3. Brown

Though most of the ECAC relied on high-scoring games to win, Brown (23-7-5, 19-4-3) won with its defense. The Bears held their opponents to 1.39 goals per game last season, which impressed the AWCHA enough to invite Brown to its national tournament, even after losing to Dartmouth in the first round of the ECAC Tournament.

The key to any good defense is the goaltender, and the Bears have one of the nation's best in senior Ali Brewer (1.34 GAA). Brewer, the only netminder in the nation to defeat Harvard last season, earned First-Team All-America honors with her stellar play.

Brewer had plenty of help in the defensive zone, especially from junior defenseman Tara Mounsey (14, 24). A Second-Team All-American and a U.S. Olympian in 1998, Mounsey can take the puck anywhere on the ice and create a scoring chance for the Bears.

But Mounsey led the Bears in scoring from the blueline, which means Brown will have to improve its offense if it wants to be a contender for the ECAC title. Head coach Margaret Degidio Murphy will rely on senior forward Jordan Jiskra (16, 20) and junior forward Kathleen Kauth (18, 10) to provide some punch in the offensive zone.

4. Northeastern

Although the Huskies (25-7-3, 18-4-4) may not be the best team on paper, they always manage a few early upsets and end up in the mix for the conference title. Maybe it's the fact that they play in fabled Matthews Arena, the oldest hockey rink in Boston.