Ivy League schools to postpone beginning of hockey season

The Ivy League cancelled its fall sports season on Wednesday, and, more relevant to women’s hockey, said that no sports at its schools will be played before Jan. 1, 2021, due the coronavirus pandemic. They are the first NCAA Division 1 group to make such a decision.

This will impact six women’s hockey programs: Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, who make up half of the ECAC.

The other teams in the ECAC — whose fall plans are more likely to be decided on an individual basis, unless the conference makes a decision — are Clarkson, Colgate, Quinnipiac, RPI, St. Lawrence, and Union. John Buccigross reported on Twitter to “expect Union and RPI to follow” the Ivy League’s precedent.

No final decisions have been made about playing in the spring semester. However, Harvard’s reopening plans for the academic year require that only seniors will be on campus for the spring semester.