All five of the Minnesota-based Division I women's hockey programs will begin their regular seasons the weekend of Sept. 29-30, with all schools except for Minnesota State beginning the 2017-2018 campaign on home ice.

As has been the case for the past several years, the State of Hockey field has two obvious standouts in the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth.

The Golden Gophers are currently rated No. 3 in the United States College Hockey Online Preseason Poll, garnering four out of a possible 15 first-place votes in the process. The Bulldogs round out the poll’s top-five teams, earning the No. 5 ranking.

Both programs face tough questions entering the season, with the Golden Gophers attempting to fill the skates of graduated Olympian Lee Stecklein and playmaking maestro Dani Cameranesi. Minnesota Duluth will break in 10 new freshmen this season and will need strong contributions from its young talent to fill scoring gaps.

Following are team-by-team previews of Minnesota’s Division I women’s hockey programs:

2016-2017 Record: 26-8-5

The Golden Gophers lose some stability on the blue line after a run to the NCAA Frozen Four last season with the graduation of Olympian Lee Stecklein, but return both of their leading scorers from the 2016-2017 campaign.

Senior forward Kelly Pannek paced the team with 19 goals and 62 points, followed by junior forward Sarah Potomak’s 20 goals and 53 points. The return of senior goaltender Sidney Peters and her eight shutouts, .917 save percentage and 1.66 goals against average provides stability on the backend for the Golden Gophers.

Impressively, the Minnesota freshman class features three of the five Minnesota Ms. Hockey finalists in defender Emily Brown (Blaine) and forwards Taylor Wente (Maple Grove) and award-winner Grace Zumwinkle (Breck).

The Golden Gophers were ranked No. 3 in the United States College Hockey Online Preseason Poll.

2016-2017 Record: 25-7-5

A young lineup touches down in the port city for the upcoming season, with 10 freshman listed on the preseason No. 5 Bulldogs’ roster.

Among these newcomers is 2017 Minnesota Ms. Hockey finalist Naomi Rogge, who, along with sophomore forward Sydney Brodt (8-13-21), should be expected to contribute offensively after the departure of leading scorers Lara Stalder and Ashleigh Brykaliuk.

Rock-solid netminder Maddie Rooney is back between the pipes for the Bulldogs after playing every single game last season, recording four shutouts as the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament before falling to Minnesota 1-0.

The Bulldogs should once again rely on the friendly confines of Amsoil Arena, where they posted a sparkling 15-1-2 record.

2016-2017 Record: 12-20-3

Last season’s top-three leading scorers return for the Beavers in head coach Jim Scanlon’s fourth season, helping to offset the uncertainty of the goaltender position after the graduation of Brittni Mowat.

Junior forward Emily Berglund paced last season’s group with 16 goals and 25 points, with senior defender Alexis Joyce providing 16 assists from the blue line. Largely untested senior goaltender Erin Deters takes over for Mowat in the nets, with the defensive corps in front of her featuring three freshmen.

2016-2017 Record: 9-23-4

Leading scorers Julia Tylke and Kayla Friesen are back for the Huskies, and the defense will get a boost from sophomore Abby Thiessen, who transferred from North Dakota after the Fighting Hawks cut their program.

The Thiessen addition should pay dividends for the Huskies, as her talent merited an invitation to Canada’s National Women’s Development Team Camp this past August.

Tylke racked up 12 goals and 20 points as a sophomore last season, while Friesen’s freshman campaign was highlighted by seven goals and 18 points.

With the departure of Janine Alder from the starting goaltender position, redshirt junior Taylor Crosby and freshman Emma Polusny will look to fill the crease.

2016-2017 Record: 7-26-4

After recording just seven wins last season, the top-five leading scorers return to Mankato for the 2017-2018 slate of games, led by junior forward Emily Antony’s seven goals and 14 points.

Following Antony on the scoring list are senior forward Lindsey Coleman and junior forward Corbin Boyd, who each totaled 13 points last season for the Mavericks. Power play weapon Megan Hinze, a junior defender, also returns. Four of Hinze’s five goals last season came while the Mavericks had the player-advantage.

The Mavericks are the only Minnesota team that will start its regular season on the road, as the team travels to St. Charles, Missouri for a two-game series against Lindenwood.