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] October 6, 2009/For Immediate Release WCHA WOMen’S OFFice; WCHA OPENING WEEKEND SHOCKER PUBLic RELATions OFFice Sara R. Martin NorTH DAkoTA BLAnks deFending NCAA chAMpion Wisconsin in MAdison TO geT Associate Commissioner spLIT; MinnesoTA TAkes Two FroM SYRACUse whiLE Three TEAMS HALVE opening p: 608 829-0104. f: 608 829-0105. [email protected] series And BeMidJI swepT BY MercYHUrsT; UPCOMING WEEKEND OF OCT. 9-11 FINDS Doug Spencer BAdgers FACING BSU Twice in norThern MinnesoTA, Gophers VisiTING Ohio STATE And Associate Commissioner for Public Relations MinnesoTA DULUTH hosTING ST. CLOUD STATE in LEAGUE PLAY; Eric MeAns deBUTS AS p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200. MinnesoTA STATE coAch AT MAine; NorTH DAkoTA PLAYS TeAM USA in WArroAD, Minn. [email protected] Bill Brophy MADISON, Wis. – Defending Western Collegiate Hockey Association champion Minnesota recorded a Women’s Public Relations Director pair of non-conference victories over Syracuse while North Dakota spoiled defending national champion p: 608-277-0282. [email protected] Wisconsin’s party by shocking the Badgers, 2-0, in a pair of highlights which got the 2009-10 women’s Mailing Address season off to a running start Oct. 2-3. Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Sioux came away with what is probably their biggest win in program history last Friday night as 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Suite 103 they went into the Kohl Center and stunned top-ranked Wisconsin, 2-0, on the night the Badgers hung Madison, WI 53719-2096 their 2009 national championship banner. Freshman Ashley Furia scored her first collegiate goal in the first period and senior Alex Williams added a second period score while redshirt freshman goalie Jorid wchA woMen’S LEAGUE Dagfinrud made 29 saves in earning the shutout in her first collegiate start . Last Saturday, Wisconsin used Bemidji State University two goals by preseason pick for WCHA Rookie of the Year, Brianna Decker, and the shutout goaltending of University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth freshman Becca Ruegsegger to gain a split against UND with a 3-0 victory. Ruegsegger had 18 saves. Minnesota State University In non-conference series last weekend, Minnesota took two victories from Syracuse in Minneapolis University of North Dakota as Chelsey Jones scored a power-play, game-winning goal with 2:58 remaining to help the Gophers to Ohio State University a 4-3 triumph last Friday and then continued her success last Sunday when she scored two goals and St. Cloud State University University of Wisconsin con’t hoME OF A record 10 consecUTIVE NATionAL 2009-10 WCHA STANDINGS CHAMpionship TeAMS 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, Conference Only Overall 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Pts GP W L T SW Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA 1 North Dakota 2 2 1- 1- 0 0 .500 2- 3 2 1- 1- 0 .500 2- 3 2010 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF Wisconsin 2 2 1- 1- 0 0 .500 3- 2 2 1- 1- 0 .500 3- 2 March 6-7 • Ridder Arena 3 Bemidji State 0 0 0- 0- 0 0 ---- 0- 0 2 0- 2- 0 .000 2- 10 Minneapolis, MN Minnesota 0 0 0- 0- 0 0 ---- 0- 0 2 2- 0- 0 1.00 8- 4 Minnesota Duluth 0 0 0- 0- 0 0 ---- 0- 0 2 1- 1- 0 .500 6- 6 visit us on the web at: Minnesota State 0 0 0- 0- 0 0 ---- 0- 0 0 0- 0- 0 ---- 0- 0 wchA.coM Ohio State 0 0 0- 0- 0 0 ---- 0- 0 2 0- 0- 2 .500 5- 5 St. Cloud State 0 0 0- 0- 0 0 ---- 0- 0 2 1- 1- 0 .500 5- 6 (shootout win = 1 additional point) This week in The wchA Games for Friday, Oct. 9: Minnesota State at Maine (nc), 7:00 pm ET; Wisconsin at Bemidji State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Minnesota at Ohio State (WCHA), 7:07 pm ET. Games for Saturday, Oct. 10: Minnesota State at Maine (nc), 2:00 pm ET; Wisconsin at Bemidji State (WCHA), 4:07 pm CT; St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 6:07 pm CT; Minnesota at Ohio State (WCHA), 7:07 pm ET; * Team USA vs North Dakota (x), 7:07 pm CT. * Warroad, MN Games for Sunday, Oct. 11: St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 3:07 pm CT. 2009-10 wchA woMen’S weekLY reLEAse/no. 3/10-6-2009 assisted on another for a three-point game aiding the Gophers to a series sweep. LAST week in The wchA St. Cloud State split a home series with Niagara, winning 4-3 and Results of Friday, Oct. 2: losing 3-1; Ohio State tied Boston