Western Collegiate Hockey Association MSC 8302, 2211 S. Josephine Street Denver, CO 80208-8302 303.871.4491 • fax 303.871.4770 Bruce M. McLeod, Commissioner [email protected] Carol LaBelle-Ehrhardt Associate Commissioner of Operations [email protected] Greg Shepherd, Supervisor of Officials [email protected] Doug Spencer Associate Commissioner, Public Relations May 20, 2014 608.829.0100 • cell 303.475.9283 [email protected] WCHA Men’s Season in Review • 2013-14 Regular Season Champion Ferris State, WCHA Final Five Champion Minnesota Home of a Record State Come Up Just Short at NCAA Regionals as Historic 2013-14 Campaign 37 NCAA Men’s Comes to a Close; MacNaughton Cup-Winning Bulldogs Fall in Double OT in Championship Teams Midwest Regional Title Contest; Broadmoor Trophy Champ Mavericks Drop Since 1951 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, One-Goal Decision in Northeast Regional Semifinal; Bill Robertson Named 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, New WCHA Commissioner as Bruce McLeod Wraps Up Successful 20-Year 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, Tenure; Final Division 1 Men’s National Polls Have Ferris State No. 6, Minnesota 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1997, State No. 12; WCHA Launches Live Videostreaming Partnership with America 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, ONE Sports and League’s First Conference-Wide Broadband Initiative; League 2011 Individual Awards Highlighted by Alaska’s Cody Kunyk as Player of the Year, Alabama Huntsville’s Chad Brears as Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Men’s Member Teams University of Alabama in Huntsville Year, Ferris State’s Bob Daniels as Coach of the Year; 62 Skaters Named Men’s University of Alaska Anchorage WCHA Scholar-Athletes; 145 Member-Team Student-Athletes Earn Men’s University of Alaska Fairbanks Bemidji State University WCHA All-Academic Team Honors; Alaska’s Colton Parayko and Cody Kunyk Bowling Green State University Earn All-American West Second Team Honors; League Unveils Weekly Men’s Ferris State University Highlights Package at WCHA.com; This Week in the WCHA Radio Show Lake Superior State University Michigan Technological University Marks 16th Consecutive Season; FOX Sports North Again Televises WCHA Minnesota State University Final Five Live; FSU Goaltender CJ Motte Among 10 Finalists for Hobey Baker Northern Michigan University Memorial Award; FSU’s Scott Czarnowczan a Finalist for 2014 Senior CLASS Award; 17 Former, Current WCHA Member Team Players Compete in 2014 2015 WCHA Final Five Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia; WCHA’s Jeff Sauer Leads U.S. Sled Playoff Championship Friday, March 21 & Saturday, March 22 Hockey Team to Gold at 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI What began as a 2013-14 season filled with plenty of questions ultimately became a campaign to remember, as college hockey’s most historic league – the Western Collegiate Hockey Association – proved it will continue on as a power in Division 1 men’s Tickets available at the Van Andel Arena® ice hockey and continue to build on a seven-decade legacy of tradition and success. and DeVos Place® Convention Center box offices, online at www.ticketmaster. Marking it’s 62nd season of competition, the league welcomed six new teams to the Association family for the 2013-14 com, at Ticketmaster outlets – including campaign, as the Alabama Huntsville Chargers, Alaska Nanooks, Bowling Green Falcons, Ferris State Bulldogs, Lake Superior State D&W stores and select Family Fare and Lakers and Northern Michigan Wildcats joined with Alaska Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech and Minnesota State to Walmart locations, or charge by phone forge what would quickly develop into an ultra-competitive, passion-filled 10-team circuit. In addition to creating new rivalries, at 1.800.745.3000. adding new fans and reaching into new markets, the conference staged its long-running WCHA Final Five playoff championship in a new city and new venue – Grand Rapids, Michigan and Van Andel Arena. The season also brought an announcement that Visit us on the Web at: longtime league commissioner Bruce McLeod would be retiring on June 30 after 20 years at the helm and ultimately that Bill Robertson, a proven leader in the sports world, a champion of collegiate hockey and a strong partner of the WCHA for many wcha.com years, was chosen to lead the conference into a new era in a well-attended press conference held at Xcel Energy Center in wcha.com/mobile con't Watch WCHA Hockey 2013-14 WCHA Men’s Standings • Final Live & On-Demand at America ONE Sports Conference Only Overall