2015–16 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season

2015–16 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season
2015–16 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season
	University of New Hampshire's Whittemore Center in Durham, NH was the site for the 2016 Frozen Four (Women)
Duration	September 27, 2015–; March 20, 2016
NCAA tournament	2016
National championship	Whittemore Center; Durham, NH
NCAA champion	Minnesota Golden Gophers
Patty Kazmaier Award	Kendall Coyne, Northeastern; ()
NCAA Division I women's ice hockey seasons
← 2014–15	2016–17 →

The 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season began in September 2015 and ended with the 2016 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament's championship game in March 2016.

Pre-season polls

The top 10 from USCHO.com, September 21, 2015, and the top 10 from USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine,^[1]^[2] First place votes are in parentheses.

USCHO.com
Ranking	Team
1	Minnesota (15)
2	Boston College
3	Wisconsin
4	Harvard
5	Clarkson
6	North Dakota
7	Quinnipiac
8	Boston University
9	Bemidji State
10	Cornell

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine
Ranking	Team
1	Minnesota (19)
2	Wisconsin
3	Boston College
4	Harvard
5	Clarkson
6	North Dakota
7	Quinnipiac
8	Boston University
9 - tie	Northeastern
9 - tie	Bemidji State

Regular season

Standings

College Hockey America standings
	Conference							Overall
	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Mercyhurst†*	20	14	3	3	31	55	26	35	19	11	5	92	74
Syracuse	20	14	4	2	30	56	28	36	19	14	3	96	77
Penn State	20	6	8	6	18	33	35	37	12	19	6	65	76
Robert Morris	20	7	9	4	18	52	57	38	17	16	9	108	97
Lindenwood	20	5	11	4	14	31	46	37	9	24	4	64	102
RIT	20	4	15	1	9	25	60	36	8	27	1	51	108
Championship: Mercyhurst † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Current rankings: USCHO.com Division I women's poll

Rankings based on number of wins in the conference

Division I Independents standings^[3]
	Overall
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Sacred Heart	27	12	13	2	68	60

ECAC Hockey standings
	Conference							Overall
	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#5 Quinnipiac†*	22	16	2	4	36	70	18	38	30	3	5	118	35
#4 Clarkson	22	14	3	5	33	78	30	40	30	5	5	140	54
#7 Princeton	22	14	6	2	30	67	41	33	22	9	2	102	61
#8 Colgate	22	12	5	5	29	58	49	38	22	9	7	109	86
Harvard	22	12	7	3	27	53	33	32	17	12	2	78	59
St. Lawrence	22	9	8	5	23	45	47	38	17	15	6	93	98
Cornell	22	9	9	4	22	49	58	31	13	14	4	72	87
Rensselaer	22	8	9	5	21	38	49	34	10	17	7	62	80
Yale	22	9	11	2	20	58	62	29	10	17	2	71	94
Dartmouth	22	6	13	3	15	43	51	28	6	19	3	51	74
Brown	22	1	18	3	5	25	89	29	3	23	3	37	114
Union	22	0	19	3	3	14	71	34	0	28	6	25	104
Championship: Quinnipiac † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Final rankings:USCHO.com Division I women's poll

2015–16 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings
	Conference								Overall
	GP	W	L	T	SW	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#3 Wisconsin*†	28	24	3	1	1	74	100	22	40	35	4	1	154	29
#1 Minnesota	28	24	3	1	0	73	139	39	40	35	4	1	187	51
#10 Bemidji State	28	17	9	2	1	54	56	51	36	22	11	3	77	68
#8 North Dakota	28	13	10	5	2	46	54	49	35	18	12	5	79	62
St. Cloud State	28	9	15	4	3	34	44	88	35	13	18	4	63	115
Minnesota Duluth	28	10	17	1	0	31	67	84	37	15	21	1	90	109
Ohio State	28	6	21	1	1	20	58	110	36	10	25	1	80	134
Minnesota State	28	0	25	3	0	3	41	116	36	3	29	4	55	137
Championship: Wisconsin † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Current rankings: USCHO.com Division I women's poll

