Wisconsin-River Falls, the defending conference champion, has been selected to win the 2022 WIAC women’s hockey title, according to a preseason poll conducted by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
The Falcons own seven regular-season first-place finishes and six O’Brien Cup championships in program history.
2021 WIAC Women’s Preseason Poll
1. UW-River Falls
2. UW-Eau Claire
3. UW-Stevens Point
4. UW-Superior
5. Northland
The conference will have a new point structure for the 2021-22 campaign and introduce shootouts following the five-minute three-on-three overtime period. If a shootout is needed, both teams will be awarded a tie in their overall record with the shootout determining the winner and which team will be awarded an additional point in the conference standings. Teams will be awarded three points for a win in regulation, two points for a win in overtime or shootout, and one point for a shootout loss or overtime loss.
All five teams will qualify for the WIAC tournament (O’Brien Cup), which begins Feb. 22 with a first-round game between the No. 5 seed and No. 4 seed. The first-round winner will advance to the semifinals Feb. 25-26 against the No. 1 seed, while the No. 2 seed and No. 3 seed will square off in the other semifinal. The semifinal winners will meet for the O’Brien Cup on March 5. All games will be played at the higher seed.
