Super-Early Bracketology for Women's 2026 NCAA Hockey Tournament: Puck Drop

We did the super-early bracketology for the men, it seems only fair that we do the same for the women.

Because of the smaller number of teams in Division I, the bracket for the women’s tournament includes just 11 teams, with five automatic qualifiers and six at-large selections. The first round and quarterfinals are held on campus locations and then the Women’s Frozen Four, which in 2026 will be at Pegula Ice Arena at Penn State.

The five conferences that receive automatic bids are: Atlantic Hockey, ECAC, Hockey East, NEWHA, and the WCHA; and it goes to the winner of each respective conference tournament.

Just like with the men we're going to project the teams based on the current standings: Penn State, Cornell, Northeastern, Saint Anselm and Ohio State.

As of Wednesday (including UNH upsetting Northeastern), the NPI (NCAA Percentage Index) rankings, which the NCAA recently switched to away from the Pairwise system, has them, in order, at No. 3, 9, 7, 27 and 1.

That’s right, the NPI has the Buckeyes ahead of Wisconsin, which is No. 1 in the polls and for a good part of the season a unanimous selection. That teams that have played for the last three national championships square off this weekend at Ohio State.

The six at-large teams, would subsequently then be: UW, Minnesota, Connecticut, Minnesota Duluth, Quinnipiac and Minnesota State. That’s five teams from the WCHA, which should surprise no one. However, the ECAC, with five ranked teams, would only get two spots.

The top four teams just missing the field: Princeton, Clarkson, Boston College and Mercyhurst, with Colgate fifth.

For the seedings, the top four teams are placed so that if they all advance to the Women’s Frozen Four it’ll be 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3

1 Ohio State
4 Minnesota

2 Wisconsin
3 Penn State

The No. 5 seed gets a first-round bye and automatically plays the No. 4 seed regardless of conference affiliation. That would mean Connecticut at Minnesota.

The next three teams are placed and have the opportunity to host first-round games. The remaining three teams are placed in order, but first-round conference matchups must be avoided if possible.

Saint Anselm at Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota State at Quinnipiac
Cornell at Northeastern

Quinnipiac and Northeastern were switched to avoid the Bobcats playing another ECAC team, Cornell. Saint Anselm, which is in New Hampshire, traveling to Minnesota Duluth isn’t ideal, but UMD and Minnesota State can’t play in the first round as they’re both in the WCHA.

Then the bracket comes together:

Cornell/Northeastern winner at 1 Ohio State
5 Connecticut at 4 Minnesota

Minnesota State/Quinnipiac winner at 2 Wisconsin
Saint Anselm/Minnesota Duluth at 3 Penn State

How close could this be to the final bracket? We don’t want to assume too much, although there is a gap between the top four teams and the rest of the field. Just as important for our purposes, though, this provides a feel for how far off some teams are from making the tournament.

Your daily briefing on what's going on in college hockey, everything from the assists on the ice to the Zamboni.

Puck Drop: Thursday, November 4, 2025

• New Hampshire sports information director Doug Poole has been named the recipient of the 2025 Joe Concannon Award. Named after the Boston Globe sportswriter, it is presented to an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding body of work in covering and/or promoting Hockey East.

• There's a lot of buzz that former Michigan defenseman Quinn Hughes could get traded by Vancouver this season. Check out the latest from Break Away On SI.

• After winning the Minnesota 6A Football State Championship at Edina (Minn.) HIgh School, Chicago Blackhawks first-round draft pick Mason West has joined the Fargo Force in the USHL

• Boston College Freshman Defenseman Named to Preliminary Slovakia World Juniors Roster

Wednesday's Scores

WOMEN
NEWHA
Franklin Pierce 2, Saint Anselm 1

Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times are local to where the game is being played.

Thursday's Schedule

MEN
Big Ten

Minnesota at Ohio State, BTN, 7:30 p.m. ET

Players of the Week

Atlantic Men
Forward: Barron Woodring, Jr., Army West Point
Defenseman: Chris Hedden, Sr., Air Force
Goaltender: Lukas Swedin, Fr., Bentley
Rookie: Charlie Schenkel, G, Robert Morris

Big BTN (Three Stars of the Week)
Will Horcoff, Michigan, So., F
Javon Moore, Minnesota, Fr., F
Michael Hage, Michigan, So., F

CCHA
Forward: Connor McClennon, Sr., Bemidji State
Defenseman: Christopher Lie, So., Ferris State
Goaltender: Alex Tracy, Sr., Minnesota State
Rookie: Lucas Van Vliet, Fr., St. Thomas

ECAC Men
Forward: Luciano Wilson, Gr., RPI
Defender: CJ Foley, Jr., Dartmouth
Rookie: Ethan Wyttenbach, Fr., Quinnipiac
Goaltender: Jack Stark, Jr., Yale

Hockey East Men
Player: James Hagens, So., F, Boston College; and Cole Eiserman, So., F, Boston University
Rookie: Dalyn Wakely, Fr., F, UMass Lowell
Defender: Brendan Fitzgerald, Jr., D, New Hampshire
Goaltender: Philip Svedeback, Sr., G, Providence

NCHC
Forward: Ben Strinden, North Dakota, Sr.
Defenseman: Boston Buckberger, Denver, Jr.
Goaltender Quentin Miller, Denver, Fr.
Rookie: Dawson Cowan, Omaha, G

