2027 Women's Frozen Four Altered

The NCAA has made changes in the women's Division I Frozen Four schedule for 2027, which will be contested in Duluth, Minn. Instead of the previous Friday-Sunday schedule, the national semifinals will be now contested on Sunday, March 21, with the championship game following on Tuesday, March 23, all at AMSOIL Arena.

"Committee members’ rationale for making the change is to have all three games of the Women’s Frozen Four televised on ESPN’s linear channels," as stated at ncaa.com.

Wisconsin is the two-time defending women's Division I champion, having defeated WCHA rival Ohio State in each of the past two years.

Go, Go Gophers - 33 Wins in a Row

 

The University of Minnesota women’s hockey team improved to 25-0-0 overall this season (19-0-0 WCHA) after defeating rival Wisconsin, 2-0, on Friday night in Madison, Wis. The win also marked the Golden Gopher’s 33rd consecutive victory dating back to last season, when they won the Division I national championship over the Badgers.

Minnesota’s 33 straight wins set a new NCAA record, and the streak was stretched to 34 victories on Sunday after Minnesota posted a 5-1 win at Wisconsin to conclude the two-step sweep.

The Gophers (26-0, 20-0 WCHA) haven’t come up short on the scoresheet since a 2-1 OT loss to North Dakota on Feb. 17, 2012. Minnesota then won its last eight contests of the 2011-12 campaign, including a 4-2 victory over Wisconsin in the national title game at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. to claim its third NCAA title, and first since 2005.

The Gophers will get back to work and put their streak on the line again on Feb. 1-2 when they host in-state rival Minnesota-Duluth at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.

Minnesota Wins Women's Division I National Title

Go, go Gophers.

The University of Minnesota bested Western Collegiate Hockey Association rival and defending national champion Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon by a 4-2 count at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, in the 2012 Women's Division I NCAA Championship Game. Minnesota won its third national title, and first since 2005 when it finished off back-to-back championships.

Amanda Kessel, a sophomore forward and the younger sister of the Toronto Maple Leafs' Phil Kessel, opened the scoring less than nine minutes into the contest for Minnesota. Sarah Erickson then staked the Gophers to a 2-0 lead, before Stefanie McKeough and Brooke Ammerman connected for the Badgers.

Emily West then tallied the game-winning goal on a penalty shot late in the first period, to give Minnesota a 3-2 lead, before Erickson added an insurance marker early in the third period. Noora Räty finished with 42 saves in net for Minnesota, while Alex Rigsby made 21 stops for Wisconsin.

The Gophers, who finished 34-5-2 overall, ended the season on an eight-game winning streak, and also won 13 of their last 14 outings. They won the WCHA Tournament with a 2-0 victory over Minnesota-Duluth on March 3rd, and then bested both North Dakota and Cornell in the NCAA Tournament before denying the Badgers (33-5-2) a second consecutive national crown.

Räty, a native of Finland, went 32-5-2 this season for Minnesota with a 1.33 goals-against average, a .941 save percentage and a nation-best 10 shutouts. Wisconsin native Kessel finished third in the nation in scoring with 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points.

And Then There Were Four

The NCAA Division I women's hockey season will come to a close this weekend at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minn. with the 2012 Frozen Four.

Defending national champion Wisconsin (32-4-2 overall) will take on Boston College (24-9-3) in the first semifinal on Friday in a rematch of a game from last season, while the other contest will pit Cornell (30-4-0) against Minnesota (32-5-2). The winners will meet on Saturday afternoon. Of the foursome, only Minnesota won its conference tournament this year, while the other three schools all played in last year’s Frozen Four in Erie, Pa.

All four advanced by winning home games last weekend in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin ousted Merychurst, while BC rebounded to upend St. Lawrence. Cornell outlasted Boston University in three overtimes, while Minnesota topped newcomer North Dakota.

Wisconsin will be seeking its second straight national title and fifth overall, while Minnesota claimed back-to-back crowns in 2004 and 2005. BC and Cornell will both be looking to win their first NCAA championship.

2012 NCAA Division I Women's Championship Field Set

The eight-team field is set for the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Championship.

The three schools earning automatic bids for winning their conference playoff championship were Boston University (Hockey East), Minnesota (WCHA) and St. Lawrence (ECAC), while the five at-large invitees include Boston College, Cornell, Mercyhurst, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin have recorded 31victories apiece this season, while Cornell has registered 29 wins.

The four first-round games will be played on March 10 at campus sites. Defending national champion Wisconsin is the top seed in the tournament and will host eighth-seeded Mercyhurst, while second-seeded Minnesota will entertain first-time NCAA participant ans seventh seed North Dakota. Boston University will visit third-seeded Cornell, while St. Lawrence will travel to fourth-seeded Boston College.

The semifinals will be played on March 16 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minn., followed by the national championship contest on March 18. Wisconsin, which defeated Boston University by a 4-1 count in last year's championship game, is seeking its fifth NCAA title, which would tie it all-time with Minnesota-Duluth. The Badgers also claimed Division I crowns in 2006, 2007 and 2009.

Junior forward Jocelyne Lamoureux of North Dakota leads all NCAA Division I women's skaters with 48 assists and 72 points so far this season, while junior forward Brianna Decker of Wisconsin is tops in the nation with 36 goals to date. Senior forwards Bailey Bram and Kelly Steadman of Mercyhurst are tied for the national lead with 12 power-play goals apiece, while Steadman is also tied for first in the nation with four shorthanded tallies.

Junior goaltender Noora Räty of Minnesota (pictured above) has gone 30-5-2 this season with a 1.35 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage, along with a nation-best 10 shutouts. Sophomore netminder Alex Rigsby of Wisconsin sports a nation-best .952 save percentage.