2015-16 WCHA WEEKLY RELEASE Week One (October 5-11, 2015) / Wcha.Com
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2015-16 WCHA WEEKLY RELEASE WEEK ONE (OCTOBER 5-11, 2015) / 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 HOCKEY ASSOCIATION • Tradition Starts Here: The men's Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), among the most historic, tradition-rich and successful conferences in college hockey, drops the puck on its 64th season this weekend. Nine of the league's teams open • FOUNDED 1951 • Suite C their regular season schedules, while the 10th hosts an exhibition contest. Minnesota State Univ., Mankato at Edina • Polling Place: No. 6 Minnesota State, No. 15 Michigan Tech and No. 16 Bowling Green give the WCHA a trio of teams in the 7700 France Avenue South, Suite 360C preseason USCHO.com poll, while the Mavericks (No. 9) and Huskies (No. 15) are also ranked in the USA Today/USA Hockey Edina, MN 55435 Magazine poll (the Falcons have the most votes of any team outside the top-15). 952-818-8869 • Preseason Accolades: MTU senior forward Alex Petan (4th among D-I active players with 102 career points) and UAH junior goaltender Carmine Guerriero (.927 save pct. while facing most shots per minute in the country last year) were both named to the College Hockey News Preseason All-America Second Team. MSU's Bryce Gervais (2nd in the nation with 27 goals in MEMBER TEAMS 2014-15) and UAF's Tyler Morley (8th among active players with 92 career points) were named among USCHO.com's "Top 10 University of Alabama in Huntsville Forwards to Watch." That same outlet also pegged 2015 WCHA Rookie of the Year Michael Bitzer (BSU) and Winnipeg Jets University of Alaska Anchorage draftee Jamie Phillips (MTU) to its goalie watch list. University of Alaska Fairbanks Bemidji State University • More of the Same?: Minnesota State (1st at .762), Michigan Tech (No. 3 at .732) and Bowling Green (No. 7 at .654) gave the Bowling Green State University WCHA an NCAA-best three of the nation’s top 10 winning percentages last year. Bemidji State closed the 2014-15 campaign on Ferris State University a 13-7-5 run, while Alaska went 7-0-1 in its final eight contests. Lake Superior State University • Experience Counts: Minnesota State (107), Bowling Green (103) and Michigan Tech (99) rank second, fourth and fifth Michigan Technological University nationally, respectively, for most returning goals. Ferris State is 10th with 80.4% of its points back in a Bulldog uniform. Minnesota State University Northern Michigan University BY THE NUMBERS • 1: The MacNaughton Cup race has been decided by just a single point in each of the first two seasons of the WCHA's current alignment. Minnesota State is the coaches' choice to repeat as WCHA regular season champions in 2015-16. TRADITION STARTS HERE • 79: Wins for Minnesota State since the start of the 2012-13 season, most in D-I hockey over that three-year span. • 161: Days between Friday's regular season openers and the March 18 start of the 2016 WCHA Final Five, which returns to 2016 WCHA FINAL FIVE Grand Rapids, Mich. and the Van Andel Arena - home to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. CHAMPIONSHIP Friday, March 18 & Saturday, March 19 THE WEEK AHEAD • Nonconference Tests: After improving its nonconference winning percentage by 102 points last year, the WCHA opens 2015-16 Van Andel Arena • Grand Rapids, MI with 18 games against the NCHC (9), Big Ten (5), Hockey East (2) and, for the first time, D-I independent Arizona State (2). Tickets on sale Oct. 12 • Tournament Time: Alaska Anchorage hosts the 25th anniversary addition of the Kendall Hockey Classic, while formally welcoming Arizona State to D-I hockey. Alaska and No. 17 St. Cloud State round out the field. Lake Superior State travels to Portland, Maine for the Ice Breaker Tournament, where the Lakers will skate against No. 4 North Dakota and Michigan State. • Ranked Mavericks Tussle: Two teams in the top 10 of the USCHO.com poll, No. 6/9 Minnesota State and No. 10/11 Omaha, face off at the Verizon Wireless Center in a Mavericks vs. Mavericks series. INAL TANDINGS 2016 F 2015-16 WCHA S VAN ANDEL ARENA GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Conference Overall MARCH 18-19 Rk (Natl Rank) Team Pts GP W L T % GF GA GP W L T % GF GA va n va nvan 1 (7/6) Minnesota State 45 28 21 4 3 .804 98 47 40 29 8 3 .762 145 77 2 (9) Michigan Tech 44 28 21 5 2 .786 103 48 41 29 10 2 .732 