Acceptance into the NCAA indicates that the sport has made the transition from an "emerging sport" to a sport whose growing popularity cannot be ignored.

In deciding to sponsor a National Championship that draws from all three divisions of collegiate women's hockey, the NCAA process looked at evolution of the sport. A sub-committee of the Championship and Competition Cabinet scours the nation for sports that are popular on the youth and high school level.

These emerging sports are monitored, and proposals can be made by committee that feel a game is deserving of NCAA sponsorship. The proposal of the Committee on Women's Athletics was accepted by the Cabinet, and has resulted in the first season of NCAA women's hockey for the 2000-2001 season.

"Programs keep popping up across the nation," Arthur said. "Its status could no longer be ignored."

Indeed, the sport has grown on every level. Youth leagues, sponsored by USA Hockey hold championships, and many high schools now secure ice time for women who want to do more than double axels. On a collegiate level, numbers support the trend. In 1996, there were 21 schools with women's teams, fielding a total of 414 participants. Today, women's hockey boasts 900-plus skaters from 61 schools.

Setup

The NCAA National Collegiate Championship is not structurally the same as the wildly popular men's basketball Final Four. The women's Frozen Four is a tournament of just that: four teams. There are no bracketed preliminary rounds. Also, the tournament chooses teams from all three divisions within women's collegiate hockey. The NCAA requires that at least 40 teams exist in order for each division to have its own championship. With 28 Division I schools, one in Division II, and 32 in Division III, no Division Championship is yet possible. Until that time comes, the four will be chosen from the 61 schools.

The selection process for the Frozen Four works somewhat like the men's. Dividing the country into two halves, East and West, the committee, which uses the mathematical RPI system to rank schools, will have one champion from each region and one at-large team from anywhere in the Union.