Story of the week

Boston College Men’s & Women’s Hockey Home Games To Be Broadcast On ESPN3 - BC Interruption
BC hockey games will now be broadcast nationally

When I first read this story, I got extremely excited, because I thought this meant I would get to watch Boston College’s excellent women’s team for free.

It turns out that using WatchESPN requires a cable subscription, so while this will not benefit me, this is still a win for fans of good women’s hockey. BC women’s games used to be available through an expensive subscription service, but ESPN3 is a national media platform that a lot of people can already access without shelling out extra cash.

As has been discussed in the context of women’s pro hockey, broadcasting deals are one of the biggest and best ways to grow a sport that still holds “niche” status in much of the US. Earlier this year, it was announced that the Big Ten Network would be airing the Women’s Frozen Four live on TV, starting in 2018. This deal is another step in the right direction.

While Megan Keller and Kali Flanagan will be taking next year off to compete in some tournament in February or something, Boston College is still going to be a force to be reckoned with next year. They have one of the best goaltenders in the country in senior Katie Burt, a forward corps that includes two-sport sensation Kenzie Kent, former WHEA Rookie of the Year Makenna Newkirk, and rising sophomores Caitrin Lonergan and Delaney Belinskas (who were plenty scary as freshmen). As for incoming recruits, 2017 Team USA U18 captain Cayla Barnes will be making her NCAA debut at BC this fall. Barnes won Best Defenseman at U18s in both 2016 and 2017, has three U18 gold medals, and was invited to USA Hockey’s 42-player Team Selection Camp for the 2018 Olympics.

These young women are going to play some fantastic hockey this year, and thanks to a new broadcast deal, a lot more people will be able to watch them. That’s unquestionably a win in my book, whether or not it benefits me personally.

NCAA

Gophers Tabbed as League Favorite :: University of Minnesota Official Athletic Site ::
Minnesota has been named the WCHA's preseason favorite heading into the 2017-18 season.

Women’s Hockey Announces Addition of Lucy Schoedel to Coaching Staff - Harvard
Schoedel is a 2010 graduate of the Syracuse University women's ice hockey program and heads to Cambridge wielding coaching experience from the high school, collegiate, national and international levels.

Women's Hockey Top 25 Under 25 | Number 19 - Dani Cameranesi - The Ice Garden
The terrific teens start off with a Golden Gopher

SDHL (Sweden)

SDHL Week One: Luleå’s Iron Streak, MODO’s Offensive Firepower - The Ice Garden
Four games in four days? No problem.

International hockey

S. Korea women's hockey team to play friendlies with NCAA teams
South Korea's women's national ice hockey team will play friendly games with top college teams in the United States starting next week, the sport's national governing body said Friday.

Hurricane Irma: U.S. women's team uses it to bond
Team USA was hunkered down for 22 1/2 hours and came out of the storm safe.

CWHL

Les Canadiennes play ball hockey, sign autographs ahead of upcoming season - Montreal | Globalnews.ca
Les Canadiennes played ball hockey and signed autographs on Saturday, ahead of their upcoming season.

Les Canadiennes unveil new home arena - Eyes On The Prize
The team expects to announce their long-term development plan this month

Des Canadiennes prêtes à en découdre - TVA Sports
Les Canadiennes de Montréal disputeront le premier match de leur nouvelle saison dès le 14 octobre prochain, contre les Blades de Boston.

Calgary Inferno Announce New Head Coach and Full Coaching Team - CWHL
The Calgary Inferno welcome Tomas Pacina as the Head Coach for the 2017-18 season.

Syracuse University Athletics - Former Orange Goaltender Tabbed as Assistant Coach in CWHL
Former Orange goaltender Jenesica Drinkwater ('14) was tabbed as an assistant coach for the Vanke Rays, as announced by the team on Thursday.

Markham Thunder sign free agent Karolina Urban - Pension Plan Puppets
The former Inferno forward returns to the CWHL after a three year absence

NWHL

Boston Pride sign Elizabeth Parker - The Ice Garden
The Boston Pride signed free agent forward Elizabeth Parker, sister to Mary Parker, earlier today.

New York Riveters Reload For an Isobel Cup Run
Rebecca Morse: "Fortunately, I was able to help the team when we had injuries. My goal is to earn a more consistent role in the lineup this season.

Madison Packer comes out of retirement, re-signs with Riveters - The Ice Garden
All-Star power forward Madison Packer has called off her retirement and has re-signed with the New York Riveters.

Erika Lawler signs with the Riveters - The Ice Garden
The New York Riveters surprised the world of women’s hockey today by signing 30-year-old former Olympian Erika Lawler.

Women’s Hockey Top 25 Under 25 | Number 20 - Amanda Pelkey - The Ice Garden
Vermont’s own carved out a legacy at UVM, and now she’s building one with the U.S. national team and Boston Pride

Whale sign center Sophia Agostinelli - The Ice Garden
Connecticut adds another new face and some size down the middle.

U Sports

Melodie Bouchard: « J'apprends à accepter mes erreurs » - La Rotonde
Joueuse vedette des Gee-Gees de hockey fémi­nin, élue meilleure recrue de la saison 2015–2016 et prota­go­niste de l’équipe natio­nale du Canada lors des Jeux d’hi­ver de la Fédé­ra­tion inter­na­tio­nale du sport univer­si­taire au Kaza­khs­tan, Mélo­die Bouchard a eu l’ama­bi­lité de se confier à nos micros.

Para Ice Hockey

Canada name women’s Para ice hockey squad
15 players selected to compete during 2017/18 season

AWIHL (Australia)

2017-18 AWIHL schedule released | Ice Hockey News Australia
Competition will kick off on 28 October with the Sydney Sirens hosting the Adelaide Rush in Canterbury and the Melbourne Ice taking on the Brisbane Goannas in Melbourne.

Brisbane Goannas, aka giant dinosaurs, could take over the AWIHL - The Ice Garden
You’re a lizard, Harry, and not a cute one.

AWIHL news: 12 September 2017 | Ice Hockey News Australia
Adelaide Rush - The Rush have announced the signing of Corey Smith to the position of assistant coach for the 2017-18 season.

Women’s Hockey League (Russia)

Women’s Hockey Update: September 11th, 2017 | CONWAY'S RUSSIAN HOCKEY BLOG
By this time next week, we will have Women's Hockey League regular season games to talk about!

This isn’t really a story yet but could be at some point, so linking for the reference of those that pay attention to these things. Note that Colorado doesn’t even have NCAA women’s teams, much less pro hockey to develop.

Businessman planning $6 million ice hockey arena in Castle Rock | Local | tdn.com
Castle Rock businessman Greg Meakin wants to ignite economic growth with an unusual source — ice.

Women's HockeyCanadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL)