2015-16 WCHA Season in Review
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R 2015-16 WCHA SEASON IN REVIEW JULY 27, 2016 / 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 • No. 17 In the Books: The Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) proudly completed its 17th • FOUNDED 1999 • year of competition in 2015-16, another terrific season of on- and off-ice accomplishments by its student-athletes, coaches Minnesota State Univ., Mankato at Edina and programs. 7700 France Avenue South, Suite 360C • The WCHA won its 16th national championship (15th NCAA Frozen Four title, in addition to one AWCHA crown); Edina, MN 55435 comprised half of the Frozen Four field; tied for the NCAA lead with four teams in the final opinion polls; boasted 952-818-8869 the best nonconference winning percentage in the country; featured both the USCHO National Player and Rookie of the Year, along with the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association Rookie of the Year; celebrated a Patty MEMBER TEAMS Kazmaier Memorial Award top-3 finalist and five top-10 finalists; saw six players earn CCM All-America accolades; Bemidji State University saw student-athletes earn nominations for NCAA Woman of the Year and the Hockey Humanitarian Award; and University of Minnesota applauded numerous current and former players that competed on the international stage, along with 26 that starred University of Minnesota Duluth professionally in either the CWHL or during the inaugural season of the NWHL. Minnesota State University • National Champions: Minnesota won the 2016 NCAA Women's Frozen Four, knocking off previously unbeaten Boston College University of North Dakota to earn its second consecutive crown, fourth in five years and the seventh national championship in program history. Ohio State University • In addition to Minnesota, the WCHA was also represented in the National Collegiate Women's Championship and St. Cloud State University Frozen Four by Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin • Polling Place: No. 1 Minnesota, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 9/10 North Dakota and No. 10/9 Bemidji State gave the WCHA an NCAA- best four teams (tied with ECAC Hockey) in the final USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. 16 National Championships • Five (5) of the WCHA's eight teams spent at least one week ranked in the opinion polls, as Minnesota Duluth - which 86 All-Americans played the nation's toughest schedule by RPI - also spent time among the top-10. 100+ Olympians and • Winning Hockey: Not surprisingly, four of the nation's top-12 winning percentages in 2015-16 belonged to WCHA teams. National Team Members Frozen Four semifinal opponents Minnesota and Wisconsin tied for second-best with identical 35-4-1 records (.888). The best regular season in program history propelled Bemidji State to ninth at .653 (22-11-3), while North Dakota was 12th at .586 (18-12-5). 2016-17 IMPORTANT DATES • Badgers Win Regular Season and Final Face-Off Titles: Long among the nation's elite programs, Wisconsin returned to the top of the WCHA's regular season and postseason mountains in 2015-16. Date Event • The Badgers earned their fifth WCHA regular season crown in program history, and first since 2011-12, with a 24-win, 74-point campaign. Sept. 23-25 Regular Season begins • Wisconsin then successfully defended its Final Face-Off championship, in the process matching the league record with Oct. 7-9 First weekend of four (4) the sixth postseason title in program annals. WCHA league series • National Accolades: Record-setting Wisconsin goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens was chosen as the USCHO National Player of Dec. 19-Jan. 5 Holiday Break the Year after a remarkable junior campaign. Minnesota forward Sarah Potomak was tabbed as the National Rookie of the Jan. 6-8 Play resumes; U.S. Hockey Year by both the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association and USCHO. Hall of Fame Game • Six WCHA players earned CCM All-America honors - First Team selections Desbiens (UW) and Minnesota senior Feb. 17-19 Final weekend of the forward Hannah Brandt, along with Second Teamers Courtney Burke (UW senior defenseman), Lee Stecklein (UMN regular season junior defenseman), Dani Cameranesi (UMN junior forward) and Annie Pankowski (UW sophomore forward). Feb. 24-26 2017 WCHA Quarterfinals • UW's Desbiens was a top-3 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Badgers' teammate Pankowski, along with UMN's Brandt and Cameranesi, and North Dakota senior goaltender Shelby Amsley-Benzie, gave the WCHA an Host sites; top four seeds NCAA-best five players among the top-10 finalists. March 4-5 2017 WCHA Final