Nazareth University Women’s Hockey four-peat’s in the 2025 UCHC title game. (Photo by Nazareth University Athletics)
Our season previews continue as the 2025-2026 Men’s & Women’s Division III hockey regular season nears closer. Today, we look at the women’s side of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC).
The UCHC features:
Albertus Magnus
Chatham
Elmira
Hilbert
Manhattanville
Nazareth
St. John Fisher
Utica
2024-2025 Overview
Last season, we saw yet again, another Nazareth UCHC title under Head Coach Chris Baudo for the fourth season in a row. The Golden Flyers defeated Utica for the third-straight season in the title game, winning 3-2 in overtime, which is no surprise as these two are very familiar with overtime in their games. Nazareth continued their dominance against the Pioneers, improving their overall record to 16-3-1 vs the Pioneers, which is crazy to think considering some of the rosters Utica has put together in recent memory.
We had to suffer through the four-game series as after the separation between the MAC & UCHC, we were left with a mere four teams in the league (received NCAA auto-bid due to grace period), but with only four teams, the games got repetitive at times… This season will be very different as four new teams have been added to the league in Albertus Magnus, Elmira, Hilbert, & inaugural St. John Fisher. Read all about it in our conference realignment article.
The playoff race was a clear two-team contest, with Nazareth winning the regular season with 31 points & Utica close behind with 27. The other two teams in Manhattanville & Chatham had 14 & 0, respectively.
This league sent only Nazareth to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Endicott 4-2 on the road in round one, then fell to Middlebury in an extremely close 1-0 game.
Returning Production
Looking at the league and the returning production via our guy Scott Huston, we find some interesting results:
The 2025–26 UCHC women’s hockey season sets up as one of the most competitive in recent memory, with a perfect mix of returning conference-powerhouses and rising programs ready to shake up the standings. Nazareth, led by Head Coach Chris Baudo, the four-time defending conference champion, once again enters as the favorite along with Elmira. Returning 70% of its total offensive production, including 74% of goals and 67% of assists, the Golden Flyers have the depth and chemistry to continue their reign at the top. Their consistent formula of disciplined defense, structured transition play, and elite goaltending keeps them an NCAA tournament contender year-after-year.
Elmira defeats Plattsburgh 1-0 in the First Round of the NCAA tournament. (Photo via Elmira Athletics)
Right behind them is Elmira, re-entering the UCHC after a brief stint in the NEHC. Despite returning just over half of its offensive production, the Soaring Eagles are built to compete immediately as the transfer portal has been heavily utilized. Head Coach Greg Haney’s program has a long tradition of replacing lost talent seamlessly, and this season should be no different. Elmira’s combination of incoming talent and returning leadership makes them a legitimate threat to Nazareth’s run of dominance. In the UCHC’s history, there have been only two teams who’ve won conference titles, Elmira won four from 2018-2021, Nazareth won four from 2022-2025, will this year be the tiebreaker?
Utica sits on the lower end of the UCHC spectrum, bringing back just 33% of its total offensive output from last season, including roughly 29% of goals and 36% of assists. That number highlights the extensive turnover the Pioneers faced, losing several key scorers and veterans who carried much of the offensive load. While that kind of reset could signal a rebuilding phase for most programs, but Utica’s history suggests they’ll remain near the top of this league. The program has consistently shown an ability to compete with top programs, but hasn’t been able to get over the hump known as Nazareth, falling every season to the Golden Flyers in the UCHC title game.
Manhattanville University Women’s Hockey. (Photo by Cassidy Blagman)
Manhattanville, led by Head Coach Jennifer MacAskill, stands out as a dark horse despite their 0-2 start after falling to Curry over the weekend, returning over 80% of its total points, including nearly 90% of its goals. That level of continuity and experience could make the Valiants a team that wins some big games here and there this season, particularly as their younger players continue to develop under pressure.
Chatham also brings back around three-quarters of its scoring, positioning the Cougars as a team capable of improving from their poor season last year, finishing a mere 2-21-2 after compiling a record of 38-36-4 the three seasons’ prior.
Beyond the front-runners, Hilbert enters its second year with nearly 70% of production returning, a positive sign for a young program still establishing its identity and find itself.
St. John Fisher, in its inaugural season, adds a new and exciting chapter to the conference as it begins to build a foundation for long-term success with a school that invests heavily in everything it does, including the hiring of an elite Head Coach in Scott McDonald, who led RIT to a national title at the D-III level in 2012 and runner-up in 2011.
Overall, the 2025–26 UCHC campaign feels like a turning point—one where tradition meets transition. Nazareth and Elmira will likely lead the charge, but with new programs like St. John Fisher & a sneaky team Manhattanville that can make some noise within the mix.
Dark Horses
Like the men’s UCHC article, St. John Fisher is my dark horse. The school doesn’t skimp when it comes to academics or athletics and this is no different, especially as mentioned, with a national championship-winning coach in Scott McDonald. The Cardinals will be a playoff team in this league and challenge from day one everyone in it. Of course, Nazareth & Elmira will be the toughest matchups for them, but I could see them surprising one of them and grabbing a weekend series split. I think their rise could be similar to Nazareth in the sense that Nazareth was never really a ‘bad’ or ‘weak’ per-say program, I believe they’ll be a solid squad from the get-go, which they just started off doing with a weekend sweep over Neumann.
I’m curious what Utica does this season; they almost need to be considered a dark horse simply because they haven’t gotten over the Nazareth hump. Maybe we see a situation where the Pioneers face Elmira instead and the Golden Flyers aren’t in their way? Yes, I know calling the second-place team in recent memory a dark horse is a stretch, but with the addition of Elmira and others, it’s not a lock for the Pioneers to find themselves in the title game.
Finally, I’ll go with Manhattanville, although opening non-conference weekend didn’t go as planned for them versus the Colonels, they’ve been a solid team for some time now excluding last season, finishing a poor 7-17-2. During 2016-2024, the Valiants combined for a record of 109-76-14 (MacAskill began in 2020 after the departure of nine-year HC David Turco), not bad numbers at all… The Valiants’ return a lot, which would make it seem as though they’ll be able to build off last season relatively quickly, that’s why opening weekend was quite shocking as Curry was the complete opposite. I do believe however, they’ll win a fair number of games this season.
Final Thoughts
My final thoughts are that this upcoming season feels like a fresh beginning for a league that has long been dominated by just a couple of teams. With the return of Elmira, the addition of new programs like St. John Fisher, and several teams bringing back strong cores, the conference finally has the depth and variety it’s been missing. Nazareth remains the gold standard until proven otherwise, but Elmira’s reemergence could mark the start of a new rivalry at the top. Utica will look to prove it’s still a true contender despite roster turnover, while Manhattanville and Chatham both have the experience to shake things up. Add in a few new squads and a well-backed St. John Fisher program under national championship-winning coach Scott McDonald, and the UCHC suddenly looks deeper, stronger, and more unpredictable than ever. This season should be a turning point—one that sets the tone for the league’s potential future.
