Defending National Champion Wisconsin Picked to Win
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WCHA AdMINISTRATIVE OFFICE Bruce M. McLeod Commissioner Carol LaBelle-Ehrhardt Assistant Commissioner of Operations Greg Shepherd Supervisor of Officials Mailing Address Western Collegiate Hockey Association 2211 S. Josephine Street, Room 302, ™ Denver, CO 80210 p: 303 871-4223. f: 303 871-4770. [email protected] September 24, 2009/For Immediate Release WCHA WOMEN’S OFFICE; WCHA PuBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION WISCONSIN PICKED TO Sara R. Martin Associate Commissioner WIN WCHA IN 2009-10; SEASON STARTS FRIDAY AS WCHA p: 608 829-0104. f: 608 829-0105. [email protected] ALL-STARS FACE TEAM USA IN ST. PAUL Doug Spencer Associate Commissioner THREE TEAMS PLAY EXHIBITION GAMES; COACHES PICK DEFENDING WCHA CHAMP for Public Relations MINNESOTA SECOND, MINNESOTA DULUTH THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL; UW’S p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200. [email protected] AMMERMAN IS PRE-SEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR, UW’S DECKER IS PRE-SEASON Bill Brophy Women’s Public Relations Director ROOKIE OF THE YEAR; TICKETS FOR WCHA ALL-STAR TEAM GAME VS U.S. WOMEN’S p: 608-277-0282. NATIONAL TEAM SEPT. 25 AVAILABLE AT XCEL ENERGY CENTER BOX OFFICE [email protected] LIVE ALL-STAR GAME VIDEO FEED: HTTP://www.BROADCASTMONSTERS.COM/USCHO-VIDEO/USCHO092509.ASX Mailing Address Western Collegiate Hockey Association LIVE ALL-STAR GAME AudIO FEED:HTTP://www.BROADCASTMONSTERS.COM/USCHO/USCHO092509.ASX 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Suite 103 Madison, WI 53719-2096 MADISON, Wis. – Defending national champion University of Wisconsin is without its head coach and many familiar faces, but the Badgers are still the preseason pick to win the Western Collegiate WCHA WOMEN’S LEAGUE Hockey Association women’s title, according to a poll of league-member head coaches. Bemidji State University University of Minnesota The Badgers collected six first place votes and 48 total points in the poll of the eight head coaches University of Minnesota Duluth and edged out defending WCHA regular season champion University of Minnesota, which placed Minnesota State University second with 43 points and two first place votes. The University of Minnesota Duluth, with 38 points, University of North Dakota was selected to finish third. All three of those teams qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Ohio State University St. Cloud State University Association (NCAA) Frozen Four last season. University of Wisconsin St. Cloud State University was picked to finish fourth in the final regular season standings, followed by Ohio State University in fifth, University of North Dakota in sixth, Minnesota State University, HOME OF A RECORD 10 Mankato in seventh place and Bemidji State University in eighth. CONSECUTIVE NATIONAL Wisconsin’s sophomore forward Brooke Ammerman (River Vale, NJ) received five votes and is the CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS con’t 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 FINAL 2008-09 WCHA STANDINGS 2010 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF Conference Only • Final Overall March 6-7 • Ridder Arena Pts GP W L T SW Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA Minneapolis, MN 1 Minnesota$ 51 28 23- 2- 3 2 .875 143- 42 40 32- 5- 3 .838 198- 69 visit us on the web at: 2 Wisconsin#! 50 28 21- 2- 5 3 .839 133- 42 41 34- 2- 5 .890 207- 53 3 Minnesota Duluth 41 28 18- 6- 4 1 .714 109- 52 39 26- 9- 4 .718 150- 70 WCHA.COM 4 St. Cloud State 27 28 11-14- 3 2 .446 63- 91 37 15-18- 4 .459 85-105 5 Minnesota State 21 28 7-16- 5 2 .339 74-122 36 12-19- 5 .403 95-141 North Dakota 21 28 9-16- 3 0 .375 62- 95 36 13-19- 4 .417 84-118 7 Ohio State 16 28 6-20- 2 2 .250 66-135 36 8-25- 3 .264 82-166 8 Bemidji State 11 28 3-22- 3 2 .161 38-109 36 6-25- 5 .236 51-125 $ WCHA regular season champ; # WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF champ; ! NCAA champ; (shootout win = 1 additional point) THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA Games for Friday, Sept. 25: WCHA All-Stars vs U.S. National Team @ Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN, 7:05 pm CT (x); Univ. of Manitoba at North Dakota, 7:07 pm CT (x); Games for Saturday, Sept. 26: Wilfrid Laurier at Ohio State, 4:07 pm ET (x); Univ. of Manitoba at North Dakota, 4:07 pm CT (x); U.S. National team at St. Cloud State, 7:07 pm CT (x); Minnesota Whitecaps at Bemidji State, 2:07 pm (x), CANCELLED. 