Western Collegiate Hockey Association Bruce M. McLeod Commissioner Carol LaBelle-Ehrhardt Assistant Commissioner of Operations Greg Shepherd Supervisor of Officials Administrative Office April 23, 2012 Western Collegiate Hockey Association 2211 S. Josephine Street, Room 302 Denver, CO 80210 2011-12 WCHA Men’s Season-in-Review p: 303 871-4491. f: 303 871-4770 Minnesota Reigns as Regular Season/MacNaughton Cup Champion; Gophers Win NCAA West [email protected] Regional to Represent WCHA at NCAA Men’s Frozen Four; North Dakota Captures Record Third Doug Spencer Straight WCHA Final Five Title and Broadmoor Trophy; UND, Minnesota Duluth, Denver Also Earn Associate Commissioner for Public Relations NCAA Tourney Bids But Fall Short at Regionals; UMD Forward Jack Connolly Named Hobey Baker Western Collegiate Hockey Association Memorial Award and Lowe’s Senior CLASS Winner; Seven WCHA Players Earn All-American Honors; 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Ste. 103 Madison, WI 53719-2096 DU Defenseman Joey LaLeggia Named National Rookie of the Year; UM’s Don Lucia, MTU’s Mel p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200 Pearson Named Finalists for Men’s Div. 1 National Coach of the Year; UMD’s Jack Connolly Named [email protected] WCHA Player of the Year, UND’s Brad Eidsness is Student-Athlete of the Year, MTU’s Mel Pearson Home of a Collegiate Record 37 is League’s Coach of the Year to Highlight Conference Awards for 2011-12; League Announces Men’s National Championship Record Numbers for WCHA Scholar-Athletes, All-WCHA Academic Team Honorees; Final Two Div. Teams Since 1951 1 Men’s Weekly National Polls Show UM at No. 4, UMD at No. 5/6, UND at No. 5/6, DU at No. 8/12 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, … CC, SCSU Receive Votes; Mark Johnson, Jeff Sauer Receive Prestigious Lester Patrick Award 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, from NHL; Minnesota State Tabs Mike Hastings as New Men’s Head Hockey Coach on April 14 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1997, MADISON, Wis. – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s recently completed campaign of 2011-12 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, will surely be one to remember. And although the league fell short of adding to it’s record total of 37 2011 men’s national championships won since it’s founding in 1951 and defending it’s 2010-11 crown, there were still an abundance of noteworthy team and individual highlights that helped keep college hockey’s Men’s Conference Members most historic and successful conference among the best in the sport. University of Alaska Anchorage Witness the following: Bemidji State University Colorado College • Four WCHA-member teams earned trips to the national tournament in Denver, Minnesota, Minnesota University of Denver Duluth and North Dakota … Michigan Technological University • After claiming the NCAA West Regional crown, Minnesota advanced to the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four University of Minnesota in Tampa, Florida along with first-time qualifiers Ferris State and Union College along with eventual University of Minnesota Duluth champion Boston College … Minnesota State University University of Nebraska Omaha • The Golden Gophers also prevailed for the league’s regular season title and MacNaughton Cup with University of North Dakota a 20-8-0 conference mark and 40 points … St. Cloud State University • The 12 Western Collegiate Hockey Association-member teams combined for a 51-33-8 record and .593 University of Wisconsin winning percentage against Division 1 non-conference opponents in 2011-12 … 2012 Red Baron™ con’t WCHA Final Five March 15-17 • Xcel Energy Center 2011-12 WCHA Men’s Final Standings Saint Paul, MN Conference Only Overall Pts GP Record Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA 1 Minnesota 40 28 20- 8- 0 .714 88- 57 43 28-14- 1 .663 155- 99 wcha.com 2 Minnesota Duluth 37 28 16- 7- 5 .661 103- 73 41 25-10- 6 .683 147-106 3 Denver 36 28 16- 8- 4 .643 96- 79 43 25-14- 4 .628 139-111 4 North Dakota 33 28 16-11- 1 .589 82- 73 42 26-13- 3 .655 135-108 5 Colorado College 31 28 15-12- 1 .554 95- 86 36 18-16- 2 .528 114-104 6 St. Cloud State 28 28 12-12- 4 .500 86- 74 39 17-17- 5 .500 120-104 7 Nebraska Omaha 27 28 11-12- 5 .482 83- 85 38 14-18- 6 .447 106-112 8 Michigan Tech 26 28 11-13- 4 .464 85- 87 39 16-19- 4 .462 111-116 9 Bemidji State 25 28 11-14- 3 .446 72- 89 38 17-18- 3 .487 101-109 10 Wisconsin 24 28 11-15- 2 .429 76- 83 37 17-18- 2 .486 105-102 11 Minnesota State 18 28 8-18- 2 .321 73-102 38 12-24- 2 .342 101-129 12 Alaska Anchorage 11 28 5-22- 1 .196 60-111 36 9-25- 2 .278 85-134 WCHA Men’s Release • Season-in-Review • 042312 • Four WCHA-member teams were ranked among the nation’s top Lester Patrick Award, awarded for outstanding service to hockey in eight in the final USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s Division 1 the United States. College Hockey Poll issued on April 9 … they were Minnesota at No. • And five WCHA member-team players were honored as national 4, Minnesota Duluth at No. 5, North Dakota at No. 6 and Denver at players of the month or national rookies of the month by the No. 8. Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) this season … Minnesota • In the final USCHO.com Division 1 Men’s College Hockey Poll issued goaltender Kent Patterson was the National Player of the Month on April 9, Minnesota was ranked No. 4 nationally, North Dakota was for October … Minnesota freshman forward Kyle Rau was National No. 5, Minnesota Duluth was No. 6 and Denver was No. 12. Two other Rookie of the Month for October … Minnesota forward Nick Bjugstad league teams – Colorado College and St. Cloud State – also received was National Player of the Month for November … Bemidji State votes. freshman goaltender Andrew Walsh was National Rookie of the Month • North Dakota skated to a record third consecutive Red Baron™ for December … Denver freshman defenseman Joey LaLeggia was WCHA Final Five playoff championship title and Broadmoor Trophy National Rookie of the Month for January. … UND won all three Final Five games to become only the third team In year-end national tournament play, the WCHA was represented ever to do so (Minnesota Duluth in 2009, North Dakota in 2010). at the NCAA Men’s Div. 1 Ice Hockey Championship tournament by • Minnesota Duluth senior forward Jack Connolly earned both the league and West Regional champion Minnesota, Red Baron WCHA Hobey Baker Memorial Award and the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Final Five champion North Dakota, defending Frozen Four champion … Minnesota Duluth and Denver. • A resurgence was launched at Michigan Tech under first-year WCHA The Gophers, winners of five previous national championships Coach of the Year Mel Pearson, with the Huskies winning more games in 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002 and 2003, made their 20th Frozen Four (16) this season than in the previous three combined and earning a appearance overall and first since 2005 in Columbus, Ohio, when an highly-coveted berth in the Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five … all-WCHA national championship round included eventual champion • Seven league-member team players received All-American acclaim Denver, runner-up North Dakota, Minnesota and Colorado College. … West First Team honorees from the WCHA were Minnesota Duluth The Gophers fell to eventual national champion Boston College by a senior forward Jack Connolly, Colorado College sophomore forward 6-1 count in one of the two semi-final match ups at the 2012 NCAA Jaden Schwartz and Wisconsin junior defenseman Justin Schultz … Men’s Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla. Both Connolly and Schultz were repeat First Team All-Americans Minnesota had earned the trip to Tampa by winning the West … West Second Team All-American selections were Minnesota Regional at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul March 24-25, defeating sophomore forward Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota Duluth sophomore both Boston University, 7-3, and league-rival North Dakota, 5-2. forward J.T. Brown, Minnesota senior goaltender Kent Patterson and Denver fell by one goal to Ferris State, 2-1, on March 23 in a semifinal Denver sophomore forward Jason Zucker … at the Midwest Regional at Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis. The FSU • Denver defenseman Joey LaLeggia was chosen as the National Bulldogs went on to capture that regional and advance to the Frozen Rookie of the Year … LaLeggia also was the WCHA Rookie of the Year Four with a 2-1 victory over Cornell on Saturday. and earned All-WCHA First Team and All-WCHA Rookie Team honors Defending national champion Minnesota Duluth came up one … victory shy of reaching the Frozen Four when the Bulldogs fell 4-0 to • Post-season individual honors handed out by the WCHA for 2011-12 Boston College in the title contest at the Northeast Regional at DCU saw Minnesota Duluth senior forward Jack Connolly earn WCHA Player Center in Worcester, Mass. Minnesota Duluth advanced to the regional of the Year honors, North Dakota senior goaltender Brad Eidsness championship after a 5-2 triumph over Maine in a semifinal. chosen as WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year, Wisconsin The other regional victor this season was Union College, as the junior defenseman Justin Schultz named WCHA Defensive Player of Dutchmen came out on top at the NCAA East Regional at Webster the Year for the second straight season, Denver defenseman Joey Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.