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 February 26, 2013 2211 S. Josephine Street, Room 302 Denver, CO 80210 SECOND TO LAST WEEKEND OF 2012-13 REGULAR SEASON p: 303 871-4491. f: 303 871-4770 [email protected] HIGHLIGHTED BY FIVE MARCH 1-2 WCHA SERIES; UW AT UNO, DU Doug Spencer AT UM, BSU AT UND, MTU AT SCSU, MSU AT CC Associate Commissioner for ALASKA ANCHORAGE GOES HOME-AND-HOME VS ALASKA FOR GOVERNOR’S CUP FRIDAY & SATURDAY; Public Relations Western Collegiate Hockey Association MINNESOTA DULUTH HOSTS ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE; ST. CLOUD STATE OWNS TWO-POINT LEAD IN 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Ste. 103 RACE FOR REGULAR SEASON TITLE & MACNAUGHTON CUP; FOUR POINTS SEPARATE TOP FIVE TEAMS; Madison, WI 53719-2096 p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200 EIGHT TEAMS IN HUNT FOR FIRST ROUND WCHA HOME PLAYOFF BERTHS; SEVEN WCHA TEAMS [email protected] RANKED IN LATEST USCHO.COM DIV. 1 MEN’S POLL … UM NO. 2, UND NO. 6, SCSU NO. 7, MSU NO. 9, DU NO. 10, UNO NO. 13, UW NO. 16; 2013 RED BARON WCHA FINAL FIVE TICKET PACKAGES CONTINUE HOME OF A COLLEGIATE RECORD 37 ON SALE … PLAYOFF CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR MARCH 21-23 AT XCEL ENERGY CENTER IN SAINT PAUL MEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS SINCE 1951 MADISON, Wis. – The final two weeks of the 2012-13 regular season in the men’s Western Collegiate 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, Hockey Association will decide the league champion, the six host teams for the first round of the league 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, playoffs and 11 of the 12 places in the final standings. 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, The intrigue continues this coming weekend of Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2 when five two- 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1997, game conference series headline the action. And all five of those series – Wisconsin at Nebraska Omaha, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, Denver at Minnesota, Bemidji State at North Dakota, Michigan Tech at St. Cloud State and Minnesota 2011 State at Colorado College – are the only two meetings of the regular season between the two respective clubs. MEN’S CONFERENCE MEMBERS There are still too many scenarios possible to outline what can happen over the final two weeks, but University of Alaska Anchorage Bemidji State University con’t Colorado College University of Denver Michigan Technological University 2012-13 WCHA MEN’S STANDINGS University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth Conference Only Overall Minnesota State University Pts GP Record Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA University of Nebraska Omaha 1 St. Cloud State 33 24 16- 7- 1 .688 82- 53 32 19-12- 1 .609 107- 78 University of North Dakota 2 Minnesota 31 24 13- 6- 5 .646 80- 58 32 21- 6- 5 .734 117- 64 St. Cloud State University 3 Nebraska Omaha 30 24 14- 8- 2 .625 83- 70 32 18-12- 2 .594 112- 88 University of Wisconsin North Dakota 30 24 12- 6- 6 .625 82- 62 32 17- 9- 6 .625 106- 80 5 Minnesota State 29 24 14- 9- 1 .604 77- 57 32 20- 9- 3 .672 104- 71 2013 RED BARON™ 6 Denver 27 24 11- 8- 5 .562 76- 74 31 16-10- 5 .597 104- 87 WCHA FINAL FIVE Wisconsin 27 24 10- 7- 7 .562 54- 53 32 14-11- 7 .547 75- 65 March 21-23 8 Colorado College 22 24 9-11- 4 .458 78- 85 32 12-15- 5 .453 106-113 Xcel Energy Center 9 Minnesota Duluth 21 26 8-13- 5 .404 64- 79 32 10-17- 5 .391 78- 96 Saint Paul, MN 10 Bemidji State 16 24 5-13- 6 .333 50- 72 30 6-17- 7 .317 62- 89 visit us on the web at: Michigan Tech 16 24 6-14- 4 .333 62- 82 30 10-16- 4 .400 89- 94 12 Alaska Anchorage 10 26 2-18- 6 .192 50- 93 30 4-19- 7 .250 61-104 WCHA.COM WCHA.COM/MOBILE THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA Games for Friday, March 1: Wisconsin at Nebraska Omaha (WCHA), 6:37 pm CT; Alabama-Huntsville at Minnesota Duluth (NC), 7:07 pm CT; Denver at Minnesota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Bemidji State at North Dakota (WCHA), 7:37 pm CT; Michigan Tech at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 7:37 pm CT; Minnesota State at Colorado College (WCHA), 7:37 pm MT; * Alaska Anchorage at Alaska (NC), 7:05 pm AT. *Governor’s Cup Games for Saturday, March 2: Alabama-Huntsville at Minnesota Duluth (NC), 7:07 pm CT; Bemidji State at North