2024-25 NCAA Preview: WCHA

Known as the best conference in women’s hockey, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association will embark upon its 26th season this September. The WCHA has produced 21 national championships, nine Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Winners, and a whopping 222 Olympians. The conference has had a firm chokehold on the collegiate women’s hockey space but will have to keep up as other conferences race to finally take down the WCHA. 

The WCHA has had an active offseason, hiring a new Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner of Operations, and Communications Coordinator and Digital Content Manager. 

After previously announcing Interim Commissioner Tracy Dill had been extended for two years as Commissioner, Dill stepped down for personal reasons, and the WCHA was on the hunt for a new commissioner. They went with Michelle McAteer, who had previously been the head coach for Augsburg University’s women’s hockey team for the last fourteen years. McAteer has previous experience in the WCHA, receiving her bachelor's from the University of Minnesota Duluth and then returning to her alma mater to serve as a graduate assistant coach from 2003-2005 and assistant coach for the Bulldogs from 2008-2010. McAteer seems like a good pick to helm the WCHA, but only time will tell. 

Continuing their hiring frenzy, the WCHA also hired Mykenzie Hunt as Communications Coordinator and Digital Content Manager. Hunt previously worked in a similar role for the Atlantic Sun Conference and will be vital to the WCHA's marketing as women’s hockey grows in popularity. 

Lastly, the WCHA approved the hiring of Byron Synstegaard as Assistant Commissioner of Operations. Synstegaard served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Sport Operations at Minnesota State for the past four years and will now serve both the WCHA and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in his new role. With the hiring of Synstegaard, the WCHA is back to a full office before their 26th season. 

The WCHA has little interest in nonconference opponents, which makes sense considering that many of the top teams are already in the conference and that the WCHA is a little more geographically isolated. However, different conferences have varying styles of play and officiating, making nonconference games the only opportunity to see these differences before the playoffs. It’s a strategy that has worked well for the conference so far, but it may bite them as the rest of the NCAA strengthens. 

Ohio State (35-4-0, 26-2-0)

Ohio State went toe-to-toe with Wisconsin to win the NCAA Championship this past season. They lost to their longtime rivals 3-6 in the WCHA final and then came back and defeated Wisconsin 1-0 in the NCAA Finals. 

The reigning champs have big shoes to fill for the 2024-25 season, losing eight players to the PWHL draft. The most significant blow is goaltender Raygun Kirk, who was a Goalie of the Year finalist and won the 2024 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Award, only allowing one goal in the tournament. Kirk was second in the NCAA in Goals Against Average (1.054) and had a save percentage of 0.945. 

The Buckeyes are also losing their captain, Jenn Gardiner, who holds the program record for most games played. Gardiner provided experience and veteran leadership that will be hard to replace. 

However, the Buckeyes' underclassmen are nothing to sneeze at, led by Joy Dunne, the Julie Chu National Rookie of the Year. Dunne is the first Buckeye to win the award since it was established in 2014, and for good reason. The freshman put up 42 points and 24 goals, including the championship game-winning goal and two hat tricks last season. 

Ohio State has been busy this offseason and sent its team to Sweden in July to face off against the Swedish National Team in a three-game series.

The Buckeyes themselves will be hosts this October, hosting the Ice Breaker Tournament against Stonehill, Cornell, and Penn State on October 25 and 26. 

Wisconsin (35-6-0, 23-5-0)

Wisconsin and Ohio State have traded off championship titles for the past four years. Ohio State won last year, so it’s Wisconsin’s turn to win this year, at least if the trend continues. The Badgers ended last season second in the WCHA with 69 points and lost to Ohio State 0-1 in the NCAA title game. 

Only two Badgers were selected in the PWHL draft, meaning the team is still relatively intact, unlike their rivals. Their only major loss is captain Britta Curl, who was part of the three title teams with the Badgers and ranks ninth in program history in points, earning 180 points over her tenure. Curl brought both seniority and offensive production to the table and her leadership will be missed. 

However, Curl has come under fire since graduating due to her likes on Twitter, which included transphobic and COVID-19 conspiracy tweets. Her departure from the Badgers could also be a boon for their culture moving forward.