University, 1-1 and 4-4, in Boston, Robert Morris 2 at Minnesota Duluth 5 (nc) while Minnesota Duluth split with Robert Morris, winning 5-2 last Syracuse 3 at Minnesota 4 (nc) Friday behind a goal and three assists from Laura Fridfinnson, and Bemidji State 1 at Mercyhurst 4 (nc) losing 4-1 last Saturday. Bemidji State went on the road to Erie, Ohio State 1 at Boston University 1 ot (nc) Pennsylvania and lost twice to Mercyhurst, 4-1 and 6-1. Niagara 3 at St. Cloud State 4 (nc) There are three conference series this weekend – Oct. 9-11 – as North Dakota 2 at Wisconsin 0 (WCHA) Minnesota plays at Ohio State Friday and Saturday night, Wisconsin Minnesota Whitecaps 2 at Minnesota State 2 ot (x) plays Bemidji State in Coleraine, Minn., on Friday and then the teams Results of Saturday, Oct 3: play the series final Sunday afternoon in Bemidji, while Minnesota Bemidji State 1 at Mercyhurst 6 (nc) Duluth hosts St. Cloud State Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Ohio State 4 at Boston University 4 ot (nc) In non-conference play this weekend, Maine hosts Minnesota Robert Morris 4 at Minnesota Duluth 1 (nc) State Friday night and Saturday afternoon in Eric Means’ debut as Niagara 3 at St. Cloud State 1 (nc) the Mavericks’ head coach and North Dakota plays the U.S. National North Dakota 0 at Wisconsin 3 (WCHA) Team on Saturday at 7:00 pm in Warroad, Minn. in the second game Results of Sunday, Oct. 4: of Team USA‘s Qwest Tour. Syracuse 1 at Minnesota 4 (nc) Since the inception of the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four in 2001, three different WCHA teams have won the national championship. The Badgers extended the string and kept the WCHA’s national title Larocque, D, Team Canada; A - Caroline Ouellette, F, Team Canada; A streak alive in 2008-09 when they won their third national title by - Jenny Potter, F, Team USA; Kim Martin, G, Team Sweden; Elin Holmlov, defeating Mercyhust, 4-0, in Boston in the NCAA title game last March. F, Team Sweden; Jenni Asserholt, D, Team Sweden; Pernilla Winberg, The victory capped a memorable season for the WCA, which placed F, Team Sweden; A - Maria Rooth, F, Team Sweden; A- Erika Holst, F, three teams in the Frozen Four including league champion Minnesota, Team Sweden; Saara Tuominen, F, Team Finland; Maria Posa, D, Team traditional power Minnesota Duluth and Wisconsin, which won the Finland; A - Heidi Pelttari, F, Team Finland. WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF, the league playoff championships. Minnesota State, Mankato (1 player): Emilia Andersson, D, Last season’s success marked the tenth straight national Sweden. championship won by a WCHA-member institution. Minnesota Duluth North Dakota (2 players): Monique Lamoureux, F, Team USA; won the first three NCAA titles in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2008. The Jocelyne Lamoureux, F, Team USA. Badgers have won national crowns in 2006, 2007 in addition to last Ohio State (4 players): A - Emma Laaksonen, D, Team Finland; A season. Minnesota took home the titles in 2004 and 2005, and the - Tessa Bonhomme, D, Team Canada; A - Lisa Chesson (2005-08), D, Golden Gophers also won the 2000 AWCHA Div. 1 national collegiate championship, prior to the inception of the NCAA tournament, giving the league nine straight national championships in nine years. Since this season will be contested during an Olympic year, the race for the league title may be more wide open than ever. There are two new coaches – Eric Means moves from being a men’s assistant at Minnesota State, Mankato to leading the Mavericks’ women and Tracey DeKeyser takes over at Wisconsin for Mark Johnson, who is taking a sabbatical to coach the U.S. Olympic team. The battle for the 2008-09 WCHA regular season championship will again consist of a 28-game schedule for each of the league’s eight clubs, with each team playing the other seven four times – twice at home and twice on the road. During the course of the season, there will be a total of eight weekends that will consist of all eight member teams engaged in WCHA play. They are Oct. 16-18, Dec. 11-13, Jan. 15-17, Jan. 22-23, Jan. 29-31, Feb. 5-8, Feb. 12-13 and Feb. 19-20. The league schedule concludes Feb. 20. The WCHA family will watch the 2010 Winter Olympics with great pride, knowing that many familiar faces will dot various Olympic team rosters. There are 17 underclassmen among the 36 former WCHA stars who are on national team rosters as of Sept.