2026 Atlantic Hockey America Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

2026 AHA Women's ice hockey tournament
2026 AHA Women's ice hockey tournament
	Tournament logo
Dates	February 19 – March 7, 2026
Teams	7
Finals site	Pegula Ice Arena; University Park, Pennsylvania
Champions	Penn State Nittany Lions (2nd title)
Winning coach	Jeff Kampersal (2nd title)
MVP	Tessa Janecke (Penn State)
	AHA Women's Ice Hockey Tournaments ← 2025 2027 →

The 2026 Atlantic Hockey America Tournament was the 2nd edition of the AHA Tournament. It was played between February 19 and March 7, 2026. Penn State enters the tournament as the defending champions.

The Penn State Nittany Lions defended their championship by defeating the Mercyhurst Lakers by a score of 3–2. Penn State earned the conferences automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament.

Format

The tournament includes all seven teams in the conference. Teams were ranked according to their finish in the conference standings. As the two lowest seeds from the regular season, Delaware and Robert Morris will play a single-elimination game in the first round, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals.^[1]^[2] The game will be played on Lindenwood's campus, with Lindenwood playing and hosting the winner of the first-round game.^[3] The second quarterfinal game will be a five-four matchup. Both quarterfinal games are single elimination. The two highest seeds receive a bye into the semifinals and will host a best-of-three series with the winners from the quarterfinals.^[4]^[5] As Penn State finished as the regular-season champions, they will host the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals. The championship takes place on March 7, 2026, at the site of the higher seed from the two quarterfinal games. The tournament champion will receive an automatic bid into the 2026 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament.^[6]

Standings

2025–26 Atlantic Hockey America standings
	Conference							Overall
	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#3 Penn State †*	24	22	2	0	68	117	27	39	33	6	0	165	54
#12 Mercyhurst	24	17	5	2	49	85	42	37	23	11	3	117	73
RIT	24	11	13	0	34	71	67	34	16	18	0	100	88
Lindenwood	24	11	12	1	35	67	78	37	14	21	2	95	119
Syracuse	24	10	11	3	33	44	66	37	15	18	4	69	106
Robert Morris	24	8	14	2	28	52	73	36	13	21	2	82	102
Delaware	24	1	23	0	5	24	107	33	2	31	0	35	141
Championship: March 7, 2026 † indicates conference regular season champion; * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com; updated March 20, 2026

Bracket


First Round February 19			Quarterfinals February 21			Semifinals February 27 - March 1					Championship March 7



						3	Lindenwood	1	2	—

			6	Robert Morris	1	2	Mercyhurst	2	3**	—

7	Delaware	2	3	Lindenwood	3						2	Mercyhurst	2

6	Robert Morris	3*									1	Penn State	3

						5	Syracuse	0	1	—

			5	Syracuse	4**	1	Penn State	7	2	—

			4	RIT	3

Note: each * denotes one overtime period

Results

First Round

(7) Delaware vs. (6) Robert Morris

February 19, 2026
2:00 PM

Delaware

2-3
(1–0, 1–1, 0–1)
OT: (0–1)

Robert Morris

Centene Community Ice Center, St. Charles, Missouri
Attendance: 42

^{[Game reference 1]}

Charlotte Payne

Goalies

Maggie Hatch

Referees:
Christopher Binkley
Richard Palo
Linesmen:
Andy Zawada
Sean Fitzpatrick

Finnegan (Barresi, Smith) – pp - 2:18	1–0
Barresi (Finnegan, Borg) – 20:53	2–0
	2–1	32:33 – Giampietro (Giannone, Misner)
	2–2	52:15 – pp – Giannone (Desjardins, Schooley)
	2–3	66:12 – MacKinnon (Goding, Giampietro)

4 min

Penalties

4 min

21

Shots

50

Quarterfinals

(6) Robert Morris at (3) Lindenwood

February 21, 2026
11:45 AM

Robert Morris

1-3
(0-0, 1-2, 0-1)

Lindenwood

Centene Community Ice Center, St. Charles, Missouri
Attendance: 101

^{[Game reference 2]}

Maggie Hatch

Goalies

Madison Botwell

Referees:
Christopher Binkley
Andrew Bethmann
Linesmen:
Andy Zawada
Sean Fitzpatrick

	0-1	23:12 – Pazmandi (Paulinyova)
Giannone (MacKinnon, Schooley) – 27:12	1-1
	1-2	35:38 – Gundersen (Henderson, Blichova)
	1-3	57:57 - en – Paulinyova (Blichova)

