The powers that be in New England women’s college hockey are stronger than ever. Northeastern, UConn, Quinnipiac, and Yale all made the NCAA tournament last season and all made the regional championship, with Northeastern reaching the Frozen Four. The perennial mainstays in the region are lining up to be just as potent this season, and...
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The powers that be in New England women’s college hockey are stronger than ever.
Northeastern, UConn, Quinnipiac, and Yale all made the NCAA tournament last season and all made the regional championship, with Northeastern reaching the Frozen Four.
The perennial mainstays in the region are lining up to be just as potent this season, and several programs are emerging just behind them, hoping to compete for trophies.
Here are our preseason power rankings.
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1. Northeastern | 2025-26: 29-9-1
Head coach: Dave Flint
Surprise, surprise. The Huskies reached the Frozen Four for the fourth time in six seasons last year after comfortably winning the Hockey East regular-season title and losing the Hockey East tournament final to UConn in double overtime. Northeastern brought back four of its five top scorers, most notably Stryker Zablocki (19 goals, 25 assists) and Eloise Caron (16 goals, 10 assists), who are two of the best players in the conference. Lisa Jonsson is back for her junior season in goal after posting a whopping .939 save percentage last season. Plus, Flint is bringing in exciting freshmen Ivana Wey and Adela Pankova. This is another typical high-flying Huskies team, and they’re poised to be just as dangerous as ever.
The Huskies made their second-ever NCAA tournament last season after winning the Hockey East tournament. Losing Tia Chan — one of the best goaltenders in the nation — is an impossible void to fill. But retaining Claire Murdoch (12 goals, 27 assists) and Julia Pellerin (Windham, N.H.) are two major pieces returning. UConn’s freshman class is the best in the region. Sisters Chelsea Tiller and Caileigh Tiller both starred for the Burlington Barracudas in the OWHL last season. MacKenzie also added Laurie Aubin, who stood out for Canada at the World Under-18 Championships last season. All three are likely to be major contributors for a Huskies team that should compete with Northeastern at the top of Hockey East.
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3. Quinnipiac | 2025-26: 29-9-3
Head coach: Cassandra Turner
The reigning ECAC champions lost to the eventual national champions Wisconsin in the national quarterfinals last season but retained their two best players. Kahlen Lamarche is back for her senior season after leading the nation in scoring with 42 goals. Netminder Felicia Frank is back for her junior year after winning 29 games as a sophomore while posting a .942 save percentage. The Bobcats will have to replace some secondary scoring — Alex Law, who played only five games last season due to injury, is a candidate to watch. Freshman Annabelle Kruzich is worth noting as a potential contributor up front, and Rosalie Breton and Clara-Mai Van Houtte-Cachero are new names to watch on the blue line. Quinnipiac opens the season as a favorite in the ECAC.
4. Yale | 2025-26: 26-10
Head coach: Mark Bolding
The Bulldogs are the last of the teams on this list to make the NCAA tournament last season, eventually losing to Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Yale lost its two top scorers, Jordan Ray (17 goals, 33 assists) and Carina DiAntonio (26 goals, 22 assists), to the PWHL. Scituate native Molly Boyle (13 goals, 26 assists) and Stephanie Stainton (15 goals, 17 assists) — key parts of the Bulldogs’ success last season — return for their sophomore and senior seasons, respectively. Yale also gets back its goaltender tandem of Samson Frey and Anna Phillips, who were both stellar last year. The Bulldogs should compete atop the ECAC, but are more likely to be chasing Quinnipiac.
5. Brown | 2025-26: 18-14-2
Head coach: Melanie Ruzzi
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The Bears have improved each of the last three seasons and are primed to do so again this season, sporting a real chance to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002. Losing Jade Iginla to the PWHL is a major hit, but Brown retains its leading scorer, Bedford native Monique Lyons (17 goals, 22 assists). Margot Norehad (17 goals, 12 assists) is also a key contributor returning. But it’s not just the top scorers returning; the bulk of its depth is, too. The Bears are also retaining their goaltending duo of Anya Zupkofska (Braintree, Mass.) and Rory Edwards, who were excellent, posting .929 and .913 save percentages, respectively.
The Crimson took a major step forward last season after winning just two games two years ago. The historic program is trending in the right direction again after winning the Beanpot and posting a winning record last season. The star of the show is Ainsley Tuffy (Duxbury, Mass.), who was outstanding in goal, posting a .950 save percentage as a sophomore. Plus, Harvard is retaining its top five point-getters from a year ago. While the Crimson don’t light up the scoresheet, they play a structured game and are poised to take another step forward.
7. Boston College | 2025-26: 16-18-1
Head coach: Katie Crowley
The Eagles were a puzzling team last season. They lacked a true identity and struggled to build momentum week after week. The loss of Grace Campbell in goal is a big one, who started in all but one game for BC last season. Sophomore Ava Thomas was otherworldly as a freshman last season, posting 19 goals and 46 points. She’ll lead the way offensively again for the Eagles, followed by Sammy Taber (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Maxim Tremblay, who can both create offense. BC could easily regain its momentum from two seasons ago and compete atop Hockey East — or it could struggle to find its identity once again. The Eagles are a question mark heading into the season.
8. Holy Cross | 2025-26: 19-13-3
Head coach: Katie Lachapelle
The Crusaders were the surprise team in Hockey East last season, posting their best record since moving up to Division 1 in 2017-18. Holy Cross was excellent defensively last season, allowing just 1.9 goals per game. Its goalie tandem of Abby Hornung (Ashland, Mass.) and Brooke Loranger — who both played major roles in the Crusaders’ success — graduated, but it retained top scorer Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.) and key contributors Naemi Herzig and Emily Crovo (Melrose, Mass.). It’s hard to predict the same success for Holy Cross this season, but it should be competitive in Hockey East.
9. New Hampshire | 16-16-3
Head coach: Hilary Witt
The Wildcats were nothing to write home about last season, but they did have four ranked wins over Brown, Northeastern, UConn, and Holy Cross. New Hampshire was a stiff test for everyone and retained much of its core from last season. Its goalie duo, Sedona Blair and Noemi Martinez, were both strong in between the pipes. The Wildcats’ leading scorer Nina Rossi (14 goals, 20 assists) was just a freshman last season, and there’s likely another level in her game. Danika Botterill and Josie Linn should each have a hand in the offense this season.
It would’ve been hard to predict that the Terriers would struggle as much as they did last season after winning Hockey East for the first time in a decade two years ago. BU struggled to score, and with Sydney Healey leaving for the PWHL, it might be equally challenging this season. The Terriers lost major pieces everywhere, especially on the back end. They’ll have eight freshmen and two transfer additions to help make up for it. Look for Kaileigh Quigg and Lexie Bertelsen to pick up some of the scoring slack. BU is likely still a year away from competing at the top of Hockey East again.
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