A look at the WCHA field for the 2025-26 season
On Wednesday, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) announced its September Players of the Month honors presented by Sterling Trophy Awards & Engraving, as Minnesota’s trio of Abbey Murphy, Sydney Morrow, and Bella Fanale were joined by Minnesota State’s Hailey Hansen in earning the honors.
Abbey Murphy, Gr., Minnesota (Evergreen Park, Ill.)
In two games during September, Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy recorded nine points off four goals and five assists to earn the WCHA Forward of the Month Honor. Murphy helped the Gophers to a series sweep of Boston College with her nine-point performance in the series, which included a hat trick in Minnesota’s 11-0 win on September 26th. The Minnesota forward became the 11th Gopher to reach 200 career points in program history.
Abbey Murphy is back to lead the Gophers, currently ranked No. 3 in the country.Other Nominees: Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth; Zoe Lopez, Minnesota State; Rylee Bartz, St. Thomas; Maggie Scannell, Wisconsin.
Sydney Morrow, Sr., Minnesota (Darien, Conn.)
Minnesota’s Sydney Morrow was named the WCHA Defender of the Month after recording two goals and three assists in two games during September. Against Boston College, Morrow recorded three assists in the 7-1 season-opening victory for the Gophers and followed up in game two with a two-goal performance. Morrow earned the WCHA Defender of the Week nod on September 29th for her performance in the series.
Hailey Hansen, Jr., Minnesota State (Blaine, Minn.)
Hailey Hansen claimed her first-ever WCHA Goaltender of the Month honor after her undefeated month in the net for Minnesota State. Hansen helped the Mavericks earn a series sweep of RPI as she went 2-0-0 in the series and recorded 48 saves on 51 shots faced. The junior netminder recorded a 1.51 goals against average and a .941 save percentage in September. Hansen was also named the WCHA Goaltender of the Week on September 22nd.
Minnesota State netminder Hailey Hansen has been outstanding to start the season for the Mavs. PHOTO COURTESY OF MINNESOTA STATE ATHLETICSBella Fanale, Forward, Minnesota (Webster, N.Y.)
Bella Fanale claimed her first WCHA Rookie of the Month award for her performance in Minnesota’s series sweep of Boston College during September. In her first-ever collegiate game, Fanale earned a multi-point performance after scoring two goals in the season opener for Minnesota. The rookie tallied four points in game two of the series with one goal and three assists.
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St. Thomas’ Rylee Bartz and St. Cloud State’s Siiri Yrjölä joined the Minnesota State duo of Hailey Hansen and Zoe Lopez in earning the first set of Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) weekly honors presented by OS Hockey.
Bartz earned the WCHA Forward of the Week nod after helping the Tommies to a series sweep of Post University. Yrjölä claimed her first WCHA Defender of the Week honor for her performance in St. Cloud State’s series sweep of Lindenwood. Minnesota State’s Hansen and Lopez earned the WCHA Goaltender of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively, after their efforts in the Mavericks’ series sweep of RPI.
Rylee Bartz, So., St. Thomas (Fargo, N.D.)
St. Thomas’ Rylee Bartz the WCHA Forward of the Week honor for her performance in the Tommies’ season-opening series sweep against Post University. Bartz recorded five points in the series with three goals and two assists. In Saturday’s 7-0 shutout against the Eagles, Bartz scored the game’s opening goal and tallied two assists. The sophomore forward followed up with a two-goal performance in St. Thomas’ 6-1 victory on Sunday. Bartz tied her career-high of goals in a game with two.Other Nominees: Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth; Zoe Lopez, Minnesota State; Sofianna Sundelin, St. Cloud State.
Siiri Yrjölä, So., St. Cloud State (Vantaa, Finland)
Siiri Yrjölä was named the WCHA Defender of the Week for the first time in her career as she helped guide the Huskies to a series sweep against Lindenwood in the opening weekend. In the 5-0 season-opening win on Friday against the Lions, Yrjölä assisted on two goals, marking the first multi-assist/multi-point game of her career. The Vantaa, Finland native followed up on Saturday with her first three-point game of her career after recording a goal and two assists. Yrjölä helped Huskies post back-to-back shutouts to open a season for the first time in program history.
