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 April 4-11, 2013 2211 S. Josephine Street, Room 302 Denver, CO 80210 WCHA CO-CHAMPION ST. CLOUD STATE SETS SIGHTS ON 2013 p: 303 871-4491. f: 303 871-4770 [email protected] NCAA MEN’S FROZEN FOUR CHAMPIONSHIP; HUSKIES AIM FOR Doug Spencer Associate Commissioner for PROGRAM’S FIRST, LEAGUE’S 38TH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Public Relations Western Collegiate Hockey Association APRIL 11-13 AT CONSOL ENERGY CENTER IN PITTSBURGH 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Ste. 103 ST. CLOUD STATE EARNS TRIP TO FROZEN FOUR AFTER MIDWEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP; HUSKIES Madison, WI 53719-2096 TO FACE-OFF AGAINST QUINNIPIAC IN SECOND NATIONAL SEMIFINAL; UMASS-LOWELL TAKES ON YALE p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200 [email protected] IN FIRST SEMIFINAL; NCAA TITLE CONTEST SET FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 13; WCHA PLAYER OF THE YEAR, OUTSTANDING STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR DREW LEBLANC ONE OF THREE FINALISTS FOR 2013 HOME OF A COLLEGIATE RECORD 37 HOBEY BAKER MEMORIAL AWARD; MSU’S MIKE HASTINGS, SCSU’S BOB MOTZKO AMONG FINALISTS MEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DIV. 1 MEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR; 2013 RED BARON WCHA FINAL FIVE DRAWS THIRD HIGHEST TEAMS SINCE 1951 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, ATTENDANCE OF 87,295 AS WISCONSIN CAPTURES BROADMOOR TROPHY AT XCEL ENERGY CENTER 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, IN SAINT PAUL; SCSU, MINNESOTA SHARE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP, MACNAUGHTON CUP; 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, SIX WCHA TEAMS RANKED IN LATEST USA TODAY/USA HOCKEY MAGAZINE MEN’S DIV. 1 COLLEGE 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1997, HOCKEY POLL … SCSU NO. 3, MINNESOTA NO. 5, NORTH DAKOTA NO. 7, MINNESOTA STATE NO. 12, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, WISCONSIN NO. 13, DENVER NO. 14 2011 MADISON, Wis. – No. 3-ranked St. Cloud State University will carry the collective hopes of the men’s MEN’S CONFERENCE MEMBERS Western Collegiate Hockey Association when they head east to compete in the 2013 NCAA Men’s Frozen University of Alaska Anchorage Four championship in Pittsburgh, Pa. The national championship round will be contested April 11 and 13 Bemidji State University Colorado College at Consol Energy Center (18,087), with the Frozen Four field also including No. 2-ranked UMass-Lowell University of Denver of the Hockey East Association and No. 1-ranked Quinnipiac University and No. 4-ranked Yale University Michigan Technological University con’t University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth Minnesota State University 2012-13 WCHA MEN’S STANDINGS University of Nebraska Omaha Conference Only Overall University of North Dakota Pts GP Record Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA St. Cloud State University University of Wisconsin 1 St. Cloud State 37 28 18- 9- 1 .661 94- 66 41 25-15- 1 .622 140- 99 Minnesota 37 28 16- 7- 5 .661 94- 65 40 26- 9- 5 .712 139- 80 2013 RED BARON™ 3 North Dakota 35 28 14- 7- 7 .625 93- 71 42 22-13- 7 .607 135-103 4 Wisconsin 33 28 13- 8- 7 .589 69- 64 42 22-13- 7 .607 112- 89 WCHA FINAL FIVE Denver 33 28 14- 9- 5 .589 92- 81 39 20-14- 5 .577 131-108 March 21-23 Minnesota State 33 28 16-11- 1 .589 90- 68 41 24-14- 3 .622 127- 99 Xcel Energy Center Saint Paul, MN 7 Nebraska Omaha 30 28 14-12- 2 .536 92- 91 39 19-18- 2 .513 127-117 8 Colorado College 26 28 11-13- 4 .464 88- 98 42 18-19- 5 .488 133-141 visit us on the web at: 9 Minnesota Duluth 25 28 10-13- 5 .446 75- 83 38 14-19- 5 .434 99-109 10 Michigan Tech 20 28 8-16- 4 .357 75- 92 37 13-20- 4 .405 107-116 WCHA.COM 11 Bemidji State 17 28 5-16- 7 .304 58- 87 36 6-22- 8 .278 74-110 WCHA.COM/MOBILE 12 Alaska Anchorage 10 28 2-20- 6 .179 52-106 36 4-25- 7 .208 67-133 2013 NCAA MEN’S FROZEN FOUR CONSOL ENERGY CENTER, PITTSBURGH, PA Games for Thursday, April 11: Semifinal: Yale (20-12-3) vs UMass Lowell (28-10-2) (NC), 4:30 pm ET (TV – ESPN 2). Semifinal: St. Cloud State (25-15-1) vs Quinnipiac (29-7-5) (NC), 8:00 pm ET (TV – ESPN 2). Games for Saturday, April 13: National Championship Game, 7:00 pm ET (TV - ESPN). WCHA MEN’S WEEKLY RELEASE • FROZEN FOUR – 040413 of ECAC Hockey. Both UMass-Lowell, regular season champions of the Hockey East Teams representing the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Association and Quinnipiac, regular