The WIAA began sponsoring a tournament program in girls hockey in 2001-02. Initially, six schools sponsored the sport as an interscholastic activity. Since is inception, girls hockey grew to as many as 33 programs sponsoring the sport for several years up to 2016.
The qualifiers of the first tournament were Hudson, Viroqua/Cornerstone Christian/Westby/Youth Initiative, Fond du Lac/Waupun and Onalaska.
Hudson won the first two championships. The Raiders defeated Viroqua/Cornerstone Christian/Westby/Youth Initiative, 3-2 in overtime, in the 2002 championship final. They defeated Fond du Lac/Waupun in the 2003 championship final by the same score in overtime.
The Mosinee and D.C. Everest co-op program that included Wausau East and West won the 2008 championship. The 2012 and 2017 championships were won by the same group of schools but was identified D.C. Everest as the host school of the co-op. A different configuration of the co-op won the title in 2022. Two different configurations of the River Falls co-op program won three straight titles from 2009-2011.
The Mosinee and D.C. Everest co-ops have nine appearances before another configuration of the co-op emerged as a different entry on the list that added four more appearances. Onalaska participated in six of the State Tournaments with an additional five appearances as various co-op programs. The Fond du Lac/Waupun co-op has been to eight State Tournaments, but the addition of other schools to the co-op have created four separate listings of programs that have qualified. Four versions of the University School of Milwaukee have combined for five appearances. Superior has qualified for four State Tournaments. Hudson, the Sun Prairie co-op and three River Falls co-op combinations have qualified four times.
Hudson, one configuration of the River Falls co-op and the Xavier co-op are the only three programs to win two consecutive titles
The D.C. Everest co-op variations have won the most games in the State Tournament with nine. Three versions of the Fond du Lac co-op have won the second most number of games at State with seven. River Falls versions of a co-op have won the third most games in State Tournament competition with six. Hudson and various versions of the Onalaska co-op has won five games at State. Thirty-eight different programs, including all variations of co-op programs, have qualified for the State Tournament.
The first 19 State Tournament were held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison in conjunction with the boys hockey State Tournament. The 2021 State Tournament championship game was held at South Wood County Rink in Wisconsin Rapids during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the semifinals were hosted at the sites of the higher seed. The tournament returned to the Alliant Energy Center in 2022.