WCHA 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. September 25, 2012/For Immediate Release [email protected] League Head Coaches Tab Defending National Champion Women’s Administrative & WCHA Public Relations Office Minnesota as WCHA Favorite for 2012-13 Defending Conference Champ Wisconsin and North Dakota Chosen Second in Annual Preseason Sara R. Martin WCHA Head Coaches’ Poll; Badgers’ Returning Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Winner and Associate Commissioner p: 608 829-0104. f: 608 829-0105. Forward Brianna Decker Picked as Preseason WCHA Player of the Year … Minnesota Forward [email protected] Hannah Brandt is Unanimous Choice for League Rookie of the Year; Wisconsin Opens 2012-13 Doug Spencer Associate Commissioner for WCHA Season at Minnesota State Friday & Saturday; Gophers Host Colgate, Ohio State Takes Public Relations on Lindenwood in Non-Conference Sets; Minnesota Duluth Hosts Minnesota Whitecaps in p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200. [email protected] Pair of Exhibition Contests; Four WCHA Teams Among Top Seven in Preseason National Polls Bill Brophy … Minnesota No. 1, Wisconsin No. 2, North Dakota No. 5, Minnesota Duluth No. 7/8; League Women’s Public Relations Director p: 608 277-0282. [email protected] Unveils All-New Mobile Website at wcha.com/mobile Mailing Address Western Collegiate Hockey Association MADISON, Wis. – When in doubt, go with the defending national champions. That is the message from 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Suite 103 the coaches who have seen their league win the last 13 Division 1 women’s national championships. The Madison, WI 53719-2096 University of Minnesota swept to the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four crown in a memorable playoff run last season (2011-12) and, according to a preseason poll of the league’s head coaches, the Golden Gophers WCHA Women’s League are the pick to win the Western Collegiate Hockey Association title again in 2012-13. Bemidji State University The Gophers, who also won the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF playoff championship a year ago before beating University of Minnesota WCHA regular season champion Wisconsin 4-2 to win the national title, return 15 players this season. University of Minnesota Duluth Minnesota collected six first place votes and 48 points in the poll of the league’s eight head coaches. Minnesota State University Wisconsin and North Dakota, another NCAA tournament qualifier last season, finished tied for second University of North Dakota place in the poll with 40 votes, including one first place vote apiece. Minnesota Duluth, with 32 points, Ohio State University was selected to finish fourth, followed by Ohio State in fifth place, Bemidji State in sixth, Minnesota State St. Cloud State University University of Wisconsin con’t Home of a Record 13 2011-12 WCHA Final Standings Consecutive National Championship Teams Conference Only Overall 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, Pts GP W L T SW Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 1 Wisconsin 72 28 23- 3- 2 1 .857 113- 44 40 33- 5- 2 .850 181- 60 2012 2 Minnesota 66 28 21- 5- 2 1 .786 113- 43 41 34- 5- 2 .854 181- 54 3 North Dakota 53 28 16- 9- 3 2 .625 116- 75 37 22-12- 3 .635 155- 94 2013 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF 4 Minnesota Duluth 47 28 15-12- 1 1 .554 91- 61 36 21-14- 1 .597 121- 79 March 8-9 • Ridder Arena 5 Ohio State 41 28 13-14- 1 1 .482 75- 96 36 16-16- 4 .500 99-115 Minneapolis, MN 6 Bemidji State 35 28 11-15- 2 0 .429 70- 73 37 17-17- 3 .500 101- 85 7 St. Cloud State 12 28 4-24- 0 0 .143 32-150 36 5-29- 2 .167 44-177 visit us on the web at: 8 Minnesota State 10 28 3-24- 1 0 .125 37-105 36 7-28- 1 .208 64-133 wcha.com (shootout win = 1 additional point) wcha.com/mobile This Week in the WCHA Games for Friday, September 28: Lindenwood at Ohio State (NC), 7:07 pm ET; Colgate at Minnesota (NC), 7:07 pm CT; Minnesota Whitecaps at Minnesota Duluth (EX), 7:07 pm CT; Wisconsin at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT. Games for Saturday, September 29: Lindenwood at Ohio State (NC), 4:07 pm ET; Minnesota Whitecaps at Minnesota Duluth (EX), 3:07 pm CT; Wisconsin at Minnesota State (WCHA), 3:07 pm CT; Colgate at Minnesota (NC), 4:07 pm CT. 2012-13 WCHA Women’s Release • 092512 in seventh and St. Cloud State in eighth. WCHA On-Ice Play Begins this Weekend with One Wisconsin senior forward Brianna Decker, the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as women’s college