FIELD IS SET for 2019 WCHA POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT Three-Week, Eight-Team WCHA Championship to Be Held at Campus Sites March 8-23
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FIELD IS SET FOR 2019 WCHA POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT Three-week, eight-team WCHA Championship to be held at campus sites March 8-23 BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – March 3, 2019 – It’s time for on-campus, playoff hockey! The participants and seeds have been set for the 2019 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Postseason Tournament, which begins March 8-10 with the top four teams hosting a best-of-three, quarterfinal round series of the WCHA Playoffs. From there, the two highest remaining seeds will host a best-of-three WCHA Playoffs semifinal series the weekend of March 15-17. The tournament concludes with the single-game, 2019 WCHA Championship, held at the home venue of the top remaining seed Saturday, March 23. ““This is an exciting time of the year,” WCHA President and Men’s League Commissioner Bill Robertson said. “Playoff hockey on-campus is one of the most exhilarating experiences in college athletics and provides a wonderful atmosphere for our student-athletes, coaches, fans, sponsors and competing institutions.” The winner of the 2019 WCHA Postseason Tournament receives the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. Pairings, locations and start times for the Friday-Sunday, March 8-10 best-of-three, quarterfinal round of the 2018 WCHA Playoffs (* denotes if necessary): No. 8 Alabama Huntsville at No. 1 Minnesota State (Verizon Center; Mankato, Minn.) • Game 1 (Friday, March 8): 7:07 p.m. CT • Game 2 (Saturday, March 9): 7:07 p.m. CT • *Game 3 (Sunday, March 10): 7:07 p.m. CT No. 7 Alaska at No. 2 Northern Michigan (Berry Events Center; Marquette, Mich.) • Game 1 (Friday, March 8): 7:07 p.m. ET • Game 2 (Saturday, March 9): 7:07 p.m. ET • *Game 3 (Sunday, March 10): 7:07 p.m. ET No. 6 Michigan Tech at No. 3 Bowling Green (Slater Family Ice Arena; Bowling Green, Ohio) • Game 1 (Friday, March 8): 7:37 p.m. ET • Game 2 (Saturday, March 9): 7:07 p.m. ET • *Game 3 (Sunday, March 10): 7:07 p.m. ET No. 5 Bemidji State at No. 4 Lake Superior State (Taffy Abel Arena; Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) • Game 1 (Friday, March 8): 7:07 p.m. ET • Game 2 (Saturday, March 9): 7:07 p.m. ET • *Game 3 (Sunday, March 10): 4:07 p.m. ET - MORE - Nationally fourth-ranked Minnesota State (27-7-2 overall / 22-5-1-1 WCHA, 68 points), which won the MacNaughton Cup as 2018-19 WCHA regular season champions and leads the country with 27 wins overall, will be the tournament’s top seed. MSU extended its school-record streak of 20-win seasons to seven this year. The Mavericks will host No. 8 seed Alabama Huntsville (8-26-2 / 8-18-2-2 WCHA, 28 pts.). Minnesota State swept the only series between the two schools, Feb. 1-2, in Mankato. MSU recorded 6-1 and 4-0 victories in the weekend set during what was a 13-2-1 run to end the regular season for the Mavericks. Northern Michigan is the WCHA’s No. 2 seed for the second year in a row. The Wildcats (19-14-2 overall / 18-8-2-0 WCHA, 56 pts.) enter the postseason just one win shy of their second-straight 20-win campaign. They will host No. 7 Alaska (12-19-3 / 12-14-2-2 WCHA, 40 pts.), which is making its fourth-straight WCHA Playoffs appearance. NMU swept the only series between the two teams, recording 4-0 and 4-2 wins on Jan. 4-5 in Marquette. Bowling Green, which has won a postseason series for an NCAA-best eight-straight seasons, returns as the tournament’s No. 3 seed. The Falcons (21-9-5 / 16-8-4-3 WCHA, 55 points), amid their fifth- consecutive 20-win season, will face No. 6 seed Michigan Tech (14-18-4 / 13-12-3-1 WCHA, 43 pts). The two teams split their only series of 2018-19 in Houghton, Jan. 11-12. Michigan Tech won the opener that weekend, 2-0, before the Falcons rebounded with a 3-2 victory the following night. Lake Superior State (21-11-2 / 16-10-2-0 WCHA, 50 pts) is the No. 4 seed and will host fifth-seeded Bemidji State (15-15-6 / 13-11-4-2, 45 pts.). BSU and the Lakers split their only meeting of the season, which took place in Sault St. Marie, Jan. 25-26. Lake State took the opening game of that series, 5-2, but the Beavers responded with a 5-3 win on Saturday. The 2019 WCHA Postseason Tournament is brought to you in part by supporting sponsors Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup, SPIRE Credit Union, Jostens, UNRL and Eckerline Wealth Management About the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Men’s League The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, among the most historic, tradition-rich and successful conferences in all of collegiate athletics, will proudly mark its 67th season of men’s competition in 2018-19. The 10-team Division 1 conference consists of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (Chargers), the University of Alaska Anchorage (Seawolves), the University of Alaska Fairbanks (Nanooks), Bemidji State University (Beavers), Bowling Green State University (Falcons), Ferris State University (Bulldogs), Lake Superior State University (Lakers), Michigan Technological University (Huskies), Minnesota State University (Mavericks) and Northern Michigan University (Wildcats). For more information, visit wcha.com. MEDIA CONTACT MORE INFORMATION Todd Bell Website: wcha.com Marketing & Communications Manager Twitter: @wcha_mhockey E: [email protected] Instagram: @wcha_mhockey O: 952.681.7668 Facebook: M: 972.825.6686 facebook.com/wchamenshockey Watch the WCHA on FloHockey.tv - WCHA - .