Dakota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Denver at Minnesota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Michigan Tech at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Wisconsin at Nebraska Omaha (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Minnesota State at Colorado College (WCHA), 7:07 pm MT; * Alaska at Alaska Anchorage (NC), 7:07 pm AT. *Governor’s Cup WCHA MEN’S WEEKLY RELEASE • 022613 what has been determined is that six of the current top eight teams UPCOMING IN THE WCHA will get home playoff berths and two will miss out. Alaska Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech and Minnesota Duluth will all be on the Games for Friday, March 8 road for the opening round of the tournament, with the Seawolves Colorado College at Michigan Tech (WCHA), 7:07 pm ET being the No. 12 seed. Heading into the weekend, the number of St. Cloud State at Wisconsin (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT points to guarantee a home-ice clinch is 36 but that can change if Nebraska Omaha at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT Denver and/or Wisconsin drop some points this weekend. The first Minnesota at Bemidji State (WCHA), 7:37 pm CT clinches can come this weekend. North Dakota at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:37 pm CT In Omaha, Nebraska Omaha (18-12-2, 14-8-2 WCHA, 30 points) will Alaska Anchorage at Denver (WCHA), 7:37 pm MT entertain Wisconsin (14-11-7, 10-7-7 WCHA, 27 points) at CenturyLink Games for Saturday, March 9 Center Omaha (15,959) on Friday evening at 6:37 pm CT and Saturday Colorado College at Michigan Tech (WCHA), 7:07 pm ET night at 7:07 pm CT. Minnesota at Bemidji State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT In Minneapolis Friday and Saturday, host and defending MacNaugh- North Dakota at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT ton Cup champion Minnesota (21-6-5, 13-6-5 WCHA, 31 points) will St. Cloud State at Wisconsin (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT go up against Denver (16-10-5, 11-8-5 WCHA, 27 points) at Mariucci Nebraska Omaha at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT Arena (10,000) in a pair of 7:07 pm CT encounters. Games for Sunday, March 10 At Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,634) in Grand Forks this weekend, Alaska Anchorage at Denver (WCHA), 12:07 pm MT North Dakota (17-9-6, 12-6-6 WCHA, 30 points) skates against Bemidji State (6-17-7, 5-13-6 WCHA, 16 points) at 7:37 pm CT on Friday night – end of regular season – and 7:07 pm CT on Saturday evening. Up at the National Hockey and Event Center (5,371), league-lead- ing St. Cloud State (19-12-1, 16-7-1 WCHA, 33 points) plays host to Michigan Tech (10-16-4, 6-14-4 WCHA, 16 points) at 7:37 pm CT on ular season crown and MacNaughton Cup, three points separate Friday and 7:07 pm CT on Saturday. the current top four teams, four points lie between the top five and And out west at Colorado Springs World Arena (7,380), Colorado six points separate the top seven. Defending champion Minnesota College (12-15-5, 9-11-4 WCHA, 22 points) looks to stay in home-ice (31 points) is two points back of SCSU, Nebraska Omaha and North playoff contention when the Tigers face-off against Minnesota State Dakota are tied for third with 30 points each, Minnesota State is fifth (20-9-3, 14-9-1 WCHA, 29 points) at 7:37 pm MT on March 1 and 7:07 with 29, and Denver and Wisconsin share sixth with 27 points apiece. pm MT on March 2. Colorado College stands eighth with 22, Minnesota Duluth is ninth In conference play last weekend (Feb. 22-23), Minnesota gained with 21, Bemidji State and Michigan Tech are tied for 10th with 16 three points in the race while the other two-game series ended in each and Alaska Anchorage is 12th with 10 points. splits. The Golden Gophers skated to a 5-3 victory over Minnesota The regular season champion in the WCHA is awarded the Mac- Duluth last Friday before the two clubs played to a 2-2 (ot) tie on Naughton Cup and earns the No. 1 seed for the league’s post-season Saturday. Host Denver won 5-4 over North Dakota last Friday before tournament while the top six finishers in the final standings earn the UND came back with a 6-1 victory on Saturday. And Colorado College home-ice advantage for the first round of WCHA Playoffs, a best-of- earned a 4-3 triumph over visiting St. Cloud State last Friday before three series format set for the weekend of Friday-Sunday, March 15-17.