Fall can’t start until hockey does, so it’s a good thing we’ve got Atlantic Hockey America action this weekend on FloHockey. The women’s college hockey season opens Sept. 21 with games across the country, including some of the AHA teams.

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• AHA Women's Broadcast Schedule
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This season marks the first for the Atlantic Hockey America conference, which unites traditional men’s conference Atlantic Hockey with traditional women’s conference College Hockey America. 

FloHockey is the official streaming partner for all of the teams in the men’s division and five of the six teams in the women’s division. Penn State’s home games will stream on Big Ten Plus.

As a result, you’ll be able to catch the vast majority of games played in the conference, as well as home non-conference games right here all season long.

The first women’s college hockey games of the season on FloHockey will include Mercyhurst hosting Stoney Creek for an exhibition matchup and Lindenwood at home against No. 11 St. Cloud State.

Here’s what else you need to know about the inaugural season of Atlantic Hockey America’s women’s conference.

AHA Women Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1. Penn State (5), 30 points
2. Mercyhurst (1), 26 points
3. Robert Morris, 22 points
4. RIT, 16 points
5. Syracuse, 13 points
6. Lindenwood, 13 points

AHA Women's Preseason Poll Notes

Penn State is the clear favorite in the league with all of the opposing coaches selecting the Nittany Lions to repeat as league champion. Led by preseason and reigning Player of the Year Tessa Janecke, Penn State has one of the more complete teams in the conference with an exceptional top end to their lineup.

Mercyhurst is the primary threat for Penn State, though, and the Lakers have certainly made a strong case in recent years. In last year’s conference championship game, the Lakers dropped a 1-0 decision to Penn State, costing them a trip to the NCAA Tournament. However, with a number of returning scorers including Vanessa Upson and Sofia Nuutinen, among others, the Lakers should go into the season with a strong belief of their ability to contend. 

Robert Morris was one of the pleasant surprises last season, earning some big wins over Mercyhurst and Penn State over the course of the season. They even pushed Mercyhurst to three games in the conference tournament last season. The coaches clearly believe that they’re still on the rise as they checked in at No. 3.

AHA Preseason Awards

Preseason Player of the Year

Tessa Janecke, F, Penn State

Tessa Janecke is an absolute force to be reckoned with. A member of the U.S. Women’s National Team at the Women’s World Championship the last two seasons, she already has a gold and silver medal to her name in her international career.

A first-team All-CHA selection last year and second-team All-American produced a career-best 53 points as a sophomore. The expectation is that she can carry the Nittany Lions to another conference title and NCAA berth, which brings pressure, but that’s not anything that Janecke lacks experience with.

Preseason All-AHA Team

Forwards: Tessa Janecke (Penn State), Morgan Neitzke (Lindenwood), Alaina Giampietro (Robert Morris)

Defense; Sydney Pedersen (Mercyhurst), Lyndie Lobdell (Penn State)

Goalie: Katie DeSa (Penn State)

Early-Season Games On FloHockey

Sept. 21: Stoney Creek vs. Mercyhurst

Sept. 21: No. 11 St. Cloud State vs. Lindenwood

Sept. 22: Windsor vs. Syracuse

Sept. 27: Assumption vs. RIT

Sept. 27: Union vs. Robert Morris

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