2016-17 WCHA WEEKLY RELEASE Week Two (October 3-9, 2016) / wcha.com

@wcha_mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha_mhockey WCHA.tv Matt Hodson ● o: 952-818-8872 ● c: 612-801-2808 ● [email protected]

WESTERN COLLEGIATE Opening Face-Off • Let's Get it Started: After three men's Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) teams dropped the puck on the Association's HOCKEY ASSOCIATION 65th season last weekend, six more take the ice for their regular season debuts this weekend. • Founded 1951 • • Preseason Polls: Four WCHA teams were ranked in the USCHO top-20 preseason poll, mirroring their projected league finish in the Suite C coaches' and media polls: No. 14 Bowling Green, No. 17 Michigan Tech, No. 19 Minnesota State and No. 20 Ferris State. The Falcons are Minnesota State Univ., Mankato at Edina also the 15th-ranked team in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine poll. 7700 France Avenue South, Suite 360C • Charging Ahead: Alabama Huntsville opened the campaign with their strongest start of the WCHA era, sweeping Ferris State on the Edina, MN 55435 road to earn the first six points of the league season. The wins marked UAH's first-ever sweep of a ranked opponent, was the program's 952-818-8869 first conference-opening sweep and gave the Chargers a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2001-02 season. • 4x20: With four separate 20-win teams for the first time since realignment, the WCHA in 2015-16 was one of just two Division I MEMBER TEAMS conferences to have at least that many (Hockey East led the country with five, 20-win teams). University of Alabama in Huntsville • Michigan Tech (23-9-5), Bowling Green (22-14-6), Minnesota State (21-13-7) and Ferris State (20-15-6) formed the WCHA's University of Alaska Anchorage 20-win quartet. University of Alaska Fairbanks • Tradition Starts Here: Four (4) of the nation's top-15 winningest teams over the past three seasons play in the WCHA - the highest representation among that upper 25% of programs of any D-I conference since realignment (Hockey East and the NCHC each have three Bowling Green State University teams apiece, the Big Ten and ECAC Hockey both have two each and Atlantic Hockey has a single program). • Minnesota State is fourth nationally with 76 wins, Ferris State is tied for 10th with 67, Michigan Tech is 12th with 66 and Lake Superior State University Bowling Green is 15th with 63. Michigan Technological University Minnesota State University By the Numbers Northern Michigan University • 2: Wins for Alabama Huntsville after opening weekend, matching the entire season and WCHA total that UAH's current seniors had during their freshman campaign, the Chargers' first in the league (2013-14). • 10: Career shutouts for Bemidji State junior Michael Bitzer and Minnesota State senior Cole Huggins, tied for the most among active TRADITION STARTS HERE NCAA goaltenders entering the season. • 15: Consecutive season-openers without a loss for Alaska Anchorage, which is 12-0-3 to start a campaign since the 2001-02 season. • 38: Career wins for Huggins, second among active NCAA netminders (behind Colgate's Charlie Finn, who has 47). In Memorium In memoriam of the late Oliver “Butch” Mousseau, the men’s Western Collegiate The Week Ahead Hockey Association (WCHA) will retire his • Cup Co-Champs Meet: No. 17 Michigan Tech and No. 19 Minnesota State, defending WCHA regular season co-champions, open their officials’ jersey number 12, while on-ice respective league slates this weekend in Mankato. Tech won last year's season series, 1-0-1 (played in Houghton). officials will wear a specially-designed “12” • Preseason Favorites Open: No. 14/15 Bowling Green, the coaches' and media's preseason pick to win the WCHA, opens this weekend at sticker on their helmets throughout the Bemidji State. The teams met in a thrilling three-game WCHA quarterfinal series last spring, with BGSU advancing to the Final Five. 2016-17 season. • Raising the Banner: Prior to its Thursday night home game against Western Michigan, Ferris State will raise the banner commemorating its 2016 title as WCHA playoff champion. The Bulldogs will play at WMU Friday to complete the home-and-home. Mousseau, a longtime league official, • WCHA vs. Big Ten: Four games against Big Ten opponents await, including Northern Michigan hosting Wisconsin at the Resch Center in tragically passed away March 25 after Green Bay, Wis. Both Alaska Anchorage and Alaska will play No. 13/11 Minnesota this weekend in Anchorage. suffering critical head injuries stemming from • Interconference Nonconference: In addition to playing the Gophers, Alaska Anchorage and Alaska will meet Saturday in a rare a fall to the ice during warm-ups prior to the nonconference matchup between WCHA teams. second WCHA Final Five semifinal game on • Nonconference Road Test: Alabama Huntsville will look to continue its hot start with a two-game series at Hockey East foe Connecticut. Friday, March 18 at the Van Andel Arena 2016-17 WCHA Standings in Grand Rapids, Mich. Mousseau was 48. Conference Overall Rk (Natl Rank) Team Pts GP W L T 3/SW % GF GA GP W L T % GF GA Butch was universally respected for his work 1 Alabama Huntsville 6 2 2 0 0 0 1.000 6 4 2 2 0 0 1.000 6 4 on the ice and beloved for his kind and 2 Alaska Anchorage 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 generous spirit to all, along with his love Alaska 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 for the great sport of hockey at all levels. Bemidji State 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 (14/15) Bowling Green 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 Lake Superior State 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 (17) Michigan Tech 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 2 0 2 0 .000 3 10 (19) Minnesota State 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 Northern Michigan 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 (20) Ferris State 0 2 0 2 0 0 .000 4 6 2 0 2 0 .000 4 6 (3 points for win in regulation or 5-on-5 OT; 1 point for tie after regulation and 5-on-5 OT; 1 point for win in 3-on-3 OT or shootout; rankings listed by USCHO.com first, followed byUSA Today/USA Hockey Magazine)

WCHA.tv In partnership with industry leader This Week in the WCHA (All Times Local) Stretch Internet, WCHA.tv - the official Thursday, October 6 Saturday, October 8 online streaming platform of the WCHA Western Michigan at (20) Ferris State, 7:07 p.m. ET* Alabama Huntsville at Connecticut, 4:05 p.m. ET - will provide fans with live and archived 1(14/15) Bowling Green at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m. CT* broadcasts of WCHA hockey. 1 Friday, October 7 (17) Michigan Tech at (19) Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m. CT* Alabama Huntsville at Connecticut, 7:05 p.m. ET 2Wisconsin vs. Northern Michigan, 7:07 p.m. CT* Featuring all 10 WCHA member institutions, (20) Ferris State at Western Michigan, 7:05 p.m. ET 3Alaska at Alaska Anchorage, 7:07 p.m. AT* every league game – home and away – will be 1(14/15) Bowling Green at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m. CT* streamed live, along with all nonconference 1 (17) Michigan Tech at (19) Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m. CT* Sunday, October 9 home games and the 2017 WCHA tournament. 2Wisconsin vs. Northern Michigan, 7:07 p.m. CT* 4(13/11) Minnesota vs. Alaska, 4:07 p.m. AT* (13/11) Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage, 7:07 p.m. AT* 1 - WCHA game; * - WCHA.tv; 2 - game played at the Resch Center (Green Bay, Wis.); 3 - nonconference game; 4 - game played at the (Anchorage, Alaska) Rankings listed by USCHO.com poll first, followed byUSA Today / USA Hockey Magazine poll The Week in Review - Games of Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, 2016 #WCHA

• Alabama Huntsville opened the season with a two-game sweep at reigning at No. 14 Bowling Green 3, Windsor 2 (Exhibition) Broadmoor Trophy champion Ferris State. (Oct. 1 at BGSU Ice Arena; Bowling Green, Ohio) • No. 17 Michigan Tech started with a nonconference series at No. 6 Junior Brett D'Andrea scored back-to-back second-period goals to turn a Minnesota Duluth. 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead, and Kevin Dufour added a power-play strike later in • Alaska Anchorage, Alaska, Bowling Green, Lake Superior State, Minnesota the period as No. 14 Bowling Green earned a 3-2 exhibition win over visiting State and Northern Michigan all played exhibition contests. Windsor. • Full recaps, box scores and select video highlights are available online at The game featured a combined 26 power-play opportunities. Senior wcha.com. goaltender Tomas Sholl played the entire game for the Falcons, making 21 saves. Alabama Huntsville 2, at No. 20 Ferris State 1 Alabama Huntsville 4, at No. 20 Ferris State 3 at Lake Superior State 3, Laurentian 3 (Laurentian wins shootout, 1-0) (Exh.) (Oct. 1 and 2 at Ewigleben Arena; Big Rapids, Mich.) (Oct. 2 at ; Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) For the first time ever, Alabama Huntsville posted a sweep of a ranked Lake Superior State got extra work in during an exhibition contest, tying opponent, opening a season 2-0 for the first time since 2001-02 with a pair of visiting Laurentian 3-3 in a contest that featured a 3-on-3 overtime and a wins at No. 20 Ferris State. shootout (won by the Voyagers, 1-0 in the third round). WCHA Defensive Player of the Week Matt Larose was the story in Luke Morgan, Mitch Hults and J.T. Henke all scored for the Lakers, with Saturday's season-opener, making 37 saves in the 2-1 UAH victory. He stopped Henke's giving LSSU a 3-2, third-period lead. Sophomore Nick Kossoff all 20 shots he faced in the third period, making Hans Gorowksy's tie-breaking, played the entire game in goal for LSSU, making 18 saves. second period goal stand as the game-winner. Max McHugh also scored for the Chargers, while Ferris State received a goal from Mitch Maloney and 24 saves at No. 19 Minnesota State 5, Regina 3 from Darren Smith. (Oct. 1 at Verizon Wireless Center; Mankato, Minn.) Sunday was another tightly-contested game, with UAH's three-straight goals After trailing 1-0 early, No. 19 Minnesota State scored the next four goals from the middle of the second period into the third standing as the difference. and added an insurance marker late for a 5-3 win over visiting Regina in Trailing 2-1, the Chargers received scores from Brent Fletcher (11:04 of the exhibition action. second), WCHA Offensive Player of the WeekMcHugh (17:21 of the second) Brad McClure scored twice for the Mavericks, while Zeb Knutson, Jordan and Brennan Saulnier (6:33 of the third). The Bulldogs' Gerald Mayhew scored Nelson and Marc Michaelis (power-play game-winner) also found the back of his second of the game to make it 4-3 with less than three minutes remaining, the net. Cole Huggins, Jason Pawloski and Aaron Nelson all split time in the but FSU could get no closer. Larose made another 30 saves, while Ferris State Minnesota State net. redshirt freshman Craig Pefley completed a three-assist series that earned him WCHA Rookie of the Week honors. at Northern Michigan 10, Victoria 1 (Oct. 2 at ; Marquette, Mich.) No. 6 Minnesota Duluth 6, No. 17 Michigan Tech 0 Eight different players had multi-point outings as Northern Michigan rolled No. 6 Minnesota Duluth 4, No. 17 Michigan Tech 3 to a 10-1, exhibition victory over Victoria. (Oct 1 and 2 at AMSOIL Arena; Duluth, Minn.) Robbie Payne had five points on a goal and four assists for the Wildcats, No. 17 Michigan Tech rebounded from a tough opening-night loss to hold a while Sami Salminen (2g-1a), Zach Diamantoni (2g-1a), Philip Beaulieu (1g-2a), pair of two-goal leads in Sunday's finale, but eventually dropped both games at Casey Purpur (1g-2a), Darien Craighead (3a), Jordan Klimek (1g-1a) and Brock No. 6 Minnesota Duluth. Maschmeyer (2a) also had multi-point outings. Atte Tolvanen and Mathias After dropping a 6-0 decision Saturday, the Huskies scored the game's Israelsson both logged time in net. first two goals Sunday, with Reid Sturos and Tyler Heinonen giving Tech a first-period lead. Joel L'Esperance put Tech on top 3-1 with a second-period score, but UMD scored the game's final three goals for the 4-3 win. Sophomore goaltender Devin Kero, who made 10 saves in relief on Saturday (including stopping a UMD penalty shot), made his first career start Sunday and turned aside 27-of-31 shots (including stopping a pair of breakaways).

