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The history of women's ice hockey in the United States can be traced back to the early 20th century. In the 1920s, the Seattle Vamps competed in various hockey tournaments. In 1916, the United States hosted an international hockey tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, that featured Canadian and American women’s hockey teams. In February 1921, Frank Patrick announced a women's international championship series that would be played in conjunction with the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. The three teams that competed were the Vancouver Amazons, Victoria Kewpies, and Seattle Vamps at the Banff Winter Carnival International Hockey Tournament. After the 1921 season, the Vamps and the Kewpies ceased operations.

AWCHA
In 1997-98, the American Women's College Hockey Alliance debuted. It was a program funded through the [USOC]/NCAA Conference Grant Program. The AWCHA organized and developed activities with collegiate women's varsity ice hockey teams, and helped to promote women's ice hockey at all NCAA levels. The first AWCHA Division I National Ice Hockey Championship was held in March 1998. The New Hampshire Wildcats defeated the Brown Bears by a 4-1 score, to become the first recognized national champion in women's college ice hockey. In the 1999-2000 seasons, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) joined the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) as the second league in the nation to offer women's Division I competition.

There were two more AWCHA National Championships and then the NCAA became involved. In August 2000, the NCAA announced it would hold its first Division I Women's Ice Hockey National Championship. The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs captured the first NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Championship, defeating the St. Lawrence Skating Saints by a 4-2 tally on March 25, 2001.

In September of 2001, athletic directors voted to found the new women's league under the existing Hockey East banner, with play scheduled to begin no later than the 2004-05 season. The five schools with varsity programs varsity programs for women: Boston College, Maine, New Hampshire, Northeastern and Providence began league action in the fall of 2002.

ECAC/IVY LEAGUE
In 1964, the Brown Bears men's coach Jim Fullerton arranged for Nancy Schieffelin to attend a team practice. She was an experienced player and came to the practice disguised in full uniform. A year later, [Brown University] would have the first women's ice hockey program. The team was known as the Pembroke Pandas. The Pandas would have to borrow equipment, and sell hockey rule sheets at the Bears men's games to raise money for equipment. In February 1966, the Pandas [Brown Bears women’s ice hockey] team played their first game. Against the Walpole Brooms, the club lost by a 4-1 score.

In 1967 Brown became the first school in the nation with a women’s college ice hockey team.

The Cornell women's hockey program was started in 1971. It would only be in 1972 that the team would play its first game.

[Yale University] debuted its women’s ice hockey program on December 9, 1975. Its first match was versus Choate-Rosemary Hall. The Bulldogs prevailed by a 5-3 tally. Two years later, the Bulldogs hockey program would attain varsity status.

In 1976, Brown would host the first ever [Ivy League] women's ice hockey tournament. The other competing schools were Cornell, Princeton and Yale. The Big Red would win the tournament.

[Dartmouth College] would welcome women’s ice hockey on January 7, 1978. The Big Green would defeat Middlebury by a 6-5 score.

In the 1978-79 season, the [Harvard Crimson] would ice a women’s team. Their first game was a 17-0 defeat at the hands of the Providence Friars women's ice hockey program. In 1998-99, the Crimson finished with a record of 33-1. Of the 31 wins, the Crimson won 30 consecutive games to close the season. In the previous season, the Crimson went 14-16-0. The final game of that 30 game streak was a 6-5 overtime victory over the New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockey program in the AWCHA national championship game.

On November 24, 1979, the [Princeton Tigers] played their first varsity game against the [University of Pennsylvania]. In winter of 1982, Princeton would snap the Cornell Big Red women's ice hockey program's string of six straight Ivy League titles.

