WCHA Administrative Office Bruce M. McLeod Commissioner Carol LaBelle-Ehrhardt Assistant Commissioner of Operations Greg Shepherd Supervisor of Officials Mailing Address Western Collegiate Hockey Association 2211 S. Josephine Street, Room 302, Denver, CO 80210 p: 303 871-4223. f: 303 871-4770. [email protected] March 1, 2011/For Immediate Release WCHA Women’s Office; Top 10 Teams Wisconsin, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota and Public Relations Sara R. Martin North Dakota Comprise Field for 2011 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF Associate Commissioner Playoff Championship Set for Friday-Saturday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis; Regular Season p: 608 829-0104. f: 608 829-0105. [email protected] Champion Badgers Sport 22-Game Unbeaten Streak; Defending FINAL FACE-OFF Champion UMD Doug Spencer Bulldogs Unbeaten Over Last 11; WCHA Individual Awards to Be Released Thursday, March 3 … Associate Commissioner for Public Relations UW’s Duggan is WCHA Scoring Champion, UMD’s Martin Claims League Goaltending Title; WCHA p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200. Has Eight Nominees for 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award; WCHA’s Non-Conference Record [email protected] Bill Brophy at 24-11-3 (.671); Four WCHA-Member Teams Again Ranked Among Nation’s Top 10 in Latest Women’s Public Relations Director USCHO.com Div. 1 Poll … UW No. 1, UM No. 3, UMD No. 6, UND No. 8 ; Tickets Still Available for p: 608-277-0282. [email protected] 2011 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF, March 4-5 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis Mailing Address Western Collegiate Hockey Association MADISON, Wis. – Four nationally-ranked teams – Wisconsin, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota and North Dakota 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Suite 103 – compose the field for this week's 2011 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF, the league playoff championship for the Madison, WI 53719-2096 home of 11 consecutive national championship teams. The tournament will be held Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, WCHA Women’s League Minn. The winner of the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF receives the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Div. 1 Bemidji State University tournament. University of Minnesota The No. 1 seeded Badgers (32-2-2) will face-off against No. 4 seed North Dakota (20-12-3) in the playoff University of Minnesota Duluth championship’s first semi-final match up at 4:07 pm CT on Friday. The second semi-final will have No. 2 seed Minnesota State University University of North Dakota Minnesota Duluth (22-7-3) going up against No. 3 seed Minnesota (25-8-2) at 7:07 pm CT. The WCHA FINAL Ohio State University FACE-OFF championship game will be played on Saturday, March 5, at 7:07 pm CT. St. Cloud State University Wisconsin enters the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF with a 22-game unbeaten streak at 20-0-2 while Minnesota University of Wisconsin Duluth sports an 11-game unbeaten string at 10-0-1. con’t Home of a Record 11 Consecutive National 2010-11 WCHA Women’s Standings –––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Championship Teams 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, Conference Only Overall 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Pts GP W L T SW Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA 1 Wisconsin ! 76 28 24- 2- 2 2 .893 140- 50 36 32- 2- 2 .917 195- 62 2011 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF 2 Minnesota Duluth 57 28 18- 7- 3 0 .696 109- 49 32 22- 7- 3 .734 129- 49 March 4-5 • Ridder Arena Minnesota 57 28 18- 8- 2 1 .679 100- 52 35 25- 8- 2 .743 123- 58 Minneapolis, MN 4 North Dakota 50 28 16-10- 2 0 .607 96- 79 35 20-12- 3 .614 116-100 5 Bemidji State 39 28 11-13- 4 2 .464 53- 71 35 14-17- 4 .457 70- 88 visit us on the web at the all-new: 6 Ohio State 30 28 8-17- 3 3 .339 69-100 36 14-19- 3 .431 99-116 WCHA.com 7 Minnesota State 22 28 7-20- 1 0 .268 47-101 36 8-25- 3 .264 53-122 8 St. Cloud State 5 28 1-26- 1 1 .054 23-135 35 1-33- 1 .043 31-177 ! WCHA regular season champion. Note: Teams are awarded three points for each win in regulation or overtime, and one point for an overtime tie. Conference games tied after 65 minutes advance to a three-player shootout with the winning team receiving an extra point in the standings (denoted in the SW column. This Week in the WCHA –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF • March 4-5 • Ridder Arena, Minneapolis, MN Games for Friday, March 4 Semi-Final #1: (4) North Dakota vs (1) Wisconsin, 4:07 pm CT Semi-Final #2: (3) Minnesota vs (2) Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 pm CT Games for Saturday, March 5 Championship Game: Minnesota or Minnesota Duluth vs North Dakota or Wisconsin, 7:07 pm CT 2010-11 WCHA Women’s Release • Week 22 • 030111 The pairings for the NCAA Div. 1 Women’s Tournament will be announced each had three assists and sophomore goalie Jennifer Harss made 25 on Sunday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m. (on broadband at www.ncca.com <http:// stops in the series-clinching 5-0 shutout on Saturday. Minnesota Duluth www.ncca.com/>) and all four FINAL FACE-OFF participants are contenders has accrued 12 shutouts this season, a school record. for a berth in the national tournament. In this week’s USCHO.com Div. At Ridder Arena in Minneapolis last weekend, Jen Schoullis had two 1 Women’s College Hockey Poll, Wisconsin is ranked No. 1, Minnesota is goals on Friday as No. 3 Minnesota beat Ohio State 4-2 and then Amanda ranked No. 3, Minnesota Duluth is No. 6 and North Dakota is No. 8. Kessel had one goal, the game-winner with 3:09 left to play, and an assist During the regular season, Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth met four as the Golden Gophers edged the Buckeyes 3-2 on Saturday to sweep times with UMD holding a 2-1-1 edge. The Bulldogs are 4-1-1 in their last the series, 2-0. Since Minnesota’s loss to Wisconsin Jan. 29, the Gopher six games with the Golden Gophers. The Bulldogs defeated the Gophers line of Kessel, Sarah Erickson and Schoullis have led the Gophers’ scoring 3-2 last season in the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF championship game on driving with 42 points. In the past eight games, Kessel has contributed 16 March 7, 2010 and then knocked off the Gophers two weeks later in the points, followed by Erickson with 15 and Schoullis with 11. In that span, NCAA semifinals, en route to winning the 2010 NCAA Women’s Frozen the trio also scored five power-play goals, two shorthanded goals and Four and national championship. Both games were at Ridder Arena. The three game-winning goals. Gophers have been in the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF championship game At Purpur Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota defeated Bemidji State in the last two seasons. the only first round series which went three games. On Sunday, Monique Wisconsin won all four games against North Dakota during the regular Lamoureux-Kolls netted the winner at 16:00 of overtime to give the season, including a sweep in Madison Feb. 11 & 13. It is the first time Fighting Sioux a 3-2 (ot) victory. Bemidji forced a deciding third game North Dakota has played in the FINAL FACE-OFF. with a 3-0 victory on Saturday as Zuzana Tomcikova made 22 saves and This weekend’s tournament will be streamed on the league’s website sophomore forward Sadie Lundquist had a goal and an assist. In game (www.wcha.com <http://www.wcha.com/> ) with veteran broadcaster one of the series, North Dakota used two goals from Stephanie Roy to Jack Swanson and former Minnesota coach Laura Haldorson as the take a 3-2 decision from the Beavers last Friday. commentators. Wisconsin’s all-time leading scorer Meghan Duggan won the league’s In last weekend’s first round, best-of-three series, all the home teams scoring championship for 2010-11 and Minnesota Duluth’s Kim Martin was triumphed: the WCHA’s top goaltender. Duggan, a senior forward from Danvers, Mass., At Eagles’ Nest in Verona, Wis., top-ranked and host Wisconsin ran its had 27 goals, 34 assists and 61 points in 28 league games, averaging 2.18 unbeaten streak to 22 games by sweeping St. Cloud State in two games in points per game. She topped teammates Brianna Decker (23-28=51) and first round playoff action. Hilary Knight, Briana Decker and Meghan Decker Hilary Knight (29-21=50) for the honor. Martin, a senior from Stockholm, combined for six goals and seven assists in last Friday’s series opener, a Sweden, had a WCHA-best 1.51 goals-against average, besting Minnesota’s 9-3 UW victory. Knight, who has a nation’s best 46 goals, had two goals Noora Räty (1.70 GAA). in a series-clinching 5-1 victory on Saturday. Decker led the Badgers with Both Duggan and Räty were named Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award seven points as UW earned a place in the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF with a nominees, announced on Monday by USA Hockey. The Patty Kazmaier pair of wins over St. Cloud State last weekend. The series marked Decker’s Memorial Award is given annually to the top Division I women’s hockey second-straight seven-point weekend. Her total included three goals player and will be presented in conjunction with the 2011 NCAA Women’s and four assists.