Hailey Hansen, Jr., Minnesota State (Blaine, Minn.)
Minnesota State’s Hailey Hansen was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Week after posting an undefeated weekend in the net against RPI. On Friday, Hansen earned a shutout in the 3-0 win while recording 30 saves. In the series, the junior netminder collected 48 saves and posted a .941 save percentage.
Zoe Lopez, Forward, Minnesota State (Plymouth, Minn.)
Zoe Lopez claimed the WCHA Rookie of the Week honor after making her debut for Minnesota State in the season-opening series against RPI. Lopez recorded three points in the series with two goals and one assist across both games. The rookie forward recorded one goal in Friday’s 3-0 win before following up on Saturday with a multi-point performance of one goal and one assist.
USA Hockey
2025-26 Women’s College Hockey Poll – Week Three
(First-place votes in parentheses)
| Rank | School | Last Week’s Ranking | 2025-26 Record | Weeks in Top 15 |
| 1. | University of Wisconsin, 285 (19) | 1 | 2-0-0 | 3 |
| 2. | Ohio State University, 256 | 2 | 0-0-0 | 3 |
| 3. | University of Minnesota, 255 | 3 | 2-0-0 | 3 |
| 4. | Cornell University, 229 | 4 | 0-0-0 | 3 |
| 5. | University of Minnesota Duluth, 202 | 5 | 4-0-0 | 3 |
| 6. | Colgate University, 186 | 6 | 0-0-0 | 3 |
| 7. | Penn State University, 172 | 8 | 2-0-0 | 3 |
| 8. | Quinnipiac University, 140 | 10 | 2-0-0 | 3 |
| 9. | Clarkson University, 119 | 7 | 1-1-0 | 3 |
| 10. | St. Lawrence University, 92 | 9 | 0-2-0 | 3 |
| 11. | St. Cloud State University, 91 | 12 | 3-1-0 | 3 |
| 12. | University of Connecticut, 82 | 13 | 1-1-0 | 3 |
| 13. | Boston University, 80 | 11 | 0-0-0 | 3 |
| 14. | Northeastern University, 47 | T-14 | 0-0-0 | 3 |
| 15.. | Princeton University, 28 | T-14 | 0-0-0 | 3 |
Others Receiving Votes: Mercyhurst University, 11; Yale University, 2; University of Maine, 1; Minnesota State University, 1; University of St. Thomas, 1.
Here is a look at the WCHA teams this season (by Dain Solberg):
Bemidji State Beavers
Season Outlook: Bemidji State had a below average season as the Beavers finished with six total wins and four in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Bemidji State is coming off an exhibition matchup with the Minnesota Gophers (Sept. 20). The Green and White opened the regular season against No. 1 nationally-ranked Wisconsin (Sept. 26) inside the Sanford Center. Bemidji returns Morgan Smith, Hailey Armstrong and Isa Goettl who combined for 53 points a season ago.
Head Coach: Amber Fryklund
2024-25 Record: 6-30-1 (4-24-0 WCHA)
Top Returning Scorers: Morgan Smith (11-9-20), Hailey Armstrong (10-8-18), Isa Goettl (6-9-15)
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Season Outlook: The Maroon and Gold will look to rebound off of last season’s success as Brad Frost’s squad fell to the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the NCAA Frozen Four at Ridder Arena by a score of 6-2. The Golden Gophers opened up the 2025-26 campaign against the No. 3 nationally-ranked Boston College Eagles at home on Thursday, Sept. 25. Minnesota features 129 points from top-six forwards. This includes Abbey Murphy, Josefin Bouveng and Chloe Primerano.