season champions of ECAC have captured a record 37 national championships since the men’s Hockey, are also making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA league’s founding in 1951, with the most recent Frozen Four title Men’s Frozen Four while Yale has earned its first berth in the national earned by Minnesota Duluth in 2011 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint championship round since 1952. Paul, Minn. Other more recent national championships captured by Six teams from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association earned league-member clubs include Wisconsin in 2006, Denver in both berths in the 2013 NCAA Div. 1 Men’s National Championship tour- 2005 and 2004 and Minnesota in 2003 and 2002. nament, tying a record first set by the WCHA in 2008. Minnesota was At the 2013 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in Pittsburgh, there will be the No. 1 seed for the West Regional, North Dakota was the No. 2 seed two semifinals played on Thursday (April 11) with the national cham- for the West Regional, Denver was the No. 3 seed for the Northeast pionship game set for Saturday, April 13. Both semifinal match ups Regional, Minnesota State was the No. 3 seed for the Midwest Re- will be televised live by ESPN 2 while the title contest will be telecast gional, St. Cloud State was the No. 4 seed for the Midwest Regional live on ESPN. and Wisconsin was the No. 4 seed for the Northeast Regional. In the first national semifinal on April 11, Yale (20-12-3) goes up At the West Regional in Grand Rapids, semifinal match ups saw against UMass-Lowell (28-10-2) at 4:30 pm ET. The No. 4-seeded Minnesota fall 3-2 in overtime to Yale while North Dakota won 2-1 Bulldogs prevailed in the NCAA West Regional at Van Andel Arena in over Niagara. UND then lost to Yale 4-1 in the regional final. Grand Rapids, Mich., last weekend, winning 3-2 (ot) over No. 1 seed At the Northeast Regional in Manchester, Wisconsin dropped a 6-1 Minnesota on March 29 and 4-1 over No. 2 seed North Dakota on decision to UMass-Lowell while Denver fell 5-2 to New Hampshire in March 30. The top-seeded River Hawks, meanwhile, were victorious the two semifinals. in the Northeast Regional at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, And at the Midwest Regional in Toledo, Ohio, St. Cloud State pow- N.H., winning 6-1 over No. 4 seed Wisconsin in their first game on ered past Notre Dame 5-1 in the semifinals before defeating Miami March 29 and then 2-0 over No. 2 seed New Hampshire on March 30. 4-1 in the regional final. It was the first regional title for SCSU. In the second national semifinal, St. Cloud State (25-15-1) takes on Five of the six WCHA qualifiers for the NCAA tournament – St. Quinnipiac (29-7-5) at 8:00 pm ET. The No. 4 seeded Huskies won the Cloud State, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota Midwest Regional at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio last weekend, State – played in the 2013 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five, held March downing top-seeded Notre Dame 5-1 on March 30 and then taking 21-23 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. Wisconsin became out No. 2 seed Miami 4-1 on March 31. The Bobcats earned the trip only the fourth team in history to claim the Broadmoor Trophy (and to the Frozen Four by claiming the East Regional at Dunkin’ Donuts earn the league’s automatic NCAA berth) by winning three straight Center in Providence, R.I. No. 1 seeded Quinnipiac skated past No. 4 games, joining Minnesota Duluth in 2009 and North Dakota in both Canisius 4-3 on March 30 and No. 3 seed Union 5-1 on March 31. 2010 and 2012. Thursday’s two semifinal winners will then meet for the national The third largest turnout in Final Five history – 87,295 – saw the championship on Saturday, April 13 at 7:00 pm ET, with that game Badgers upend Minnesota State, 7-2, in a quarterfinal last Thursday being telecast live by ESPN. afternoon, then defeat top-seeded St. Cloud State, 4-1, in a semifinal St. Cloud State, seeking the program’s first national championship, on Friday afternoon, and finally down Colorado College, 3-2, in the is making its ninth NCAA tournament appearance since 1989 and first title contest last Saturday night. in the Frozen Four. The Huskies previously advanced to the national In this week’s USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Division 1 Men’s tournament in 1989, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 and College Hockey Poll issued April 1, there are six WCHA teams ranked 2013.