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2025-26 Division III Women's Hockey

So the most interesting thing about Middlebury drubbing Suffolk 7-0 last night was that Coach Ostrom chose a game against Middlebury at Middlebury to have her freshman goalie make her first collegiate appearance and start. The junior starter and the sophomore goalie were both dressed, so it seems like an active choice to have a baptism by fire for Lucy Cantin.
 
Scott_TG said:
So the most interesting thing about Middlebury drubbing Suffolk 7-0 last night was that Coach Ostrom chose a game against Middlebury at Middlebury to have her freshman goalie make her first collegiate appearance and start. The junior starter and the sophomore goalie were both dressed, so it seems like an active choice to have a baptism by fire for Lucy Cantin.
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Or could have just been a team rules violation and they dressed one or both of them in case the freshman got hurt?

Sometimes ya never know what goes into decisions. Sometimes the answer is actually quite simple...sometimes its not! :)
 
Scott_TG said:
So the most interesting thing about Middlebury drubbing Suffolk 7-0 last night was that Coach Ostrom chose a game against Middlebury at Middlebury to have her freshman goalie make her first collegiate appearance and start. The junior starter and the sophomore goalie were both dressed, so it seems like an active choice to have a baptism by fire for Lucy Cantin.
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I do recall on several occasions having Coach Mandigo have a freshman goaltender start during the Panther-Cardinal classic games. So having your new player(s) start in a non-conference game / tournament to give them some idea of what they are going to be facing isn't new.
 
tjoneslo said:
I do recall on several occasions having Coach Mandigo have a freshman goaltender start during the Panther-Cardinal classic games. So having your new player(s) start in a non-conference game / tournament to give them some idea of what they are going to be facing isn't new.
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Even when facing the Plattsburgh dynasty teams from 2013-19 I don't think Mandigo ever considered that their goalie would get carved up during a Panther-Cardinal Classic game in the way Cantin did yesterday, nor should he have. I don't think that's a fair comparison.
 
Some interesting matchups this weekend:

UWEC with a home and home against St. Mary's.

Middlebury taking on Conn College who beat them in OT the last time they played (just under a year ago).

Hamilton and Colby with their 2 game series. For those against a 4-NESCAC tourney, I think a split is the worst possible outcome. Best outcome for only 3 NESCACs seems to be Colby sweeping to hopefully put a nail in Hamilton's at-large bid hopes (the Continentals are already #24 in the NPI) and then sweeping Williams in 2 weeks.
 
Scott_TG said:
Some interesting matchups this weekend:

UWEC with a home and home against St. Mary's.

Middlebury taking on Conn College who beat them in OT the last time they played (just under a year ago).

Hamilton and Colby with their 2 game series. For those against a 4-NESCAC tourney, I think a split is the worst possible outcome. Best outcome for only 3 NESCACs seems to be Colby sweeping to hopefully put a nail in Hamilton's at-large bid hopes (the Continentals are already #24 in the NPI) and then sweeping Williams in 2 weeks.
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Lot of hockey left to be played but the NESCAC hasn't been quite as dominant out of conference this year. I feel like I remember their OOC record being like .800 or better in recent years and this year it's at .771 currently. Still very strong, but not quite where it's been and it looks like the current rankings reflect that. I think it's still a little early to be looking to closely at the NPI. Give it another 2-3 weeks before the data really has enough to be relevant.

Amherst has a massive matchup with Norwich in a couple weeks that could play out big time in the NPI.
 
Scott_TG said:
Some interesting matchups this weekend:

UWEC with a home and home against St. Mary's.

Middlebury taking on Conn College who beat them in OT the last time they played (just under a year ago).

Hamilton and Colby with their 2 game series. For those against a 4-NESCAC tourney, I think a split is the worst possible outcome. Best outcome for only 3 NESCACs seems to be Colby sweeping to hopefully put a nail in Hamilton's at-large bid hopes (the Continentals are already #24 in the NPI) and then sweeping Williams in 2 weeks.
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The game means not nearly as much as it has the last 6-7 seasons, but River Falls-Gustavus is a big one this weekend. GAC isn't good, but they can beat good teams for sure. We'll see if they show up Saturday.
 