WHEA standings
	Conference							Overall
	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#2 Boston College†*	24	24	0	0	48	127	27	41	40	1	0	213	51
#6 Northeastern	24	20	4	0	40	110	45	38	28	9	1	163	94
Boston University	24	17	5	2	36	96	70	39	23	14	2	140	119
Connecticut	24	11	10	3	25	52	61	37	17	15	5	82	93
New Hampshire	24	8	16	0	16	51	75	36	11	24	1	79	117
Vermont	24	6	15	3	15	47	77	37	9	25	3	64	121
Providence	24	6	16	2	14	44	88	36	10	24	2	72	136
Maine	24	6	17	1	13	40	75	35	10	23	2	61	105
Merrimack	24	3	18	3	9	33	82	34	5	26	3	57	124
Championship: Boston College † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Current rankings: USCHO.com Division I women's poll

*Rankings based on number of wins in the conference

Player stats

Scoring leaders

The following players lead the NCAA in points at the conclusion of games played on March 24, 2016.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Player	Class	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Alex Carpenter	Senior	Boston College	41	43	45	88
Kendall Coyne	Senior	Northeastern	37	50	34	84
Haley Skarupa	Senior	Boston College	41	35	44	79
Dani Cameranesi	Junior	Minnesota	40	33	35	68
Hannah Brandt	Senior	Minnesota	38	25	39	64
Denisa Křížová	Sophomore	Northeastern	37	20	39	59
Annie Pankowski	Sophomore	Wisconsin	40	22	36	58
Sarah Potomak	Freshman	Minnesota	38	15	39	54
Taylar Cianfarano	Sophomore	Quinnipiac	37	28	24	52
Megan Keller	Sophomore	Boston College	41	12	40	52

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders lead the NCAA in goals against average at the conclusion of games played on March 24, 2016 while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.

Player	Class	Team	GP	Min	W	L	T	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Ann-Renee Desbiens	Junior	Wisconsin	38	2279:18	33	4	1	29	21	.960	0.76
Sydney Rossman	Junior	Quinnipiac	38	2342:10	29	3	5	35	16	.949	0.90
Katie Burt	Sophomore	Boston College	36	2096:49	35	1	0	43	13	.943	1.23
Amanda Leveille	Senior	Minnesota	34	1957:32	29	4	1	42	10	.942	1.29
Shea Tiley	Sophomore	Clarkson	36	2090:50	27	4	5	46	12	.931	1.32

Awards

WCHA

^[9]

Award		Recipient
Player of the Year		Ann-Renee Desbiens, Wisconsin
Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year		Shelby Amsley-Benzie, North Dakota
Defensive Player of the Year		Ivana Bilic, Bemidji State
Rookie of the Year		Sarah Potomak, Minnesota
Scoring Champion		Dani Cameranesi, Minnesota
Goaltending Champion		Ann-Renee Desbiens, Wisconsin
Coach of the Year		Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
All-WCHA Teams
First Team	Position	Second Team
Ann-Renee Desbiens, Wisconsin	G	Brittni Mowat, Bemidji State
Courtney Burke, Wisconsin	D	Milica McMillen, Minnesota
Lee Stecklein, Minnesota	D	Jenny Ryan, Wisconsin
Hannah Brandt, Minnesota	F	Emily Clark, Wisconsin
Dani Cameranesi, Minnesota	F	Ashleigh Brykaliuk, Minnesota Duluth
Annie Pankowski, Wisconsin	F	Amy Menke, North Dakota
Third Team	Position	Rookie Team
Shelby Amsley-Benzie, North Dakota	G	Maddy Rooney, Minnesota Duluth
Ivana Bilic, Bemidji State	D	Anna Kilponen, North Dakota
Halli Krzyzaniak, North Dakota	D	Melissa Hunt, Bemidji State
Sarah Nurse, Wisconsin	F	Julia Tilke, St. Cloud State
Sarah Potomak, Minnesota	F	Sarah Potomak, Minnesota
Molly Illikainen, St. Cloud State	F	Sam Cogen, Wisconsin

CHA

^[10]

