It’s IIHF Girls Hockey Weekend!  October 5-6 marks the annual weekend the IIHF spotlights girls hockey around the world, including learn-to-play events. If you’re not sure what’s going on in your area, there will be a tracker on the IIHF site.

Meanwhile, there’s plenty of women’s hockey going on in North America.

  • The PWHPA has their first American showcase this weekend, the Dunkin’ Showcase in Hudson, NH. Schedules, rosters and tickets are available on the website and games will be livestreamed on youtube. The players will also be hosting a girls clinic on the Friday./
  • Hockey Canada’s first mini-camp of the season is taking place through Thursday at the Université de Montréal and practices are open to the public./
  • Two U Sports conferences, Atlantic University Sports (AUS) and Canada West Hockey Conference (CW), kick off their seasons this weekend. Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Réseau de sport Etudiant du Québec (RSEQ) get started two weeks later./
  • The NCAA is entering Week 3, and there are a whole slate of great games on the schedule, including Clarkson playing an inter-conference series against the University of Minnesota-Duluth (Élizabeth Giguère vs Maddie Rooney! If Hockey Canada has sense, that’s a preview of a future US-Canada game). LIU vs UConn is also going to be a great look at LIU’s brand-new program./

And finally, because it’s Wednesday, there will be more major women’s hockey news coming out later today:

International hockey

Women's hockey gold 'long overdue' Canada's Maschmeyer says ahead of 2020 tourney | Richmond News
HALIFAX — National team goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer believes next year's IIHF Women's World Championship, to be hosted on home soil in Nova Scotia, represents a "long overdue" opportunity

Hockey Canada unveils National Women’s Team schedule for 2019-20 season
Series of mini-camps to be held as Canada prepares to host world championship in Nova Scotia

Hockey féminin : Équipe Canada chez les Carabins de Montréal | RDS.ca
Des mini-camps des Canadiennes auront lieu à l’aréna du CEPSUM, au domicile de l’équipe de hockey féminin des Carabins, afin de se préparer au Mondial féminin 2020 de l’IIHF.

PWHPA

The PWHPA got the focus back to the ice in Toronto but the fight isn’t over yet - Eyes On The Prize
The Dream Gap Tour begins as women’s hockey enters a pivotal time.

Woolwich girls’ hockey team mixes it up with the pros - Observer
A local girls’ hockey team went on the trip of a lifetime to the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) “Dream Gap” tour in Toronto last weekend.

Sass wants women’s game to be more than a ‘part-time job’ | News | WKZO
Kimberly Sass grew up dreaming of making a living playing ice hockey but the American goalie became tired of essentially paying to play in a professional women’s league and so decided it was time to step away and take a stand.

Q&A: Gerry Dee on promoting women’s hockey and the Dream Gap Tour - Sportsnet.ca
Gerry Dee has a silver medal around his neck and he’s settled into a reddish orange couch at the bottom of a set of stairs at Westwood Arena in Toronto’s north end.

L’après-LCHF est bien occupé pour les hockeyeuses | ICI Radio-Canada.ca
Marie-Philip Poulin : « On est en train de créer quelque chose pour la prochaine génération. »

Hockey féminin : la relance s’organise, un pas à la fois
Quand 200 des meilleures joueuses du monde ont annoncé le printemps dernier qu’elles mettaient une croix sur la saison 2019-2020, aucune d’entre elles ne s...

European club hockey

Behind the Glass: Turnbull turns it up - The Ice Garden
Blayre Turnbull, Rachel Llanes, and Fanuza Kadirova all had big weeks

ZhHL (Russia) The Newcomers: KRS Vanke Rays Shenzhen in 2019-20 | CONWAY'S RUSSIAN HOCKEY BLOG
Time for the fifth of our 2019-20 Women's Hockey League (ZhHL) previews, and this time we will be talking about the league's newly-added eighth team, and its first from outside of Russia.