at Alaska Anchorage 6, Simon Fraser 1 (Exhibition) (Sept. 30 at Sullivan Arena; Anchorage, Alaska) Six different players scored goals as Alaska Anchorage defeated visiting Simon Fraser, 6-1 in exhibition play. Jeremiah Luedtke, Corey Renwick, Jonah Renouf, Aleksi Ainali, Matt Anholt and Austin Azurdia scored goals for the Seawolves, who owned a 28-18 advantage in shots. The Renuof twins of Jonah (1g-2a) and Nathan (2a) had big games in their UAA debuts, while Rasmus Reijoa, Olivier Mantha and Evan Hauser split time in net.

at Alaska 2, Simon Fraser 0 (Exhibition) (Oct. 2 at ; Fairbanks, Alaska) Alaska received goals from underclassmen Kylar Hope (freshman) and Chad Staley (sophomore) en route to a 2-0 exhibition victory over visiting Simon Fraser. Davis Jones (11 saves), Jesse Jenks (7) and Niko DellaMaggiore (2) combined on the 20-save shutout for the Nanooks, who scored both goals in the second period.

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere WCHA Players of the Week - Games of Oct. 1-2, 2016 #WCHA

Offensive Player of the Week Defensive Player of the Week Rookie of the Week

Max McHugh Matt Larose Craig Pefley Fr., F, Alabama Huntsville Sr., G, Alabama Huntsville Fr., F, Ferris State Seattle, Wash. Nainaimo, British Columbia St. Clair, Mich.

McHugh led the UAH offense with two goals, scor- Larose had a stellar weekend for UAH, backstop- Pefley was a playmaker for Ferris State, as the ing once each game, as the Chargers opened with a ping the Chargers to their first-ever sweep of a redshirt freshman assisted on three of the Bull- road sweep at No. 20 Ferris State. The junior from ranked opponent and to their first 2-0 start since dogs’ four goals. He had the primary assist on Seattle, Wash. scored the first goal of the 2016-17 the 2001-02 season. The senior from Nainaimo, Mitch Maloney’s tying goal Saturday, and then WCHA season when he found the back of the net British Columbia stopped 67-of-71 shots over the was the primary helper on both Gerald Mayhew just 5:21 into the opening period Friday night. He two games for a .944 save percentage, while eclips- goals Sunday. Despite the fact that Ferris State then snapped a 2-2 tie late in the second period ing the 30-save mark both nights. He opened with was swept, Pefley finished the weekend with a +3 Sunday, scoring a power-play goal at the 17:21 a 37-save performance in a 2-1 win Saturday, pre- rating. mark to put UAH ahead to stay in an eventu- serving the one-goal triumph by turning aside all al 4-3 win. McHugh finished the weekend with a 20 shots he faced in the third period. Larose made Honorable Mention: team-high eight shots on goal, a +1 rating and two 30 stops in the Chargers’ 4-3 win Sunday. For the • Jordan Larson, F, Alabama Huntsville (re- blocked shots. This is McHugh’s third career WCHA weekend, he helped hold Ferris State to just one corded his first career point with an assist weekly award, having earned two Rookie of the goal in 10 power-play opportunities. This is Larose’s during UAH’s 4-3 win Sunday, while finishing Week accolades as a freshman in 2014-15. second career WCHA weekly award. the weekend with an even rating and two blocked shots) Honorable Mention: Honorable Mention: • Gerald Mayhew, Sr., F, Ferris State (scored • Dane Birks, So., D, Michigan Tech (had an twice Sunday, while leading both teams with even rating Saturday night, then contributed nine shots on goal over the weekend) a pair of assists and a shot on goal Sunday)

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere 2016-17 WCHA Preseason Polls #WCHA

Bowling Green Tabbed as Preseason Favorite by 2016-17 Mankato Free Press WCHA Coaches' Poll WCHA Coaches and Media Rank Team (1st Place Votes) Points 1. Bowling Green (8) 89 If the league’s coaches and media are correct, Bowling Green will end the 2016- 2. Michigan Tech (2) 79 17 regular season by hoisting its first MacNaughton Cup as champion of the 3. Minnesota State 71 men’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The Falcons were tabbed 4. Ferris State 70 as the league favorite in both the Mankato Free Press WCHA Coaches’ and the 5. Northern Michigan 54 6. Bemidji State 48 Bemidji Pioneer WCHA Media preseason polls. 7. Lake Superior State 44 8. Alaska Anchorage 29 The four schools that made the WCHA one of just two Division I conferences 9. Alabama Huntsville 23 (along with Hockey East) to have at least four, 20-win teams in 2015-16 sit atop 10. Alaska 21 both polls in identical order: Bowling Green, followed by reigning MacNaughton Predicted order of finish. Based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. Coaches could Cup co-champions Michigan Tech and Minnesota State, and defending not vote for their own teams. Broadmoor Trophy winner Ferris State. The four programs picked to hold home ice as the league’s new, on-campus postseason tournament begins next March WCHA Preseason Player of the Year (votes) are all among the top-15 nationally for wins since opening night of the 2013-14 Gerald Mayhew, Sr. F, Ferris State (7) season, with the Mavericks (76 victories) ranking fourth, the Bulldogs (67) tied Others receiving votes: Mark Friedman, Jr. D, Bowling Green (1); Brandon for 10th, the Huskies (66) in 12th and the Falcons (63) placing 15th. Hawkins, Jr. F, Bowling Green (1); Chris Nell, Jr. F, Bowling Green (1)

Demonstrating the competitiveness that is a WCHA hallmark, all four programs WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year (votes) received first-place votes in the media poll, while Bowling Green (8) and Parker Tuomie, F, Minnesota State (4) Michigan Tech (2) earned the coaches’ nods. Others receiving votes: Cam Clarke, D, Ferris State (2); Colton Leiter, F, Alaska (1); Marc Michaelis, F, Minnesota State (1); Collin Peters, F, Northern Michigan (1); Angus Redmond, G, Michigan Tech (1) Spots five through seven were also the same in both polls, with Northern Michigan, Bemidji State and Lake Superior State, respectively, expected to Preseason All-WCHA Team be vying for playoff positioning. Last season, the Wildcats posted their highest Forwards conference win total and finish (12 victories and fifth place) since the 2009-10 Gerald Mayhew, Sr., Ferris State; Dominik Shine, Sr., Northern Michigan; Brandon season, the Beavers won their most games (17) since 2011-12, and the Lakers Hawkins, Jr., Bowling Green (tie); Corey Mackin, So., Ferris State (tie) enjoyed a six-win improvement behind one of the nation’s top-scoring freshmen Defensemen classes. Mark Friedman, Jr., Bowling Green; Matt Roy, Jr., Michigan Tech Goaltender WCHA coaches picked Alaska Anchorage to grab the league’s eighth and final Chris Nell, Jr., Bowling Green playoff spot, ahead of Alabama Huntsville and Alaska. The media poll has the Nanooks finishing eighth and the Seawolves 10th, with the Chargers again ninth. 2016-17 Bemidji Pioneer Media Poll Rank Team (1st Place Votes) Points Ferris State senior forward Gerald Mayhew was the coaches’ and media’s choice 1. Bowling Green (15) 251 as preseason Player of the Year. The Wyandotte, Mich. native ranked third in 2. Michigan Tech (6) 239 3. Minnesota State (5) 236 the league scoring race with 25 points (9g-16a) in WCHA play last year, while 4. Ferris State (2) 218 his 41 points overall (16g-25a) paced the conference. He ended his campaign 5. Northern Michigan 161 by recording a point in five of six postseason contests (10 total), helping the 6. Bemidji State 144 Bulldogs to the NCAA West Regional final with five goals (including two game- 7. Lake Superior State 106 winners) and five assists. 8. Alaska 68 9. Alabama Huntsville 66 Minnesota State forward Parker Tuomie (coaches’ choice) and Ferris State 10. Alaska Anchorage 50 defensemen Cameron Clarke (media pick) split the preseason Rookie of the Predicted order of finish. Based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. Year votes. Tuomie, a native of Germany, finished 11th in the United States Hockey League (USHL) scoring race last season, scoring 54 points (30g-24a) for WCHA Preseason Player of the Year the Sioux Falls Stampede. Clarke was selected by the in the fifth Gerald Mayhew, Sr., F, Ferris State round (136th pick overall) of the 2016 (NHL) Draft. He Others receiving votes: Dominik Shine, Sr., F, Northern Michigan; Sean Walker, was named the 2015-16 North (NAHL) Defenseman of Sr., D, Bowling Green; Cameron Clarke, Fr., D, Ferris State; Mason Mitchell, So., F, the Year following a standout season in which he tallied 50 points (9g-41a) in 59 Alaska Anchorage; Corey Mackin, So., F, Ferris State; Max McHugh, Jr., F, Alabama games for the Lone Star Brahmas. Huntsville; Chris Nell, Jr., G, Bowling Green; Cole Huggins, Sr., G, Minnesota State; Tyler Heinonen, Sr., F, Michigan Tech

WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year Cameron Clarke, D, Ferris State Others receiving votes: Parker Tuomie, F, Minnesota State; Hampus Sjodahl, F, Bemidji State; Alec Rauhauser, D, Bowling Green; Frederic Letourneau, F, Bowling Green; Max Humitz, F, Lake Superior State; Brayden Gelsinger, F, Lake Superior State; Thomas Beretta, F, Michigan Tech; Mitch Reinke, D, Michigan Tech; Casey Linkenheld, F, Bowling Green; Adam Brady, F, Bemidji State; Connor James, D, Alabama Huntsville; Austin Beaulieu, F, Alabama Huntsville

Preseason All-WCHA Team Forwards Gerald Mayhew, Sr., Ferris State; Dominik Shine, Sr., Northern Michigan; Tyler Heinonen, Sr., Michigan Tech Defensemen Mark Friedman, Jr., Bowling Green; Matt Roy, Jr., Michigan Tech Goaltender Chris Nell, Jr., Bowling Green

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere 2015-16 WCHA Season in Review - News and Notes #WCHA

Opening Face-Off The Next Level • No. 64 In the Books: The Men's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey • NHL Impact: Led by two-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and NHL rookie Association (WCHA) proudly completed its 64th year of competition in 2015-16, sensation Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues, WCHA alumni continue to make another terrific season of on- and off-ice accomplishments by its student-athletes, an impact at the sport's highest levels. 2016 WCHA Defensive Player of the Year coaches and programs. Casey Nelson went from the Final Five championship game with Minnesota State • The WCHA was represented in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, one Saturday to his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres the next weekend, while 33 placed three teams in the final USCHO.com top-20 poll, had a quartet players who played in the league last season have signed professional contracts. of programs reach the 20-win plateau, celebrated MacNaughton Cup • Parayko, who earned league Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2014 co-champions for the seventh time in league history, hosted its last Final and 2015, led all rookie skaters with a +28 rating and ranked second Five tournament, featured a Hobey Baker Memorial Award top-10 finalist, among first-year blue-liners with 33 points (9g-24a). He teamed with saw two student-athletes earn candidacy for the Senior CLASS Award and fellow WCHA alumnus David Backes (Minnesota State) in leading the applauded 33 players who signed professional contracts. Blues to their first Western Conference Final appearance since 2001. • A Look at the Final Polls: WCHA Final Five champion and NCAA Tournament Elite • Nelson, who went from undrafted free agent to NHL ice, finished with four Eight participant Ferris State (No. 15), along with MacNaughton Cup co-champions assists, five shots on goal and a +1 rating in seven contests overall after Michigan Tech (No. 16) and Minnesota State (No. 17) gave the WCHA three ranked debuting March 26. teams in the final USCHO.com top-20 poll for the second year in a row. • Member-Institution Alumni in the NHL: Twenty-four (24) alumni, representing all • The Bulldogs were also ranked 15th in the USA Today/USA Hockey 10 current WCHA member institutions, played in the NHL in 2015-16. Magazine top-15 poll, while the Huskies - who finished 16th in the final • The 2014-15 WCHA Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Tanner Kero pre-NCAA Tournament PairWise rankings - received votes. (Michigan Tech / Chicago Blackhawks) and Parayko, respectively, both • Bowling Green, which spent 17 weeks of the season ranked in the top 20, played in the NHL this past season. They were joined by Nelson, the 2015- received votes in the final USCHO.com poll. 16 Defensive Player of the Year. • Elite Eight for Ferris State: Under the guidance of head coach , Ferris • In one of the top feel-good stories of the 2015-16 season, Michigan Tech State became the second WCHA team since realignment to reach the NCAA alumnus John Scott was voted by fans into the NHL All-Star Game, where Tournament's Elite Eight, matching its own 2014 accomplishment. The recipient he scored twice and earned All-Star Game MVP honors. of the WCHA's automatic bid and the league's lone representative, the West • Ferris State alumnus Chris Kunitz hoisted the Stanley Cup for the third Regional fourth-seed Bulldogs posted a thrilling, 5-4 overtime victory over St. time, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins win the championship. The 13-year Cloud State in the regional semifinal - knocking off the West's top seed and the veteran followed up a 40-point regular season (17g-23a) with 12 points nation's overall second-ranked team in the process. (4g-8a) and a +2 rating in 24 postseason contests. • Winning Hockey: Half of the WCHA's 10 teams (five) finished above .500, • NHL Draft: Twelve (12) NHL draft picks were on WCHA rosters in 2015-16, matching Hockey East (6-of-12) and the Big Ten (3-of-6) for the third-highest mark, including 2015 selection Matt Roy of Michigan Tech (fellow by percentage, among Division I conferences. ECAC Hockey led the way with 66.7 2015 draftee Ryan Bednard, a goaltender chosen by the Florida Panthers, is slated percent of its membership at-or-above .500 (8-of-12), followed by the NCHC at to join Bowling Green this fall). 62.5 percent (5-of-8). • The 2016 NHL Draft saw incoming Ferris State commit Cameron Clarke go • Michigan Tech's .689 winning percentage ranked seventh nationally, while to the Boston Bruins (fifth round), while Bowling Green sophomore-to-be Minnesota State (t-17th at .598), Bowling Green (t-19th at .595) and Ferris Adam Smith was tabbed by the (seventh round). State (24th at .561) were also in the top 25. • NHL Development Camps: Forty-six (46) players with ties to WCHA programs – • The Cup Goes Home and Stays Put: For the seventh time in league history (also including 32 slated to skate in the league this upcoming season – were invited to 1952-53, 1957-58, 1962-63, 1996-97, 2004-05 and 2012-13), the WCHA had participate in 2016 NHL Development Camps. regular season-co champions, as Michigan Tech and Minnesota State both ended • Of the 32 players currently on active WCHA rosters, the breakdown is: the campaign with 39 points. freshmen (eight), sophomores (10), juniors (10) and seniors (four). • Crafted in Calumet, Mich. and originally purchased back in 1913, the • Michigan Tech rising junior defenseman Mark Auk was one of just 11 fabled MacNaughton Cup returned to its ancestral home in Copper NCAA players to attend two camps (Chicago and Edmonton). Country for the first time since 1976, with the Huskies earning a share of • International Competition: Former Alabama Huntsville goaltender and current their seventh WCHA title. Edmonton Oilers backstop Cam Talbot helped Canada earn gold at the 2016 IIHF • The Mavericks won their second consecutive (and overall) league regular World Championships, posting a .940 save percentage, 1.25 goals-against average season crown. and four shutouts in eight games. • "Underdawgs" Hoist Broadmoor Trophy: Ferris State went from the fourth • Backes (Team USA) and Parayko (Team North America) will compete in the seed in the WCHA playoffs to winning its first-ever conference tournament 2016 World Cup of Hockey, to be held Sept. 17-Oct. 1 in Toronto. championship (CCHA or WCHA), going 4-0 and knocking off both MacNaughton Cup co-champions en route to capturing what would become the league's last In the Classroom and In the Community Final Five crown. • CoSIDA Academic All-District: Alabama Huntsville senior Chad Brears, Ferris • The Bulldogs swept visiting Northern Michigan in the best-of-three WCHA State junior Chad McDonald, and Bemidji State juniors Brendan Harms and Reid Quarterfinal Round series. FSU then defeated Michigan Tech, 1-0, in the Mimmack all earned CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades for their combined Final Five semifinals and used a Gerald Mayhew penalty shot goal to performances athletically and in the classroom. outlast Minnesota State, 2-1, in the Broadmoor Trophy Championship • Scholar-Athletes: Seventy-two (72) student-athletes, representing all 10 WCHA Game at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. Men's League member institutions, earned WCHA Scholar-Athlete Awards for • Freshman goaltender Darren Smith, named the Final Five Most Valuable maintaining a GPA of 3.50 or above. Player, played every minute in the Ferris State net and shone in the • This number represented an 80-percent increase, from 40 in 2014-15. playoff spotlight. The rookie allowed just five goals during the WCHA • All-Academic Team: One hundred and forty (140) student-athletes, representing postseason, finishing with a perfect 4-0 record, a 1.25 goals-against all 10 WCHA Men's League member institutions, earned a spot on the WCHA All- average, one shutout, 91 saves and a .948 save percentage. Academic Team for maintaining a GPA of 3.00 or above. • National Accolades: WCHA Player of the Year and Michigan Tech co-captain Alex • This number represented a 6.1-percent increase, from 132 in 2014-15. Petan was a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, while also • Senior CLASS Award: Ferris State defenseman Simon Denis and Michigan Tech earning Second Team CCM All-America honors. goaltender Jamie Phillips were two of the initial 20 candidates for the 2016 Senior • Ferris State's Darren Smith was named the national freshman Goaltender CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified of the Year by College Hockey News, earning a spot on the website's as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of All-Rookie Team. excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. • Hockey Humanitarian Award: Michigan Tech junior forward Tyler Heinonen and Alaska Anchorage senior defenseman Austin Sevalrud were two of 18 nominees for the 2016 BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented annually to college hockey’s finest citizen – a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere 2015-16 WCHA Season in Review - News and Notes #WCHA

