2015-16 WCHA WEEKLY RELEASE WEEK NINETEEN (FEBRUARY 15-21, 2016) / wcha.com @wcha_mhockey /WCHAHockey @wcha_mhockey WCHA.tv Matt Hodson ● o: 952-818-8872 ● c: 612-801-2808 ● [email protected] WESTERN COLLEGIATE OPENING FACE-OFF HOCKEY ASSOCIATION • Polling Place: No. 14 Michigan Tech and No. 19 Minnesota State are carrying the WCHA banner in the USCHO.com poll this week, with the Huskies holding the same spot in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine rankings. • FOUNDED 1951 • • Winning Hockey: The WCHA continues to have 60 percent of its membership (six of 10 teams) playing .500-or-better hockey, the Suite C second-best league-wide distribution among all NCAA conferences (ECAC Hockey has nine of 12 teams at-or-above .500, for 75 percent). Minnesota State Univ., Mankato at Edina • Ringing in the New Year: Three WCHA schools have played some of their best hockey of the season since the calendar flipped to 2016. 7700 France Avenue South, Suite 360C Michigan Tech is undefeated in its eight games (5-0-3), Ferris State is 6-1-2 and Bemidji State is 8-3-2. Edina, MN 55435 • Down the Stretch They Come: With just three regular season weekends left, each of the top five teams in the WCHA standings are still 952-818-8869 alive to win the MacNaughton Cup (with the current fifth place team mathematically able to either hoist the Cup for finish in last place), while the top three schools can reach the same maximum number of overall league points (41). MEMBER TEAMS • Talking Playoffs: Minnesota State, Bowling Green, Michigan Tech and Ferris State have all clinched a berth in the 2016 WCHA playoffs. University of Alabama in Huntsville • Any Given Weekend: Twenty-six (26) of the first 56 WCHA series this season have resulted in splits, including five that ended in a pair University of Alaska Anchorage of ties. There have been just 19 league sweeps to date, along with 11 three-point weekends. Here is how each team has fared in WCHA University of Alaska Fairbanks series this season, sorted by the highest percentage of league weekends with two-plus points: Ferris State, 100 percent (12-for-12, Bemidji State University with zero, zero-point weekends; zero, one-point weekends; nine, two-point weekends; two, three-point weekends; and, one, four-point Bowling Green State University weekend); Minnesota State, 91.7% (11-for-12; 0-0, 1-1, 2-6, 4-5); Bowling Green, 90.9% (10-for-11, 0-1, 1-1, 2-6, 3-0, 4-4); Michigan Ferris State University Tech, 90.9% (10-for-11; 0-1, 1-0, 2-4, 3-3, 4-3); Northern Michigan, 90.9% (10-for-11; 0-1, 1-0, 2-7, 3-2, 4-1); Lake Superior State, 63.6% (7-for-11; 0-3, 1-1, 2-5, 3-1, 4-1); Bemidji State, 54.5% (6-for-11; 0-2, 1-3, 2-3, 3-1, 4-2); Alaska Anchorage, 54.5% (6-for-11; 0-4, 1-1, Lake Superior State University 2-4, 3-1, 4-1); Alaska, 54.5% (6-for-11; 0-4, 1-1, 2-5, 3-1, 4-0); and, Alabama Huntsville, 36.4% (4-for-11; 0-4, 1-3, 2-3, 3-0, 4-1) Michigan Technological University • Don't Leave Your Seats: Fifty-nine (59) of the first 114 WCHA games have been either ties (21) or one-goal decisions (38), with 32 Minnesota State University overtime contests. Twenty-six (26) league games have featured a tie-breaking, third-period game-winning goal (including nine in the last Northern Michigan University five minutes of regulation), with an additional 11 victories coming in overtime. • Quickly Around the WCHA: UAH junior G Matt Larose leads the WCHA and ranks fourth nationally with a .954 save percentage since TRADITION STARTS HERE Dec. 18 ... UAA senior F Blake Tatchell is one point away from becoming the 23rd Seawolf in program history with 100 career points (30g-69a) ... Despite missing the last series due to injury, UAF senior F Tyler Morley is still tied for the league's overall goal-scoring lead with 14 markers ... BSU is 41-of-44 (.932) on the penalty kill since Jan. 3, is at .894 overall in WCHA play to lead the league and is fourth 2016 WCHA FINAL FIVE nationally at .898; since moving to the D-I level, the Beavers have never allowed fewer than 20 PPGs in a season (12 this year) ... Three CHAMPIONSHIP BGSU student-athletes - Pierre Luc-Mercier, Matt Pohlkamp and Tomas Sholl - were recently accepted into the National College Athlete Friday, March 18 & Saturday, March 19 Honor Society ... FSU senior D Brandon