Story of the week

CWHL, NWHL preseason exhibition schedules - The Ice Garden

Buffalo Beauts release preseason schedule - Die By The Blade

Is it time for Real Hockey yet? (voices from over the Atlantic “Yes!”) Okay but like, real hockey we can watch on a regular basis and in our time zones? (It’s all about us, you see.)

Not quite, but it is pre-season! Where the games don’t count but the hockey is starting to look like the real thing and we get our first looks at some brand-new lineups. Or, in some cases, some possible new lineups.

The NWHL season starts the weekend of (Canadian) Thanksgiving and the CWHL gets going the weekend after that. In the meantime, there will be lots of pro team vs pro team and pro team vs college team action for those of you who are local to an NWHL or CWHL team and even for some of you who aren’t. The Ice Garden has helpfully compiled a comprehensive list of pre-season games and some of them are fairly far afield of the teams’ home rinks.

Pre-season is fun because lineups and/or line combinations are still kind of fluid, the number of “away” games mean fans who are less local get to see some kick-ass hockey, and often games are cheaper than normal, or even free.

Sometimes old jerseys get hauled out as numbers shift and new gear has yet to arrive. You’ll see rookies with their college gloves or pants or pads that entirely clash with their new team’s jerseys. If you like to be able to say you saw the first such-and-such (like Annie did in her preview last season), a pre-season game is where it’s at.

The jersey issue and the farther-flung games can sometimes make covering women’s hockey challenging in the pre-season. There’s a lot of taking notes frantically and noting that “player 14” looked good without the faintest idea of who player 14 was, unless she scored.

Still, the best thing about pre-season hockey is that it means the Real Thing is just around the corner!

CWHL

Teaching moments abound for journeywoman goalie Kelsey Neumann

Buffalo ESL teacher Kelsey Neumann hopes her "other" career will soon impel her to swap roles and learn French as a goalie for Les Canadiennes de Montreal.

Noémie Marin and Cathy Chartrand among eight Canadiennes to announce retirement - Eyes On The Prize

The all-time leading CWHL goal-scorer and scoring defender among players to not return this season.

CWHL News: 2018-19 CWHL season tickets are on sale now! - Pension Plan Puppets

You can see the Clarkson Cup champions for $12.50 a game.

Y’all. These sweet graphics have been newly installed outside of a locker room at @HARBORCTR. The @BuffaloBeauts season is coming. #NWHL pic.twitter.com/Zo4MBxrwIW — Melissa Burgess (@_MelissaBurgess) September 16, 2018

NWHL

2018 NWHL Free Agency Tracker - The Ice Garden

Your convenient one-stop shop for all the NWHL signing news. Some rosters are already full!

Key players missing from Beauts’ roster - Die By The Blade

Is Kourtney Kunichika done for good?

NWHL MVP Alexa Gruschow Re-Signs with Metropolitan Riveters - The Ice Garden

The NWHL’s reigning MVP is back

Whitecaps partner with TRIA in historic three-year deal - The Ice Garden

The NWHL has its first team-specific sponsorship deal

Women’s Hockey Analytics Primer - The Ice Garden

Let’s talk about stats, baby

I’m honestly overwhelmed at the amount of @NWHL @BuffaloBeauts gear currently in stock at @SabresStore. This is just a small sample & it’s all quite... beautiful. pic.twitter.com/i1J1veYMeH — Melissa Burgess (@_MelissaBurgess) September 18, 2018

European club hockey

HV71’s Sabina Eriksson Hurt, Alba Gonzalo Returns - The Ice Garden

Changes in HV71’s net as Eriksson’s season is over.

Big bang for Linköping against Leksand | Aftonbladet

Last year’s final team Linköping drove to Leeksand - just the day after the team won the same team with 3-2.

Luleå Hockeys Ebba Berglund has dislocated her jaw 65 times | Aftonbladet

She was in the final against Luleå last year.

Agidel makes immediate statement - The Ice Garden

In a rematch of last year’s Russian final, Agidel showed Tornado that they were still the queens of Russian women’s hockey

International hockey

After leading host nation Korea in the 2018 Olympic Games, netminder Sojung Shin says goodbye to hockey - The Ice Garden

She made her Olympic dreams come true, what comes next might be just as magical!

China’s Olympic dream

Kunlun women’s GM talks of building toward 2022 (nb: Rob Morgan has since accepted a coaching position in the NCAA but this is a very illuminating interview)

Meet Gina Kingsbury, the manager tasked with re-establishing Canada as the dominant power in women’s hockey – The Athletic (SUBSCRIPTION)

Managing a national team is a massive undertaking at the best of times, but Canada faces some unique challenges as Kingsbury settles in.

NCAA

Poll: USCHO

NCAA Highlight: Kelly Pannek

In December 2016, Kelly Pannek had never been invited to a senior camp with USA Hockey. Fifteen months later, she won an Olympic gold medal.

The Ice Garden’s NCAA Fantasy Hockey Strategy Guide - The Ice Garden

Note: this guide is not guaranteed to be useful.

College women’s hockey: UMD’s Rooney named WCHA Preseason Player of the Year; team picked fourth | Duluth News Tribune

The puck has yet to drop on the 2018-19 women’s college hockey season, but Minnesota Duluth goaltender Maddie Rooney is already garnering honors.

Para ice hockey

Canada announce women’s Para ice hockey team

Eleven return from 2017 roster following impressive World Cup

U Sports

Women’s hockey lose against UOttawa in frosh week game – The Charlatan, Carleton's independent newspaper

Carleton Ravens women’s hockey head coach Pierre Alain called his team’s frosh week game against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees a “great feeling” despite the 4-1 defeat.

Reds Win - University of New Brunswick

The returning UNB Reds women’s hockey team found their offence and the win column on Sunday.

Women’s hockey media

The IX: Hockey Friday with Erica L. Ayala, September 14, 2018

Interview with Melissa Burgess of Victory Press / the WHMA.