The 2011–12 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season began in October 2011, and ended with the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game in March 2012.
Off season June 13: Mercyhurst Lakers assistant coach Paul Colontino has left the club to become head coach of the Robert Morris Colonials. He is the third head coach in Colonials history, after the resignation of Nate Handrahan, who left to assume the head coaching position at Ohio State. July 2011: The Lindenwood Lady Lions ice hockey program announced the 2011–12 schedule as the program's first season of NCAA competition as part of the university's transition from NAIA to NCAA. seven games against NCAA Division III; and five games against former ACHA Division I rivals Robert Morris (IL) and Grand Valley State Sept. 6: Robert DeGregorio, Commissioner for College Hockey America (CHA), announced that the Penn State Nittany Lions have been accepted into the CHA. The Nittany Lions will officially join the conference starting with the 2012–13 season.
Wayne State May 27: CHA member Wayne State University has discontinued sponsorship of the women's ice hockey program. The decision was based on the continuing reductions in the state of Michigan's appropriations to higher education. The Wayne State Warriors women's ice hockey program was the only Division I women's program in Michigan.
Transfers Player Position New team Alyssa Baldin Forward Windsor Lancers (CIS) Gina Buquet Forward Mercyhurst Lakers Cari Coen Forward/Defense St. Cloud State HuskiesVeronique Laramee-PaquetteLeft wingConcordia Stingers (CIS) Jill Szandzik Defense Mercyhurst Lakers
Season outlook
Preseason polls USCHO.com Division I Women's Poll Rank TeamPointsFirst place votes1 Wisconsin 140 142Boston University 116 3 Cornell 111 4 Minnesota 96 5 Boston College 85 6 Minnesota-Duluth 75 7 North Dakota 448 Mercyhurst 42 9 Quinnipiac 17 10 (tie) Dartmouth 12 10 (tie)Providence 12
Exhibition
CIS Exhibition Date NCAA school CIS school Score NCAA goal scorersSept. 17Mercyhurst Wilfrid Laurier University10–2 Bailey Bram (3), Kristine Grenier (3), Shelby Bram, Christine Bestland, Gina Buquet, Candice Styles Sept. 23North Dakota Manitoba ND, 11–0Sara Dagenais, Mary Loken, Alyssa Wiebe (2), Monique Weber, Jocelyne Lamoureux (2), Andrea Dalen, Allison Parizek, Monique Weber, Ashley Holmes Sept. 23Ohio State Wilfrid LaurierOhio State, 3–1 Kayla Sullivan, Danielle Gagne, Melissa FesteSep 24 North Dakokta Manitoba ND, 10–0Alyssa Wiebe, Jocelyne Lamoureux (2), Josefine Jacobsen (3), Monique Lamoureux, Monique Weber, Andrea Dalen, Michelle Karvinen Sat, Sep 24 Robert MorrisWaterloo RMU, 4–1 Katelyn Scott, Rebecca Vint, Thea Imbrogno, Brianna DelaneyOct 1 Vermont McGill McGill, 3–2Delia McNally, Meghan Huertas September 17, 2011: Mercyhurst Lakers senior Bailey Bram registered a hat trick to go with her three assists, as the Lakers trounced the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's ice hockey program by a 10–2 tally. Her sister, Shelby Bram scored one goal while freshman Kristine Grenier also registered a hat trick in the match. Kelley Steadman contributed with four assists. September 24: Freshman Josefine Jakobsen recorded a hat-trick as the North Dakota Fighting Sioux women's ice hockey program defeated the Manitoba Bisons women's ice hockey program by a 10–0 tally. Of note, the European freshmen that combined for 11 points in the game. Michelle Karvinen had four points, while Andrea Dalen had three points.
CWHL Exhibition Date NCAA school Opponent Score NCAA goal scorersOct. 25Cornell Brampton Thunder (CWHL) Cornell, 6–0Jillian Saulnier (2), Jessica Campbell, Olivia Cook, Kendice Ogilvie, Catherine WhiteNov. 2MercyhurstBrampton Thunder (CWHL)Brampton, 3–1Bailey Bram
PWHL Exhibition Date NCAA school Opponent Score NCAA goal scorersSept 24ClarksonWhitby Wolves (PWHL)Clarkson, 6–0Christine Lambert, Vanessa Gagnon, Brittany Styner, Carly Mercer, Jamie Lee Rattray, Danielle Boudreau
News and notes
September September 14: The Lindenwood Lady Lions ice hockey program officially submitted an application to join College Hockey America (CHA) for the 2012–13 season. On September 25, 2011, Hilary Knight of the Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey program scored her fifth career hat trick in a 13–0 defeat of the Lindenwood Lions. In addition, Brianna Decker scored her third career hat trick. The 13 goals scored by the Badgers were tied for third most in the NCAA women's ice hockey all-time list for most goals scored in a game by a team.
