With the Olympics underway, the power balance in NCAA women’s hockey stayed largely unaltered.
Wisconsin and Ohio State traded blows, and teams missing their national team stars fought through adversity to pick up important wins.
This week, UConn slid into the top 10, while Minnesota-Duluth, a ranked program since the season started, continued its slide and dropped out of the rankings.
The women’s hockey event at the Olympics runs until Feb. 19. Team USA, whose seven players from college include Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards and Abbey Murphy, is undefeated after three games.
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)
Wisconsin barely held on to the top spot. Ohio State beat Wisconsin 4-1, but the Badgers answered with a 4-1 win of their own to split the weekend. The teams were missing a combined nine Olympians who were in action in Italy. Team USA snub Lacey Eden continued to lead the Badgers, with three points in the win. Eden is making good use of her time as Wisconsin’s top player.
2. Ohio State University (WCHA)
All Ohio State needed to do was repeat Saturday’s 4-1 win, but third-period penalty problems squashed any hope it had as Wisconsin scored a pair of power-play goals. The good news for the Buckeyes is they don’t need to beat Wisconsin twice in the WCHA final or national championship tournament. They only need to beat them once.
3. University of Minnesota (WCHA)
It wasn’t a great weekend for Minnesota, which was outshot in back-to-back games by St. Thomas. They still managed a regulation win and a shootout win, but Minnesota wasn’t dominant. Like other big programs, they’re missing stars, including national scoring leader Abbey Murphy. The wins didn’t come easy, but the Gophers faced adversity and continued moving forward.
4. Penn State (AHA)
Without Tessa Janecke, Nicole Hall and Matilde Fantin, who are at the Olympics, Penn State showed its scoring depth, notching 11 goals in a two-game series sweep over Lindenwood. Penn State won’t see another serious challenge before the national championships open, with only RIT left on its schedule.
5. Northeastern (Hockey East)
Stryker Zablocki will receive some serious consideration for national rookie of the year honors. She’s evolved into Northeastern’s top player, with 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points in 30 games. The back-to-back Hockey East Rookie of the Month had another four-point weekend as Northeastern beat Maine and Vermont. They face Boston University, Boston College, UConn and Providence before the Hockey East quarterfinal.
6. Quinnipiac (ECAC)
Felicia Frank was named a semifinalist for national goaltender of the year. She followed that recognition by stopping 33 of 34 shots in a 1-1 tie against Harvard and a 3-0 shutout win over Dartmouth. The tie and shootout loss against Harvard is nothing to hang their head about, considering Harvard also beat Princeton this weekend and Cornell a week ago.
7. Yale (ECAC)
Yale keeps getting better. They beat St. Lawrence and Clarkson this weekend, using what has become the team’s best asset: scoring depth. Carina DiAntonio, Jordan Ray and Naomi Boucher, a trio of seniors, have found ways to consistently contribute up front. On the blueline, senior Gracie Gilkyson may be one of the most underrated blueliners in the nation. With Princeton and Quinnipiac remaining, Yale will face two strong tests ahead of the playoffs.
8. Princeton (ECAC)
Princeton lost to a red-hot Harvard program, falling victim to Ainsley Tuffy’s netminding. To take the next step, Princeton needs to find regular secondary scoring beyond Issy Wunder and Mackenzie Alexander. Seniors Jane Kuehl and Emerson O’Leary are important to this, and they’ve been good. But for Princeton to upset a top-five program, they need to be more than good.
9. Cornell (ECAC)
Annelies Bergmann posted back-to-back shutouts against Union and RPI. Their top players, such as Avi Adam, Mckenna Van Gelder and Karel Prefontaine up front, all contributed offensively as well. This team has been a shutdown program since Day 1. Even though it was against weaker competition, the combination of that shutdown style and getting offensive contributions, with eight goals on the weekend, was a positive sign.
10. UConn (Hockey East)
Taking Minnesota-Duluth’s spot in the top 10, UConn beat Providence and Boston College this past weekend. Netminder Tia Chan might be the best in the nation right now, and she’s been the difference-maker time and again for the Huskies. They don’t have a singular offensive power, but they do have a pair of balanced lines that have kept UConn on the winning side.
