Ohio State opens the season as the No. 1 team in women's hockey, claiming the top spot in a preseason poll that features five programs separated by reputation and ready to settle it on the ice.
The Buckeyes are followed by No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Minnesota, and No. 5 Northeastern — a familiar cast of heavyweights who have combined to define the sport's recent landscape. Every team enters at 0-0, which means this ranking is a referendum on belief, not results.
What the poll really tells us: the road to a national title likely runs through the Midwest. Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota occupy three of the top four spots, reinforcing that region's grip on the sport. Penn State's No. 3 billing signals the Nittany Lions are no longer rising — they've arrived. And Northeastern, holding down the fifth slot, carries the flag for the East Coast with the kind of respect that says contenders, not pretenders. The rankings are set. Now comes the hard part.
Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.
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