hockey’s outstanding League Series, Two Non-Conference Series and Two player and reigning WCHA Player of the Year, was the coaches’ Exhibition Games for Sept. 28-29 pre-season choice for WCHA player of the year. She had four votes, while Minnesota forward Amanda Kessel and North Dakota forward The Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s season for Jocelyne Lamoureux, last season’s league scoring champion, each 2012-13 begins this weekend with a bang. It may be September, but received two votes. Minnesota freshman forward Hannah Brandt is there will be two regular season games, two non-conference series the head coaches’ unanimous choice as pre-season WCHA Rookie of and two exhibition games Friday and Saturday. the Year. The 112-game conference slate, comprised of 28 games per each of the WCHA’s eight-member teams (four games – two home and 2012-13 WCHA Head Coaches’ Preseason Poll two away – vs each of other seven members), gets underway Sept. Rk Team (1st place votes) Points 28-29 when Minnesota State welcomes two-time defending league 1 Minnesota (6) 48 champion Wisconsin to All Seasons Arena in Mankato. 2 North Dakota (1) 40 Two other league teams will host non-conference series with Wisconsin (1) 40 Ohio State taking on Lindenwood University at the OSU Ice Rink in 4 Minnesota Duluth 32 Columbus and Minnesota engaging Colgate University at Ridder 5 Ohio State 24 Arena in Minneapolis. 6 Bemidji State 19 In exhibition play, Minnesota Duluth will skate against the 7 Minnesota State 12 Minnesota Whitecaps on both Friday and Saturday at AMSOIL Arena 8 St. Cloud State 9 in Duluth. (Note: coaches could not vote for their own teams in the On the second weekend of the new season, Friday, Oct. 5 and poll and points were awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system) Saturday, Oct. 6, five more WCHA-member teams will launch their league campaigns as defending national champion Minnesota hosts WCHA Pre-Season Player of the Year (votes) St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth entertains Ohio State and North Brianna Decker, Sr., F, Wisconsin (4); Amanda Kessel, Jr., F, Minnesota Dakota welcomes Minnesota State. Bemidji State’s first WCHA series (2) and Jocelyne Lamoureux, Sr., F, North Dakota (2). this fall will come on Oct. 12-13 when the Beavers host St. Cloud State. WCHA Pre-Season Rookie of the Year (votes) The Beavers open their non-conference season Oct. 5-6 at Providence Hannah Brandt, Fr., F, Minnesota (8). College. In Madison this season, the Wisconsin Badgers will call LaBahn Minnesota Golden Gophers • 2012 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four, WCHA Playoff Champions 2012-13 WCHA Women’s Release • 092512 Arena their new home. With seating for 2,262 spectators, the on- Sept. 18, 2012 campus facility, which is located adjacent to the Kohl Center, will 2012-13 USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’s feature a 200 x 90 ice sheet for women’s competition, women’s and men’s hockey practice, women’s and men’s team locker rooms and Divison 1 Preseason College Hockey Poll a visiting team locker room, offices for the women’s hockey staff (first-place votes in parentheses) and an underground connection to the Kohl Center. The facility is Rk Team, Pts (1st Place Votes) 2011-12 Record named after Chuck LaBahn, a former UW swimmer who has been a 1 Minnesota, 190 (19) 34-5-2 longtime supporter of various campus initiatives. Wisconsin will play 2 Wisconsin, 170 35-5-2 its first two-game series in LaBahn Arena on Oct. 19 & 21 vs WCHA 3 Cornell, 140 30-5-0 foe Bemidji State. 4 Boston College, 127 24-10-3 Minnesota’s Ridder Arena will be the host for two major post-season 5 North Dakota, 108 22-12-3 tournaments this season. The 2013 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF will be 6 Boston University, 87 23-14-1 held at Ridder Arena March 8-9 and the 2013 NCAA Women’s Frozen 7 Minnesota Duluth, 49 21-14-1 Four will be held there March 22-24. 8 Harvard, 45 22-9-1 9 St. Lawrence, 43 24-10-4 10 Mercyhurst, 40 23-8-3 Minnesota No. 1, UW No. 2, UND No. 5, UMD No. others receiving votes: Northeastern 31; Clarkson 11; Providence 7/8 in 2012-13 Preseason National Polls 3; Quinnipiac 1. September 17, 2012 USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine released their 2012-13 women’s Division 1 college hockey preseason poll on Tuesday morning, and 2012-13 USCHO.com Women’s Division 1 Preseason the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s University of Minnesota will kick off the season as the unanimous number one.