Award		Recipient
Player of the Year		Melissa Piacentini, F, Syracuse
Rookie of the Year		Rachael Smith, F, Mercyhurst
Goaltender Trophy (Best GAA)		Sarah McDonnell, Mercyhurst
Defenseman of the Year		Nicole Renault, Syracuse
Defensive Forward of the Year (Tie)		Jessica Sibley, Syracuse
Defensive Forward of the Year (Tie)		Micayla Catanzariti, Penn State
Sportsmanship Award		Jill Holdcroft, Penn State
Coach of the Year		Mike Sisti, Mercyhurst
CHA All-Conference Teams
First Team	Position	Second Team
Nicole Hensley, Lindenwood	G	Celine Whitlinger, Penn State
Mikaela Lowater, Robert Morris	D	Megan Quinn, Syracuse
Nicole Renault, Syracuse	D	J'Nai Mahadeo, Mercyhurst
Shara Jasper, Lindenwood	F	Melissa Piacentini, Syracuse
Stephanie Grossi, Syracuse	F	Jessica Sibley, Syracuse
Brittany Howard, Robert Morris	F	Amy Petersen, Penn State
Rookie Team	Position	-
Sarah McDonnell, Mercyhurst	G
Reagan Rust, RIT	D
Molly Blasen, Mercyhurst	D
Maggie LaGue, Robert Morris	D
Rachael Smith, Mercyhurst	F
Shannon Morris-Reade, Lindenwood	F
Sarah Quaranta, Robert Morris	F

Women's Hockey East Association (WHEA)

Award		Recipient
Cami Granato Award (Player of the Year)		Kendall Coyne, Northeastern^[11]
Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Year		Makenna Newkirk, Boston College
Hockey East Coach of the Year		Katie King-Crowley, Boston College
Best Defensive Forward		Leah Buress, Connecticut
Best Defenseman		Megan Keller, Boston College
Goaltender of the Year		Katie Burt, Boston College
Sportmanship Award		Sara Carlson, New Hampshire
Army ROTC Three Stars Award		Kendall Coyne, Northeastern
Scoring Champion		Kendall Coyne, Northeastern
Hockey East All-Star Teams^[12]^[13]
First Team	Position	Second Team
Elaine Chuli, Connecticut	G	Brittany Bugalski, Northeastern
Lexi Bender, Boston College	D	Jordan Krause, Northeastern
Megan Keller, Boston College	D	Taylor Willard, Vermont
Alex Carpenter, Boston College	F	Victoria Bach, Boston University
Kendall Coyne, Northeastern	F	Rebecca Leslie, Boston University
Haley Skarupa, Boston College	F	Denisa Křížová, Northeastern
Honorable Mention	Position	Rookie Team
Katie Burt, Boston College	G	Brittany Bugalski, Northeastern
	G	Samantha Ridgewell, Merrimack
Heather Mottau, Northeastern	D	Maddie Hartman, Northeastern
Alexis Crossley, Boston University	D	Alyson Matteau, Connecticut
Dana Trivigno, Boston College	F	Sammy Davis, Boston University
Jonna Curtis, New Hampshire	F	Makenna Newkirk, Boston College
	F	Christina Putigna, Providence
	F	Paige Voight, Merrimack

ECAC

Award		Recipient
Player of the Year		Taylar Cianfarano, Quinnipiac
Best Forward		Taylar Cianfarano, Quinnipiac
Best Defenseman		Kelsey Koelzer, Princeton
Rookie of the Year		Karlie Lund, Princeton
Goaltender of the Year		Sydney Rossman, Quinnipiac
Sportmanship Award		St. Lawrence
Mandi Schwartz Student-Athlete of the Year		Kristen Tamberg, Quinnipiac
Coach of the Year		Jeff Kampersal, Princeton
All-ECAC Teams^[14]
First Team	Position	Second Team
Sydney Rossman, Quinnipiac	G	Emerance Maschmeyer, Harvard
Kelsey Koelzer, Princeton	D	Amanda Boulier, St. Lawrence
Erin Ambrose, Clarkson	D	Kristen Tamberg, Quinnipiac
Taylar Cianfarano, Quinnipiac	F	Sydney Daniels, Harvard
Cayley Mercer, Clarkson	F	Miye D'Oench, Harvard
Karlie Lund, Princeton	F	Olivia Howe, Clarkson
Third Team	Position	Rookie Team
Lovisa Selander, Rensselaer	G	Lovisa Selander, Rensselaer
Renata Fast, Clarkson	D	Micah Hart, Cornell
Michelle Picard, Harvard	D	Stephanie Sucharda, Clarkson
Emma Woods, Quinnipiac	F	Loren Gabel, Clarkson
Laura Stacey, Dartmouth	F	Karlie Lund, Princeton
Nicole Kosta, Quinnipiac	F	Melissa Samoskevich, Quinnipiac

