NCAA women’s hockey returned in full force following the holiday break.
Dozens of games were on the schedule, including Minnesota-Duluth, Harvard, Quinnipiac and Boston University facing off in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as part of the Friendship Series.
Teams are in their final stretch before many of the top players in NCAA women’s hockey travel to Italy for the 2026 Olympics, a departure that will significantly affect some of the top programs in the nation. With that change coming, teams wasted no time fighting for positioning in the standings as they returned to action.
Here’s a look at the top 10 NCAA women’s hockey programs this week:
Women’s college hockey power rankings
1. University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
The powerhouse program didn’t play, but it did see Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms, Caroline Harvey and Ava McNaughton named to USA’s Olympic women’s hockey team. They will face Minnesota-Duluth, which is coming off a pair of disappointing losses in Europe this week, which should tip the scales further in Wisconsin’s favor. Until someone proves otherwise, the Badgers look like the team to beat.
2. Ohio State University (WCHA)
Ohio State swept the top team from Atlantic Hockey America, Penn State, handing the Nittany Lions their second and third losses of the season. Ohio State showed the WCHA’s dominance, outshooting No. 4 Penn State 85-45 in the two-game series, earning 4-1 and 5-1 wins. Senior Sloane Matthews, who will enter the 2026 PWHL Draft, led the way offensively with two goals and four points.
3. University of Minnesota (WCHA)
Minnesota had a walk in the park facing Sacred Heart. They set a program record, scoring 14 goals in the second game of their series and outscoring the NEWHA program 18-2. The series allowed American national team member Abbey Murphy to catapult into the national scoring lead as she recorded nine points in Minnesota’s lopsided wins.
4. Penn State (Atlantic Hockey America)
Penn State failed to hold their ground against Ohio State but also weren’t completely outplayed in their series loss despite being outscored 9-2 across two games. Tessa Janecke and Maddy Christian, in particular, were threats for Penn State. The Nittany Lions vastly improved in the second game, a 4-1 loss to Ohio State. If it were not for a trio of power-play goals by the Buckeyes, things could have been different.
5. Quinnipiac (ECAC)
Playing in Northern Ireland, Quinnipiac skated to a 2-2 tie against Boston University, before a shootout sent BU to the final and the Bobcats to a third-place matchup against Minnesota-Duluth. In the third-place game, the Bobcats responded by upsetting Minnesota-Duluth. Quinnipiac was backed by strong netminding from Felicia Frank and the offensive play of Kahlen Lamarche, who sits second in the nation in goals with 23.
6. University of Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)
Minnesota-Duluth struggled to find their way through the jet lag of travelling to Belfast for the Friendship Series. They fell in overtime to unranked Harvard, then dropped a 3-1 decision to Quinnipiac. Scoring has remained an issue for the Bulldogs this season as they’ve recorded only 58 goals, tied for 14th in the nation.
7. Northeastern (Hockey East)
Northeastern didn’t play, but they’ll face Yale in an upcoming midweek game and have the historic Beanpot approaching. Captain Lily Shannon is having a season to remember, vaulting herself up the PWHL draft charts, while young stars including Stryker Zablocki, Lisa Jonsson, Alessia Baechler, Eloise Caron and Morgan Jackson continue to show that Northeastern is a program that will continue to improve this season and into the future.
8. Cornell (ECAC)
Cornell’s lone game following the holiday break was a tightly contested 1-0 loss to Penn State. Cornell outshot Penn State 35-32 in the loss, but couldn’t solve Katie DeSa in net. It wasn’t until Lindzi Avar took a five-minute major for hitting from behind late in the game that Penn State capitalized on the power play with only 4:24 remaining to decide the game.
9. Princeton (ECAC)
Princeton had an easy weekend, outscoring Stonehill 18-1 in a pair of wins. More important than the wins was the chance for Princeton’s top players to gain confidence heading into the final stretch. Issy Wunder had five goals and nine points in the series, while Mackenzie Alexander had five goals and eight points.
10. Connecticut (Hockey East)
UConn easily handled Providence, sweeping their weekend series. Tia Chan was spectacular in net, stopping 62 of 63 shots, including a 31-save 5-0 shutout to conclude the series. UConn has been waiting for the duo of Claire Murdoch and Julia Pellerin to heat up this season, and they showed positive signs this weekend, with Murdoch scoring in both games and Pellerin recording a goal and three assists.