Women's D-II Releases Third Ranking of 2019-20 Season

Rowan University Earns First #1 Spot in Southeast, Boston College and Assiniboine Community College Remain #1 In Their Regions

TROY, Mich. – Jan. 16, 2020 – The American Collegiate Hockey Association’s (ACHA) Women’s Division II (W2) today announced the third rankings of the 2019-2020 season. The results are based on games played and reported by Sunday, Jan. 12, 2019.

Each of the season’s six ranking periods will highlight the top 8 teams from the division’s three regions – Northeast, Southeast and West. Only games played between two ACHA W2 teams count towards rankings, and teams must play a minimum of five different W2 opponents and at least 10 total games to be eligible for Nationals.

Ultimately, the top four teams from each region determined by the computer ranking will receive invitations to the 2020 ACHA National Championships, returning to Frisco, Texas in March 2020. Of the division’s 53 total programs, the following W2 teams secured top 8 spots in their region for ranking period three:

NORTHEAST REGION

1. Boston College
2. University of Vermont
3. University of New Hampshire
4. Northeastern University
5. Boston University
6. Providence College
7. Merrimack College
8. Saint Anselm College

SOUTHEAST REGION

1. Rowan University
2. Liberty University
3. Mercyhurst University
4. University of Delaware
5. United States Naval Academy
6. California University of Pennsylvania
7. University at Buffalo
8. Villanova University

WEST REGION

1. Assiniboine Community College
2. University of Mich.-Dearborn
3. Lakehead University
4. Northern Michigan University
5. North Dakota State University
6. Adrian College
7. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
8. University of Minnesota-Duluth

Changes since ranking number three include Southeast region’s Rowan University moving up to the number one spot, dropping Liberty University down to second for the first time this season. In the Northeast, University of Vermont swapped places with University of New Hampshire for number two, and Saint Anselm appeared at number 8 to drop University of Connecticut off the list. In the West, North Dakota State University swapped places with Liberty University for number four.

The fourth W2 ranking period will end on Feb. 2, 2020. Over 50 games will be played between now and then that will contribute to the next ranking.

Five teams have withdrawn from an invitation to Nationals, and will not be included in the rankings for the remainder of the season: Bentley University, Union College, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, University of Wisconsin Stout and Westfield State.

The following four conferences with at least six W2 ACHA member teams will be offered one automatic bid for their top team to the W2 National Tournament: Central Collegiate Women’s Hockey Association (CCWHA), College Hockey East (CHE), the Women’s Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference (DVCHC) and the Independent Women’s Club Ice Hockey League (IWCHL).

The final date that games will count towards W2 rankings this season is March 1, 2020. In partnership with the Dallas Stars, Visit Frisco and Children's Health StarCenters, the 2020 ACHA Women’s Division II National Championships will begin Wednesday, March 25, 2020. The W2 championship game will be held Sunday, March 29, 2020.

Follow the W2 schedule and standings here.