4 min

Penalties

21 min

32

Shots

2

(5) Syracuse at (4) RIT

February 21, 2026
3:00 PM

Syracuse

4-3
(1-1, 1-0, 1-2)
OT: (0–0, 1-0)

RIT

Gene Polisseni Center, Rochester, New York
Attendance: 713

^{[Game reference 3]}

Ava Drabyk

Goalies

Brenna McNamara

Referees:
Todd Plouffe
Aaron Alexin
Linesmen:
Seamus Andrew
Nichola Romano

Blouin (Armstrong) – 11:32	1-0
	1-1	16:17 – Keraenen (Buziak, Stein)
Armstrong (Blouin, Gendron) – 26:40	2-1
Armstrong (Gnade, Gendron) – 45:52	3-1
	3-2	48:36 – Ashe (Ziotas, Urbach)
	3-3	49:04 – Rulle (Kelley, Alvarez)
Gnade (Armstrong, Blouin) – 83:24	4-3

2 min

Penalties

2 min

30

Shots

31

Semifinals

(5) Syracuse at (1) Penn State

February 27, 2026
6:00 PM

Syracuse

0–7
(0–2, 0–3, 0–3)

Penn State

Pegula Ice Arena, University Park, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 924

^{[Game reference 4]}

Ava Drabyk
Bella Gould

Goalies

Katie DeSa

Referees:
Christopher Binkley
Mackenzie Gaydosh
Linesmen:
Ashley Johnston
Seamus Andrew

	0–1	13:29 – Janecke (Stonehouse, Maynard)
	0–2	15:03 – Fantin
	0–3	31:41 – Vaslet (Butze, Fantin)
	0–4	37:16 – pp – Janecke (Stecker, Butze)
	0–5	43:04 – pp – Janecke (Keller, Morrow)
	0–6	48:14 – Hall (Fantin)
	0–7	51:48 – Stonehouse

21 min

Penalties

8 min

16

Shots

36

February 28, 2026
3:00 PM

Syracuse

1–2
(0–1, 1–1, 0–0)

Penn State

Pegula Ice Arena, University Park, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 862

^{[Game reference 5]}

Ava Drabyk

Goalies

Katie DeSa

Referees:
Christopher Binkley
Mackenzie Gaydosh
Linesmen:
Ashley Johnston
Seamus Andrew

	0–1	15:00 – Janecke (Roberts)
Kinsler (Costabile) – pp – 25:48	1–1
	1–2	38:49 – pp – Stonehouse (Outwater, Maynard)

10 min

Penalties

4 min

16

Shots

30

(3) Lindenwood at (2) Mercyhurst

February 27, 2026
3:00 PM

Lindenwood

1–2
(1–1, 0–0, 0–1)

Mercyhurst

Mercyhurst Ice Center, Erie, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 689

^{[Game reference 6]}

Madison Botwell

Goalies

Magdalena Luggin

Referees:
Nate Shemo
Erica D'Errico
Linesmen:
Andy Zawada
Nicholas Romano

	0–1	3:22 - Perjus (McKinley)
Paulinyova (Pazmandi, Blichova) – 18:09	1–1
	1–2	54:29 – pp - Perjus (Alenius, Evans)

6 min

Penalties

4 min

23

Shots

36

February 28, 2026
1:00 PM

Lindenwood

2–3 2OT
(1–0, 1–1, 0–1)
OT: (0–0, 0-1)

Mercyhurst

Mercyhurst Ice Center, Erie, Pennsylvania

^{[Game reference 7]}

Madison Bowtell

Goalies

Magdalena Luggin

Referees:
Nate Shemo
Erica D'Errico
Linesmen:
Andy Zawada
Nicholas Romano

Gundersen – 00:23	1–0
Gundersen (Dunne-Weeks) – 23:26	2–0
	2–1	26:38 – Alenius (Nuutinen, Metzler)
	2–2	53:43 – Poitras (Donegan)
	2–3	87:35 – Lolacher (Maisonneuve, VanNetten)

4 min

Penalties

8 min

28

Shots

43

Championship

(2) Mercyhurst at (1) Penn State

March 7, 2026
2:00 PM

Mercyhurst

2–3
(0–1, 0–2, 2–0)

Penn State

Pegula Ice Arena, University Park, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 1,246

^{[Game reference 8]}

Magdalena Luggin

Goalies

Katie DeSa

Referees:
Christopher Binkley
Mackenzie Gaydosh
Linesmen:
Ashley Johnston
Andy Zawada