SDHL (Sweden)

SDHL standings week 3

RankTeamGPGDP
1HV7161616
2Brynäs51313
3SDE5412
4AIK509
5Luleå / MSSK538
6Djurgarden6-37
7MODO5-36
8Linkoping6-56
9Gothenburg6-104
10Leksand5-150

SDHL: Brynäs still unbeaten - beat Linköping | Aftonbladet
Today, the team’s fifth straight win came against last year’s finalist Linköping, who have lost four of five matches.

Luleå beat HV71 in SDHL - Ronja Savolainen match winner | Aftonbladet
Twelve points out of twelve possible. But HV71’s streak stopped against the reigning champions Luleå.

HV71’s Hanna Olsson on the  Damkronorna and SDHL-guldsamlingen | Aftonbladet
Damkronorna player Hanna Olsson was forced out of the SDHL after an acrimonious break-up with Djurgården. Now she is back in the women’s elite league stronger than before and she knows where she is aiming.

Vote: Goal of the Week Week 39 - SDHL.se
I would not presume to tell people how to vote, but Fanny Rask’s goal was a thing of beauty.

NCAA

Polls: USCHO - USA Today - The Ice Garden

Welcome to the 2019-20 NCAA Season Preview! - The Ice Garden
Conference previews, required readings, and more to get you ready for the college hockey season!

FIVE GOOD MINUTES: Catching Up With BC Women’s Hockey Head Coach Katie Crowley - BC Interruption
We sat down with Coach Crowley to talk about the upcoming season

2019-20 UMD women's hockey season preview: 'Pups are all grown up, though old 'Dogs will be key to consistency | Duluth News Tribune
For the first time since the program's NCAA tournament run in 2016-17, the Bulldogs don't have to rely on a large freshmen class to carry the load

Frederick column: Season-opening sweep is good sign for Minnesota State women's hockey | Local Sports | mankatofreepress.com
The Minnesota State women’s hockey team won nine games in 2018-19, continuing a show of gradual improvement in coach John Harrington’s fourth season.

Boston College Women's Hockey Beats Merrimack - The Heights
Despite losing assistant captain Delaney Belinskas to a scary injury, Boston College women's hockey ground out a 2-0 win over Merrimack on the road.

UNH women’s hockey: Stacked senior class looks to take next step
DURHAM – The University of New Hampshire women’s ice hockey team drops the puck Sunday when the Wildcats host the Franklin Pierce Ravens. After a turnaround season with multiple, long unbeaten streaks, head coach Hilary Witt, entering her sixth season...

Minnesota State women's hockey: 'Medical mystery' Antony returns for fifth season | Local Sports | mankatofreepress.com
Nothing was going to keep Emily Antony from her fifth and final season of college hockey.

U Sports

Lisa Haley to be inducted to Saint Mary’s Hall of Fame – The Eyeopener
Ryerson Rams women’s hockey head coach Lisa Haley will be inducted into Saint Mary’s University (SMU) Sport Hall of Fame, the university announced via their website.

AWIHL

Rush sign Lutz | Ice Hockey News Australia
The Adelaide Rush have announced the signing of Canadian forward Sasha Lutz for the 2019-20 AWIHL season.

2019-20 AWIHL season schedule | Ice Hockey News Australia
The Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League have released the schedule for the 2019-20 season.

NWHL

2019-2020 NWHL Signing Tracker - The Ice Garden
We’re likely to see a few more signings this week and possibly after the season starts.

Welcome to the 2019-20 NWHL season preview! - The Ice Garden
FAQs and links to get you ready for the 5th NWHL season

NWHL Preview: Buffalo Beauts
The NWHL's Buffalo Beauts, with an all-new roster, coaching staff & home rink, are preparing for the upcoming season.

NWHL Preview: Connecticut Whale
The NWHL's Connecticut Whale, with a roster filled with new players & returning skaters, a new coaching staff & home rink, are preparing for the upcoming season.

NWHL: Boston Pride Season Preview
The Boston Pride are looking to climb back to the top of the NWHL in the league's fifth season.

Men’s hockey

Cammi Granato joins Seattle franchise, becomes NHL's first female pro scout - Sportsnet.ca
The NHL’s Seattle expansion team has hired its first five pro scouts, including Cammi Granato, who becomes the first female pro scout in league history.

Women's Hockey