Atlantic Women
Forward: Zsofia Pazmandi, Jr., Lindenwood
Defenseman: Emma Pickering, Jr., RIT
Goaltender: Ava Drabyk, Fr., Syracuse
Rookie: Linnea Misner, D, Robert Morris

ECAC Women
Forward: Mckenna Van Gelder, Sr., Cornell
Defender: Stephanie Bourque, Sr., Union
Rookie: Elle Sproule, Fr., Harvard
Goaltender: Arianne Leblanc, Jr., Clarkson

Hockey East Women
Player: Lily Shannon, Sr., F, Northeastern; and Julia Mesplede, Sr., F, Vermont
Rookie: Ava Thomas, Fr. F, Boston College
Defender: Noemi Martinez, Jr., G, New Hampshire
Goaltender: Tia Chan, Gr., G, Connecticut

NEWHA
Player: Gracie Sacca, Sr., F, Stonehill
Defender: Justina Valentini, Jr., D, Assumption
Goaltender: Jillian Petruno, Sr., G, Sacred Heart
Rookie: Sasha Marino, Fr, F, Assumption

WCHA
Forward: Lacey Eden, Wisconsin
Defender: Carolina Harvey, Wisconsin
Goaltender: Emilia Kyrkko, St. Cloud State
Rookie: Hilda Svensson, Ohio State

Nice to say goodbye to the old barn, Matthews Arena, today with the fam. Not much time left, make sure you get out to soak in 115 years of history. @GoNUmhockey pic.twitter.com/2g4HLBfvUX
— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) November 30, 2025

This Date in Hockey History:

December 4, 1890: Hall of Fame right wing Jack Darragh was born in Ottawa, Ontario.

December 4, 1909: The oldest still-operating NHL franchise was created. Happy birthday to the “Club de Hockey Canadien,” otherwise known as the Montreal Canadiens.

December 4, 1924: The Duluth Amphitheater opened.

December 4, 1931: Hall of Fame forward Alex Delvecchio was born in Fort William, Ontario.

December 4, 1946: The famous fight between future Hall of Famers Johnny Mariucci (Minnesota) and Jack Stewart happened during a 0-0 tie between the Blackhawks and Red Wings. When the fight resumed in the penalty box they were both sent to their team locker rooms.

December 4, 1952: Marguerite Norris, who went to Smith College in Northampton, Mass., became the first female NHL executive when she was named president of the Red Wings following the death of her father, James. A couple of years later she was the first woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

December 4, 1955: Clarkson right wing Dave Taylor, who went on to play 1,111 games in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings, was born in Levack, Ontario.

December 4, 1964: Colgate goaltender Wayne Cowley was born in Scarborough, Ontario.

December 4, 1996: Northeastern defenseman Jeremy Davies was born in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec.

December 4, 1968: Gordie Howe became the first player ever to score 700 goals in the NHL during Detroit’s 7-2 victory at Pittsburgh.

December 4, 1988: American Jimmy Carson became the third player in NHL history to record his sixth hat trick before his 21st birthday, during Edmonton’s 10-6 victory over the New York Rangers.

December 4, 1981: St. Louis Blues traded former Minnesota defenseman Joe Micheletti and Boston University defenseman Dick Lamby to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for former Minnesota defenseman Bill Baker.

December 4, 1991: Former Northern Arizona left wing Greg Adams notched his third NHL hat trick as Vancouver recorded its first shutout over the Montreal Canadiens in their 21-year history. Kirk McClean made 45 saves in the 3-0 victory.

December 4, 1997: Wisconsin center Luke Kunin was born in Chesterfield, Mo.

December 4, 2010: The last UMD men's hockey game took place at the DECC Ice Arena with the Bulldogs wearing 1960s throwback uniforms.

December 4, 2010: Former Minnesota defenseman Paul Martin scored two unassisted goals as the Pittsburgh Penguins won at Columbus 7-2.

December 4, 2011: Former St. Cloud State center Matt Cullen became the first Minnesota-born player to pick up three assists in a game for the Minnesota Wild, during a 5-3 victory at Anaheim.

December 4, 2014: Former Wisconsin defenseman Brian Rafalski and USA Hockey executive Lou Vairo were inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, while Paul Holmgren and Bill Daly were honored as co-winners of the Lester Patrick Trophy.

Never know who you'll see at @HondaCenter 🏀 pic.twitter.com/NKnlntqVcp
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) December 4, 2025

Hockey Quote of the Day

“Hobey's influence extended far beyond the printed page. Through his spartan example, he imposed a code of behavior on athletes, particularly college athletes, that was accepted, if not faithfully observed, for the better part of four decades. It is now, alas, as forgotten as the dropkick.”
SI’s Ron Fimrite on Hobey Baker

We'll Leave You With This ...

In case you missed it, Carla Rae MacLeod, the head coach of the Ottawa Charge in the Professional Women's Hockey League and the Czech national ice hockey, recently disclosed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She missed the game against the Minnesota Frost on Tuesday for treatment and hopes to be back Thursday when the Charge takes on the Toronto Sceptres.

For Carla 💗

The Ottawa Charge players and fans showed their support for head coach Carla MacLeod who announced she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

📷: @PWHL_Ottawa pic.twitter.com/LL0Ym9H0r5
— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) December 3, 2025

Statements regarding Head Coach Carla MacLeod’s recent health news. pic.twitter.com/vG8IyTD0Ln
— Ottawa Charge (@PWHL_Ottawa) November 30, 2025