In the Classroom and In the Community (Cont.) More from the 2015-16 Season (Cont.) • Postgraduate Scholarship: Alaska Anchorage senior defenseman Austin Sevalrud • In-Season Tournament Champions: Alaska (Brice Alaska Goal Rush) and Michigan was awarded the 2016 WCHA Postgraduate Scholarship. Tech (inaugural Desert Hockey Classic in Glendale, Ariz.) each captured in-season • Sevalrud was a four-year regular on the Alaska Anchorage blue line, playing tournament titles. in 129 career games. An exemplary leader in all areas, from the classroom • The host Nanooks defeated American International and Rensselaer, and to the locker room, he wore the captain's "C" during his senior year. used a +7 goal differential over UAA, to win their fourth-straight BAGR. Academically, Sevalrud was a three-time recipient of the WCHA Scholar- • The Huskies, playing at the home of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes (Gila River Athlete Award and a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team member, Arena) in a tournament hosted by Division I newcomer Arizona State, while he maintained a cumulative 3.75 grade-point average and earned defeated Connecticut in the semifinal and used a shootout victory over a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance. He has future plans to eventual NCAA Tournament participant Yale to earn the title. enroll in a combined JD/MBA program. Once Around the Rink More from the 2015-16 Season • UAH: The Chargers have improved their winning percentage in each of their three • Huskies in Elite Company: Michigan Tech was one of only four teams to rank in seasons under Head Coach Mike Corbett. the top-10 nationally for both scoring offense and defense in 2015-16, joining • UAA: Sophomore G Olivier Mantha posted a .903 save percentage in 2015-16, the Frozen Four participants Boston College, North Dakota and Quinnipiac. eighth-best single-season mark in program history. • MTU ranked 10th with an average of 3.32 goals per game (123 in 37 • UAF: The Nanooks went 3-0-1 against in-state rival Alaska Anchorage to claim the games) and ninth by allowing just 2.08 goals per contest (37). Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup title for the fourth straight season. • UND, the 2016 National Champion, was seventh (3.64) and second (1.86); • BSU: With a 17-16-6 record in 2015-16, the Beavers posted their largest win total fellow finalist Quinnipiac was fourth (3.88) and fifth (1.90); and, Boston since going 17-18-3 in 2011-12. College was fifth (3.85) and seventh (1.98). • BGSU: Sophomore G Chris Nell broke Bowling Green's single-season records for • Century Club: Four WCHA players reached the career 100-point milestone during goals-against average (1.91) and save percentage (.930), helping the Falcons win the 2015-16 season – Alaska's Tyler Morley, Minnesota State's Teddy Blueger a best-of-three league playoff series for the sixth-straight year under Head Coach and Bryce Gervais, and Alaska Anchorage's Blake Tatchell. That quartet joined Chris Bergeron. incumbent Alex Petan (Michigan Tech) – the WCHA's Player of the Year and a • FSU: The Bulldogs closed the 2015-16 campaign by making their fourth NCAA Hobey Baker Memorial Award Top-10 Finalist – to give the league five active Tournament appearance, including the third in the past five years. Century Club members by season's end. • LSSU: The Lakers' rookies finished 10th nationally in combined scoring among • Additionally, sixth-year Bowling Green head coach Chris Bergeron became freshman classes (41g-61a=105pts) and tied for the most game-winning goals just the fourth BGSU bench boss to win 100 games when the Falcons (11), helping LSSU to a six-win improvement over 2014-15. posted a 5-0 win at Alabama Huntsville on March 5. • MTU: The Huskies led the WCHA in scoring (3.32 goals/game), power-play • Minnesota State's Mike Hastings, in his fourth season in Mankato, efficiency (21.1 percent) and goals against (77) during their championship-winning recorded his 100th career victory in the Mavericks' Final Five semifinal campaign. victory over BGSU. • MSU: The Mavericks finished the 2015-16 season leading the country in power • Milestone for Daniels: Ferris State's Bob Daniels - the winningest coach in school play attempts (198), lowest shots on goal allowed per game (20.95), shots on goal history - was credited with his 400th career victory in the Bulldogs' 3-2 victory at margin ( 529) and shots on goal margin per game ( 12.90). Michigan Tech on Oct. 31. • NMU: The Wildcats' WCHA record (12-11-5) and finish (fifth) were their best since • Daniels, who concluded his 24th season at the helm, ranks 36th all-time the 2009-10 season (13-9-6 and fourth in the CCHA). among men's college hockey coaches (all divisions) with 417 career victories (17th among active bench bosses at the end of the 2015-16 Tradition Starts Here campaign). • Standard for Success: Minnesota State has reached unprecedented heights during • Among coaches with at least 10 years at the NCAA Division I level (and the four-year tenure of head coach Mike Hastings. The program has gone 100- including all wins at a four-year institution), Daniels is 23rd for wins (ninth 49-14 (.656) during that span, matching Massachusetts Lowell for the third-most among active head coaches). wins in the country (behind only North Dakota's 110 and Quinnipiac's 109). • Another Fantastic Finish: For the third time in three seasons since realignment, • The Mavericks have recorded four-consecutive 20-win seasons for the first the MacNaughton Cup race came down to the final night of the regular season. time in the school's D-I history and just the second-time ever (legendary After Ferris State (2014) and Minnesota State (2015) used last-game victories to bench boss Don Brose had a five-year run between 1978-79 and 1982-83). earn the title, Michigan Tech's win at Northern Michigan this season allowed the • 20-20: Bowling Green (22-14-6) and Michigan Tech (23-9-5) both reached the Huskies to claim a share of the championship (after the Mavericks had clinched a 20-win plateau for the second consecutive season in 2015-16. The Falcons last share on the season's penultimate night). achieved that feat between 1994-95 and 1995-96; the Huskies, not since a three- • Also determined on the season's last night: The fourth and final home ice campaign run between 1980-81 and 1982-83 (including the final two years of John slot (Ferris State), the eighth and final playoff position (Alaska Anchorage) MacInnes' Hall-of-Fame tenure in Houghton). and seven of the eight playoff seeds. • Michigan Tech is fourth nationally with 52 wins over the last two seasons, • Michigan Tech earned the top seed for the WCHA Playoffs by virtue of its while its .712 winning percentage (52-19-7) is third. 18 league wins (two more than Minnesota State). • Minnesota State is sixth over that same span with 50 wins. • Petan Captures Scoring Title: For the second-straight season, the league scoring • Bowling Green is 13th among NCAA D-I programs with 45 victories. champion had a multi-point effort on the final night to earn the title by a single point. Michigan Tech senior forward Alex Petan tallied a pair of assists in Tech's cup-clinching win at Northern Michigan to finish with 29 points in WCHA games (16-13a), one ahead of Minnesota State's Teddy Blueger (7g-21a). • Goaltender U: For the fourth-consecutive season, the WCHA goaltending champion manned the Minnesota State crease. Junior Cole Huggins earned the title this year with a 1.46 goals-against average in league play, after also winning in 2013-14 (1.73). Former Maverick Stephon Williams was tops as a freshman in 2012-13 (1.93) and as a junior in 2014-15 (1.55). • Don't Leave Your Seats: Seventy-one (71) of the 140 WCHA regular season games in 2015-16 were either ties (23) or one-goal decisions (48), with 35 overtime contests. Thirty-three (33) league games featured a tie-breaking, third-period game-winning goal (including 15 in the last five minutes of regulation), with an additional 12 victories coming in overtime.

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere 2015-16 WCHA Season in Review - Standings and Charts #WCHA

Final 2015-16 WCHA Standings Conference Overall Rk (Natl Rank) Team Pts GP W L T % GF GA GP W L T % GF GA 1 (16/RV) Michigan Tech-x 39 28 18 7 3 .696 92 55 37 23 9 5 .689 123 77 (17/NR) Minnesota State 39 28 16 5 7 .696 82 48 41 21 13 7 .598 105 80 3 Bowling Green 37 28 16 7 5 .661 81 59 42 22 14 6 .595 118 91 4 (15/15) Ferris State 30 28 13 11 4 .536 73 70 41 20 15 6 .561 112 109 5 Northern Michigan 29 28 12 11 5 .518 65 69 38 15 16 7 .487 89 99 6 Bemidji State 27 28 11 12 5 .482 66 66 39 17 16 6 .513 96 96 7 Lake Superior State 25 28 10 13 5 .446 49 71 41 14 22 5 .402 74 105 8 Alaska 20 28 8 16 4 .357 65 87 36 10 22 4 .333 86 117 9 Alaska Anchorage 18 28 8 18 2 .321 63 84 34 11 20 3 .368 81 103 10 Alabama Huntsville 16 28 5 17 6 .286 61 88 34 7 21 6 .294 73 106 x - top playoff seed per WCHA tie-breaking policies ; rankings listed by USCHO.com poll first, followed by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll

NCAA Wins Leaders, 2012-16 (Mike Hastings Era at Minnesota State)

Rank Team Wins 1. North Dakota 110 2. Quinnipiac 109 3. Minnesota State 100 Massachusetts Lowell 100 5. Boston College 99 6. St. Cloud State 98 7. Minnesota 97 8. Providence 92 9. Denver 89 10. Robert Morris 87 11. Union 86 12. Notre Dame 85 13. Ferris State 83 Michigan 83 15. Boston University 80 Miami 80

NCAA Wins Leaders, 2013-16 NCAA Wins Leaders, 2014-16 (Since Realignment) (Last 2 Seasons)

Rank Team (Conference) Wins Rank Team (Conference) Wins 1. North Dakota (NCHC) 88 1. North Dakota (NCHC) 63 2. Quinnipiac (ECAC) 79 2. Quinnipiac (ECAC) 55 3. Boston College (HEA) 77 3. Providence (HEA) 53 4. Minnesota State (WCHA) 76 4. Michigan Tech (WCHA) 52 5. Providence (HEA) 75 5. St. Cloud State (NCHC) 51 6. St. Cloud State (NCHC) 73 6. Minnesota State (WCHA) 50 7. Massachusetts Lowell (HEA) 72 7. Boston College (HEA) 49 8. Minnesota (B1G) 71 Boston University (HEA) 49 9. Denver (NCHC) 69 Denver (NCHC) 49 10. Ferris State (WCHA) 67 10. Robert Morris (AHA) 48 Robert Morris (AHA) 67 11. Michigan (B1G) 47 12. Michigan Tech (WCHA) 66 12. Massachusetts Lowell (HEA) 46 13. Michigan (B1G) 65 13. Bowling Green (WCHA) 45 14. Union (ECAC) 64 14. Minnesota (B1G) 43 15. Bowling Green (WCHA) 63 15. Harvard (ECAC) 40 Miami (NCHC) 40 Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) 40

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere 2015-16 WCHA Season in Review - 2016 WCHA Tournament #WCHA

Quarterfinal Round; March 11-13 2016 WCHA Final Five Best-of-Three, at Host Sites March 18-19 Van Andel Arena; Grand Rapids, Mich.

