WCHA Administrative Office Bruce M. McLeod Commissioner Carol LaBelle-Ehrhardt Assistant Commissioner of Operations Greg Shepherd Supervisor of Officials Mailing Address Western Collegiate Hockey Association 2211 S. Josephine Street, Room 302, Denver, CO 80210 p: 303 871-4223. f: 303 871-4770. April 23, 2012 [email protected] WCHA Women’s Administrative 2011-12 WCHA Women’s Season-in-Review and Public Relations Office Minnesota Golden Gophers Reign as NCAA Women’s Frozen Four Champions as WCHA Extends Sara R. Martin Record Streak of Consecutive National Titles to 13; UM Defeats League-Rival Wisconsin Associate Commissioner in Frozen Four Championship Game at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth; Gophers Upend Cornell in p: 608 829-0104. f: 608 829-0105. [email protected] National Semifinal, Badgers Down Boston College; UW Forward Brianna Decker Named 2012 Doug Spencer Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Winner; Eight WCHA Member-Team Skaters Earn All-American Associate Commissioner for Public Relations Honors … UM’s Megan Bozek, UND’s Jocelyne Lamoureux, UW’s Decker are First Team Honorees; p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200. Wisconsin Captures WCHA Regular Season Crown; Four WCHA Teams Ranked Among Nation’s Top [email protected] Bill Brophy 10 in Final Weekly Polls … Minnesota No. 1, Wisconsin No. 2, North Dakota No. 6 and Minnesota Women’s Public Relations Director Duluth No. 10; Golden Gophers Claim 2012 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF Playoff Title; UW’S Decker p: 608 277-0282. [email protected] Mailing Address Named WCHA Player of the Year, UND’s Lamoureux is WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Year to Highlight League Awards; Record Total of 110 Women’s and Men’s Players Earn WCHA 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Suite 103 Madison, WI 53719-2096 Scholar-Athlete Honors; 98 Skaters Gain All-WCHA Academic Team Honors; WCHA-Member Teams Log Impressive 36-7-6 (.796) Record in Non-Conference Play WCHA Women’s League Bemidji State University MADISON, Wis. – Make it a perfect baker’s dozens of women’s national championships for the Western University of Minnesota Collegiate Hockey Association. The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers provided the frosting on University of Minnesota Duluth the cake by taking a 4-2 victory over border rival Wisconsin in the all-WCHA national championship Minnesota State University game Sunday, March 18 before a crowd of 2,439 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn., at the 2011-12 NCAA University of North Dakota Ohio State University Women's Frozen Four. This was a record 13th consecutive national championship (1 AWCHA in 2000, 12 St. Cloud State University NCAAs since) captured by a WCHA-member team. University of Wisconsin Coach Brad Frost’s Gophers (34-5-2/.854), who upended Cornell 3-1 in the second national semifinal on Friday night, March 16, claimed the third NCAA championship for the Minnesota program. Minnesota’s Home of a Record 13 Consecutive two previous Frozen Four crowns came in 2004 and 2005, while UM also won the AWCHA-sanctioned National Championship Teams national title in 2000. Wisconsin, which had won four of the previous six NCAA Frozen Fours in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 defeated Boston College 6-2 in the first national semifinal on Friday afternoon. Coach Mark Johnson's 2012 Badgers (33-5-2/.850) made their sixth appearance in the national championship game in the last seven seasons. 2012 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF On March 2-3, Minnesota beat North Dakota 6-0 and blanked Minnesota Duluth 2-0 at AMSOIL Arena March 2-3 to win the 2012 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF playoff championship and gain the league’s automatic berth to AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, MN the NCAA tournament – the Gophers’ 10th in the 12-year history of the event. This was also their fifth visit to the Frozen Four and third in the last four years. visit us on the web at: con’t wcha.com Final 2011-12 WCHA Women’s Standings Conference Only Overall Pts GP W L T SW Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA 1 Wisconsin ! 