2015-16 WCHA WEEKLY RELEASE Week Two (September 28-Oct
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R 2015-16 WCHA WEEKLY RELEASE WEEK TWO (SEPTEMBER 28-OCT. 4, 2015) / wcha.com @wcha_whockey @wcha_whockey /WCHAWomensHockey Matt Hodson ● o: 952-818-8872 ● c: 612-801-2808 ● [email protected] WESTERN COLLEGIATE OPENING FACE-OFF HOCKEY ASSOCIATION • Tradition Starts Here: The women's Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), home to a record 15 national championships in 16 seasons, has all eight teams in action this weekend for the first time in the 2015-16 campaign. • FOUNDED 1999 • • A Look at the Polls: As the new season gets underway, the WCHA is in a familiar place with four teams in identical positions Minnesota State Univ., Mankato at Edina in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national rankings. No. 1 Minnesota garnered preseason top 7700 France Avenue South, Suite 360C billing in both polls, while the Gophers are joined by 2015 Frozen Four opponent Wisconsin (No. 3) and 2015 Final Face-Off Edina, MN 55435 participants North Dakota (No. 6) and Bemidji State (No. 9 and tied for ninth- the Beavers' highest ranking since 2011-12). A 952-818-8869 fifth WCHA team, Minnesota Duluth, is receiving votes in both polls. • WCHA Hockey, Coast to Coast: Women's college hockey fans from the Pacific to the Atlantic will be able to watch the sport's MEMBER TEAMS premier conference this weekend, as WCHA teams will play as far west as San Jose, Calif. (Wisconsin vs. Providence) and as Bemidji State University far east as Boston, Mass. (Minnesota Duluth at Boston College), with a stop near the middle in Wentzville, Mo. (Ohio State at University of Minnesota Lindenwood). • Welcome to Division I: St. Cloud State will have the honor of welcoming the 36th Division I women's college hockey program, University of Minnesota Duluth as the Huskies visit Merrimack in the Warriors' first-ever regular season games. Minnesota State University • Nonconference Success: Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State continued the WCHA's run of nonconference University of North Dakota success, going a combined 4-0-2 against the CHA and ECAC Hockey during the season's opening weekend. WCHA teams Ohio State University finished the 2014-15 season with an NCAA-best 38-11-2 (.765) record against non-league opponents. St. Cloud State University • Successful Debuts: The season-opening weekend also marked a pair of WCHA head coaching debuts. Maura Crowell began University of Wisconsin her tenure at Minnesota Duluth with a road sweep at Lindenwood, while John Harrington, in his first games behind a women's bench, led Minnesota State to a win and tie against Union. This weekend, Crowell returns to Massachusetts, where she 15 National Championships coached for 10 years (on the staffs at UMass-Boston and Harvard), to lead the Bulldogs against No. 2 Boston College. • Potter Up Next: Four-time Olympic medalist and two-time WCHA Player of the Year Jenny Potter officially returns to the 76 All-Americans league this weekend for her D-I head coaching debut with Ohio State (at Lindenwood). 100+ Olympians and National Team Members BY THE NUMBERS • 5: Returning WCHA All-Americans, of the six the league had in 2014-15: First-team members Hannah Brandt (Sr., F, Minnesota) and Brittni Mowat (Jr., G, Bemidji State), and second-team selections Shelby Amsley-Benzie (Sr., G, North Dakota), Dani 2016 WCHA Cameranesi (Jr., F, Minnesota) and Lee Stecklein (Jr., D, Minnesota). FINAL FACE-OFF • 18 and 2: Games into the 2014-15 season until Minnesota State recorded its first win (going 0-16-1 before); and, games into CHAMPIONSHIP the 2015-16 campaign before the Mavericks earned a "W" (going 0-1-1 before). Saturday, March 5 & Sunday, March 6 • 104: Career games between the pipes for Minnesota Duluth senior goaltender Kayla Black, tied for the most in UMD history Ridder Arena; Minneapolis, MN and ninth-most in WCHA annals. Black also holds Bulldog records for career shutouts (19) and saves (2,558). 