Face-Off • The WCHA also had an NCAA-best nine players on All-USCHO teams: UW's Desbiens (First Team); UMN's Brandt, Ridder Arena Cameranesi, Stecklein and Amanda Leveille (senior goaltender), and UW's Pankowski (Second Team); UW's Burke Minneapolis, MN and Bemidji State senior defenseman Ivana Bilic (Third Team); and, UMN's Potomak (All-Rookie Team. March 10-12 2017 NCAA Quarterfinals • College Hockey's Best Fans: For the fifth straight season, WCHA teams ranked 1-4 nationally by total and average attendance. Host sites; top four seeds • Minnesota drew 42,501 (2,125 per game) to Ridder Arena, Wisconsin welcomed 42,398 (2,019) to LaBahn Arena March 17-19 2017 NCAA Frozen Four (including a program-record 12 sellouts), Minnesota Duluth greeted 21,293 fans (1,331) at AMSOIL Arena and North Family Arena Dakota hosted 16,143 (1,009) at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. St. Charles, MO • Six (6) of eight WCHA teams saw their average attendance rise from 2014-15, while the league's overall average attendance rose 1.3%, to 1,029 per game. FINAL 2015-16 WCHA STANDINGS Conference Overall Rk (Natl Rank) Team Pts GP W L T SW % GF GA GP W L T % GF GA 1 (3/3) Wisconsin 74 28 24 3 1 1 .875 100 22 40 35 4 1 .888 154 29 2 (1/1) Minnesota 73 28 24 3 1 0 .875 139 39 40 35 4 1 .888 187 51 3 (10/9) Bemidji State 54 28 17 9 2 1 .643 56 51 36 22 11 3 .653 77 68 4 (9/10) North Dakota 47 28 13 10 5 3 .554 54 49 35 18 12 5 .586 79 62 5 St. Cloud State 34 28 9 15 4 3 .393 44 88 35 13 18 4 .429 63 115 6 Minnesota Duluth 31 28 10 17 1 0 .375 67 84 37 15 21 1 .419 90 109 7 Ohio State 20 28 6 21 1 1 .232 58 110 36 10 25 1 .292 80 134 8 Minnesota State 3 28 0 25 3 0 .054 41 116 36 3 29 4 .139 55 137 (shootout win = 1 additional point; rankings listed by USCHO.com first, followed by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine) HOME OF A RECORD 16 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 •2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2015 • 2016 TRADITION STARTS HERE 2015-16 WCHA SEASON IN REVIEW - NEWS AND NOTES #WCHA CELEBRATING INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THE NEXT LEVEL (CONT.) • Desbiens' Record-Setting Year: Wisconsin goaltender and WCHA Player of the • IIHF Worlds: Thirty-six (36) current or former WCHA student-athletes, Year Ann-Renée Desbiens fashioned a season for the ages – arguably the best representing seven member institutions and competing for six different campaign by a netminder in NCAA history. The junior set the all-time NCAA countries, participated in the 2016 IIHF World Championships. Division I single-season records for save percentage (.960), goals-against average • Led by the 11 who helped the United States win its third consecutive (0.76) and shutouts (21). gold, 21 WCHA players medaled at the 2016 Worlds, held March 28 • Her scoreless run of 543:33 between Oct. 3 and Nov. 14 also set a new through April 4 in Kamloops, British Columbia. Eight members of the NCAA D-I standard (men’s or women’s), and was nearly 100 minutes silver-medalist Canadian squad hailed from the WCHA, while a pair longer than the previous record of 448:32 (posted by Badger legend Jessie of Russian forwards earned bronze. Vetter during the 2006-07 season). • Knight was named to the All-Star Team, was tabbed the • Desbiens became just the second goaltender to earn WCHA Player of competition's best forward and – for the second consecutive year the Year accolades, joining Bemidji State All-American Zuzana Tomcikova – was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Joining (2010). Knight on the All-Star Team was defenseman and former North • After making 52 saves and posting consecutive shutouts during Dakota standout Monique Lamoureux-Morando. Wisconsin's two wins at the Final Face-Off, she became the first player • The final 2016 Women's Worlds statistical leaderboard featured since 2007 (UW's Sara Bauer) and first goaltender ever to win both the several WCHA products. Knight led the tournament with seven goals WCHA Player of the Year and Final Face-Off Most Outstanding Player and tied for first with nine points; the Lamoureux twins (Monique awards in the same season. Desbiens' 35-save, 1-0 blanking of Minnesota and Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson), along with Minnesota Duluth in the Final Face-Off championship game was part of her five-straight junior-to-be Lara Stalder, all had a Worlds-best five assists; Knight shutouts during the 2016 postseason. and Lamoureux-Davidson tied for top honors with a +8 rating; and, • 10 Hours, 24 Minutes and 18 Seconds of Scoreless Hockey: Beginning at the former Wisconsin great Alex Rigsby led all goaltenders with a .986 18:45 mark of the first period during an Oct.