Information
During the 1999-2000 season, [Western Collegiate Hockey Association] ( WCHA) joins Eastern College Athletic Conference ( ECAC) to try to create an American national collegial women ice hockey league. Twenty two teams are contacted. In August, 2000, the NCAA announces that it will set up a national division of women ice hockey with a national championship at the end of every season. The first season takes place of the autumn, 2000 to spring, 2001. March 25, 2001, the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs gain the first NCAA division I Women Championship by a victory 4-2 against St. Lawrence Skating Saints. The annual NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship tournaments determine the top women's ice hockey teams in NCAA Division I and Division III. Women's ice hockey does not have a Division II classification. Under NCAA rules, Division II schools are allowed to compete as Division I members in sports that offer championships only in Divisions I and III. The official name of the "Division I" tournament is the National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship, which reflects the NCAA's formal terminology for championship events that are open to schools from multiple divisions. This tournament is a single elimination competition of eight teams (seven for Division III) that has determined the women's collegiate national champion since 2000-01, when the NCAA began sponsoring the sport. The semi-finals and finals are called the "Women's Frozen Four." This moniker is similar to the name used by the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship. The term is derived from the term "final four."

Division I
In all, 34 schools in the United States, ranging from the Midwest to the East Coast, sponsor varsity women's hockey. Four Division I conferences currently exist—College Hockey America, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East, and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. With a 30+ game schedule, competing for conference and national championships, NCAA Division I women’s hockey is a demanding and extremely challenging season.

Division III
As of the 2011-2012 season, there were 49 teams competing in NCAA Division III women’s hockey in five conferences. In addition, there were three colleges who are not in Division III who compete primarily against Division 3 schools (and participate in a Division III conference), bringing the total number of teams competing in regular season play to 52 schools (there is one Division 1 team, and two Division 2 teams who play predominantly Division 3 schedules). Many NCAA Division III schools are smaller than NCAA Division 1 colleges, though size is not the determining factor. There is a mix of private colleges and public colleges (and universities) among the NCAA Division III schools.

Connecticut Polar Bears
The [Connecticut Polar Bears] are an ice hockey league for girls under the age of 19 in Connecticut. In 1985, Maurice FitzMaurice’s daughter Marnie wanted the opportunity to play ice hockey among girls. FitzMaurice and a few other fathers decided to organize a Pee Wee Girls program. The result was the Connecticut Polar Bears. Since its beginnings, FitzMaurice has been the President of the Polar Bears. He was also one of the organizers of one of the largest Christmas tournaments in North America. In 2007, the tournament hosted about 275 teams. The program has produced numerous Olympians, including: Julie Chu, Jaime Hagerman, Hillary Knight, Sue Merz, Angela Ruggiero, Sarah Vaillancourt.

Assabet Valley
Assabet Valley Girls Ice Hockey Program out of Concord Massachusetts began in 1970 and has won over 40 USA Hockey National Championships. A similar program to the Connecticut Polar Bears, the two teams have dominated the USA nationals since the mid 1990’s. Numerous teams formed throughout the country and helped bring women’s hockey to a highly competitive level.

Beanpot
Beanpot is one of the longest-running women’s tournaments in all of college sports is the annual Beanpot. The Tuesday’s after each men’s Beanpot round are when Boston’s women’s teams battle for bragging rights. The first Beanpot game played with women’s teams was in 1979. Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern compete each year.

Patty Kazmaier Award
In 1998, the Patty Kazmaier Award was introduced. The award is named after former [Princeton Tigers] player Patty Kazmaier. The first-ever Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, annually recognizing the nation’s top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey, is handed out in Boston to [University of New Hampshire] forward Brandy Fisher. The Patty Kazmaier is known to be one of the most prestigious awards and is an honor to even be considered.

Sarah Devens Award
In 1995 ECAC creates the Sarah Devens award named in honor of former Dartmouth player. The award goes to the player who demonstrates leadership and commitment on and off the ice.

Joe Burke Award
The Joe Burke Award was established in 1994. It is presented annually to the person who has given outstanding contribution, support, and dedication to women’s ice hockey. Joe Burke was a Dedham resident but never actually played the game himself. The first game he attended was the University of New Hampshire and Boston College in 1978 at McHugh Forum. Since that game, Burke has been at every major Girls/Women hockey event in the New England area.

