Fall Semester Report Cards: Grading 5 Women’s Hockey Teams

Women’s College Hockey Midseason Grades

The women’s college hockey season is now on winter break, and the 2026 Women’s Frozen Four in University Park, Pennsylvania is halfway over.

In order to determine which teams exceeded preseason expectations and which will have challenges in the spring semester, we are looking back at the autumn semester. In order to determine each grade, we went back to the preseason USCHO rankings, which served as a benchmark for which teams were typically seen as contenders prior to the season, and compared those to their current NPI rankings.

Penn State: A+

Preseason USCHO No. 8 | Current NPI No. 4

At No. 8 in the USCHO preseason, Penn State had its highest rating in program history going into this season. The Nittany Lions, led by AHA Player of the Year Tessa Janecke and Goaltender of the Year Katie DeSa, had high hopes for 2025–2026.

They have a 17-1-0 record this semester and are ranked No. 4 in the NPI, demonstrating how successful they have been thus far. The only defeat was at No. 7 Northeastern in the first game of a road series. Penn State leads the country with 1.11 goals against per game and only lags behind No. 1 Wisconsin in goals (89). The Nittany Lions’ 34th-hardest schedule is their only weakness in the NPI, but thus far they have been outperforming their weaker opponents.

Cornell: B-

Preseason USCHO No. 17 | Current NPI No. 12

In the preseason, Cornell appeared to be the top team in the ECAC on paper, but their offensive scoring depth was a problem because they only had 11 forwards on the roster.

With 55 goals in 16 games so far this season, goalscoring has been the Big Red’s fault. However, the defence has aided by limiting opponents to just 1.81 goals per game. Cornell had a seven-game winning streak at the beginning of the season, but since then, they have gone 3-5-1, including back-to-back home defeats to No. 9 Quinnipiac and No. 11 Princeton.

Stealing games against those more powerful opponents, such as Penn State, whom Cornell will face twice in the upcoming month, will be important in the second part of the season.

Colgate: C+

Preseason USCHO No. 5 | Current NPI No. 16

Colgate aimed to compete for the conference title this season after finishing second in the ECAC preseason coaches’ poll. However, the Raiders have started slowly, going 5-5-1 at home and 9-10-1 overall. Although a series split with No. 4 Cornell and a victory over No. 9 Quinnipiac demonstrate this team’s ability to compete with the top, a series sweep of No. 14 Boston University early in the season doesn’t seem as impressive as it did back in October.

The Raiders have been competitive in the majority of their losses, with seven games decided by one or two goals. If some pucks start to bounce their way, they could string together some victories and be back in the mix.

Boston University: D

Preseason USCHO No. 11 | Current NPI No. 31.

Following their Hockey East tournament victory last season, the Terriers lost a close game to No. 9 Clarkson in the NCAA regional semifinals. They lost a key blueline player in Tamara Giaquinto over the summer, but they added a potential replacement in Colgate transfer Ella Belfry Jr., thus hopes for 2025-26 remained high.

However, the Terriers’ overall team play has not been up to pace, with opponents outscoring them 50-34. The schedule is perhaps BU’s sole bright point. The Terriers have played the ninth-hardest so far, and things will ease up in the spring semester, giving them an opportunity to turn the season around with a few critical wins.

UConn: A

Preseason USCHO No. 12 | Current NPI No. 5.

UConn won back-to-back Hockey East regular season championships, but missed the NCAA playoffs last season. This year, they hope to return to the national tournament, and if the fall semester is any indicator, they’re well on track.

UConn began the season ranked No. 12 in the preseason USCHO rankings and has since rolled to a 13-3-2 record despite a relatively difficult schedule (16th SOS), putting them at No. 5 in the NPI halfway through. The Huskies’ strongest features are their team defense and goaltending, which allow only 1.72 goals per game. Tia Chan, who has made 17 starts, has the best save percentage in the country at.949. Goalscoring is the only thing preventing the Huskies from receiving an A+ grade. Most of their victories have been by one or two goals, but if they can start scoring in bunches, this squad might be scary in March.