144 74 WCHA.TV 3 (18) Bowling Green 37 28 17 8 3 .661 87 66 39 23 11 5 .654 119 93 In partnership with industry leader 4 Alaska 30 28 14 12 2 .536 75 69 34 19 13 2 .588 92 81 Stretch Internet, WCHA.tv - the official 5 Bemidji State 29 28 12 11 5 .518 73 62 38 16 17 5 .487 101 90 online streaming platform of the WCHA 6 Ferris State 27 28 13 14 1 .482 66 58 40 18 20 2 .475 88 88 - will provide fans with live and archived 7 Northern Michigan 26 28 11 13 4 .464 59 71 38 14 18 6 .447 86 100 broadcasts of WCHA hockey on their 8 Alabama Huntsville 15 28 7 20 1 .268 44 95 38 8 26 4 .263 62 121 computer, tablet, phone and many Smart TVs. Lake Superior State 15 28 7 20 1 .268 44 91 38 8 28 2 .237 60 131 10 Alaska Anchorage 12 28 5 21 2 .214 52 94 34 8 22 4 .294 70 107 Featuring all 10 WCHA member institutions, (Rankings listed by USCHO.com poll first, followed by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll) every league game – home and away – will be streamed live, along with all THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA (ALL TIMES LOCAL) nonconference home games, the league postseason tournament and the 2016 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 1 1 WCHA Final Five. Lake Superior State vs. (4) North Dakota, 4:30 p.m. ET Lake Superior State vs. Michigan State, 4:30 p.m. ET No. 16 Bowling Green at Ohio State, 7:00 p.m. ET Western Michigan at Ferris State, 7:07 p.m. ET* Ferris State at Western Michigan, 7:00 p.m. ET (Exh.) Laurentian at No. 15 Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m. ET* (Exh.) Laurentian at No. 15 Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m. ET* Ohio State at No. 16 Bowling Green, 7:37 p.m. ET* Northern Michigan at Wisconsin, 7:00 p.m. CT Northern Michigan at Wisconsin, 7:00 p.m. CT No. 10/11 Omaha at No. 6/9 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m. CT* No. 2/3 Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m. CT* Connecticut at Alabama Huntsville, 7:07 p.m. CT* No. 10/11 Omaha at No. 6/9 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m. CT* Bemidji State at No. 2/3 Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m. CT Connecticut at Alabama Huntsville, 7:07 p.m. CT* 2No. 17 St. Cloud State vs. Alaska, 5:07 p.m. AT* 2Arizona State vs. Alaska, 4:07 p.m. AT* 2Arizona State at Alaska Anchorage, 8:07 p.m. AT* 2No. 17 St. Cloud State at Alaska Anchorage, 7:07 p.m. AT* 1 - Ice Breaker Tournament (Portland, Maine); 2 - Kendall Hockey Classic (Anchorage, Alaska); * - WCHA.tv (Rankings listed by USCHO.com poll first, followed by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll) 2014-15 SEASON IN REVIEW #WCHA Mike Richter Award Finalist: After emerging as one of the nation's top HIGHLY-COMPETITIVE WCHA As the past two years have shown, WCHA fans continue to enjoy all of the goaltenders, Michigan Tech's Jamie Phillips was a finalist for the Mike Richter intensity, excitement and passion that have long been league hallmarks. The Award. The Winnipeg Jets' draftee played in all 41 games, logged the third-most 2014-15 season saw the WCHA finish with three nationally-ranked teams, minutes in the country (2417:18), and also ranked among NCAA D-I leaders including two in the top ten. The league also produced an NCAA-best three of for save percentage (5th - .934), goals-against average (3rd - 1.74), winning the country’s top-ten winning percentages, while placing a pair of teams in the percentage (4th - .744) and shutouts (t2nd - 6). NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament. USCHO.com Honors: Minnesota State's Bryce Gervais earned third team All- USCHO.com accolades. ON THE ICE Polling Place: No. 7/6 Minnesota State, No. 9 Michigan Tech and No. 18 Bowling Green gave the WCHA three ranked teams in the final opinion polls, FOR THE RECORD BOOKS including a pair of top-10 squads. Historically Good: Minnesota State (21-4-3, .804) and Michigan Tech (21-5- • Minnesota State and Michigan Tech both spent time as the nation’s top- 2, .786) posted the third- and fourth-best conference winning percentages, ranked team. respectively, in WCHA history for a 28-game league season. The 21 wins tied for • Seven (7) of the WCHA’s 10 teams spent at least one week ranked in the the third-most in league annals. In all, 230 teams have completed a 28-game top 20 of the USCHO.com poll. WCHA schedule, spanning 24 such seasons. • The Mavericks also rattled off a 12-game WCHA unbeaten streak from Dec.