	0–1	10:40 – Vaslet (Fantin)
	0–2	32:24 – Hall (Morrow, Stecker)
	0–3	37:54 – pp – Roberts (Janecke)
Poitras – 43:45	1–3
Lolacher (Schalin) – 58:41	2–3

23 min

Penalties

19 min

31

Shots

33

Note: all times eastern

Tournament Awards

All-Tournament Team

F: Tessa Janecke* (Penn State)
F: Matilde Fantin (Penn State)
F: Peyton Armstrong (Syracuse)
D: Kendall Butze (Penn State)
D: Abby Poitras (Mercyhurst)
G: Katie DeSa (Penn State)

* Most Outstanding Player^[7]

References

^ "Ice Hockey to Play Robert Morris in AHA Championship First Round". University of Delaware Athletics. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
^ "Colonials Drop Regular Season Finale in High-Scoring Affair". Robert Morris University Athletics. February 14, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
^ "Women's Hockey Sweeps Robert Morris; Will Host AHA Playoff Game Next Weekend". Lindenwood University Athletics. February 14, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
^ "No. 4 Nittany Lions Bounce Back with Win over RIT to Finish Regular Season". Penn State - Official Athletics Website. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
^ "No. 13 Women's Hockey Blanks Syracuse 7-0 on Senior Day; Bach Makes 31 Saves in Shutout". Mercyhurst University Athletics. February 14, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
^ "2026 Atlantic Hockey America Women's Postseason - Atlantic Hockey America". atlantichockeyamerica.com. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
^ "AHA Women's Final Frame (March 7, 2026)". atlantichockeyamerica.com. March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.

Game references

^ "Delaware vs. Robert Morris". rmucolonials.com. Robert Morris University. February 19, 2026. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
^ "Robert Morris at Lindenwood". lindenwoodlions.com. Lindenwood University. February 21, 2026. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
^ "Syracuse at RIT". cuse.com. Syracuse University. February 21, 2026. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
^ "Syracuse vs Penn State". cuse.com. Syracuse University. February 27, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
^ "Syracuse vs Penn State". cuse.com. Syracuse University. February 28, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
^ "Lindenwood at Mercyhurst". hurstathletics.com. Mercyhurst University. February 27, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
^ "Lindenwood at Mercyhurst". hurstathletics.com. Mercyhurst University. February 28, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
^ "Mercyhurst at Penn State". gopsusports.com. Penn State University. March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 13, 2026.

[1] "Ice Hockey to Play Robert Morris in AHA Championship First Round". University of Delaware Athletics. Retrieved February 17, 2026.

[2] "Colonials Drop Regular Season Finale in High-Scoring Affair". Robert Morris University Athletics. February 14, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.

[3] "Women's Hockey Sweeps Robert Morris; Will Host AHA Playoff Game Next Weekend". Lindenwood University Athletics. February 14, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.

[4] "No. 4 Nittany Lions Bounce Back with Win over RIT to Finish Regular Season". Penn State - Official Athletics Website. Retrieved February 17, 2026.

[5] "No. 13 Women's Hockey Blanks Syracuse 7-0 on Senior Day; Bach Makes 31 Saves in Shutout". Mercyhurst University Athletics. February 14, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.

[6] "2026 Atlantic Hockey America Women's Postseason - Atlantic Hockey America". atlantichockeyamerica.com. Retrieved February 17, 2026.

[15] "AHA Women's Final Frame (March 7, 2026)". atlantichockeyamerica.com. March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.

[7] "Delaware vs. Robert Morris". rmucolonials.com. Robert Morris University. February 19, 2026. Retrieved February 19, 2026.

[8] "Robert Morris at Lindenwood". lindenwoodlions.com. Lindenwood University. February 21, 2026. Retrieved February 21, 2026.

[9] "Syracuse at RIT". cuse.com. Syracuse University. February 21, 2026. Retrieved February 22, 2026.

[10] "Syracuse vs Penn State". cuse.com. Syracuse University. February 27, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.

[11] "Syracuse vs Penn State". cuse.com. Syracuse University. February 28, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.

[12] "Lindenwood at Mercyhurst". hurstathletics.com. Mercyhurst University. February 27, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.

[13] "Lindenwood at Mercyhurst". hurstathletics.com. Mercyhurst University. February 28, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.

[14] "Mercyhurst at Penn State". gopsusports.com. Penn State University. March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 13, 2026.

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