The playoff picture is coming into view across NCAA women’s hockey as the final week of the season approaches.
It also means the top programs in the nation are in their final week without Olympians on their rosters. There are only two games left in Milan, Italy, with Team USA and Canada facing off in Thursday’s gold medal game, while Sweden and Switzerland face off for bronze.
This month, with many stars overseas, some players have also stepped forward individually, bolstering their 2026 PWHL Draft status.
This week, Princeton was the biggest faller, while several programs took small steps forward.
Here’s a look at the top 10 NCAA women’s hockey programs this week:
Women’s college hockey power rankings
1. Wisconsin (WCHA)
Wisconsin got an unexpected boost this weekend with the return of fifth-year forward Marianne Picard, who came back in time to finish her career with the Badgers from a leg injury that originally looked like it would end her season. She collided with a goal post and missed seven games. Lacey Eden, meanwhile, continued to climb the national scoring charts with a four-point weekend as the Badgers swept Minnesota State. Eden now sits only one point behind Abbey Murphy, who’s at the Olympics.
2. Ohio State (WCHA)
Ohio State had an impressive weekend, beating Minnesota 4-2 and 3-1. Rookie Maxine Cimoroni had two goals and two assists, while captain Jocelyn Amos had another strong weekend for the Buckeyes, helping to power their two-way game. Goaltender Hailey MacLeod has looked better facing more shots in recent weeks, but Ohio State’s crease remains its biggest question mark heading to the playoffs.
3. Minnesota (WCHA)
A pair of hard-fought losses to Ohio State were difficult for the Gophers. The return of Abbey Murphy, Nelli Laitinen, Josefin Bouveng, and Tereza Plosova from the Olympic Games can’t come soon enough for the Gophers, which managed only two goals this past weekend. Chloe Primerano scored her ninth goal and 24th point, tying her for 11th in the NCAA among defenders in scoring.
4. Quinnipiac (ECAC)
Quinnipiac beat Brown 5-2 and Yale 4-3 in overtime. As she has all season, Kahlen Lamarche continued to produce, with three goals and four points combined in those games. She now has 35 goals in 34 games this season, which has her tied for second among the NCAA’s top goal-scorers. With Team Canada looking for an influx of youth, Lamarche has thrust herself into that conversation this season.
5. Penn State (AHA)
Losing 3-2 in overtime to RIT to open its weekend won’t instill confidence in Penn State as a nationally ranked team in anyone. They remain so high because of a weak schedule. This is a significantly different team without Tessa Janecke, Matilde Fantin and Nicole Hall, who all advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals, with Janecke and Hall set to play for a medal.
5. Northeastern (Hockey East)
It was like another Beanpot weekend with Northeastern playing two other Boston schools. They beat Boston University, but were then shut out by Boston College. Northeastern’s youth have had to do a lot of lifting up front recently, and it’s come with some bumps. Defender Jules Constantinople is climbing the PWHL draft charts with her second-half play.
7. Yale (ECAC)
An overtime loss to Quinnipiac and a shutout win over Princeton made this another good weekend for Yale, which is peaking at the right time. They did squander a two-goal lead in the final 1:02 against Quinnipiac, but they carried that lead for most of the match against the Bobcats and also shut down one of the top lines in the nation with Princeton.
8. UConn (Hockey East)
UConn handled Boston University and New Hampshire with ease this weekend. With Tia Chan in net, the Huskies can beat anyone on any given night. While it could be a concern with other programs, UConn doesn’t have one player it relies on offensively. They certainly have players who score more than others and help drive possession, but this team thrives when the attack is spread out.
9. Cornell (ECAC)
Cornell beat St. Lawrence in overtime and Clarkson this past weekend. It was a good test for Cornell, which won a pair of hard-fought one-goal games. Annelies Bergmann continues to be one of the best goaltenders in college hockey, making 64 saves over the weekend. She has a 1.83 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and seven shutouts through 30 games.
10. Princeton (ECAC)
Something didn’t click for Princeton this past weekend. They opened their weekend with a shutout loss to Yale, then had Brown take them to overtime. Issy Wunder is a superstar in NCAA women’s hockey and a top prospect for the 2026 PWHL Draft, but she can’t be Princeton’s only weapon if this team wants to win.