#6 Bemidji State

BGSU wins series, 2-1 #3 Bowling Green

#3 Bowling Green #2 Minnesota State Minnesota State wins, 2-1

#7 Lake Superior State

MSU wins series, 2-1 #2 Minnesota State

#2 Minnesota State 2016 WCHA Playoff Champion - Ferris State Ferris State wins, 2-1

#8 Alaska

MTU wins series, 2-0 #1 Michigan Tech #1 Michigan Tech

#4 Ferris State Ferris State wins, 1-0 #5 Northern Michigan

FSU wins series, 2-0 #4 Ferris State

#4 Ferris State

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere 2015-16 WCHA Season in Review - Awards #WCHA

2015 – 2016 WCHA Players of the Week

Week of Offensive Defensive Rookie Oct. 5-11 Brennan Saulnier, So., F, Alabama Huntsville Michael Bitzer, So., G, Bemidji State Atte Tolvanen, Fr., G, Northern Michigan Oct. 12-18 Tayler Munson, So., F, Alaska Graeme McCormack, Sr., D, Bemidji State Wyatt Ege, Fr., D, Alaska Anchorage Oct. 19-25 Gerald Mayhew, Jr., F, Ferris State Olivier Mantha, So., G, Alaska Anchorage Atte Tolvanen, Fr., G, Northern Michigan Oct. 26-Nov. 1 Cody Marooney, Jr., F, Alabama Huntsville Atte Tolvanen, Fr., G, Northern Michigan Kurt Gosselin, Fr., D, Alabama Huntsville Nov. 2-8 Tyler Morley, Sr., F, Alaska Casey Nelson, Jr., D, Minnesota State Corey Mackin, Fr., F, Ferris State Nov. 9-15 Brendan Harms, Jr., F, Bemidji State Jamie Phillips, Sr., G, Michigan Tech Corey Mackin, Fr., F, Ferris State Nov. 16-22 Tyler Heinonen, Jr., F, Michigan Tech Gordon Defiel, So., G, Lake Superior State Atte Tolvanen, Fr., G, Northern Michigan Nov. 23-29 Teddy Blueger, Sr., F, Minnesota State Mark Friedman, So., D, Bowling Green Jason Pawloski, Fr., G, Minnesota State Nov. 30-Dec. 6 Dominik Shine, Jr., F, Northern Michigan Olivier Mantha, So., G, Alaska Anchorage Gage Torrel, Fr., F, Lake Superior State Dec. 7-13 Alex Petan, Sr., F, Michigan Tech Chris Nell, So., G, Bowling Green Jesse Jenks, Fr., G, Alaska Dec. 28-Jan. 3 Brent Baltus, Jr., F, Michigan Tech Michael Bitzer, So., G, Bemidji State Jacob Hetz, Fr., F, Ferris State Jan. 4-10 Nate Arentz, Jr., F, Bemidji State Jamie Phillips, Sr., G, Michigan Tech Diego Cuglietta, Fr., F, Lake Superior State Jan. 11-17 Alex Petan, Sr., F, Michigan Tech Jamie Phillips, Sr., G, Michigan Tech Darren Smith, Fr., G, Ferris State Jan. 18-24 C.J. Franklin, So., F, Minnesota State Cole Huggins, Jr., G, Minnesota State Darren Smith, Fr., G, Ferris State Brandon Hawkins, So., F, Bowling Green Jan. 25-31 Markus Gerbrandt, Sr., F, Bemidji State Casey Nelson, Jr., D, Minnesota State Tyler Poulsen, Fr., F, Alabama Huntsville Feb. 1-7 Max Vallis, Sr., F, Michigan Tech Jamie Phillips, Sr., G, Michigan Tech Darren Smith, Fr., G, Ferris State Feb. 8-14 Corey Mackin, Fr., F, Ferris State Matt Larose, Jr., G, Alabama Huntsville Gage Torrel, Fr., F, Lake Superior State Feb. 15-21 Matt Anholt, So., F, Alaska Anchorage Mathias Dahlstrom, Sr., G, Northern Michigan James Vermeulen, Fr., D, Northern Michigan Feb. 22-28 Mitch McLain, So., F, Bowling Green Graeme McCormack, Sr., D, Bemidji State Stephen Baylis, Fr., F, Bowling Green Feb. 29-March 6 Tyler Morley, Sr., F, Alaska Jamie Phillips, Sr., G, Michigan Tech Stephen Baylis, Fr., F, Bowling Green March 7-13 Gerald Mayhew, Jr., F, Ferris State Gordon Defiel, So., G, Lake Superior State Darren Smith, Fr., G, Ferris State March 14-20 Gerald Mayhew, Jr., F, Ferris State Darren Smith, Fr., G, Ferris State Darren Smith, Fr., G, Ferris State

2015 – 2016 WCHA Players of the Month Month Player Rookie October 2015 Brennan Saulnier, So., F, Alabama Huntsville Atte Tolvanen, Fr., G, Northern Michigan November 2015 Tyler Heinonen, Jr., F, Michigan Tech Corey Mackin, Fr., F, Ferris State December 2015 Dominik Shine, Jr., F, Northern Michigan Gage Torrel, Fr., F, Lake Superior State January 2016 Alex Petan, Sr., F, Michigan Tech Darren Smith, Fr., G, Ferris State February 2016 Dominik Shine, Jr., F, Northern Michigan Gage Torrel, Fr., F, Lake Superior State March/April 2016 Gerald Mayhew, Jr., F, Ferris State Darren Smith, Fr., G, Ferris State

2015 – 2016 National Accolades (WCHA Honorees) HONOREES Honor Player (Yr., Pos., Team) CCM Hockey Division I All-America Second Team Alex Petan (Sr., F, Michigan Tech) College Hockey News National Freshman Goaltender of the Year Darren Smith (Fr., G, Ferris State) College Hockey News All-Rookie Team Darren Smith (Fr., G, Ferris State) NCAA All-West Regional Team Darren Smith (Fr., G, Ferris State) Jared VanWormer (Jr., F, Ferris State) CoSIDA Academic All-District Chad Brears (Sr., F, Alabama Huntsville) Brendan Harms (Jr., F, Bemidji State) Chad McDonald (Jr., F, Ferris State) Reid Mimmack (Jr., G, Bemidji State)

NOMINEES / CANDIDATES / FINALISTS Honor Player (Yr., Pos., Team) Hobey Baker Memorial Award Top-10 Finalist Alex Petan (Sr., F, Michigan Tech) Mike Richter Award Nominee (Top 26) Olivier Mantha (So., G, Alaska Anchorage) Chris Nell (So., G, Bowling Green) Senior CLASS Award Candidate (Top 20) Simon Denis (Sr., D, Ferris State) Jamie Phillips (Sr., G, Michigan Tech)

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere 2015-16 WCHA Season in Review - Awards #WCHA Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Alex Petan, Sr., F, Michigan Tech Casey Nelson, Jr., D, Minnesota State Petan was a driving force behind Nelson was the backbone of a Michigan Tech’s run to a share of its Minnesota State defense that allowed first conference championship since the fewest shots on goal per game 1976, pacing the WCHA in league in the NCAA (20.95) and ranked fifth play with 16 goals and 29 points (13 nationally by yielding just 1.95 goals per assists). The senior from Delta, British game, while also contributing mightily Columbia recorded a point in 19 of his on the offensive end. The junior from 27 conference games, including seven Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. led all WCHA multi-point efforts. The Huskies’ co-captain was terrific during Tech’s defensemen (second among all players) with a +16 rating in his 27 10-1-3 WCHA binge after Dec. 11, tallying 15 points and netting four league games, while also pacing blue-liners with 71 shots on goal and game-winning goals among his 10 overall markers. Petan, a Hobey Baker tying for fourth with 15 points (4g-11a). Nelson finished his season Award top ten finalist, finished with 33 points overall (18g-15a). with 22 points overall (six goals) to tie for third among league d-men, while his 16 assists tied for ninth among all players and his +14 rating Rookie of the Year was sixth. He made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres in March and Corey Mackin, F, Ferris State signed a two-year extension with the club in June. Mackin lived up to his preseason prognostication as the league’s top rookie, leading WCHA freshmen with Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year 21 points (9g-12) in league play and Jamie Phillips, Sr., G, Michigan Tech 23 points (9g-14a) overall entering Phillips, who backstopped Michigan the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The Tech to a share of the league Philadelphia, Pa. native also paced championship, was honored for his league rookies with his nine goals, while stellar work in the crease and in the finishing his first regular season with a +6 rating (+8 in WCHA games). classroom. The senior posted an overall Mackin found his name on the scoresheet in half (14) of his inaugural 28 3.52 grade-point average, graduated in league contests, while he factored in the game-winning goal (scoring or May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science assisting) in six of Ferris State’s 13 WCHA victories. in Exercise Science and has plans to attend medical school in his native Canada after his professional hockey career (Phillips signed a two- All-WCHA First Team year contract with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets). A finalist for the 2015-16 Alex Petan, Sr., F, Michigan Tech Senior CLASS Award, Phillips was involved with numerous community Teddy Blueger, Sr., F, Minnesota State programs, including volunteer work with Houghton-area youth Tyler Morley, Sr., F, Alaska gymnastics and hockey teams. On the ice, he ranked eighth nationally Casey Nelson, Jr., D, Minnesota State with a .708 winning percentage (23-8-5) and 12th with a 1.97 goals- Mark Friedman, So., D, Bowling Green against average. Phillips, among the nominees for the 2016 Mike Richter Chris Nell, So., G, Bowling Green Award, also had a .922 save percentage in 2260:01 in net.