VTpucksouteast said:
The game means not nearly as much as it has the last 6-7 seasons, but River Falls-Gustavus is a big one this weekend. GAC isn't good, but they can beat good teams for sure. We'll see if they show up Saturday.
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Well forget that notion. River Falls pummeling GAC through 2 periods. Also, this Falcon team looks very choppy from what I've seen compared to the last two years. Hard to say that while up that big, but they do look sloppy. Gustavus' talent level has fallen off a cliff. They do not belong on the same ice as River Falls anymore.
 
Gustavus has came back to the pack and the MIAC overall is more competitive this year. There's no longer an easy game, from top to bottom. Augsburg and Hamline are clearly the frontrunners with very good teams, but still can be upset occasionally. Looking forward to the Augsburg and Hamline matchup two weeks from now. If one team can sweep they'd be in solid standing for the playoffs without winning the auto bid. Either way the MIAC playoffs should be fun to watch!

The MIAC standings could look really different a few years from now. With all the coaching changes the last few years it will be interesting to see who excels in recruiting and building up these teams. Augsburg will be graduating a great senior class that will be hard to replace. Bobrowski will have Hamline going to new heights and is loading up on talent. Brodt will have St Scholastica in the mid pack of the standings very shortly. Despite Gustavus struggling this year, they'll remain in the mix. Even St Kate's has elevated their game under Chilstrom this year.

In the West outside the MIAC, UWEC seems to be on a good path and playing more like a team unlike the last few years. UWRF still has the most talent and will easily remain the team to beat, but not invincible. Some good hockey to watch down the stretch.

NCHA has dropped back a notch with SNC rebuilding after that great senior class and currently struggling for goals, Adrian taking a step back for various reasons, and UCW jumping in the mix. Whoever comes out of this three team mix won't have any impact on the playoffs, just not at the same level this time around.
 
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JDHack51 said:
Gustavus has came back to the pack and the MIAC overall is more competitive this year. There's no longer an easy game, from top to bottom. Augsburg and Hamline are clearly the frontrunners with very good teams, but still can be upset occasionally. Looking forward to the Augsburg and Hamline matchup two weeks from now. If one team can sweep they'd be in solid standing for the playoffs without winning the auto bid. Either way the MIAC playoffs should be fun to watch!

The MIAC standings could look really different a few years from now. With all the coaching changes the last few years it will be interesting to see who excels in recruiting and building up these teams. Augsburg will be graduating a great senior class that will be hard to replace. Bobrowski will have Hamline going to new heights and is loading up on talent. Brodt will have St Scholastica in the mid pack of the standings very shortly. Despite Gustavus struggling this year, they'll remain in the mix. Even St Kate's has elevated their game under Chilstrom this year.

In the West outside the MIAC, UWEC seems to be on a good path and playing more like a team unlike the last few years. UWRF still has the most talent and will easily remain the team to beat, but not invincible. Some good hockey to watch down the stretch.

NCHA has dropped back a notch with SNC rebuilding after that great senior class and currently struggling for goals, Adrian taking a step back for various reasons, and UCW jumping in the mix. Whoever comes out of this three team mix won't have any impact on the playoffs, just not at the same level this time around.
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I do agree with almost all of this. Where I would push back is that I really don't think the MIAC is all that more competitive than it has been. There hasn't been any easy game in the past few seasons either.

I think it's more of an indictment on the sheer amount of talent and skill that has left Gustavus in the last three to five years. Some of those players were absurdly talented to be playing Division III.
 
Gustavus might not be landing as many potential lower D1 recruits, but they're not losing recruits within the conference beyond Augsburg and Hamline at any higher rate. I agree that the talent is less, but Noelle Hemr for example fits that top category you mentioned. Having six freshman fill lines 2-4 and learning to play together has more to do with it on the offensive end. Some of them were very good players in high school, so I'm sure they'll be alright.

With Augsburg and Hamline you have seen transfers in Delmonico (Hamline), Haug and Grundhoffer (Augsburg) and other talent Stepan and Chamernick that enrolled directly. What I've witnessed is there's a bigger pull of MN talent to lower D1 schools out east like Assumption, Franklin Pierce, etc.. that are picking up those tweeners at a higher rate. Assumption examples Alli Ryan, Sydney Burnevik, Anika Eggert, Cate Fisher all MN forward commits that previously would have most likely stayed and played D3, or at least some of them. There's definitely more pull to go out East these days compared to five years ago in my opinion.
 
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