Three periods
College games are three 20-minute periods. Regular-season overtime rules follow the NCAA book; some games can end in a tie.
United States · 2026–27
NCAA Women, explained.
Conference races all winter. A national bracket. One women's Frozen Four. Here’s the quick guide.
NCAA women's hockey is a conference sport that ends in a national tournament and the Frozen Four. The main desks are the WCHA, Hockey East, ECAC, and NEWHA.
A short history
The NCAA began a women's ice hockey championship in 2001. The final site is the Frozen Four, same name as the men, on its own weekend.
Automatic bids go to conference tournament winners. The committee fills the rest of the field with at-large teams.
Current teams
Open a club for that desk’s news and scores.
Division I
Assumption GreyhoundsASPOfficial siteSchedule
Bemidji State BeaversBSTOfficial siteSchedule
Boston College EaglesBCOfficial siteSchedule
Brown BearsBRWNOfficial siteSchedule
Dartmouth Big GreenDARTOfficial siteSchedule
Franklin Pierce RavensFPOfficial siteSchedule
Harvard CrimsonHARVOfficial siteSchedule
Holy Cross CrusadersHCOfficial siteSchedule
Lindenwood LionsLINOfficial siteSchedule
Long Island University SharksLIUOfficial siteSchedule
Maine Black BearsMEOfficial siteSchedule
Mercyhurst LakersMERCOfficial siteSchedule
Merrimack WarriorsMRMKOfficial siteSchedule
Minnesota State MavericksMNSTOfficial siteSchedule
New Hampshire WildcatsUNHOfficial siteSchedule
Niagara Purple EaglesNIAOfficial siteSchedule
North Dakota Fighting HawksUNDOfficial siteSchedule
Northeastern HuskiesNEOfficial siteSchedule
Post EaglesPOSTOfficial siteSchedule
Princeton TigersPRINOfficial siteSchedule
Providence FriarsPROVOfficial siteSchedule
Quinnipiac BobcatsQUINOfficial siteSchedule
Rensselaer EngineersRPIOfficial siteSchedule
RIT TigersRITOfficial siteSchedule
Robert Morris ColonialsRMUOfficial siteSchedule
Saint Anselm HawksSANSOfficial siteSchedule
Saint Michael's Purple KnightsSTMOfficial siteSchedule
St. Cloud State HuskiesSCSUOfficial siteSchedule
St. Michael'S College Purple KnightsST.Official siteSchedule
St. Thomas-Minnesota TommiesSTMNOfficial siteSchedule
Stonehill SkyhawksSTOOfficial siteSchedule
Syracuse OrangeSYROfficial siteSchedule
UConn HuskiesCONNOfficial siteSchedule
Union Garnet ChargersUNNYOfficial siteSchedule
Vermont CatamountsUVMOfficial siteSchedule
Yale BulldogsYALEOfficial siteSchedule
NCAA Women's Hockey
Boston University TerriersBUOfficial siteSchedule
Clarkson Golden KnightsCLAROfficial siteSchedule
Colgate RaidersCOLGOfficial siteSchedule
Cornell Big RedCOROfficial siteSchedule
Minnesota Golden GophersMINNOfficial siteSchedule
Minnesota Duluth BulldogsUMDOfficial siteSchedule
Ohio State BuckeyesOSUOfficial siteSchedule
Penn State Nittany LionsPSUOfficial siteSchedule
Sacred Heart PioneersSHUOfficial siteSchedule
St. Lawrence SaintsUSLOfficial siteSchedule
Wisconsin BadgersWISOfficial siteSchedule
How the league works
College eligibility, conference tables, then a single-elimination national championship.
Conference tables
Each conference keeps its own standings and runs its own tournament. Those results feed the NCAA selection.
National selection
The women's ice hockey committee seeds the championship field from conference champions and at-large teams.
Power play
A penalty puts the other team a skater up. That extra-man advantage is the power play; the shorthanded side is on the penalty kill.
Offside and icing
A player cannot enter the offensive zone ahead of the puck (offside). Icing is shooting the puck the length of the ice from behind centre; play stops and the faceoff comes back.
Conferences
WCHA, Hockey East, ECAC Hockey, and NEWHA are the Division I women's leagues on this desk.
Eligibility
Players are college students. PWHL draft picks can still finish their NCAA seasons before turning pro.
How the playoffs work
Conference tournaments, then the NCAA bracket and the Frozen Four.
Conference tournaments
Each league playoff champion earns an automatic NCAA bid.
NCAA bracket
The remaining teams are at-large. Regionals are single-elimination.
Frozen Four
The last four play a national semifinal and championship game.