All-WCHA Second Team Gerald Mayhew, Jr., F, Ferris State Coach of the Year Darren Nowick, Sr., F, Northern Michigan Mel Pearson, Michigan Tech Dominik Shine, Jr., F, Northern Michigan Pearson and Michigan Tech brought the Matt Roy, So., D, Michigan Tech MacNaughton Cup back to its ancestral Sean Walker, Jr., D, Bowling Green home in Copper Country for the first Jamie Phillips, Sr., G, Michigan Tech time in 40 years, as the fifth-year bench boss guided the Huskies to a share All-WCHA Third Team of their first WCHA regular season Mark Cooper, Sr., F, Bowling Green championship since the 1975-76 season. He also became the first Tech Bryce Gervais, Sr., F, Minnesota State coach to record consecutive 20-win seasons since the legendary John Malcolm Gould, Sr., F, Michigan Tech MacInnes. This is Pearson’s second Coach of the Year accolade, as he Tyler Heinonen, Jr., F, Michigan Tech also was recognized following his first season in 2011-12. Brandon Anselmini, Sr., D, Ferris State Shane Hanna, Jr., D, Michigan Tech Gordon Defiel, So., G, Lake Superior State Scoring Champion Alex Petan, Sr., F, Michigan Tech All-WCHA Rookie Team (16 goals, 13 assists for 29 points in 27 WCHA games) Corey Mackin, F, Ferris State Max Coatta, F, Minnesota State Goaltending Champion Jake Lucchini, F, Michigan Tech Cole Huggins, Jr., Minnesota State Wyatt Ege, D, Alaska Anchorage (20 goals allowed in 822:00 for a 1.46 GAA in 14 WCHA games) Daniel Brickley, D, Minnesota State Atte Tolvanen, G, Northern Michigan

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere National Polls, Nonconference Comparison and Head-to-Head #WCHA

USCHO.com USA TODAY/USA Hockey Magazine September 26, 2016 October 3, 2016 Rk Team (1st Place Votes) Record Points Last Poll Rank Team, Points (1st place) Last Wk Record Top 15 1 North Dakota (43) 34-6-4 993 1 1. North Dakota, 504 (28) 1 34-6-4 1 2 Quinnipiac (1) 32-4-7 856 2 2. Quinnipiac, 435 2 32-4-7 1 3 Denver 25-10-6 848 4 3. Boston University, 424 (6) 14 21-13-5 1 4 Boston University (5) 21-13-5 774 14 4. Denver, 413 3 25-10-6 1 5 Boston College (1) 28-8-5 641 3 5. Minnesota Duluth, 352 12 19-16-5 1 6 Minnesota Duluth 19-16-5 621 9 6. St. Cloud State, 293 5 31-9-1 1 7 St. Cloud State 31-9-1 569 5 7. Massachusetts Lowelll, 260 8 25-10-5 1 8 Massachusetts Lowell 26-10-5 535 7 8. Notre Dame, 230 13 19-11-7 1 9 Notre Dame 19-11-7 502 13 9. Boston College, 221 4 28-8-5 1 10 Providence 27-7-4 476 7 10. Providence, 188 7 27-7-4 1 11 Michigan 25-8-5 470 6 11. Minnesota, 166 -- 20-17-0 1 12 Harvard 19-11-4 422 10 12. Michigan, 143 6 25-8-5 1 13 Minnesota 20-17-0 404 NR 13. Harvard, 136 9 19-11-4 1 14 Bowling Green 22-14-6 370 NR 14. Northeastern, 107 11 22-14-5 1 15 Northeastern 22-15-5 361 12 15. Bowling Green, 64 -- 22-14-6 1 16 St. Lawrence 19-14-4 336 18 Also receiving votes: St. Lawrence, 53; Yale, 36; Ohio State, 30; Clarkson, 6; 17 Michigan Tech 23-9-5 285 16 Omaha, 6; Minnesota State, 4; Cornell, 3; Rochester Institute of Technology, 3; 18 Yale 19-9-4 283 11 Ferris State, 1; Penn State, 1; Wisconsin, 1. 19 Minnesota State 21-13-7 153 17 20 Ferris State 20-15-6 126 15 Others receiving votes: Cornell 92, Omaha 85, Penn State 63, Clarkson 62, Rochester Institute of Technology 62, Ohio State 33, Air Force 17, Vermont 16, Miami 11, Wisconsin 10, Dartmouth 6, Robert Morris 6, Michigan State 5.

WCHA Against the Rest By Team vs AHA vs B10 vs ECAC vs HEA vs NCHC vs. Ind. Total Alabama Huntsville 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 Alaska Anchorage 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 Alaska 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 Bemidji State 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 Bowling Green 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 Ferris State 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 Lake Superior State 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 Michigan Tech 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-2-0 Minnesota State 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 Northern Michigan 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 TOTALS: 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-2-0 (.---) (.---) (.---) (.---) (.000) (.---) (.000)

By Site vs AHA vs B10 vs ECAC vs HEA vs NCHC vs. Ind Total Home 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 Away 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-2-0 Neutral 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 TOTALS: 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-2-0 (.---) (.---) (.---) (.---) (.000) (.---) (.000)

WCHA Head-to-Head UAH UAA UAF BSU BGSU FSU LSSU MTU MSU NMU W-L-T-3/SW UAH ---- 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 2-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 2-0-0-0 UAA 0-0-0-0 ---- 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 UAF 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 ---- 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 BSU 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 ---- 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 BGSU 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 ---- 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 FSU 0-2-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 ---- 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-2-0-0 LSSU 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 ---- 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 MTU 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 ---- 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 MSU 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 ---- 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 NMU 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 ---- 0-0-0-0

Week 2 (October 3-9, 2016) @wcha___mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha___mhockey WCHA.tv wcha.com #TraditionStartsHere Team Notebooks #WCHA

Head Coach: Mike Corbett (4th season) Head Coach: Matt Thomas (4th season) Record at UAH: 19-82-11 Record at UAA: 37-58-11 2015-16 Overall Record: 7-21-6 (5-17-6) 2015-16 Overall Record: 11-20-3 (8-18-2) 2016-17 Overall Record: 2-0-0 (2-0-0-0) 2016-17 Overall Record: 0-0-0 (0-0-0-0)

Chargers Seawolves University of Alabama in Huntsville University of Alaska Anchorage

• In their strongest start in the program’s WCHA era, UAH swept No. 20 Ferris • The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves start 2016-17 with NCAA powerhouse State this past weekend by scores of 2-1 and 4-3 in Big Rapids, Michigan, Minnesota in the season-opener, Oct. 7, before hosting in-state rival Alaska which is the team’s first-ever sweep of a ranked program and the first series Fairbanks, Oct. 8 at the Sullivan Arena at 7:07 p.m. AST both nights. sweep to open conference play. The Chargers are now 2-0-0 for the first time • Additionally, UAF and the Golden Gophers will play at 4:07 p.m., Oct. 9. since the 2001-02 campaign. • UAA is unbeaten in its last 15 season openers at 12-0-3. The last season- • UAH (2-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) returns to action this weekend with a two-game opener loss came from Michigan State in 2000. series scheduled for Friday and Saturday at UConn (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East). • Minnesota leads the all-time series record at 57-19-8, in Anchorage at 26-9-5 Puck drops at 6:05 p.m. CST on Friday and 3:05 p.m. CST on Saturday. and 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings. UAA last played the Golden Gophers as • Matt Larose, a Nanaimo, British Columbia, native, garnered the WCHA members of the same conference, Jan. 11-12, 2013 – MINN swept, 4-3, 7-1. Defensive Player of the Week honor after backstopping the Chargers to • UAA’s last wins over Minnesota came March 11-12, 2011, when the their first-ever sweep of a ranked opponent this past weekend, as the UAH Seawolves upset the Golden Gophers, 4-3, 2-0 in the WCHA First Round at netminder posted 67 total saves, four goals allowed and an NCAA-leading Mariucci Arena – sending UAA to the WCHA Final Five. .944 save percentage in two games. • The Seawolves take on UAF in a non-conference meeting – the first of five • Max McHugh – who has led the UAH offense in points for the past two meetings this season. This will be the 161st all-time meeting between the seasons – registered a goal in each game of the Chargers sweep of Ferris teams. State while accumulating a team-high eight shots on goal and a +1 rating on • UAA and UAF met four times last season, with UAF going 3-0-1. UAA leads the ice. McHugh was one of four players in the NCAA to score two goals this the all-time series record, 89-61-12 and in Anchorage, 50-22-7. weekend, which helped him to his first-ever WCHA Offensive Player of the • UAF leads 5-4-1 in the last 10 meetings, with the Seawolves’ last win coming Week award. Jan. 17, 2015 (3-2 OT). The last 11 straight games between the teams have • The Chargers penalty kill unit started the season successfully, as the squad been decided by just one goal. held Ferris State to just one goal in 10 opportunities this past weekend. Last • UAA returns 18 letterwinners, while losing seven. The Seawolves added eight year, UAH finished the season with a 78.7 percent success rate in killing newcomers, while they will dress sophomore-redshirts Jonah and Nathan penalties, which was good for eighth in the league. Renouf for the first time. • Kurt Gosselin notched a pair of assists in this past weekend’s sweep, which • Both Jonah (1g, 2a) and Nathan (2a) furnished solid performances in the has the sophomore tied for the team lead in points and atop all scoring for Seawolves’ exhibition game vs. Simon Fraser – UAA won, 6-1. UAH defenseman. Gosselin had a successful freshman campaign in which • The Seawolves also added fifth-year goaltenderRasmus Reijola, a goalie the Brighton, Michigan, native registered nine points on two goals and seven from St. Cloud State. assists. • UAA will be led by its captain, junior F Matt Anholt, and assistant captains; • After recording three career assists in his first two seasons with UAH,Josh senior D Chase Van Allen and junior G Olivier Mantha. Kestner supplied a pair of assists for the UAH offense to have him tied with • The Seawolves are coached by fourth-year Matt Thomas, second-year Louis Gosselin and McHugh for the team lead with two points on offense. Kestner Mass and first-yearJoey Crabb. now enters the week with 16 career points from 11 goals and five assists. • Following this weekend’s series, UAH returns to WCHA play with a trip to Michigan Tech on Oct. 14-15. Puck drops at 7:07 p.m. CST on both Friday and Saturday next week in Houghton, Michigan.

