Western Collegiate Hockey Association Sara R. Martin Commissioner C 303 808-9366 • F 608 829-0200 [email protected] Bill Brophy Women’s Public Relations Director O 608 277-0282 • C 303 330-5468 [email protected] January 7, 2014/For Immediate Release WCHA Administrative Office Full Slate of WCHA Games Set for Jan. 10-12 MSC 8302, WCHA 2211 S. Josephine Street Weekend as Title Race Resumes Denver, CO 80208-8302 No. 2 Wisconsin, On 16-Game Unbeaten Streak, Hosts No. 4/5 North O 303 871-4491 • F 303 871-4770 Dakota in Key Series; No. 1-Ranked Minnesota Entertains Ohio State Bruce M. McLeod Commissioner ... BTN to Televise Gophers-Buckeyes Game Saturday Live; Minnesota [email protected] State Travels to Minnesota Duluth; Bemidji State Back Home to Play Carol LaBelle-Ehrhardt Associate Commissioner of Operations St. Cloud State; Three WCHA Teams Ranked in Nation’s Top Ten [email protected] with Gophers No. 1, Badgers No. 2, North Dakota No. 4/5; Minnesota Greg Shepherd State, Ohio State Score Non-Conference Sweeps to Hike WCHA’s Supervisor of Officials O/F 651 330-5131 Non-Loop Record to 29-11-2; WCHA May Have as Many as 33 [email protected] Players at 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia; Tickets Doug Spencer for WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF Now On Sale ... League Playoff Associate Commissioner for PR O 608 829-0100 • C 303 475-9283 Championship March 7-8 at Sanford Center in Bemidji; Minnesota to [email protected] Host NCAA Women’s Frozen Four in 2015 and 2018 Women’s Member Teams MADISON, Wis. – The women’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association season resumes in earnest Bemidji State University Jan. 10-12 with a full-round of series, including a key matchup at LaBahn Arena in Madison between University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth North Dakota and streaking Wisconsin, the two teams trying to chase down and dethrone league Minnesota State University champion Minnesota. University of North Dakota The Badgers and UND will play on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in Madison, with game times at Ohio State University LaBahn Arena (2273) at 2:07 pm CT and 3:07 pm CT respectively. In their first go-round in Grand Forks St. Cloud State University University of Wisconsin on Nov. 22-23, the two teams tied 0-0 in overtime in the series opener (UW won shootout) before con't on next page Home of a Record 14 Consecutive National 2013-14 WCHA Standings Championship Teams 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, Conference Only Overall 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, Pts GP W L T SW Win% GF- GA GP W L T Win% GF- GA 2012, 2013 1 Minnesota 39 14 13- 1- 0 0 .929 63- 19 20 19- 1- 0 .950 98- 26 Wisconsin 39 16 12- 2- 2 1 .812 51- 15 20 16- 2- 2 .850 68- 19 2014 WCHA 3 North Dakota 30 14 9- 3- 2 1 .714 44- 29 18 12- 4- 2 .722 58- 34 FINAL FACE-OFF 4 Minnesota Duluth 26 16 7- 6- 3 2 .531 34- 33 20 9- 8- 3 .525 54- 44 March 7-8 5 Bemidji State 17 14 5- 8- 1 1 .393 23- 43 20 8-10- 2 .450 37- 52 Sanford Center • Bemidji, MN 6 Minnesota State 12 16 4-12- 0 0 .250 24- 53 22 9-13- 0 .409 46- 61 7 St. Cloud State 9 16 2-12- 2 1 .188 26- 50 22 3-16- 3 .205 32- 63 visit us on the web at: 8 Ohio State 8 14 2-10- 2 0 .214 24- 47 20 7-11- 2 .400 46- 54 wcha.com (shootout win = 1 additional point) wcha.com/mobile This Week in the WCHA Games for Friday, January 10: Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 6:07 pm CT; St. Cloud State at Bemidji State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Ohio State at Minnesota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT. Games for Saturday, January 11: North Dakota at Wisconsin (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT; St. Cloud State at Bemidji State (WCHA), 4:07 pm CT; Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 6:07 pm CT; Ohio State at Minnesota (WCHA), 6:07 pm CT. Games for Sunday, January 12: North Dakota at Wisconsin (WCHA), 3:07 pm CT. WCHA W Release • Week 15 • 010714 Wisconsin took game two by a 3-1 count. The Badgers, who are tied for the WCHA lead but have played two more games than the Upcoming in the WCHA Gophers, take a nation’s best 16-game unbeaten streak (14-0-2) into their weekend contests against North Dakota, who is in third Games for Friday, January 17 place. Wisconsin at Bemidji State (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT Top-ranked Minnesota, the two-time defending national