In less than 50 days, a puck will fall atop a sheet of ice in Pennsylvania and the league's 12th season of women's hockey will be born.

The 2013-2014 D1 schedule, made public today by the DVCHC, outlines what comes next: a 46 game journey of 8 university teams and their 100+ student-athletes.

Rivalry, finesse and heart will punctuate the five month, regular season before another puck-drop kicks off a massive, February finish -- the DVCHC Women's Championship.

Here's a look at some of the changes and highlights that will make this season one for the books.  Get pumped!

NEW: The addition of a team at Towson University adds obvious excitement to the season ahead.  With strong support on campus and an unknown roster they could be any kind of wild card. 

GONE: American University has moved its program to D2 for the season as they rebuild a roster that's graduated all but 4 players.

NEW: D2's back-to-back champion, Rutgers University joins D1 for their 1st step into the league's top bracket.  Watch for how many goals Alyssa Agati can score when no longer limited to 3 a game.

GONE: Delaware, Cal U and West Chester have left the DVCHC to start a division with College Hockey East.  We wish them all the best.

NEW: Those 3 teams have been dominant for years, winning 4 of the past 6 cups.  The void of their leaving & the absence of a defending champ has teams buzzing for some serious 'Game of Thrones style' crown claiming.  Only 1 team in D1 has ever raised the Spikes Cup (UVA.  3 times!).

GONE: North & South divided.  Fewer teams has allowed for a single, D1 iron curtain.  That also means an exciting new playoff format (TBA). 

NEW:  Most teams will see their division rivals 2x this season.  Occasionally however, two teams will match-up only once.  When that happens it's a high-stakes game worth 4 points in the standings.

Check out this year's D1 schedule!
Click "Game Schedule" to see a list of dates or find your favorite team & click to see their schedule.

Mark those calendars!