Penn State women’s hockey is ranked No. 14 in the USCHO preseason poll. The Nittany Lions are the only ranked CHA team heading into the 2022-23 season.

The 2022-23 preseason poll marks the second consecutive time the Nittany Lions have been ranked prior to the season. In last season’s poll, Penn State was ranked No. 9 but ended up finishing unranked.

This is the first time 15 teams have been ranked in the poll. Prior to this season, 14 teams were typically ranked. The final poll, which was released in March, featured only 12 teams.

Penn State heads into the season with a tough opening slate ahead. Following an exhibition against RIT, Jeff Kampersal’s team faces No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth in its first three games.

After a matchup at St. Lawrence, Penn State faces No. 6 Colgate and No. 15 Boston College in back-to-back series before its CHA schedule gets underway at the end of October. Following an 18-10-5 finish and a semifinal loss in the CHA tournament against Mercyhurst, Penn State will try to snap a five-year drought of advancing past the semifinals with the likes of Kiara Zanon and Josie Bothun on the roster.

Penn State’s first regular-season matchup is just under two weeks away on Thursday, September 22, at home against the No. 3 Badgers, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.