72 28 23- 3- 2 1 .857 113- 44 40 33- 5- 2 .850 181- 60 2 Minnesota ^$ 66 28 21- 5- 2 1 .786 113- 43 41 34- 5- 2 .854 181- 54 3 North Dakota 53 28 16- 9- 3 2 .625 116- 75 37 22-12- 3 .635 155- 94 4 Minnesota Duluth 47 28 15-12- 1 1 .554 91- 61 36 21-14- 1 .597 121- 79 5 Ohio State 41 28 13-14- 1 1 .482 75- 96 36 16-16- 4 .500 99-115 6 Bemidji State 35 28 11-15- 2 0 .429 70- 73 37 17-17- 3 .500 101- 85 7 St. Cloud State 12 28 4-24- 0 0 .143 32-150 36 5-29- 2 .167 44-177 8 Minnesota State 10 28 3-24- 1 0 .125 37-105 36 7-28- 1 .208 64-133 ! WCHA regular season champion; ^ WCHA playoff champion; $ national champion. (shootout win=1 additional point) 2011-12 WCHA Women’s Release • Season-in-Review • 042312 Lamoureux was honored as the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year for 2011-12 in addition to earning the league’s scoring title and All-WCHA First Team accolades. The junior from Grand Forks, N.D., maintains an outstanding grade-point average of 3.877 (4.0 scale), majoring in Physical Education, Exercise Science and Wellness, and has been on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, the Dean’s List and the President’s Honor Roll at UND. She has been a WCHA Scholar-Athlete in both 2010-11 and 2011-12 as well as a member of the All-WCHA Academic Team. Lamoureux is actively involved with service activities on campus and in the Grand Forks community, including reading to elementary students and Special Olympic events. Wisconsin’s Stefanie McKeough, a junior defender from Carlsbad Springs, Ont., was honored as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s head coaches. She scored four goals, had University of Minnesota 14 assists and 18 points in 19 league contests for the regular season 2012 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four Champions champion Badgers. The WCHA Coach of the Year Award for 2011-12 went to Wisconsin’s Mark Johnson, who led the Badgers to a 23-3-2-1 conference record Minnesota advanced to the 2012 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four with and to the regular season title. It is the fifth time Johnson has either a 5-1 regional victory over WCHA-foe North Dakota at Ridder Arena in won or shared the award. Minneapolis on Saturday, March 10. Wisconsin, meanwhile, defeated North Dakota forward Michelle Karvinen of Rodovre, Denmark was Mercyhurst 3-1 in their March 10 NCAA regional match up at the Kohl named the WCHA Rookie of the Year. Center in Madison. Joining UND’s Karvinen on the All-WCHA Rookie Team were The Western Collegiate Hockey Association has had multiple teams in Minnesota Duluth forward Jenna McParland, North Dakota forward all but four NCAA Women’s Frozen Fours – in 2001 (Minnesota Duluth), Josefine Jakobsen, Minnesota defenseman Rachel Ramsey, Minnesota 2004 (Minnesota), 2005 (Minnesota), and 2011 (Wisconsin). Duluth defenseman Brigette Lacquette, and goaltender Julie Friend In the 12 years of NCAA-sponsored women’s national championships, of St. Cloud State. WCHA-member teams have won all 12 titles – Minnesota Duluth has WCHA teams forged an impressive 36-7-6 record and .796 winning five, Wisconsin has four and Minnesota has three. Wisconsin defeated percentage against opponents from other Division 1 conferences this Boston University 4-1 in the 2011 championship game at Tullio Arena season. League-member clubs went 7-0-2 (.889) vs ECAC Hockey, in Erie, Pa. 14-2-1 (.853) vs. the Hockey East Association, 9-5-3 (.618) vs. College The WCHA also dominated college hockey’s individual awards with Hockey America, and 6-0-0 vs. Independents. eight All-Americans and Wisconsin junior forward Brianna Decker Four Western Collegiate Hockey Association-member teams ranked being the recipient of the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, as among the nation’s top 10 in the final two weekly national polls for announced by USA Hockey on March 17. The award is given annually 2011-12. In the USCHO.com Div. 1 Women’s College Hockey Poll, the to the top female hockey player in the nation. Decker accepted the WCHA had national champion and WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF champion 15th annual award at a brunch ceremony at the Greysolon Ballroom Minnesota at No. 1, WCHA regular season champion Wisconsin at No. in Duluth, Minn., in conjunction with the 2012 NCAA Women’s Frozen 2, North Dakota at No. 6 and Minnesota Duluth at No. 10. In the final Four. The Dousman, Wis., native is the fourth Badger to win the award, USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’s Div. 1 College Hockey joining Sara Bauer (2006), Jessie Vetter (2009) and Meghan Duggan Poll, Minnesota was No. 1, Wisconsin was No. 2, North Dakota was (2011). No. 6 and Minnesota Duluth was No. 10. Along with Decker, fellow top-three finalists Jocelyne Lamoureux of The WCHA also had the top four teams in attendance for the women’s North Dakota and Florence Schelling of Northeastern were honored game. Buoyed by the biggest crowd to ever watch a collegiate game at the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award ceremony. The trio of finalists – a total of 12,402 who saw Wisconsin blank Bemidji State 1-0 at the were named to the CCM Division 1 Women’s Hockey All-American First Kohl Center Jan.