# 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season

The 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season began in September 2015 and ended with the 2016 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament's championship game in March 2016.

## Pre-season polls

The top 10 from USCHO.com, September 21, 2015, and the top 10 from USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine, First place votes are in parentheses.
USCHO.com :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Minnesota (15) |
| 2 | Boston College |
| 3 | Wisconsin |
| 4 | Harvard |
| 5 | Clarkson |
| 6 | North Dakota |
| 7 | Quinnipiac |
| 8 | Boston University |
| 9 | Bemidji State |
| 10 | Cornell |
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Minnesota (19) |
| 2 | Wisconsin |
| 3 | Boston College |
| 4 | Harvard |
| 5 | Clarkson |
| 6 | North Dakota |
| 7 | Quinnipiac |
| 8 | Boston University |
| 9 - tie | Northeastern |
| 9 - tie | Bemidji State |

## Regular season
### Standings

2015–16 College Hockey America standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Mercyhurst†* | 20 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 55 | 26 | 35 | 19 | 11 | 5 | 92 | 74 |
| Syracuse | 20 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 56 | 28 | 36 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 96 | 77 |
| Penn State | 20 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 33 | 35 | 37 | 12 | 19 | 6 | 65 | 76 |
| Robert Morris | 20 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 18 | 52 | 57 | 38 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 108 | 97 |
| Lindenwood | 20 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 31 | 46 | 37 | 9 | 24 | 4 | 64 | 102 |
| RIT | 20 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 25 | 60 | 36 | 8 | 27 | 1 | 51 | 108 |
| Championship: Mercyhurst † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Current rankings: USCHO.com Division I women's poll |||||||||||||||
* Rankings based on number of wins in the conference
2015–16 Division I Independents standingsvte :
| | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Sacred Heart | 27 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 68 | 60 |
2015–16 ECAC Hockey standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #5 Quinnipiac†* | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 36 | 70 | 18 | 38 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 118 | 35 |
| #4 Clarkson | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 33 | 78 | 30 | 40 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 140 | 54 |
| #7 Princeton | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 30 | 67 | 41 | 33 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 102 | 61 |
| #8 Colgate | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 29 | 58 | 49 | 38 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 109 | 86 |
| Harvard | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 27 | 53 | 33 | 32 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 78 | 59 |
| St. Lawrence | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 23 | 45 | 47 | 38 | 17 | 15 | 6 | 93 | 98 |
| Cornell | 22 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 22 | 49 | 58 | 31 | 13 | 14 | 4 | 72 | 87 |
| Rensselaer | 22 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 21 | 38 | 49 | 34 | 10 | 17 | 7 | 62 | 80 |
| Yale | 22 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 20 | 58 | 62 | 29 | 10 | 17 | 2 | 71 | 94 |
| Dartmouth | 22 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 15 | 43 | 51 | 28 | 6 | 19 | 3 | 51 | 74 |
| Brown | 22 | 1 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 25 | 89 | 29 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 37 | 114 |
| Union | 22 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 71 | 34 | 0 | 28 | 6 | 25 | 104 |
| Championship: Quinnipiac † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Final rankings:USCHO.com Division I women's poll |||||||||||||||
2015–16 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #3 Wisconsin*† | 28 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 74 | 100 | 22 | 40 | 35 | 4 | 1 | 154 | 29 |
| #1 Minnesota | 28 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 73 | 139 | 39 | 40 | 35 | 4 | 1 | 187 | 51 |
| #10 Bemidji State | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 54 | 56 | 51 | 36 | 22 | 11 | 3 | 77 | 68 |
| #8 North Dakota | 28 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 46 | 54 | 49 | 35 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 79 | 62 |
| St. Cloud State | 28 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 34 | 44 | 88 | 35 | 13 | 18 | 4 | 63 | 115 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 28 | 10 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 67 | 84 | 37 | 15 | 21 | 1 | 90 | 109 |
| Ohio State | 28 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 58 | 110 | 36 | 10 | 25 | 1 | 80 | 134 |
| Minnesota State | 28 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 116 | 36 | 3 | 29 | 4 | 55 | 137 |
| Championship: Wisconsin † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Current rankings: USCHO.com Division I women's poll ||||||||||||||||
2015–16 WHEA standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #2 Boston College†* | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 127 | 27 | 41 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 213 | 51 |
| #6 Northeastern | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 110 | 45 | 38 | 28 | 9 | 1 | 163 | 94 |
| Boston University | 24 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 36 | 96 | 70 | 39 | 23 | 14 | 2 | 140 | 119 |
| Connecticut | 24 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 25 | 52 | 61 | 37 | 17 | 15 | 5 | 82 | 93 |
| New Hampshire | 24 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 51 | 75 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 1 | 79 | 117 |
| Vermont | 24 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 15 | 47 | 77 | 37 | 9 | 25 | 3 | 64 | 121 |
| Providence | 24 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 44 | 88 | 36 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 72 | 136 |
| Maine | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 13 | 40 | 75 | 35 | 10 | 23 | 2 | 61 | 105 |
| Merrimack | 24 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 33 | 82 | 34 | 5 | 26 | 3 | 57 | 124 |
| Championship: Boston College † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Current rankings: USCHO.com Division I women's poll |||||||||||||||
*Rankings based on number of wins in the conference

## Player stats
### Scoring leaders

The following players lead the NCAA in points at the conclusion of games played on March 24, 2016.
| Player | Class | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
| Alex Carpenter | Senior | Boston College | 41 | 43 | 45 | 88 |
| Kendall Coyne | Senior | Northeastern | 37 | 50 | 34 | 84 |
| Haley Skarupa | Senior | Boston College | 41 | 35 | 44 | 79 |
| Dani Cameranesi | Junior | Minnesota | 40 | 33 | 35 | 68 |
| Hannah Brandt | Senior | Minnesota | 38 | 25 | 39 | 64 |
| Denisa Křížová | Sophomore | Northeastern | 37 | 20 | 39 | 59 |
| Annie Pankowski | Sophomore | Wisconsin | 40 | 22 | 36 | 58 |
| Sarah Potomak | Freshman | Minnesota | 38 | 15 | 39 | 54 |
| Taylar Cianfarano | Sophomore | Quinnipiac | 37 | 28 | 24 | 52 |
| Megan Keller | Sophomore | Boston College | 41 | 12 | 40 | 52 |

### Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders lead the NCAA in goals against average at the conclusion of games played on March 24, 2016 while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.
| Player | Class | Team | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Ann-Renee Desbiens | Junior | Wisconsin | 38 | 2279:18 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 21 | .960 | 0.76 |
| Sydney Rossman | Junior | Quinnipiac | 38 | 2342:10 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 35 | 16 | .949 | 0.90 |
| Katie Burt | Sophomore | Boston College | 36 | 2096:49 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 13 | .943 | 1.23 |
| Amanda Leveille | Senior | Minnesota | 34 | 1957:32 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 42 | 10 | .942 | 1.29 |
| Shea Tiley | Sophomore | Clarkson | 36 | 2090:50 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 46 | 12 | .931 | 1.32 |