WESTERN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION Bruce M. McLeod Commissioner Carol LaBelle-Ehrhardt Assistant Commissioner of Operations Greg Shepherd Supervisor of Officials Administrative Office Western Collegiate Hockey Association March 4, 2013 2211 S. Josephine Street, Room 302 Denver, CO 80210 FINAL WEEKEND OF 2012-13 WCHA REGULAR SEASON TO DECIDE p: 303 871-4491. f: 303 871-4770 [email protected] LEAGUE CHAMPION, FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF PAIRINGS, FOUR FIRST Doug Spencer ROUND HOME PLAYOFF BERTHS; SCSU HAS TWO-POINT LEAD Associate Commissioner for FULL SLATE OF SIX WCHA SERIES FOR MARCH 8-10 HAVE CC AT MTU, SCSU AT UW, UNO AT UMD, UM Public Relations Western Collegiate Hockey Association AT BSU, UND AT MSU, UAA AT DU; ST. CLOUD STATE, NORTH DAKOTA CLINCH FIRST ROUND HOME 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Ste. 103 PLAYOFF ADVANTAGE; FOUR POINTS SEPARATE TOP FIVE TEAMS; FIVE TEAMS IN HUNT FOR LAST Madison, WI 53719-2096 p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200 FOUR HOME PLAYOFF BERTHS; SEVEN WCHA TEAMS RANKED IN LATEST USCHO.COM DIV. 1 MEN’S [email protected] POLL … UM NO. 2, UND NO. 5, SCSU NO. 8, MSU NO. 10, DU NO. 11/12, UW NO. 14, UNO NO. 16; 2013 RED BARON WCHA FINAL FIVE TICKET PACKAGES CONTINUE ON SALE … PLAYOFF CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR HOME OF A COLLEGIATE RECORD 37 MARCH 21-23 AT XCEL ENERGY CENTER IN SAINT PAUL … SINGLE GAME TICKETS ON SALE MARCH 11 MEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS SINCE 1951 MADISON, Wis. – The final weekend of the 2012-13 men’s regular season – Friday, March 8 through 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, Sunday, March 10 – will have plenty of intrigue in Western Collegiate Hockey Association circles, with 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, the final six conference series and 12 games to decide the conference champion(s), the six first round 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, playoff pairings and the four remaining home playoff berths. 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1997, St. Cloud State, the current front-runner with 35 points, controls its own destiny in the league champi- 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, onship race, with one more victory or two points securing at least a share of the title and MacNaughton 2011 Cup. But Minnesota, North Dakota, Minnesota State and Wisconsin are knocking on the door, with the Golden Gophers and UND just two points back and the Mavericks and Badgers four back. Should one MEN’S CONFERENCE MEMBERS or more teams tie for first place in the final standings they will be declared co-champions. Tie-breakers, University of Alaska Anchorage Bemidji State University con’t Colorado College University of Denver Michigan Technological University 2012-13 WCHA MEN’S STANDINGS University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth Conference Only Overall Minnesota State University Pts GP Record Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA University of Nebraska Omaha 1 St. Cloud State* 35 26 17- 8- 1 .673 88- 61 34 20-13- 1 .603 113- 86 University of North Dakota 2 Minnesota 33 26 14- 7- 5 .635 85- 61 34 22- 7- 5 .721 122- 67 St. Cloud State University North Dakota* 33 26 13- 6- 7 .635 88- 66 34 18- 9- 7 .632 112- 84 University of Wisconsin 4 Minnesota State 31 26 15-10- 1 .596 85- 63 34 21-10- 3 .662 112- 77 Wisconsin 31 26 12- 7- 7 .596 64- 58 34 16-11- 7 .574 85- 70 2013 RED BARON™ 6 Nebraska Omaha 30 26 14-10- 2 .577 88- 80 34 18-14- 2 .559 117- 98 WCHA FINAL FIVE 7 Denver 29 26 12- 9- 5 .558 79- 79 33 17-11- 5 .591 107- 92 March 21-23 8 Colorado College 24 26 10-12- 4 .462 84- 93 34 13-16- 5 .456 112-121 Xcel Energy Center 9 Minnesota Duluth 21 26 8-13- 5 .404 64- 79 34 12-17- 5 .426 86- 98 Saint Paul, MN 10 Michigan Tech 18 26 7-15- 4 .346 70- 88 32 11-17- 4 .406 97-100 11 Bemidji State 17 26 5-14- 7 .327 54- 78 32 6-18- 8 .312 66- 95 visit us on the web at: 12 Alaska Anchorage 10 26 2-18- 6 .192 50- 93 32 4-21- 7 .234 63-109 WCHA.COM * clinched home playoff berth WCHA.COM/MOBILE THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA Games for Friday, March 8: Colorado College at Michigan Tech (WCHA), 7:07 pm ET; St. Cloud State at Wisconsin (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Nebraska Omaha at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Minnesota at