Head Coach: Brad Frost
2024-25 Record: 29-12-1 (19-8-1 WCHA)
Top Returning Scorers: Abbey Murphy (33-32-65), Josefin Bouveng (13-20-33), Chloe Primerano (5-26-31)
Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
Season Outlook: Minnesota-Duluth ended 2024-25 in the second round of the NCAA tournament against Colgate by a score of 1-0 in Ithaca, N.Y. The Bulldogs return 76 points from their top-four scorers. UMD came off an opening sweep over Mercyhurst where the Dogs’ defeated the Lakers by a narrow margin (4-3, 5-3). Minnesota-Duluth continues the road trip as they collide with the Syracuse Orange of the NEWHA conference inside Tennity Ice Pavillion.=
Head Coach: Laura Schuler
2024-25 Record: 22-15-2 (14-12-2 WCHA)
Top Returning Scorers: Caitlin Kraemer (18-13-31), Mary Kate O’Brien (7-18-25), Tova Henderson (6-14-20)
Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks
Season Outlook: The Mavericks opened up the 2025 campaign with a series sweep over RPI. Minnesota State begins a four game homestand when they face Lindenwood inside Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. The Purple and Gold return 72 points of offense upon graduation. Out of the top six forwards Taylor Otremba, Jenessa Gazdik and Whitney Tuttle will make up the 2025 first line. Shari (Vogt) Dickerman enters her third season at the helm of the women’s hockey program (2024-present). A season ago, the season ended with a WCHA Final Faceoff loss to No. 3 nationally ranked Minnesota.
Head Coach: Shari (Vogt) Dickerman
2024-25 Record: 14-21-2 (7-19-2 WCHA)
Top Returning Scorers: Taylor Otremba (12-14-26), Jenessa Gazdik (4-20-24), Whitney Tuttle (13-9-22)
Ohio State Buckeyes
Season Outlook: The defending will look to return to the National Championship. The Scarlet and Grey open the season at Colgate (Oct. 3) in Hamilton, N.Y., for a second consecutive year the Buckeyes faced the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA National Championship. Nadine Muzerall’s squad returns offensive threats in Joy Dunne and Jocelyn Amos. On the back end, Emma Peschel will bring up the offense from a defensive side of things. The Edina, Minn., native tallied 34 points last season.
Head Coach: Nadine Muzerall
2024-25 Record: 29-8-0 (19-6-0 WCHA)
Top Returning Scorers: Joy Dunne (29-33-62), Jocelyn Amos (27-25-52), Emma Peschel (8-36-34)
St Cloud State Huskies
Season Outlook: St. Cloud State had an average season in 2024-25 but came up short in the first round of the WCHA Tournament falling to No. 6 nationally ranked Minnesota-Duluth by narrow scores of 3-2 and 2-1. The Huskies have lost a good amount of offense with the graduation of Emma Gentry but return three top-six scorers. This includes Alice Sauriol, Sofianna Sundelin and Laura Zimmerman. The Red and Black open up this season with a trip to Connecticut where they will collide with the UCONN Huskies inside Toscano Family Ice Forum.
Head Coach: Mira Jalosuo
2024-25 Record: 15-15-6 (10-13-5 WCHA)
Top Returning Scorers: Alice Sauriol (7-15-22), Sofianna Sundelin (11-9-20), Laura Zimmerman (7-8-15)
St Thomas Tommies
Season Outlook: St. Thomas will kick off the fourth season as a Division I institution this year. The Tommies have started the season 2-0 with consecutive wins over Post University in Waterbury, CT. UST will begin WCHA play when they face the Mavericks of Minnesota State-Mankato, Oct. 10. The Purple and White will begin a new era with first-year head coach Bethany Brausen. The youth-laden squad returns 56 total points from Madison Brown, Chloe Boreen and Rylee Bartz.
Head Coach: Bethany Brausen
2024-25 Record: 9-25-2 (6-21-1 WCHA)
Top Returner Scorers: Madison Brown (10-11-21), Chloe Boreen (9-9-18), Rylee Bartz (8-9-17)
Wisconsin Badgers
Season Outlook: Mark Johnson’s Badgers are right where they want to be as they are coming off a national title. Wisconsin has made three national championship appearances since the 2022-23 season. All three of those matchups have been against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Red and White open the season with a conference matchup against the Bemidji State Beavers (Sept. 26) on the road inside the Sanford Center. Wisconsin retains an astounding 206 points between Captains Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards and Caroline (KK) Harvey.
Head Coach: Mark Johnson
2024-25 Record: 38-1-2 (25-1-2 WCHA)
Top Returning Scorers: Kirsten Simms (25-47-72), Laila Edwards (35-36-71), Caroline Harvey (18-45-63)