2009-10 WCHA WOMEN’S RELEASE/NO. 1/9-24-2009 head coaches’ pick to be preseason player of the year in the WCHA. of the WCHA All-Star Team while Bemidji State’s Heather Farrell Ohio State sophomore forward Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, and North Dakota’s Maria Lewis will serve as assistant coaches. ON) is the pick of two coaches for player of year and Minnesota Wisconsin’s Mark Johnson is the head coach for the 2010 U.S. Duluth senior forward Saara Tuominen (Ylojarvi, Finland) also Women's National Team. received a vote. St. Cloud State will also host the U.S. Women’s National Team on Wisconsin’s Brianna Decker (Dousman, WI), a forward, received Saturday evening at 7:07 pm CT at the National Hockey Center while six votes and is the coaches’ choice as preseason conference rookie exhibition contests over the weekend will feature North Dakota of the year while Ohio State forward Hokey Langan (Chatham, hosting the University of Manitoba in games at Ralph Engelstad ON) and Minnesota Duluth goaltender Jennifer Harss (Rieden, Arena in Grand Forks on Friday (7:07 pm CT) and Saturday (4:07 Germany) each received a vote. pm CT) and Ohio State hosting Wilfrid Laurier on the OSU Ice With the 2010 Winter Olympics taking place in February, many Arena in Columbus on Saturday at 4:07 pm ET. A Bemidji State WCHA-member team rosters are juggled this season. Wisconsin exhibition game against the Minnesota Whitecaps on Saturday coach Mark Johnson has taken a sabbatical to coach Team USA afternoon was canceled. and his job at UW has been filled by veteran assistant coach Tracey The first regular season action of the 2009-10 season will occur DeKeyser. Johnson’s 22-member Team USA roster is filled with 15 the weekend of Oct. 2-4. Defending national champion Wisconsin, current and former WCHA players, including UW’s Hilary Knight under interim coach Tracey DeKeyser, will open this season’s 112- and Meghan Duggan and North Dakota’s Monique and Jocelyn game league slate at home at the Kohl Center in Madison against Lamoureux who are all underclassmen. Currently there are 33 North Dakota. In non-conference play, Minnesota plays host to current and former WCHA players listed on national team rosters Syracuse, Bemidji State travels to Mercyhurst, Minnesota Duluth and planning to play in the Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. in hosts Robert Morris, Ohio State heads to Boston University, and St. February. Cloud State entertains Niagara. Minnesota State, Mankato, under Eric Means, who takes over the coaching duties at Minnesota new head coach Eric Means, will host an exhibition matchup with State, Mankato this season, joins DeKeyser as a new voice behind the Minnesota Whitecaps on Oct. 2. the bench in the WCHA. Other 2009-10 conference openers, by team, are: Bemidji State (Oct. 10-11 vs Wisconsin), defending WCHA champion Minnesota 2009-10 WCHA HEAD COACHES’ PRE-SEASON POLL (Oct. 9-10 at Ohio State), Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 10-11 vs St. Rk Team (first place votes), points Cloud State), Minnesota State (Oct. 17-18 at North Dakota), Ohio 1 Wisconsin (6 first place votes), 48 points State (Oct. 9-10 vs Minnesota), and St. Cloud State (Oct. 10-11 at 2 Minnesota (2), 43 Minnesota Duluth). 3 Minnesota Duluth, 38 The battle for the 2008-09 WCHA regular season championship 4 St. Cloud State, 29 will again consist of a 28-game schedule for each of the league's 5 Ohio State, 23 eight clubs, with each team playing the other seven four times 6 North Dakota, 20 – twice at home and twice on the road. During the course of the 7 Minnesota State, Mankato, 16 season, there will be a total of eight weekends that will consist of all eight member teams engaged in WCHA play. They are Oct. 8 Bemidji State, 7 (note: coaches could not vote for their own teams in the poll 16-18, Dec. 11-13, Jan. 15-17, Jan. 22-23, Jan. 29-31, Feb. 5-8, Feb. and points were awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system) 12-13 and Feb. 19-20. The league schedule concludes Feb. 20. 2009-10 Pre-Season WCHA Player of the Year (votes): Brooke TICKET INFORMATION Ammerman, So., F, Wisconsin (5); Natalie Spooner, So., F, Ohio State (2); Saara Tuominen, Sr., F, Minnesota Duluth (1). WCHA ALL-STARS VS U.S. NATIONAL TEAM 2009-10 Pre-Season WCHA Rookie of the Year (votes): Brianna Friday, September 25, 7:00 pm CT Decker, Fr., F, Wisconsin (6); Hokey Langan, Fr., F, Ohio State (1); Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN Jennifer Harss, Fr., G, Minnesota Duluth (1). http://www.xcelenergycenter.com/index2.jsp Tickets for the game between the WCHA All-Stars and the U.S. 2009-10 WCHA SEASON OPENS AS LEAGUE Women’s National Team on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7:00 pm CT are ALL-STARS FACE TEAM USA FRIDAY IN ST. PAUL available now via the Xcel Energy Center’s official web site and box office.