Bemidji State (WCHA), 7:37 pm CT; North Dakota at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:37 pm CT; Alaska Anchorage at Denver (WCHA), 7:37 pm MT. Games for Saturday, March 9: Colorado College at Michigan Tech (WCHA), 7:07 pm ET; Minnesota at Bemidji State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; North Dakota at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; St. Cloud State at Wisconsin (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Nebraska Omaha at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT. Games for Sunday, March 10: Alaska Anchorage at Denver (WCHA), 12:07 pm MT. WCHA MEN’S WEEKLY RELEASE • 030413 outlined in this release, are used for playoff seeding purposes only. UPCOMING IN THE WCHA Heading into the final weekend, here is what we do know: • St. Cloud and North Dakota have clinched home ice slots … UND WCHA Playoffs • First Round • Best-of-Three won the season series over Denver (2-1-1 head-to-head) and there Games for Friday, March 15 is now no combination of other teams that can join the tie to give #12 Alaska Anchorage @ #1 Rank Time TBA Denver an edge over UND. If UND gets swept then Minnesota State #11 Rank @ #2 Rank Time TBA goes to 35 points and cannot be involved in the tie at 33 points (which #10 Rank @ #3 Rank Time TBA would help Denver). If UND does not get swept then they finish ahead #9 Rank @ #4 Rank Time TBA of Denver outright so would clinch that way. #8 Rank @ #5 Rank Time TBA • Five teams (Minnesota, Minnesota State, Wisconsin, Nebraska #7 Rank @ #6 Rank Time TBA Omaha, Denver) are alive for the four remaining home-ice playoff Games for Saturday, March 16 slots – one of those five will miss out and be seeded 7th. #12 Alaska Anchorage @ #1 Rank Time TBA • Current No. 8–No. 11 teams (Colorado College, Minnesota Duluth, #11 Rank @ #2 Rank Time TBA Michigan Tech, Bemidji State) will finish No. 8–No. 11 in some order #10 Rank @ #3 Rank Time TBA – and all will travel for the first round of playoffs. #9 Rank @ #4 Rank Time TBA • Alaska Anchorage is locked in as the #12 seed. #8 Rank @ #5 Rank Time TBA #7 Rank @ #6 Rank Time TBA On the docket for the final weekend of the regular season are a full Games for Sunday, March 17 (if necessary) slate of six WCHA series with Colorado College traveling to Michigan #12 Alaska Anchorage @ #1 Rank Time TBA Tech, St. Cloud State heading to Wisconsin, Nebraska Omaha playing #11 Rank @ #2 Rank Time TBA at Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota visiting Bemidji State, North Dakota #10 Rank @ #3 Rank Time TBA heading to Minnesota State and Alaska Anchorage playing at Denver. #9 Rank @ #4 Rank Time TBA At John MacInnes Student Ice Arena (4,128) in Houghton on Friday #8 Rank @ #5 Rank Time TBA and Saturday, Michigan Tech (11-17-4, 7-15-4 WCHA) will host Colo- #7 Rank @ #6 Rank Time TBA rado College in a pair of 7:07 pm ET face-offs. This is the only regular 2013 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five season series between the Huskies and Tigers. @ Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN In Madison Friday and Saturday, No. 14-ranked Wisconsin (16-11- Games for Thursday, March 21 7, 12-7-7 WCHA) will entertain league-leading and No. 8-ranked St. #5 Seed vs #4 Seed 2:07 pm CT Cloud State (20-13-1, 17-8-1 WCHA) at Veterans Memorial Coliseum #6 Seed vs #3 Seed 7:07 pm CT at Alliant Energy Center, where the Badgers began playing in 1969-70 Gamew for Friday, March 22 until the Kohl Center opened. Game times both nights are 7:07 pm Semifinal #1: TBA vs TBA 2:07 pm CT CT. This is the only regular season series between the Badgers and Semifinal #2: TBA vs TBA 7:07 pm CT Huskies. The Kohl Center is hosting the state high school basketball Games for Saturday, March 23 tournament this weekend. Broadmoor Trophy Championship Game 7:07 pm CT At AMSOIL Arena (6,726) in Duluth, the UMD Bulldogs (12-17-5, 8-13-5 WCHA) go up against No. 16-ranked Nebraska Omaha (18-14-2, 14-10-2 WCHA) at 7:07 pm CT on both March 8 and 9. The Mavericks swept the Bulldogs in Omaha back on Nov. 10-11 by 3-2 and 6-3 WCHA) will entertain No. 2-ranked Minnesota (22-7-5, 14-7-5 WCHA) scores. at 7:37 pm CT on Friday night and 7:07 pm CT on Saturday evening. Up at Sanford Center (4,373) in Bemidji, Bemidji State (6-18-8, 5-14-7 These will be the only two games during the regular season between the Beavers and the Golden Gophers. At Verizon Wireless Center (4,832) in Mankato this weekend, No.