Women's college ice hockey has 40 varsity teams during the 1998-1999 season.
That is the number needed to become an NCAA sport.  That means we could see an
NCAA National Women's Ice Hockey Title game as soon as 2000.
 
The 1998-99 season will mark the final one for Colby as a member of the
ECAC Women's Division I ice hockey league.  Next season the White Mules
will compete in the ECAC Women's Division III ice hockey league.
 
Colby has produced wonderful teams and been a real asset to the ECAC DI
league.  Their stylish play will be greatly missed.  The ECAC DIII is
lucky to be adding a school that combines academic excellence with
sporting flourish.
 
MIT will be upgrading their club program to a varsity team in 1999-2000.  The
Beavers will also be joining the ECAC Women's DIII league.  For the
1999-2000 season, the ECAC D3 league will probably have 18 teams, as Colby
and MIT join the  conference.  One game against each team will count in
the standings and an 8 team playoff championship will begin.
 
It looks like Michigan may not be going DI varsity afterall.  The decision
is still up in the air in A squared, but unfortunately it doesn't look
good.  Geeeez!!!  What in the Pizza Bob's is going on!
 
Also next season, Minnesota-Duluth, Ohio State and Wisconsin will be
starting new D1 varsity programs, while MIT will be joined among the D3
varsity ranks by Concordia, Union and Wisconsin-River Falls.  That will
bring the total of varsity women's programs to 47.
 
ECAC DIVISION I  (varsity)  (14)
Boston College                                  Brown
Colby                                           Cornell
Dartmouth                                       Harvard
Maine                                           New Hampshire
Niagara                                         Northeastern
Princeton                                       Providence College
St. Lawrence                                    Yale
 
ECAC DIVISION III  (varsity)  (14)
NORTH
Middlebury                                      Rensselaer
Vermont                                         Williams
EAST
Amherst                                         Bates  (club)
Bowdoin                                         Southern Maine
SOUTH
Connecticut College                             Sacred Heart
Trinity College                                 Wesleyan
WEST
Colgate                                         Hamilton
RIT                                             Union  (club)
 
MIAC  (MINNESOTA INTERCOLLEGIATE)  (DIII varsity)  (6)
Augsburg                                        Bethel  (club)
Concordia  (club)                               Gustavus Adolphus
Hamline  (club)                                 St. Benedict
St. Catherine                                   St. Mary's
St. Thomas
 
INDEPENDENT VARSITIES  (6)
Bemidji State          D1                       Minnesota              D1
Minnesota State, Mankato D1                     St. Cloud State        D1
Chatham                D3                       Wisconsin-Superior     D3
 
starting 1999-2000
Minnesota-Duluth       D1                       Ohio State             D1
Wisconsin              D1
Concordia              D3                       MIT                    D3
Union                  D3                       Wisconsin-River Falls  D3
 
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 good shooting
 hungerf
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