Cornell women's hockey has a storied history, dating back to its inception in 1971. As one of the first three American schools to host women's hockey at the time, Cornell women began to make a name for themselves in spite of their inexperience. The sport began not with what one would expect: a single woman was the impetus behind creating what we now consider to be one of the most successful and historic women's hockey programs in the country.
Regina Baker '75 had always dreamed of going to Cornell and beginning a women's hockey team. After being accepted and recruiting the services of a former teacher of Baker's, Gail Murphy, Cornell women's hockey was born. Their first game was one where the Big Red found themselves on the wrong end of a 14-0 blowout against a Canadian collegiate team. The beginning of their era was not without its own bumps outside of the game as well. The women initially were charged $40 an hour for ice time at Lynah, the same price it cost at the time to rent out the rink to anyone but the men's team. The physical education department eventually found some money and lowered the cost to $10 per hour. Helen Newman, the woman whose name now rests on a recreational center on North Campus, donated $172 to the team for equipment. That money went entirely toward goaltending equipment with each other player buying their own equipment, as much as $100 apiece.
From modest beginnings, the women began competing in the Ivy League for hockey in 1976, winning the first five titles. In 1984, the ECAC began sponsoring women's hockey. Cornell joined the conference and is a member to this day. Of the 30 championships awarded, current members own 16, with less than half of the 12 member institutions being able to claim a tournament championship. Cornell women have more history than any other women's hockey team in the country. This section is dedicated to the ECAC championship teams, with the recognition that amazing teams have come before including the eight Ivy Champion teams before the NCAA era of women's hockey.
Regina Baker '75 had always dreamed of going to Cornell and beginning a women's hockey team. After being accepted and recruiting the services of a former teacher of Baker's, Gail Murphy, Cornell women's hockey was born. Their first game was one where the Big Red found themselves on the wrong end of a 14-0 blowout against a Canadian collegiate team. The beginning of their era was not without its own bumps outside of the game as well. The women initially were charged $40 an hour for ice time at Lynah, the same price it cost at the time to rent out the rink to anyone but the men's team. The physical education department eventually found some money and lowered the cost to $10 per hour. Helen Newman, the woman whose name now rests on a recreational center on North Campus, donated $172 to the team for equipment. That money went entirely toward goaltending equipment with each other player buying their own equipment, as much as $100 apiece.
From modest beginnings, the women began competing in the Ivy League for hockey in 1976, winning the first five titles. In 1984, the ECAC began sponsoring women's hockey. Cornell joined the conference and is a member to this day. Of the 30 championships awarded, current members own 16, with less than half of the 12 member institutions being able to claim a tournament championship. Cornell women have more history than any other women's hockey team in the country. This section is dedicated to the ECAC championship teams, with the recognition that amazing teams have come before including the eight Ivy Champion teams before the NCAA era of women's hockey.
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Championship Seasons
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