The NCAA Division I Competition Oversight Committee on Wednesday approved expanding the national women’s hockey brackets for the NCAA tournament.
The bracket will expand from eight to 11 teams, but the Women’s Ice Hockey Committee has yet to decide whether the new bracket format will be implemented in 2022 or 2023.
Once the committee makes a final recommendations on format, it will be shared with the competition oversight committee and the Division I Council for final approval.
Women’s Ice Hockey Committee members will decide the best way to conduct the tournament with an 11-team field and all the logistics it entails.
By expanding the bracket, the championship will be in line with the men’s national championship in terms of number of teams eligible.
Currently, 41 schools sponsor women’s hockey. With 11 teams in the bracket, 27 percent of the teams will have a shot at the tournament. Division I men’s hockey is sponsored by 60 schools, with a 16-team field (also 27 percent) getting to play for a national championship.
