Ohio State opens the women's hockey season at No. 1 in the Top 25, with Wisconsin, Penn State, Minnesota, and Northeastern rounding out the top five in the preseason poll.
The headline beyond the Buckeyes? Penn State at No. 3. The Nittany Lions have crashed the establishment's table, slotting ahead of traditional heavyweight Minnesota and signaling that the gap between the sport's old guard and its rising powers is closing fast. That's not noise — that's a poll full of coaches and voters who watched what this program is building and decided it belongs in the conversation right now.
Wisconsin at No. 2 keeps the Big Ten's grip on the top of the sport firmly intact, while Northeastern carries the flag for the East at No. 5. The race starts here, and if the preseason tells us anything, it's that the road to a title runs through Columbus — but nobody's handing anyone anything yet.
Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.
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