2016 • 221: Career points for Minnesota senior forward Hannah Brandt (90 goals, 131 assists). The NCAA's active career scoring leader, Brandt ranks 16th in NCAA history. • 360: Career wins for Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson, who enters the 2015-16 season fourth all-time among Division I women's coaches (third among active bench bosses). • 2,125: Distance, in miles, between Madison, Wis. and San Jose, Calif. The third-ranked Badgers open their season against THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA Providence in a two-game series at Sharks Ice - the official training facility for the NHL's San Jose Sharks. Thursday, Oct. 1 No. 1 Minnesota at Penn State, 7:00 p.m. ET ELSEWHERE IN THE WCHA • No. 1 Minnesota at Penn State: The top-ranked Gophers begin their national title defense in State College, Penn. with a two- Friday, Oct. 2 game series against the Nittany Lions. Minnesota opened the 2014-15 season with an 8-0 home win over PSU. No. 9 Bemidji State at Vermont, 4:30 p.m. ET • No. 6 North Dakota at Rensselear: UND, which figures to be among the stingiest defensive teams in the country, opens its St. Cloud State at Merrimack, 6:00 p.m. ET Minnesota State at RIT, 6:00 p.m. ET season with a series in Troy, N.Y. against host RPI. Minnesota Duluth at No. 2 Boston College, • No. 9 Bemidji State at Vermont: The ninth-ranked Beavers, who were 11-9-1 away from home last year, travel to face the 7:00 p.m. ET Catamounts in a WCHA-Hockey East series. No. 1 Minnesota at Penn State, 7:00 p.m. ET • Minnesota State at RIT: Following an undefeated home weekend, the Mavericks are in Rochester, N.Y. to face the RIT Tigers. No. 6 North Dakota at Rensselaer, 7:00 p.m. ET Ohio State at Lindenwood, 7:00 p.m. CT 2015-16 WCHA STANDINGS ^No. 3 Wisconsin vs. Providence, 7:07 p.m. PT Conference Overall Rk (Natl Rank) Team Pts GP W L T SW % GF GA GP W L T % GF GA Saturday, Oct. 3 1 (9) Bemidji State 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 2 1 0 1 .750 7 5 Minnesota State at RIT, 1:00 p.m. ET St. Cloud State at Merrimack, 2:00 p.m. ET (1) Minnesota 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 Minnesota Duluth at No. 2 Boston College, Minnesota Duluth 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 2 2 0 0 1.000 8 4 3:00 p.m. ET Minnesota State 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 2 1 0 1 .750 5 2 No. 6 North Dakota at Rensselaer, 3:00 p.m. ET (6) North Dakota 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 No. 9 Bemidji State at Vermont, 4:00 p.m. ET Ohio State 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 ^No. 3 Wisconsin vs. Providence, 3:07 p.m. PT Ohio State at Lindenwood, 7:00 p.m. CT St. Cloud State 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 (3) Wisconsin 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .--- 0 0 ^-games played at Sharks Ice; San Jose, CA (shootout win = 1 additional point) HOME OF A RECORD 15 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 •2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2015 TRADITION STARTS HERE THE WEEK IN REVIEW - GAMES OF SEPT. 25-27, 2015 #WCHA • No. 9 Bemidji State (vs. Robert Morris), Minnesota Duluth (at at No. 1 Minnesota 5, Minnesota Whitecaps 4 - EXHIBITION Lindenwood) and Minnesota State (vs. Union) combined to post a (Sept. 25 at Ridder Arena; Minneapolis, Minn.) 4-0-2 record in season-opening, nonconference series. Hannah Brandt and Kelly Pannek each scored twice, and Kate • UMD's Maura Crowell (2-0-0) and MSU's John Harrington (1-0-1) Schipper netted the game-winning goal as defending national champion both guided their teams to undefeated showings in their debuts Minnesota tuned up for the season by defeating the Minnesota behind the bench. Whitecaps, 5-4, in an exhibition game Friday night. • No. 1 Minnesota (vs. Minnesota Whitecaps), No. 6 North Dakota (vs. Freshman Sarah Potamak (2a) also had a multi-point game in her Manitoba) and St. Cloud State (vs. Minnesota Whitecaps) all tuned first outing as a Gopher. up for the season with home exhibition wins. The Whitecaps, an elite post-college team featuring 11 former • Full recaps and box scores are available at wcha.com. Gophers, were led by two goals from Boston College alum Allie Thunstrom. at No. 9 Bemidji State 3, Robert Morris 1 at No. 9 Bemidji State 4, Robert Morris 4 - OT at No. 6 North Dakota 1, Manitoba 0 - EXHIBITION (Sept. 25 and 26 at Sanford Center; Bemidji, Minn.) (Sept. 25 at Ralph Engelstad Arena; Grand Forks, N.D.) Behind balanced scoring and the stellar work of WCHA Defensive No. 6 North Dakota received 17 combined saves from goalkeepers Player of the Week Alexis Joyce, No. 9 Bemidji State opened its season Shelby Amsley-Benzie (2), Annie Chipman (9) and Lexie Shaw (6) en with an undefeated weekend against visiting Robert Morris. route to a 1-0, exhibition victory over visiting Manitoba. Joyce scored the season's first goal in Friday's opener, then picked Freshman defenseman Anna Kilponen was credited with the game's up the secondary assist on Stephanie Anderson's game-winning goal lone goal, scoring a second-period marker.