Pts GP W L T Win% GF- GA GP W L T Win% GF- GA 1 Ferris State 42 28 20- 6- 2 .750 92- 62 43 29-11- 3 .709 138- 94 2 Minnesota State 41 28 20- 7- 1 .732 95- 58 41 26-14- 1 .646 130- 95 3 Alaska 30 28 14-12- 2 .536 97- 77 37 18-15- 4 .541 126-103 Bowling Green 30 28 13-11- 4 .536 89- 73 39 18-15- 6 .538 119-104 5 Michigan Tech 29 28 12-11- 5 .518 78- 78 40 14-19- 7 .438 99-108 6 Alaska Anchorage 28 28 12-12- 4 .500 74- 77 38 18-16- 4 .526 105-107 7 Northern Michigan 27 28 13-14- 1 .482 77- 75 38 15-21- 2 .421 102-108 8 Bemidji State 24 28 10-14- 4 .429 72- 76 38 10-21- 7 .355 92-118 Lake Superior State 24 28 12-16- 0 .429 70- 84 36 16-19- 1 .458 94-114 10 Alabama Huntsville 5 28 2-25- 1 .089 30-114 38 2-35- 1 .066 41-166 WCHA M • Season in Review • 052014 Saint Paul on April 8. Minnesota State. Alaska Anchorage and Bowling Green could each clinch playoff Along the way, there were a number of significant developments and highlights. spots by earning two or more points the final weekend. Lake Superior State could An all-new WCHA.com and WCHA.com/mobile led the way for the new-look league clinch a playoff spot with three or more points. Bemidji State and Northern Michigan with a pre-season debut full of new features. With the start of the season, the could each earn playoff spots with weekend sweeps. Northern Michigan could not league announced a new partnership with America ONE Sports that provided a earn home ice but did control its own destiny for a playoff berth. first-ever conference-wide broadband initiative, with every member team home Ultimately, Ferris State locked up the No. 1 playoff seed, Minnesota State was game videostreamed live and on demand. The league continued its long-running No. 2, Alaska was No. 3 and Bowling Green was No. 4 as the four first-round hosts. weekly radio show, This Week in the WCHA, and added a new weekly package The Bulldogs won two straight over No. 8 Bemidji State, the Mavericks downed No of video highlights at WCHA.com beginning at the first of the year that ran each 7 Northern Michigan in three games, the Nanooks were upended in three games Wednesday. by No. 6 Alaska Anchorage and the Falcons skated past No. 5 Michigan Tech in two. The league staged a WCHA Final Five promotional event in downtown Grand Rapids At the WCHA Final Five, Minnesota State won 4-0 over Bowling Green in the on October 5, which featured tournament ticket package discounts, merchandise first semifinal on March 21 while Ferris State upended Alaska Anchorage, 5-4 in give-aways, face-painting, games and public ice skating sessions at Van Andel Arena overtime. In the Broadmoor Trophy championship game at Van Andel Arena, the during the city of Grand Rapids’ world-renowned ArtPrize weekend. Throughout Mavericks defeated the Bulldogs 4-1 to gain the league’s automatic berth into the the season, the Road to Van Andel Arena featured great room rates and discount national tournament. Named to the WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team were ticket packages in conjunction with Northwest Corner Hotels, and then at the WCHA forwards Teddy Blueger of Minnesota State, Gerald Mayhew of Ferris State and Final Five itself, held March 21-22, there were three-days of fun-filled activities that Bryce Gervais of Minnesota State, defensemen Brett Stern of Minnesota State and included a WCHA Kick-Off Event and WCHA “The Voice’ Contest on Thursday at the Austin Coldwell of Alaska Anchorage, and goaltender Cole Huggins of Minnesota Deltaplex, The Purple Community Game to Fight Cancer on Friday, a USA Hockey State. Huggins, who surrendered just one goal on the weekend, also earned Final Youth Coaching Workshop and Sports Madness Pre-Championship Game Tailgate Five tourney most outstanding player honors. Party on Saturday at the B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids and the well-known MacNaughton Cup champion Ferris State and Broadmoor Trophy champion “Dance Mania” contest held throughout all three tournament games. The Final Minnesota State then carried the collective hopes of the WCHA into the 2014 NCAA Five was again telecast live by FOX Sports North and also carried by FOX Sports Men’s Division 1 Ice Hockey Tournament over the final weekend of March, and as Wisconsin, FOX Sports Detroit, Sports Time Ohio, and FOX College Sports Central. they had all season long, the Bulldogs and Mavericks did both themselves and the The 2013-14 regular season again featured 28 league games per team, with league proud. Ferris State ultimately prevailing as conference and MacNaughton Cup champion Both clubs came up just short in NCAA regional competition, with Ferris State by a single point over second place Minnesota State.