champi- * Minnesota State at Minnesota (WCHA), 4:37 pm CT ons, hosts Ohio State Jan. 10-11 at Ridder Arena (3400), with Friday’s St. Cloud State at North Dakota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT match up at 7:07 pm CT and the series finale on Saturday televised * Hockey City Classic (TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis) live on the Big Ten Network at 6 pm CT. The Gophers, who have Games for Saturday, January 18 won six straight games, swept the Buckeyes in Columbus on Dec. Wisconsin at Bemidji State (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT 7-8, winning by scores of 9-2 and 5-1. Ohio State, meanwhile, is St. Cloud State at North Dakota (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT 4-2-0 over the last six games. Ohio State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 3:07 pm CT In other league series this Friday and Saturday, fourth place Games for Sunday, January 19 Minnesota Duluth hosts Minnesota State and Bemidji State returns Minnesota at Minnesota State (WCHA), 1:07 pm CT home for the first series at Sanford Center in two months and Ohio State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 3:07 pm CT entertains St. Cloud State. Games for Friday, January 24 At AMSOIL Arena (6600) in Duluth, the Bulldogs and Mavericks Minnesota State at Ohio State (WCHA), 7:07 pm ET will face-off at 6:07 pm CT both evenings. Minnesota Duluth, with St. Cloud State at Minnesota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT two straight wins, leads the four-game regular season series, 2-0, Bemidji State at North Dakota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT after sweeping MSU by scores of 6-2 and 3-1 back on Oct. 25-26. Games or Saturday, January 25 Minnesota State stands an improved 6-4-0 over their last 10 outings. Minnesota State at Ohio State (WCHA), 1:07 pm ET And up at Sanford Center (4373), Bemidji State will host St. Cloud Minnesota Duluth at Wisconsin (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT State 7:07 pm CT on Friday night and 4:07 pm CT on Saturday St. Cloud State at Minnesota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT afternoon. The Beavers and Huskies play all four of their regular Bemidji State at North Dakota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT season match ups during the second half of the season, with the Games for Sunday, January 26 return engagements set for Feb. 21-22 in St. Cloud. Minnesota Duluth at Wisconsin (WCHA), 3:07 pm CT This week’s WCHA standings show that defending conference champ Minnesota (19-1-0, 13-1-0 WCHA, 39 points) is tied with Wisconsin (16-2-2, 12-2-2-1 WCHA, 39 points) at the top of the home victories over Lindenwood – a 3-0 New Year’s Eve triumph league while third place North Dakota (12-4-2, 9-3-2-1 WCHA, 30 and a 3-1 victory on New Year’s Day. Melissa Klippenstein and Tracy points) is nine points back and holds two games at hand on UW. McCann had two-goal games against the Lions. North Dakota is four points ahead of fourth place Minnesota Duluth When the Mavericks returned to league play, their tight-checking (9-8-3, 7-6-3-2 WCHA, 26 points). There is currently a nine-point continued in a home-ice split with Bemidji State. McCann and Kari separation between the first and second divisions of the league Lundberg each had a goal in a 2-1 victory Jan. 4, but the Beavers with Bemidji State (8-10-2, 5-8-1-1 WCHA, 17 points) in fifth place, earned a 1-0 road win last Sunday (Jan. 5) as Brittni Mowat made 33 five points ahead of Minnesota State (9-12-0, 4-12-0-0 WCHA, 12 stops and Kristine Grenier scored the game’s only goal, a third-period points). St. Cloud State (3-16-3, 2-11-2-1 WCHA, 9 points) is in power-play score. seventh place, just ahead of Ohio State (7-11-2, 2-10-2 WCHA, 8 Wisconsin kept its nation’s bet unbeaten string alive, sweeping points). St. Cloud State 3-1 and 4-0. Rachel Jones had the game-winner for Last week Minnesota State played four games in six days and the Badgers at 5:19 of the third period in game one, four minutes won three times, allowing only three goals and no more than one after the Huskies’ Julia Gilbert scored an unassisted goal to knot in any contest. The Mavericks scored back-to-back non-conference the score at 1-1 in the series opener. Last Saturday, Sarah Nurse scored two minutes into the game and Ann-Renée Desbiens, playing goal because all-American Alex Rigsby was still sidelined with a knee injury, got her third shutout.