The NCAA announced in November that it will expand the women’s ice hockey playoff bracket from eight to 11 teams, matching the men’s hockey NCAA tournament, after teams across the United States, including St. Thomas’, denounced the gender gap in funding by sharing an infographic with the hashtag #CloseTheGapNCAA.

The social media movement sparked up after a report the NCAA retained from Kaplan Hecker & Fink law firm exposed a $6,000 gap in spending per student athlete between men’s and women’s hockey players.

“From an equity standpoint, that’s all the women’s hockey community was hoping for,” St. Thomas women’s hockey assistant coach Bethany Brausen said.

After the expansion, 27% of the 41 schools that sponsor the National Collegiate Women’s Ice Hockey Championship will have access to the bracket, matching DI men’s hockey’s percentage.

“It’s really the pinnacle of college athletics for women’s hockey players,” Brausen said. “It’s a really special experience and it means that more staff, more coaches, more players get that opportunity, which is a really big deal.”

The WCHA, St. Thomas women’s hockey conference, supported the expansion in a Nov. 4 tweet, stating that “student-athletes and all of our women’s hockey deserve it.”

However, for St. Thomas’ women’s hockey, qualifying for an NCAA tournament is a far-out goal,” Brausen said. St. Thomas women’s hockey will not be eligible to compete in the tournament for the next five years due to the university being under a provisional DI status, which prevents the Tommies from participating in NCAA championships.

“But if you look at St. Thomas and what we’re trying to grow here and the players we’re trying to bring and the culture we’re trying to develop,” Brausen said. “I think it’s exciting and even if it’s on the horizon, it’s something to look forward to.”

Luana Karl can be reached at karl2414@stthomas.edu.