2011-2012 Women's Schedule Released

Allie Rothman and her teammates will play eleven NCAA programs in the coming year.

The 2011-2012 women's schedule is out, and to say that its interpretation of "transition" differs from that of the men's schedule is an understatement.

While the men's schedule has just two games against varsity programs (November 4th and 5th against DIII schools Fredonia and Neumann), the women's version offers eleven such games. Highlights include three tilts with DI schools, starting with the season opener at Robert Morris, as well as assistant coach Gina Kearns doing battle with her former employer (Neumann) to close out the fall semester. The impressive array of NCAA teams leads me to believe that the starting points for assembling the schedule were the minimum game requirements of the ACHA and the ECWHL, although I can't speak definitively on that point. At the very least, it certainly appears that the women are eager for the future.

To be fair, these schools aren't the best varsity hockey has to offer. Chatham University, a 950-student institution in Pittsburgh - to pick on one - was 0-18-0 last season, the sixth "perfect" mark in the program's nine-year history. Still, it's an extremely challenging slate for a non-varsity program, and one that promotes growth into NCAA status for 2012-2013.

Also of note: home games are now at 7:00 p.m. Friday and 3:30 p.m. Saturday, in another assist to the transition process.

Here's the full schedule:

September
16 Blue-White Game, 9:15 p.m.
23 @ Robert Morris (NCAA DI), 7:05 p.m.
30 vs. Buffalo, 9:15 p.m.

October
1 vs. Buffalo, 3:30 p.m.
21 @ Potsdam (NCAA DIII), 7:00 p.m.
22 @ Potsdam (NCAA DIII), 2:00 p.m.
28 vs. California (PA), 7:00 p.m.

November
4 @ Chatham (NCAA DIII), 8:00 p.m.
5 @ Chatham (NCAA DIII), 2:00 p.m.
11 @ California (PA), TBA
18 vs. Cortland (NCAA DIII), 7:00 p.m.
19 vs. Cortland (NCAA DIII), 3:30 p.m.

December
2 @ Rhode Island, 9:30 p.m.
3 @ Rhode Island, 1:00 p.m.
9 @ Neumann (NCAA DIII), 7:00 p.m.
10 vs. Neumann (NCAA DIII), 7:00 p.m.

January
6 vs. Rhode Island, 7:00 p.m.
7 vs. Rhode Island, 3:30 p.m.
13 @ Sacred Heart (NCAA DI), 7:00 p.m.
14 @ Sacred Hearth (NCAA DI), 2:00 p.m.
28 vs. Ohio State, 3:30 p.m.
29 vs. Ohio State, 2:00 p.m.

February
3 @ Northeastern, TBA
4 @ Northeastern, TBA
10 @ Massachusetts, 9:00 p.m.
11 @ Massachusetts, 4:00 p.m.
18 vs. Vermont, 7:00 p.m.
19 vs. Vermont, 12:00 p.m.
25-26 @ ECWHL Tournament - Boston, MA

March
8-10 @ ACHA National Tournament - Wooster, OH