The Division III tournament takes the next step in the sport's development -- NCAA support at two levels (the National Collegiate event will be staged for the second year in 2002). With the NCAA tag comes not only instant credibility but also an experienced administrative structure to ensure a high-quality event.

"We're certainly very excited to be part of planning the inaugural event at the Division III level," said Frank O'Brien, chair of the Division III Women's Ice Hockey Committee. "The support we received for the Women's Frozen Four was incredibly helpful, and it has been the same for this tournament."

O'Brien, who also is the athletics director at the
University of Wisconsin,
Stevens Point, served on the committee in charge of the first Women's Frozen Four, which was played at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, last March. Through that process, NCAA support was high, O'Brien said.

"Without the support we had from the NCAA, we don't have the type of event we did in Minnesota," he said. "I can't say enough about how hard the NCAA and the Minnesota staff worked together to make the tournament a great event. That has continued in preparation for the Division III tournament."

That preparation has included some adjusting. When the tournament was initially approved, it was done so in a four-team model. However, changes in the Division III championships structure added two teams to the bracket. Filling a six-team bracket will be a challenge, one the committee welcomes.

"The greatest challenge for the committee is coming up with a six-team bracket that rewards the top seeds but also is fair to everyone in the tournament," O'Brien said.

Challenges ahead

With the six-team bracket, two teams will receive a bye to the final weekend. Deciding which teams receive the byes will be tricky.

"Site selection in Division III has geography as one of the factors," O'Brien said. "It has happened in the men's tournament, and you just have to make sure the selections are made as equitably as possible."

"Certainly, having the games will be worth it, because it gets two more teams involved in the championship," said Donna Wright, head coach at Wesleyan University (Connecticut). "It will put some teams under a time crunch, but we'll work through that."

From a coaching perspective, having the championship as a goal to cap the season will only further the sport's development.

"Getting the support of the NCAA automatically gives the tournament a different status," said Jill Pohtilla, head coach at Augsburg College and a member of the committee. "It's nice to go into the season with your team knowing you have something special to shoot for. It's sort of like a carrot at the end of a rope."

Wright, a member of the Division III Women's Ice Hockey Committee, agrees that the addition of the tournament represents major progress.

"Generally, there's excitement with teams having the tournament to shoot for, and it's just a great opportunity for women's hockey," she said. "This is the next step for the sport."

Growing tradition

Wesleyan is one of the oldest programs in women's ice hockey, having created it in 1978. Wright has been at Wesleyan seven seasons and has seen the sport's tremendous growth.

In 1995-96, there were fewer than 15 Division III women's programs. This season, there are 39 varsity programs that will compete for spots in the championship field. Interestingly, the growth seems to be outrunning the supply of student-athletes.

"The pool of players hasn't exploded as quickly as the number of collegiate teams has increased," Wright said. "There's still the need for more quality student-athletes. We thought we'd get more of the fringe players, but there have been so many Division I programs established that it hasn't trickled down yet."

With college programs in place, however, those involved at the youth level will continue to play the sport with college in mind. The formation of club programs spurred athletics departments to sponsor teams as varsity programs.

"At institutions where there is interest and the ability, it makes sense to add the sport. I think the vast majority of schools adding women's hockey have done so in a natural way and should be commended for helping move the sport forward."

According to statistics from the National Federation of State High School Associations, 378 schools and 5,603 girls participated in high-school ice hockey. Additionally, 14 states now hold a state championship in the sport, compared to 20 for boys.

"The USA Hockey programs helped tremendously and have continued," Pohtilla said. "The feeder programs at the youth and high-school levels have grown quickly and have continued to grow."

"Everything is moving ahead quickly and appropriately," Pohtilla said. "I think the numbers are there at the grass-roots level and the talent level will continue to increase. Women's ice hockey has a bright future."