October Throughout the month of October, the WCHA women's ice hockey eight member teams will participate in causes to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Each team will wear a patch on their jerseys, encouraging Breast Cancer Awareness. Spectators are encouraged to wear pink clothing. October 7–8: Robert Morris Colonials freshman Katie Fergus accumulated three points in her NCAA debut with one goal and two assists. Against the Lindenwood Lions, she got her first-collegiate point fewer than nine minutes into the opening period. Later in the game, she scored her first goal as the Colonials were on the penalty kill. In the second game versus Lindenwood, she earned her first multi-goal game. Fergus became one of just two freshmen in Colonials history to register multi-point performances in the first two games of a season. Fergus finished the series versus Lindenwood by scoring three goals and two assists five points. In addition, she had eight shots to complement a +5 plus/minus. October 7–8: In a pair of victories over the Lindenwood Lions, Colgate Raiders skater Brittany Phillips accumulated a total of 10 points. In the 7–2 victory on October 7, she notched two goals, while logging an assist. One of the goals was the game-winning goal. The following day, she had seven points (two goals, five assists) in an 8–2 win. Of the four goals she scored, two were power play goals. Her seven points ranked second in program history for most points in one game. In addition, the five assists ranked second for most assists in one game. In addition, Melissa Kueber registered six points in the sweep. On October 8, she led the team with four goals scored in an 8–2 triumph over the Lions. She also notched an assist. The four tallies tied for first in program history for most scores in one game. October 14, 2011: Ohio State skater Laura McIntosh notched her first goal of the season to give the Buckeyes a 2–1 lead. Said goal would stand as the game-winner. In addition, she picked up an assist on a Hokey Langan goal. The assist made McIntosh Ohio State's all-time leader in career points against WCHA opponents. She surpassed Jana Harrigan's 110 league points set in 2006. October 21: In its WCHA home opener, the top line of the Fighting Sioux combined for thirteen points as they bested the Ohio State Buckeyes by an 11–1 margin. Monique Lamoureux-Kolls tied a North Dakota record with a 5-point game. In the contest, 13 different Sioux skaters registered at least one point. Michelle Karvinen scored a hat trick and logged one assist for four points. In addition, Josefine Jakobsen and Jocelyne Lamoureux each had 4-point games. Several program records were broken in the game including: most goals scored in a game (11), largest margin of victory (10), and largest margin of victory over a conference opponent (10). October 21–22: On October 21, Robert Morris Colonials freshman Rebecca Vint recorded four points, including her first game-winning goal versus RPI. She became just the second Colonial ever to tally at least four points in a game away from home. She scored twice within the game's opening eight minutes. Her performance on the 21st marked her third multi-goal effort in her first five collegiate games. The following game, she registered a goal and an assist, and extended her goal scoring streak by scoring a goal in her sixth consecutive game. It marked the first time that any Colonials skater scored in any six consecutive contests in a single season. October 22: Clarkson Golden Knights women's ice hockey sophomore forward Jamie Lee Rattray notched two goals for the Golden Knights in a 2–1 decision over the visiting New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockey program. The win helped the Golden Knights extend their unbeaten streak to six games. In addition, it was the 150th victory in the history of the program, dating back to the 2003–04 season. With the victory, the Golden Knights all-time mark is 150–111–38. October 25: In a 6–2 triumph over the Colgate Raiders, freshman Jillian Saulnier scored four goals in her NCAA debut. It was the first four-goal game for Cornell since Jessica Campbell scored four against Robert Morris in the second game of the 2010–11 season. The Big Red held a 64–12 advantage in shots on goal while also winning faceoffs by a margin of 53–27. The 64 shots were the most the Big Red took since a February 6, 2000, contest against Union. October 28–29: The series versus the Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey program marked the first time that the Lindenwood Lady Lions ice hockey program hosted an NCAA Division I opponent in their home arena. Mercyhurst would win the October 28 match by a 7–0 tally, in which Lakers freshman Shelby Bram would score her first career NCAA goal. The October 29 contest saw Mercyhurst emerge as the victor in a 14–0 whitewash.
November November 1: For the third consecutive contest, the Cornell Big Red scored at least nine goals in one game. Senior captain Chelsea Karpenko appeared in her 100th career game, as Jillian Saulnier led all Big Red players with two goals and three assists in a 9–2 triumph over the Syracuse Orange women's ice hockey program. November 4: Emilie Arseneault scored a short handed goal late into the second period to give the Union Dutchwomen a 2–1 conference victory over the Clarkson Golden Knights women's ice hockey program. It was the Dutchwomen's first ECAC win since the 2009–2010 season, and only their second ECAC win since 2004. November 18–19: In a pair of victories over the Yale Bulldogs, Hillary Pattenden won two more games to give her a career total of 87. The total is four shy of career leader, Jessie Vetter of Wisconsin. In the 9–1 victory on November 18, she stopped 14 of 15 Bulldogs shots. The following day, she stopped 21 of 23 shots in a 6–2 victory. The goal she allowed on November 18 snapped a consecutive scoreless streak of 206:36. Previous to the goal, she had not allowed a goal since the third period of a 5–4 win over the MSU Mavericks (on October 8). In addition, Lakers forward Bailey Bram increased her scoring pace by notching five goals to go with five assists in two victories over the Yale Bulldogs. In the 9–1 win on November 18, Bram registered two goals and logged two assists. The following day, she had a hand in all six goals (three goals and three assists) in the Lakers 6–2 win. Bram earned her fifth career hat trick and second of the season. In the two game set versus the Bulldogs, her plus minus rating was a +6, while her six-point game on November 19 was the second time in the season that she registered at least six points in a game. Her first was a career-high seven points in a win over the Lindenwood Lady Lions. Statistically, she logged 14 goals and 11 assists in the first 10 games she played of the season. Nov. 18–19: Carolyne Prevost of the Wisconsin Badgers became the 17th player in program history to record 100 career points. In a victory over RPI, she netted the first goal of the game for Wisconsin. She would also record an assist in the match. The following day, Prevost recorded six points in the finale against RPI. It was a team-high for any Wisconsin skater this season. She scored two goals, including the game winner, and helped on four other goals to establish a new career high for most points in one game.