The NCAA News - News and Features

February 9, 1998

Ice hockey championship set for women

USOC/NCAA grant prompts event's creation

The first-ever collegiate national championship in women's ice hockey will be staged March 20-21 in Boston as the result of an alliance linking the sport's national governing body, USA Hockey, and intercollegiate hockey programs.

The American Women's College Hockey Alliance Championship will feature teams from the Eastern College Athletic Conference Women's Hockey League and varsity programs at Midwest universities. The championship's semifinal games will be March 20 at a campus site to be determined and the final will be March 21 at Boston's FleetCenter, just before the Hockey East men's ice hockey championship game.

"We are pleased to help showcase the best teams in women's college ice hockey through this championship," said Dave Ogrean, USA Hockey executive director. "This event, coming on the heels of the first Olympic medal competition for women's ice hockey in Nagano and the creation of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award (for the outstanding collegiate woman player) by the USA Hockey Foundation, caps a benchmark year for the growth of girls' and women's ice hockey in the United States."

The American Women's College Hockey Alliance was made possible by a grant to USA Hockey from the United States Olympic Committee/NCAA conference grant program. The alliance is focusing on several initiatives, including the championship, which is intended to "bridge the gap" to eventual creation of an NCAA women's ice hockey championship.

Women's ice hockey is recognized as an emerging sport in the NCAA.