The PodKaz: USCHO Women's Hockey

Wisconsin doubles up, Frozen Four sets record and the season's final thoughts

The final weekly edition of the PodKaz for the 2025-26 season has hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com reflecting on the Frozen Four. Wisconsin took home its second straight NCAA championship by beating Ohio State 3-2 in Sunday's championship game. Is having the Badgers and the Buckeyes play for the title four years in a row a good sign, though? Friday's semifinal attendance of 5,176 set a Frozen Four record, with Penn State fans making it a wonderful atmosphere for the Nittany Lions' first Frozen Four appearance. Then we look back on more of what we saw in State College, including a packed crowd for the Patty Kazmaier Award ceremony. We finish with thoughts on the coaching change at Minnesota, where Brad Frost is out after 19 seasons and four NCAA titles. Greg May is the new leader of the Gophers. And Merrimack made a big splash by hiring Courtney Kennedy as its new coach. The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.

The 2026 Frozen Four is set, with Penn State ready to host and play

The March 17, 2026, edition of the PodKaz from USCHO.com features hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski getting ready for the Frozen Four, which starts Friday in State College, Pa. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Northeastern won regional finals on Saturday, and the host NIttany Lions are in the Frozen Four for the first time after beating UConn 3-0. How much will home ice help? Wisconsin will set a record with its 17th Frozen Four appearance and its fourth in a row. The Badgers got there by beating Quinnipiac 6-0. Northeastern was the only road team to win last weekend. The Huskies beat Minnesota 4-2 to earn their third Frozen Four bid and first since 2023. And Ohio State claimed a spot in its sixth straight Frozen Four with a 6-1 win over Yale. The Buckeyes have been looking to avenge last season’s overtime loss to Wisconsin in the championship game. We take a closer look at the semifinal matchups: Ohio State vs. Northeastern and Wisconsin vs. Penn State. And we close with some thoughts on things to do in State College if you’re going. The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.

11 teams left, 10 games to go: Looking ahead to the NCAA women's hockey tournament

On the PodKaz from USCHO.com for March 10, 2026, hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski are wrapped up in the NCAA National Collegiate women's hockey tournament that starts Thursday and how we got there. First, a look back at the five conference championship games. Penn State, Quinnipiac, UConn, Franklin Pierce and Ohio State came away with titles, but only Franklin Pierce of the NEWHA wasn't already going to make the NCAA field. The lack of upsets opened the door for Minnesota Duluth, which lost in the WCHA quarterfinals, to earn the last at-large bid. Our second segment is a preview of all four NCAA regionals, hosted by Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Minnesota. The three first-round games Thursday have Yale playing Minnesota Duluth, UConn playing Princeton and Quinnipiac facing Franklin Pierce. The winners play Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin, respectively Saturday. Minnesota and Northeastern also play Saturday for a spot in the Frozen Four. And we wrap up with a look at the 10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award and the three finalists for the women's hockey goalie of the year award. The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.

Previewing the 5 days of NCAA women's hockey conference championship week

On the March 3, 2026, edition of the PodKaz, hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com dig into the five days of play ahead leading to conference playoff championships. First, however, we take a look back at how we got here. There were only two teams advancing via upsets last week: Minnesota State over Minnesota Duluth in the WCHA and Vermont over Boston College in Hockey East. Minnesota, Quinnipiac, Princeton and Assumption also needed to win Game 3 on Sunday to make it to the final week. Four leagues have their semifinals on a day to themselves this week, with Hockey East going first Tuesday, NEWHA following Wednesday, the WCHA going Thursday and ECAC Hockey wrapping things up Friday. Then all five leagues have their playoff championship games Saturday. We wrap up by checking in with the NCAA Power Index, which determines selection and seeding for the NCAA tournament after Saturday’s games. If you’re new to the NPI, check out Nicole’s story from 2023 on how it works [https://www.uscho.com/2023/02/17/womens-division-i-college-hockey-understanding-the-changes-to-the-womens-ncaa-tournament-and-selection-process].  And here’s our story laying out who’s locked into the field and who’s still trying to earn a bid [https://www.uscho.com/2026/03/02/what-we-know-about-whos-in-whos-hopeful-for-ncaa-womens-hockey-tournament-as-of-march-2].  The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.

A stunning first-round exit in ECAC Hockey as the postseason begins

On the Feb. 24, 2026, edition of the PodKaz, hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com talk about the first weekend of the NCAA women’s hockey playoffs in two conferences and the final week of the regular season in three others. Union generated the first upset, and it was a big one: The Garnet Chargers are the 12th seed in ECAC Hockey but they knocked off fifth seed Clarkson on the road last Friday. In Atlantic Hockey, Syracuse went on the road to eliminate RIT in the first double-overtime game of the 2026 postseason. Minnesota Duluth also had success on the road in the final weekend of the WCHA regular season, beating Minnesota in overtime twice behind goals from Tova Henderson. Wisconsin secured the WCHA title with a victory over St. Cloud State on the final day. Northeastern beat UConn in overtime in a potential Hockey East playoff preview. Also, here’s the between-the-legs overtime winner by Vermont’s Oona Havana [https://twitter.com/UVMwhockey/status/2025323835919130923] against New Hampshire on Saturday. Franklin Pierce emerged on top of the NEWHA standings after a victory over Saint Anselm on Friday and an Assumption overtime loss to Sacred Heart. Our second segment looks back at the Olympic women’s hockey tournament and the gold medal won by the U.S. in a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada. Switzerland took the bronze by beating Sweden in overtime. And we finish with a look ahead to the second weekend of the playoffs for ECAC Hockey and Atlantic Hockey and the opening round for the WCHA, Hockey East and NEWHA. The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.