Five Schools That Should Add a D1 NCAA Hockey Team

The profile of women’s hockey has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years, and it’s time NCAA D1 women’s hockey did the same. Currently, there are 64 men’s hockey teams and 44 women’s hockey teams for NCAA D1, with the majority of teams in the Northeast or the Upper Midwest.

The biggest hurdle to adding more women’s hockey teams to the list is the financial burden. Schools would need to hire full-time coaches and support staff, start offering athletic scholarships, and determine whether they need to add more facilities, such as dressing rooms and offices. If the school doesn’t already have a hockey rink, building a 3,000 to 4,000 seat arena costs a whopping $75 million. It’s a tall order, especially with schools reevaluating their athletics departments post-pandemic and navigating the recent court decisions about paying players, but I believe it’s worth it. 

Michigan State

First on the list in everyone’s mind has to be Michigan State. The state of Michigan doesn’t have a D1 NCAA women’s hockey team, something that needs to change immediately. Michigan State currently has a NCAA D1 men’s hockey team and a club women’s hockey team. The women’s club team plays against D1 opponents, as they are part of the ACHA instead of the NCAA, a collegiate conference for lower-level sports. They’ve received a lot of media attention in the past few years because, unlike the men’s team, the women’s team has to pay to use the ice rink, a price tag that is around $40,000.

For the 2023-24 season, the university president ended up footing the bill, but it was a stark example of the difference in support for the men’s and women’s teams. The men’s team was ranked 5th in the country last year, and it’s high time Michigan State gave their women’s team a chance to have similar success. 

UMass Lowell

Now is the perfect time for UMass Lowell to start an NCAA D1 women’s hockey team, as the PWHL Boston team plays at Tsongas Center, the home for the men’s team. PWHL Boston has struggled more than other teams with ticket sales, so having a D1 women’s hockey program compete in the same arena could grow the game of women’s hockey in the area and increase attendance. At the same time, having a professional hockey team so close would benefit the new collegiate program and raise campus awareness about a new team.

Currently, the River Hawks have a club women’s team, which competes in the Independent Women’s Club Hockey League and already plays at Tsongas, so ice time would not be an issue. UMass Lowell also would not have to worry about travel as they could slot nicely in Hockey East. Boston is a well-known hub for women’s hockey, and adding another D1 women’s hockey program should be a no-brainer. 

University of North Dakota

Unlike the other schools on this list, North Dakota used to have a D1 women’s hockey program, but it was cut in 2017 due to university-wide budget cuts. However, they did not cut their men’s team, which was ranked eighth in the final standings for the most recent season and had the highest average attendance for men’s hockey last season. At the time, 11 players filed a complaint against the university for Title IX violations, but it was dismissed by the Department of Justice.

It would not be unheard of for UND to bring back their women’s hockey program, as Robert Morris dropped their program in May of 2021 and then reinstated it in December of the same year, announcing the program would restart for the 2023-24 season. Since UND has already had a women’s hockey team, they have all the facilities to start one again, making it a smaller financial investment than other teams on this list. 

Denver

Colorado is a huge hockey state, with an NHL team, an ECHL team, and three NCAA D1 teams, but has yet to have women’s hockey teams of the same caliber. The Denver men’s hockey team ended last season ranked first in the country and eighth in attendance, with an average attendance over capacity at Magness Arena. They won their 10th championship, the most for NCAA D1 men’s hockey. Denver wouldn’t have any women’s teams near them, but the men’s team already travels a lot and will visit teams such as Alaska-Anchorage, Northeastern, and Arizona State next season, so extended travel for a women’s team should not be an issue.

Denver’s club women’s hockey team competes in the ACHA and practices at both of Denver’s ice rinks, meaning there should be enough ice time for an NCAA D1 team. Such a storied men’s program deserves a women’s counterpart to create their own records. 

Stanford

Stanford is the only institution on this list without a men’s hockey team because of the staggering costs of building all new hockey facilities. However, if women’s hockey wants to grow, it needs to expand west.

Stanford in particular was chosen because in 2022, they settled a Title IX lawsuit and recruited their efforts to fall in line with Title IX. In the past two years, Stanford has built new weight rooms and women’s locker rooms and plans to build a new $50 million softball field. Travel would undoubtedly be an issue, but it wouldn’t be unique to the women’s hockey team, as many of Stanford’s teams will have greater distances to travel now that they’ve joined the ACC. Alumni and donor contributions have increased since 2022, making this the perfect time for Stanford to start a D1 women’s hockey team. 

With women’s hockey on the rise, now is the time for schools to start feasibility studies looking at adding a team of their own. For a long time, there was really no path to making a career out of women’s hockey, except for the lucky few who made an international team or were willing to move to another country. Even when leagues did exist, the majority of players had to work full-time jobs to support themselves.

For many women, college hockey was the end of the line. Even with the PWHL today, there are a limited number of roster spots in a six-league team. This is why I’m so passionate about the need for a robust NCAA D1 women’s hockey league and pro expansion. Women deserve the chance to play serious and competitive hockey with legitimate support, even if they won’t be able to go pro after graduating.