Patty Kazmaier Award

Patty Kazmaier Award Finalists^[15]
Player	Position	School
Kendall Coyne	Forward	Northeastern
Alex Carpenter	Forward	Boston College
Ann-Renee Desbiens	Goaltender	Wisconsin
Shelby Amsley-Benzie	Goaltender	North Dakota
Hannah Brandt	Forward	Minnesota
Dani Cameranesi	Forward	Minnesota
Megan Keller	Defense	Boston College
Kelsey Koelzer	Defense	Princeton
Annie Pankowski	Forward	Wisconsin
Haley Skarupa	Forward	Boston College

AHCA Coach of the Year

AHCA Coach of the Year Finalists^[16]
Coach	School
Katie King-Crowley^[17]	Boston College
Matt Desrosiers	Clarkson
Michael Sisti	Mercyhurst
Brad Frost	Minnesota
Mark Johnson	Wisconsin
Jeff Kampersal	Princeton

References

^ "Preseason: Women's College Hockey Poll". September 21, 2015.
^ "Preseason: Women's College Hockey Poll". September 29, 2015.
^ USCHO.com Division I women's poll
^ "2015-2016 WCHA Overall Category Leaders - Western Collegiate Hockey Association".
^ Sacred Heart Pioneers
^ "2015-2016 Hockey East Overall Category Leaders".
^ "ECAC Hockey".
^ "Welcome to collegehockeystats.net".
^ "WACHA". wcha.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
^ "College Hockey America awards led by Syracuse, Mercyhurst". uscho.com. March 4, 2016.
^ "Hockey East Association - Press Release Archive".
^ "Hockey East Association - Press Release Archive".
^ "Hockey East Association - Press Release Archive".
^ "League Announces Postseason Awards". March 4, 2016.
^ "Recipients".
^ "AHCA reveals finalists for top D-I, D-III women's coach, Hurd and Watson awards". USCHO. March 17, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
^ Arlan Marttila (March 25, 2016). "Crowley caps historic season with USCHO coach of the year nod". USCHO. Retrieved January 17, 2017.

[1] "Preseason: Women's College Hockey Poll". September 21, 2015.

[2] "Preseason: Women's College Hockey Poll". September 29, 2015.

[3] USCHO.com Division I women's poll

[4] "2015-2016 WCHA Overall Category Leaders - Western Collegiate Hockey Association".

[5] Sacred Heart Pioneers

[6] "2015-2016 Hockey East Overall Category Leaders".

[7] "ECAC Hockey".

[8] "Welcome to collegehockeystats.net".

[9] "WACHA". wcha.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.

[10] "College Hockey America awards led by Syracuse, Mercyhurst". uscho.com. March 4, 2016.

[11] "Hockey East Association - Press Release Archive".

[12] "Hockey East Association - Press Release Archive".

[13] "Hockey East Association - Press Release Archive".

[14] "League Announces Postseason Awards". March 4, 2016.

[15] "Recipients".

[16] "AHCA reveals finalists for top D-I, D-III women's coach, Hurd and Watson awards". USCHO. March 17, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2022.

[17] Arlan Marttila (March 25, 2016). "Crowley caps historic season with USCHO coach of the year nod". USCHO. Retrieved January 17, 2017.

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NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Season
NCAA seasons	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Division I Conferences	AHA ECAC Hockey NEWHA WCHA WHEA Independents (none currently)
NCAA awards	Patty Kazmaier Award National Goalie of the Year National Rookie of the Year AHCA Coach of the Year