Anselmini has 10 points in his last 10 games (1g-9a), pacing WCHA blue-liners over the span Van Andel Arena • Grand Rapids, MI (since Dec. 11) ... LSSU snapped a six-game losing streak and a coinciding 0-for-23 stretch on the power play, when J.T. Henke buried the $69 All-Tournament Ticket Packages game-winner last Saturday with the man advantage ... MTU is undefeated in its last 10 true road games, going 7-0-3 dating back to an $34.50 for Single-Session Tickets Oct. 23 loss at Northern Michigan; the Huskies are 10-3-4 overall away from Houghton this year (including neutral site games) ... MSU senior F Teddy Blueger has 21 points in his last 19 games (5g-16a); the WCHA's overall scoring leader (8g-20a=28pts) is now second in the conference scoring race with 23 points (5g-18a) ... NMU head coach Walt Kyle earned his 250th career victory Feb. 13. Currently in his 14th season behind the Northern Michigan bench, he owns a 250-236-63 career record. THE WEEK AHEAD • Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage: The seventh-place Lakers and eighth-place Seawolves are separated by two points, both also 2016 VAN ANDEL ARENA GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. trying to fend off ninth-place Alaska. The teams split a series last month in Sault Ste. Marie. MARCH 18-19 • Bowling Green at Alaska: The Falcons can draw within two points of idle Minnesota State atop the WCHA standings, while the Nanooks va n va nvan are fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot. This will be the only meeting of the year between the schools. • No. 14 Michigan Tech at Bemidji State: These two teams, who are a combined 13-3-5 since Jan. 1, meet for the only time this season. Tickets available at the Van Andel Arena® The Huskies are hoping to gain ground on idle MSU in the MacNaughton Cup race. The Beavers are still alive for home-ice advantage. and DeVos Place® box offices, Ticketmaster • Alabama Huntsville at Northern Michigan: The Chargers breathed new life into their playoff hopes with a pair of ties against front- ticket centers, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or running MSU last weekend, while the Wildcats are four points back of a home-ice spot. NMU earned three points at UAH in Dec. online at Ticketmaster.com. • Ferris State at No. 6 Michigan: The final nonconference game of the regular season sees Ferris State traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich. WCHA.TV 2015-16 WCHA STANDINGS In partnership with industry leader Conference Overall Stretch Internet, WCHA.tv - the official Rk (Natl Rank) Team Pts GP W L T % GF GA GP W L T % GF GA online streaming platform of the WCHA 1 (19) Minnesota State-x 33 24 13 4 7 .688 71 45 32 15 10 7 .578 83 70 - will provide fans with live and archived 2 Bowling Green-x 29 22 12 5 5 .659 56 44 32 16 10 6 .594 81 68 broadcasts of WCHA hockey on their (14) Michigan Tech-x 29 22 13 6 3 .659 65 42 28 16 7 5 .661 84 59 computer, tablet, phone and many Smart 4 Ferris State-x 28 24 12 8 4 .583 63 56 30 14 10 6 .567 81 75 TVs. 5 Northern Michigan 24 22 10 8 4 .545 55 54 30 13 11 6 .533 75 76 6 Bemidji State 20 22 8 10 4 .455 52 48 30 13 12 5 .517 76 67 Featuring all 10 WCHA member institutions, 7 Lake Superior State 18 22 7 11 4 .409 35 56 32 10 18 4 .375 56 82 every league game – home and away – will be 8 Alaska Anchorage 16 22 7 13 2 .364 51 68 28 10 15 3 .411 69 87 streamed live, along with all nonconference 9 Alaska 14 22 5 13 4 .318 49 69 28 7 17 4 .321 66 87 home games, the league postseason 10 Alabama Huntsville 13 22 4 13 5 .295 50 65 28 6 17 5 .304 62 83 tournament and the 2016 WCHA Final Five. x- clinched spot in the 2016 WCHA playoffs; rankings listed by USCHO.com poll first, followed by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA (ALL TIMES LOCAL) FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 1 Alabama Huntsville at Northern Michigan, 7:07 p.m. ET* 1 Alabama Huntsville at Northern Michigan, 7:07 p.m. ET* Ferris State at (6) Michigan, 7:35 p.m. ET 1 (14) Michigan Tech at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m. CT* 1 (14) Michigan Tech at Bemidji State, 7:37 p.m. CT* 1 Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage, 7:07 p.m. AT* 1 Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage, 7:07 p.m.