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Head Coach: Dallas Ferguson (9th season) Head Coach: Tom Serratore (16th season) Record at UAF: 71-131-38 Record at BSU: 244-240-67 2015-16 Overall Record: 10-22-4 (8-16-4) 2015-16 Overall Record: 17-16-6 (11-12-5) 2016-17 Overall Record: 0-0-0 (0-0-0-0) 2016-17 Overall Record: 0-0-0 (0-0-0-0)

Nanooks Beavers University of Alaska Bemidji State University

• The hockey team unofficially kicked off the 2016-17 season • Bemidji State opens its 61st season of collegiate men’s hockey this weekend last weekend, taking on the Simon Fraser Clan in a Sunday exhibition on Oct. when it hosts Bowling Green. The Beavers, who are 1,047-581-120 all-time, 2. rank second only to Boston College in all-time wining percentage (.634). • After a scoreless first period, the Nanooks notched two goals in the second • The Beavers are coming off a 2015-16 season in which they posted a 17-16-6 to capture a 2-0 victory over SFU. record to finish sixth in the WCHA standings and assemble its first winning • The Nanooks earned goals from rookie forward Kylar Hope and sophomore record since recording a 23-10-4 record en route to a CHA regular season forward Chad Staley in Sunday’s game, marking Hope’s first unofficial goal title and an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament in 2009-10. wearing a Nanook jersey and the first time Staley has scored since Mar. 12, • BSU returns 64 percent of its point scoring and 61 percent of its goal scoring 2016 vs. Michigan Tech. form a year ago, which includes its top two point getters in Gerry Fitzgerald • Three of Alaska’s four goaltenders dressed in the exhibition game on (14-11—25) and Brendan Harms (8-17—25). Both were personal single- Sunday, with senior Davis Jones, sophomore Jesse Jenks and freshman Niko season scoring bests. DellaMaggiore each one playing a full 20-minute period • Harms opens his senior season having posted at least 20 points in each of his • Jones led the way for the three goaltenders, making 11 saves in the first first three seasons at BSU. period alone. Jenks followed closely behind with seven saves, while • In all, BSU returns 22 players from 2015-16, which includes six of its top 10 DellaMaggiore posted two saves point scorers and three goaltenders. • Jenks recorded his first unofficial point as a Nanook on Sunday, as he was • Bemidji State is captained by senior Charlie O’Connor in 2016-17 with fellow given the secondary assist on Staley’s goal – Jenks set up the puck behind seniors Nate Arentz and Harms serving as alternate captains. the net for Frye, who passed it to Staley and scored. • Michael Bitzer returns in net after seeing time in 34 of 39 games in 2015-16. • Also earning assists on Sunday’s game: sophomore forward Ryker Leer, The 2014-15 WCHA Rookie of the Year posted a 13-16-5 record with a .915 freshman defenseman Danny Kiraly and junior defenseman Zach Frye. save percentage and a 2.16 goals against average. He owns the highest • Senior forward Marcus Basara boasted the best plus/minus rating of the career save percentage (.922) and his 1.991 career goals against average is Nanooks in Sunday’s game, putting up a +2 rating while eight other Nanooks also tops all-time for BSU goaltenders with at least 1,500 minutes played. In were +1. addition, his 10 shutouts ranks second. • Freshman forward Colton Leiter collected the most face-off wins on the • Bitzer opens his junior season already firmly seated among BSU’s greatest afternoon, posting 11 wins, the most of any Alaska player that day. goaltenders. • The Nanooks travel 365 miles South this weekend, taking on in-state rival • Since first fielding a men’s hockey team in 1947-48, the Beavers are 43-15-2 Alaska Anchorage on Saturday (Oct. 8) before facing former-Alaska coach in season openers (.733) and are 44-14-2 in home openers (.750). Don Lucia and the Minnesota Gophers on Sunday (Oct. 9). • BSU head coach Tom Serratore begins his 16th season behind the bench of • Saturday’s game against UAA will be the first time the two Alaska teams have the Beavers, his Alma Mater (’86). He is 244-240-67 (.504). faced each other since Mar. 4-5, only seven short months ago. The Nooks ousted the Seawolves from the final WCHA playoff spot and claimed the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup in the weekend sweep. • It will be the first time since Oct. 14-15, 2005 since the Nanooks have faced the Gophers, with the weekend series coming as a 4-3 win and a 3-3 OT tie against the University of Minnesota.

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Head Coach: Chris Bergeron (7th season) Head Coach: Bob Daniels (25th season) Record at BGSU: 102-113-31 Record at FSU: 417-426-95 2015-16 Overall Record: 22-14-6 (16-7-5) 2015-16 Overall Record: 20-15-6 (13-11-4) 2016-17 Overall Record: 0-0-0 (0-0-0-0) 2016-17 Overall Record: 0-2-0 (0-2-0-0)

Falcons Bulldogs Bowling Green State University Ferris State University

• Bowling Green was picked to finish first in the WCHA by both the coaches’ • No. 20 Ferris State opened the season with a pair of losses to visiting and media preseason polls, in addition to being ranked No. 14 in the country Alabama Huntsville last weekend at the Ewigleben Ice Arena. by USCHO.com. It is just the second time in school history that Bowling • Ferris State sports a record of 51-75-14 in 140 all-time meetings with WMU. Green has been ranked in the first USCHO.com poll of the year since the poll The Bulldogs are looking for their first win over Western Michigan since was initiated for the 1997-98 season, and improved from a No. 16 ranking at March 11, 2011 at Lawson Ice Arena, when the Bulldogs won game one of the start of the 2015-16 campaign. a best-of-three CCHA first round playoff series. FSU is also looking for their • The Falcons are also ranked No. 15 in the first USA Today/USA Hockey first win at Ewigleben Ice Arena over the Broncos since November 19, 2010. Magazine poll of the season yesterday. This is the Falcons' first appearance While Ferris State has an 0-7-3 mark against Western Michigan in their last in the poll since receiving a No. 13 ranking on 12/14/15. 10 meetings, the Bulldogs and Broncos have only met twice since 2013. • Bowling Green most recently faced off with Bemidji State in the first round of • Junior forward Mitch Maloney scored the lone FSU goal in Saturday’s the WCHA Playoffs, from March 11-13, 2016. With a 2-1 record in the series opening day loss to UAH, and finished his first weekend with three points win, the Falcons now hold an all-time series record of 8-4-1 with the Beavers, in two games. In all three of his seasons in a Bulldog sweater, Maloney has including an impressive 6-1 mark at home. Although the Falcons are 2-3-1 scored on opening night. at the , they have outscored Bemidji State by a 36-27 mark • Redshirt freshman forward Craig Pefley impressed during the first two all-time, but fall short on the road by a 19-12 margin. games of the 2016-17 season vs. Alabama Huntsville, assisting on three of • In last year’s WCHA Playoffs, Bowling Green came back from a first-game Ferris State’s four weekend goals. The St. Clair, Mich. native played in just loss to defeat Bemidji State in a best-of-three WCHA Tournament first round one game last year due to injury and was given a medical redshirt. After the series with wins of 7-2 and 3-1 in the final two games. BGSU has now won three-point weekend, the forward was named the WCHA’s Rookie of the a best-of-three playoff series in six consecutive years, including all three as Week by the conference office. members of the WCHA. • The Bulldogs welcome eight new freshman to the program for the 2016- • Defenseman Mark Friedman had two goals and three points in the second 17 season, and all seven skaters got into their first action during opening game of the WCHA Playoff series during BGSU’s 7-2 win over Bemidji State. weekend vs. Alabama Huntsville. Up front, Taylor Fernandez, Dominic Lutz That still represents his career-best for a single game in both categories. and Jason Tackett made their respective debuts on the same line together • Goalie Chris Nell saved 93 of 99 shots during the three game series against during Saturday’s game. On defense, Joe Rutkowski led the way and earned Bemidji State and led WCHA goalies with a .939 save percentage during the his first career point with an assist on Maloney’s goal Saturday night. Nate first round of the playoffs. In BGSU’s two wins, he saved 72 of 75 shots. Kallen also played in both of FSU’s contests, while Cam Clarke made his • At the end of the 2016-17 campaign, Nell led the WCHA overall in save debut Sunday afternoon and earned big minutes for the Bulldogs. Although a percentage (.930) and was third in goals against average (1.91) and set defenseman by trade, Chris Allemon made his first appearance as a forward Bowling Green school records in the pair of categories. in Sunday’s game. • Forward Kevin Dufour scored three points in the playoff matchup against • With schedule changes due to the new WCHA playoff format, Ferris State will Bemidji State last season. Two of those occurred in the second game, as he play six total home games in October. This marks the most home games the posted an assist and the game-winning goal. Dufour also notched the game- Bulldogs will play in any one month during the 2016-17 regular season. Ferris winner of a narrow 3-2 exhibition win for the Falcons last weekend. State will play nine total contests over 29 days to open NCAA play, which is • In the second game of the playoff series with Bemidji State, BGSU tallied four also the most they will play in any one month in the 2016-17 season. power play goals, the most in a single game since Nov. 9, 2007. • Senior forward Gerald Mayhew was chosen by both the WCHA coaches • The Falcons opened the 2016-17 season in an exhibition matchup with and media as the league’s Preseason Player of the Year on Sept. 20. The Windsor on Oct. 1, in which Bowling Green downed Windsor with a 3-2 final. Wyandotte, Mich. native ranked third in the league scoring race a season ago Junior Brett D’Andrea scored two of the three goals for the Falcons, which with 25 points on nine goals and 16 assists in WCHA play last year, while his would be a career-high for the forward. 41 overall points were tops in the conference. Mayhew ended his campaign • Against the Lancers last weekend, the Falcons saw 20:09 minutes of power by recording a point in five of the team’s six postseason contests (10 total) play time, and a total of 39:12 minutes of special teams play. 17 of Bowling and helping the Bulldogs to the NCAA West Regional final with five goals Green’s 31 shots came with the man-advantage, and went two of 12 on the (including two game-winners) and five assists. power play. The Falcons also killed all 10 of Windsor’s power plays. • For the first time since the 1995-96 campaign, Ferris State will play all six Division I college hockey opponents in the state of Michigan in a single season. The Bulldogs will face all but Michigan Tech at least once at Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids. FSU will play in 12 contests against the six schools, with seven of the 12 coming at home. The Michigan-school schedule is front-loaded, with all seven of those home games taking place before November 20. • Senior forwards Jared VanWormer, Mayhew and Chad McDonald will make up Ferris State’s leadership group as the team heads into the new year. VanWormer will wear the “C” after serving as an assistant captain during the 2015-16 season, while Mayhew and McDonald will have letters on their sweaters for the first time as Bulldogs.

