FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WCHA FINAL FACEOFF AWARDED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA THROUGH 2022 Premier conference championship in women’s college hockey to be held at Ridder Arena in 2020, 2021 and 2022 BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Sept. 13, 2018 – The women’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) today announced that the 2020 through 2022 WCHA Final Faceoff championship tournaments will be hosted by the University of Minnesota at iconic Ridder Arena. The host site for the next three-year championship cycle was made following a vetting process by the league’s Postseason Tournament Committee of submitted bids, the committee’s subsequent recommendation and a unanimous vote of approval by the WCHA Women’s League Board of Directors. “We have begun to set down strong roots in the Twin Cities area with the WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena each of the last three seasons, we will continue to foster this growth in 2019 and look forward to building a true championship environment in Minneapolis for our student-athletes and fans through 2022,” said WCHA Vice President and Women’s League Commissioner Katie Million. “Ridder Arena is a storied venue, but also provides top-notch accommodations and is centrally located for the majority of our teams and their fans. I thank the University of Minnesota for their continued partnership and the WCHA Postseason Tournament Committee for their diligence in this process. We are excited to create a proud and lasting legacy of championship women’s college hockey in Minneapolis!” "It's an honor to be able to host the next four WCHA Final Faceoff tournaments at Ridder Arena, beginning with the 2019 event,” University of Minnesota head coach Brad Frost said. “Our team and staff take great pride in hosting championship events like this, and it presents a great opportunity to showcase the highest level of women's college hockey with the league trophy and an NCAA berth on the line. We look forward to partnering with the WCHA to provide a top-notch experience for the teams and fans alike." Annually the premier conference tournament in women’s college hockey, featuring some of the nation’s top programs and players, the WCHA Final Faceoff weekend has evolved into a celebration of the sport’s past, present and future. The 2019 event, scheduled for March 9 and 10 at Ridder Arena, will include the annual WCHA Alumni Game and free WCHA Youth Clinic, among other auxiliary events. The country’s first-ever facility built specifically for women’s hockey in the country, Ridder Arena is home to the seven-time national champion University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Women’s Hockey Program. Since its opening in 2002, Ridder Arena has been a regular host of WCHA Championships (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018), NCAA Regionals and Frozen Fours (2010, 2013, 2015 and 2018). – MORE – WCHA FINAL FACEOFF AWARDED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA THROUGH 2022 | 1 of 2 About the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) The Women’s League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association is celebrating 20 Years of Excellence during 2018-19 anniversary season. The nation’s premier women’s hockey conference, WCHA member institutions have won a record 16 national championships since the league’s inception in 1999 (including 15 of a possible 18 NCAA titles), while producing seven Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winners, 98 All- Americans and numerous Olympic and national team members. The seven-team, NCAA Division 1 conference consists of: Bemidji State University (Beavers), the University of Minnesota (Golden Gophers), the University of Minnesota Duluth (Bulldogs), Minnesota State University (Mavericks), Ohio State University (Buckeyes), St. Cloud State University (Huskies) and the University of Wisconsin (Badgers). For more information, visit www.wcha.com. MEDIA CONTACT MORE INFORMATION Matt Hodson Website: wcha.com Assoc. Commissioner, Marketing & Communications Twitter: @wcha_whockey E: [email protected] Instagram: @wcha_whockey O: 952.681.7668 Facebook: facebook.com/wchawomenshockey M: 612.801.2808 Watch the WCHA on FloHockey.tv – WCHA – WCHA FINAL FACEOFF AWARDED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA THROUGH 2022 | 2 of 2 .