Laura Hurd Award
The Laura Hurd Award is given to the AHCA Women’s Ice Hockey College Player of the Year.

Timeline of events

 * 1920s: College teams form in both the U.S. and Canada.
 * 1940s-50s: World War II slows the growth of the women’s game as many women turn their attention to working and supporting their families. The growth of men’s professional hockey also hurt the women’s game.
 * 1967: Brown University forms first women’s college ice hockey team
 * 1971: Cornell forms first women’s college ice hockey team
 * 1975: Yale forms first women’s college ice hockey team
 * 1976: Brown hosted the first ever Ivy League women's ice hockey tournament
 * 1978: Dartmouth forms first women’s college ice hockey team
 * 1978: Harvard forms first women’s college ice hockey team
 * 1979-80: New Hampshire wins the first ECAC women’s intercollegiate title.
 * 1979: The first women’s Beanpot Tournament is won by Northeastern over Boston College
 * 1980: The Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (known today as USA Hockey) hosts the first National Championships for girls’ pee wee and midget divisions.
 * 1981: Senior women are included in USA Hockey’s National Championships. Assabet Valley, Mass., wins the Senior A National Championship, while Cape Cod, Mass., winning the Senior B crown.
 * 1984: The ECAC hosts the first collegiate women’s postseason tournament
 * 1984: The Providence Friars women’s hockey program wins the inaugural Eastern College Athletic Conference Women’s Championship.
 * 1990: The first IIHF Women’s World Championship is held in Ottawa. Bodychecking is allowed but becomes illegal in future Women’s World Championships.
 * 1990: On Nov. 17, the International Olympic Committee announces that it will include women’s ice hockey as a full medal sport beginning in 2002. The IOC gives the organizers of the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway, and the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan, the option of including women’s ice hockey on their programs. Norway declines, but Japan accepts to showcase the Olympic debut of women’s ice hockey.
 * 1993: Women’s hockey is included at the U.S. Olympic Festival for the first time ever. The festival is held in San Antonio, Texas and the US women’s team defeats Canada in a two-game series for the gold medal.
 * 1994: The third IIHF Women’s World Championship is held in the United States for the first time. The venue is Lake Placid, New York. Canada wins the gold medal game by a 6-3 mark against the U.S. Finland defeats China, 8-1, to finish third once again.
 * 1995: ECAC creates the Sarah Devens award named in honor of former Dartmouth player. The award goes to the player who demonstrates leadership and commitment on and off the ice. (ecac.com/women/history)
 * 1995: On March 25, Apple Valley High School defeats the South St. Paul Packers, 2-0, to become the first Minnesota girls’ state high school champion.
 * 1996 June 3, Ben Smith of Gloucester, Mass., is named the first-ever head coach of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team.
 * 1998: The late Patty Kazmaier played for the Princeton Tigers. An award for the best player in women's college hockey is named in her honor.

Olympics
In July 1992, the IOC voted to approve women's hockey as an Olympic event; it was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics in [Nagano]. The Nagano Organizing Committee was hesitant to include the event because of the additional costs of staging the tournament, but an agreement was reached that limited the field to six teams, and ensured that no additional facilities would be built. Before 1998, women's hockey had been dominated by Canada. Canadian teams had won every World Championship up to that point; however, by 1997, the American team had improved and was evenly matched with Canada. In thirteen games played between the two teams in 1997, Canada won seven and the United States won six. The 1998 Olympic tournament also included teams from Finland, Sweden, China and host Japan. Canada and the United States dominated the round-robin portion. In their head-to-head match, the United States overcame a 4–1 deficit to win 7–4. The two teams met in the final, which the United States won 3–1 to become the third American ice hockey team to win Olympic gold.

The Canadian and American teams have dominated the event, typically losing only to each other. The United States won the first tournament in 1998, while Canada won in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.