Wisconsin has a number of exceptional players returning for the 2024-25 season. Laila Edwards is a highlight on an already stacked roster. She received the Bob Allen Player of the Year Award, given to the best American women's hockey player by USA Hockey, due to her contributions at the IIHF World Championship and Wisconsin. Edwards scored six goals and was not only the youngest American skater to be named MVP at an IIHF Women’s World Championship, but also the first Black woman to skate for the U.S. Women’s National Team at an international event. 

A highlight of the Wisconsin schedule is the Friendly Confines, where the Badgers will face off against Ohio State in an outdoor game at Wrigley Park on January 4. 

University of Minnesota (27-10-2, 19-7-2)

Not to be confused with Minnesota State or Minnesota Duluth, just pain ol’ University of Minnesota was third in the WCHA last season with 60 points. The Gophers lost 3-4 in overtime to Wisconsin in the WCHA finals but still received a bid, facing off against Clarkson in the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, Minnesota once again couldn’t survive extra time and lost 2-3 in 4OT. 

Abbey Murphy will remain key to the Gophers' success as they look to break through next season. The redshirt senior was on a tear last season, scoring first in the nation in goals (33) and third in points (62). Murphy was a Top-10 Finalist for Patty Kazmaier Award and was named to the All-WCHA Second Team.

Murphy was named to the All-WCHA Second Team along with Nelli Laitinen, one of Minnesota’s best defenders. Laitinen scored six goals, had fourteen assists, and blocked 53 shots, producing offensively and defensively. 

One series to keep an eye out for is the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women’s Face-Off Classic on New Year’s Day, where the University of Minnesota will face off against Bemidji State for the Hall of Fame Game Trophy. 

The two teams will then rematch on January 25th for Hockey Day Minnesota 2025, playing outdoors at Valleyfair Amusement Park in Shakopee. The game is an excellent chance to increase exposure of the two women’s hockey programs, as there will be a full day of hockey coverage, culminating in a Minnesota Wild game.

Stuck in the Middle

The University of Minnesota Duluth (21-14-4, 15-11-2) and St. Cloud State (17-17-2, 12-14-2) are like the Oakland Athletics of the late 2010s, good in their own right but always overshadowed by the conference leaders. However, lucky for them, UMD and St. Cloud’s State's goal is to win, not move to Las Vegas, and so they have been slowly chipping away at the upper echelon, trying to make a mark. 

Despite falling to Ohio State in the WCHA finals, UMD was seeded No. 8 in the the NCAA playoffs and defeated No. 9 UCONN in double overtime to send the Bulldogs to the regional finals. UMD once again faced Ohio State and lost 0-9, ending their playoff run. 

UMD hopes to shake things up with a new head coach, Laura Schuler. Schuler has spent a total of ten years with UMD as part of their coaching staff throughout her career and has extensive experience on the international stage, including coaching the Canadian Olympic Women’s Team in the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. 

St. Cloud had an unceremonious end to their season, losing to UMD in the WCHA quarterfinals. Still, every good team starts with an excellent goaltender, and St. Cloud State hopes to improve its already excellent backstop. Senior Sanni Ahola was named WCHA goaltender of the year with five shutouts and a save percentage of .935. 

The Huskies added former goaltender Noora Räty as an assistant coach for the 2024-25 season. Räty was one of the best goaltenders in the world and has a wealth of international experience, both as a player and as a coach. The combination of Räty as a coach and Ahola as a senior should produce some incredible results. 

And Then There Were Three

There is a steep drop-off before the last three teams in the WCHA. Minnesota State (13-25-0, 6-22-0) was sixth with 20 points, St. Thomas (10-26-1, 4-23-1) was seventh with 13 points, and Bemidji State (4-30-2, 3-24-1) was last with ten points. All three teams were unable to place someone on an all-conference team at the end of the season. 

Minnesota State hopes to have a fresh start for the upcoming season with new head coach Shari Dickerman. Dickerman has been part of the Mavericks coaching staff since 2009 and stepped in as acting head coach last season. She should be a perfect blend of the new, hiring two new assistant coaches, and the old, already having extensive knowledge of her team. 

Bemidji State is following the same strategy, announcing Amber Fryklund as its new head coach. Fryklund has previously served as the Beavers' assistant coach and associate head coach and will become Bemidji State’s sixth head coach in program history. 

Unfortunately, these three schools landed in the most challenging conference in women’s college hockey due to their geographic location. If they want to play in the big leagues, they’ll have to find a way to compete with the likes of Wisconsin and Ohio State.