RinkWise podcast: Previewing a big year for Division 1 women’s college hockey in New England

Northeastern looks to make a big impact in college hockey this season. (John Tlumacki/Getty Images)

In Division 1 women’s college hockey, the WCHA has been dominant since women’s hockey became a sanctioned sport in 2000. Last season’s champion was Ohio State. Aside from Clarkson winning three championships in 2014, 2017 and 2018, all the champions have come from the middle of the United States.

Things could change this year.

In Hockey East, Northeastern is loaded just like last year. Despite losing star goalie Aerin Frankel and top defender Skylar Fontaine (East Greenwich, R.I.), the Huskies return a roster good enough to currently be ranked No. 3 in the nation.

In the ECAC, talent is bursting at the seams with Colgate, Quinnipiac, Yale, Princeton and Clarkson all ranked inside the top 10. Both Yale and Northeastern earned spots in the Frozen Four last spring.

In the latest RinkWise podcast, host Stephanie Wood had on Northeastern women’s associate head coach Nick Carpenito (Acton, Mass.) for the first half of the podcast. In the second half, NEHJ editor Evan Marinofsky (Framingham, Mass.) joined the show to go over the big storylines facing D1 women’s college hockey teams in New England.

On recruiting Northeastern goalie Gwyneth Phillips: 

Carpenito: “When we recruited Gwyneth, she’s an unbelievable goaltender. So talented. Played on some solid teams but when she played, she was just such a presence out there. And she won her club team quite a few games that we watched. We had a pretty decent idea that she was probably going to end up being our starter.”

On Yale-Colgate rivalry in the ECAC: 

Marinofsky: “In this area, we focus on Hockey East a lot and rightfully so but ECAC has really exciting stuff and Colgate-Yale has been a rivalry that’s been taking place the past couple of years…They’re going to play each other quite a bit this year. To me, that’s appointment television. If that game is on, I think you should be watching it. That’s one matchup and again, both are ranked really high in the USCHO poll.”