ella Johnson kicked off the scoring with 13 minutes left in the first period. The Bobcats then added two goals before the Bulldogs got on the board in the third but it was too little, too late. Two Bobcat empty netters sealed it. Quinnipiac takes home their first ECAC championship since 2016. Both teams will appear in the NCAA tournament next week.
New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) – Franklin Pierce
NEWHA had Franklin Pierce and St. Anselm battling it out for the championship title and the autobid into the NCAA tournament. The regular season championship Ravens were looking to add the conference championship to their accolades for this season. They took a 1-0 lead thanks to a Bo Dean goal in the first period but the score remained the same until late in the third when Abigail Broz added the insurance goal for Franklin Pierce. Goaltender Jill Hertl had a 41 save shutout to lead the Ravens to their first conference championship since 2022. They received an autobid into the NCAA tournament and will make their first appearance ever.
The NCAA tournament selection show will take place March 8 at 11:30 A.M ET on ESPNU and ESPN+
Stay tuned to The Ice Garden for all your NCAA tournament coverage!