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Head Coach: Damon Whitten (3rd season) Head Coach: Mel Pearson (6th season) Record at LSSU: 22-50-7 Record at MTU: 95-79-22 2015-16 Overall Record: 14-22-5 (10-13-5) 2015-16 Overall Record: 23-9-5 (18-7-3) 2016-17 Overall Record: 0-0-0 (0-0-0-0) 2016-17 Overall Record: 0-2-0 (0-0-0-0)

Lakers Huskies Lake Superior State University Michigan Technological University

• Lake Superior State hockey hosts its annual Blue and Gold Game this • Michigan Tech suffered a pair of losses at No. 6 Minnesota Duluth in a weekend in preparation for next weekend’s regular season opener at home nonconference series to begin the 2016-17 season. The last time the Huskies against Michigan State. were swept in a nonconference road series dates back to November 1-2, • Last weekend the Lakers skated to a 3-3 tie with Laurentian before falling 2013 at the University of Michigan (3-2, 2-1). in three shootout rounds. The Voyageurs scored twice in the third period, • Senior forward Tyler Heinonen scored his team-leading 32nd goal of his leading to the tie. career on Sunday. He was third on last year’s team with 15 goals. • The Lakers received goals from freshman Luke Morgan and sophomore • Reid Sturos scored Michigan Tech’s first goal of the season 3:46 into Sunday Mitch Hults in the first period to claim a 2-1 lead that carried through the afternoon’s game. The senior forward has 19 career goals. first and second periods. • Joel L’Esperance also scored for the Huskies with his 24th career tally. The • Morgan’s goal, coming off a tipped shot by fellow freshman Kris Bindulis junior forward buried 16 goals in 2015-16—the second most on the team. opened the scoring 1:51 into the contest. • Devin Kero got his first start between the pipes on Sunday. The sophomore • Hults’ five-on-three power-play marker put the Lakers ahead 2-1 less than stopped 27-of-31 shots on the night, including a pair of breakaways. Kero three minutes after the Voyaguers tied the game at 1-1. had 10 saves in relief on Saturday and stopped a UMD penalty shot. • Junior J.T. Henke, who also assisted on Morgan’s goal, tallied a power-play • Michigan Tech travels to Minnesota State to open WCHA play. The Huskies goal in the third to turn in a two-point effort, as did Bindulis who assisted on went undefeated against the Mavericks last season. The two teams tied 2-2 the Morgan and Henke goals. on January 15 with the Tech winning the next night 3-1 at the John MacInnes • LSSU totaled 24 shots during the power play, connecting on two of their 12 Student Ice Arena. opportunities. • MSU leads the all-time series 33-17-8 and 19-4-3 in games played in • Laurentian registered eight shots on seven power-play opportunities but Mankato. The two teams met at the Verizon Wireless Center towards the scored a pair of goals with the man advantage. end of the 2014-15 season with the Mavs winning 4-2 Saturday after a 1-1 • The Lakers outshot the Voyageurs 54-21. draw Friday. They also met in the 2015 WCHA Championship Game where • Following this weekend’s squad scrimmage, the Lakers host former Central MSU won the Broadmoor Trophy 5-2. Collegiate Hockey Association rivals Michigan State (Oct. 14-15) as part of • Mark Auk (2) is the only Husky with multiple goals against MSU. Shane Great Lake State Weekend- LSSU Homecoming. Hanna, Matt Roy, Chris Leibinger and Reid Sturos have also scored on the • LSSU opens its WCHA season on the road at Alabama-Huntsville Oct. 21-22. Mavericks. • Mel Pearson is in his sixth season as Michigan Tech's head hockey coach in 2016-17. His record with the Huskies is 95-79-22. He was named the WCHA Coach of the Year in 2015-16 and 2011-12. • Pearson's 95 wins rank him second all-time at Tech. John MacInnes (555- 295-39) is the leader, while Jamie Russell (70-197-37) and Herb Boxer (66-129-8) are ranked behind Pearson. • Senior defenseman Cliff Watson is this season's captain. Seniors Brent Baltus, Shane Hanna, and Michael Neville will serve as assistant captains.

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Head Coach: Mike Hastings (5th season) Head Coach: Walt Kyle (15th season) Record at MSU: 100-49-14 Record at NMU: 252-241-64 2015-16 Overall Record: 21-13-7 (16-5-7) 2015-16 Overall Record: 15-16-7 (12-11-5) 2016-17 Overall Record: 0-0-0 (0-0-0-0) 2016-17 Overall Record: 0-0-0 (0-0-0-0)

Mavericks Wildcats Minnesota State University Northern Michigan University

• Minnesota State earned a 5-3 win over the University of Regina (Sask.) in • Northern Michigan rolled to a 10-1 victory over the University of Victoria exhibition action Saturday in Mankato. Oct. 2 in its season-opening exhibition contest. Eight Wildcats had multi- • The Mavericks, who went 21-13-7 last year and earned a share of the WCHA point outings, led byRobbie Payne, who recorded five points (1g-4a). Zach regular season title with a 18-6-7 record, got two goals from junior forward Diamantoni (2), Sami Salminen (2), Philip Beaulieu, Collin Peters, Casey Brad McClure, along with single tallies from junior Zeb Knutson, senior Purpur and Filip Starzynski also found the back of the net. Jordan Nelson and freshman Marc Michaelis in the win over the visiting • Last season, Northern Michigan and Wisconsin battled to two-straight Cougars. Minnesota State now stands 12-3-0 all-time in games vs. Canadian draws at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Oct. 9-10. Atte Tolvanen made a teams. combined 66 of 71 saves, including 41 in Saturday’s game, en route to being • Along with senior defenseman Carter Foguth, who is in his second season as named the WCHA Rookie of the Week for the first of three times in 2015-16. a team captain for the Mavericks, junior forward C.J. Franklin will also wear • This is the fourth series Northern Michigan and Wisconsin will play in Green a "C" for Minnesota State this year. Serving as alternate captains (all in their Bay as they also met at the Resch Center in 2006, 2012 and 2014. The first year) are senior forward Michael Huntebrinker, senior defenseman Wildcats lead the Resch Center series, 4-1-1, winning the past four games by Sean Flanagan and junior forward Brad McClure. a combined 12-4 margin. • The Mavericks open the 2016-17 campaign this Friday and Saturday with • Dominik Shine (2g-2a), Shane Sooth (1g-3a) and Gerard Hanson (3a) are Michigan Tech visiting Verizon Wireless Center. Minnesota State, which is the leading point producers against the Badgers on this year’s team. Jordan 4-1-1 in games vs. the Huskies over the course of the last two years, leads Klimek (1g-1a), Starzynski (1g-1a) and Hanson (2a) had multi-point efforts the all-time series by a 32-17-7 margin. during last year’s series. • The Mavericks are 20-23-4 all-time in season-opening contests. • Northern Michigan returns four of its top five point-producing forwards from • Minnesota State is in its 48th year of college hockey and enters the 2016-17 2015-16 in Shine (15g-15a), Hanson (3g-18a), Payne (12g-8a) and Sooth (6g- season with an all-time record of 836-622-148 (.567). The Mavericks are in 7a). The Wildcats will need to replace Darren Nowick, who led the team in their 18th year of membership in the WCHA and stand 208-207-55 (.501) points in both 2015-16 (14g-18a) and 2014-15 (7g-16a) and joined Shine on all-time in regular-season games vs. WCHA opponents. the 2016 all-WCHA second team. • For the first time in the history of the program, Minnesota State has two • Klimek and Maschmeyer are expected to lead the Northern Michigan blue players from Germany in freshmen forwards Parker Tuomie and Michaelis. line. Klimek was the team leader in plus/minus (+12) and finished fourth in Tuomie had 30-24--54 as a All-USHL Second Team pick for Sioux Falls last blocked shots (39) while Maschmeyer tied for fifth on the team in scoring year, while Michaelis totaled 10-41--51 as a member of Green Bay of the (5g-8a) and placed third in blocked shots (44). In 2014-15, Maschmeyer USHL. earned a spot on the all-WCHA third team after tying for first among WCHA • Franklin is Minnesota State's active career scoring leader with 23-30--53 defensemen with nine goals. points in 78 games played. • An all-rookie team selection,Tolvanen ranked first in the WCHA, and 11th • At 110 games played, Foguth is Minnesota State's active career games played nationally, with a .929 save percentage last season. That save percentage leaders. Senior forward Zach Stepan is next at 103 and senior defenseman was .001 away from tying 2005 Hobey Baker finalist Tuomas Tarkki’s single- Flanagan ranks third at 101. season school record. He also recorded a 2.46 GAA, which ranks 10th in school history. • The Wildcats went 12-11-5 in league action and claimed the fifth seed in the 2016 WCHA tournament. Their record and finish were their best since the 2009-10 campaign, when they went 13-9-6 en route to a fourth-place finish in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Their place in the standings came down to a single point; Ferris State edged them for the fourth and final home ice slot, totaling 30 points to their 29. • Last year, the Wildcats played in 12 games decided by a goal, posting a 7-5 record. In games that required overtime, they went 2-2-7, finishing one tie short of the single-season school record.

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