R 2015-16 WCHA WEEKLY RELEASE WEEK TWENTY (FEB. 15-21, 2016) / wcha.com @wcha_whockey @wcha_whockey /WCHAWomensHockey Matt Hodson ● o: 952-818-8872 ● c: 612-801-2808 ● [email protected] WESTERN COLLEGIATE OPENING FACE-OFF • WCHA Leading at the Polls: The nation's top women's college hockey conference continues to set this season's standard in the opinion HOCKEY ASSOCIATION polls, with the WCHA matching ECAC Hockey with four ranked teams in both the USCHO.com and USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine • FOUNDED 1999 • rankings: No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 3 Minnesota, No. 7 Bemidji State and No. 9 North Dakota. Minnesota State Univ., Mankato at Edina • Winning Hockey: Not surprisingly, four of the NCAA's top-15 winning percentages also belong to WCHA teams: Wisconsin (second 7700 France Avenue South, Suite 360C at .953, 30-1-1), Minnesota (third at .887, 27-3-1), Bemidji State (ninth at .672, 20-9-3) and North Dakota (13th at .583, 15-10-5). Edina, MN 55435 Additionally, the WCHA finished its regular season nonconference slate with an NCAA-best .786 winning percentage (32-8-2). 952-818-8869 • Pairing Up: Entering the final four weeks before the NCAA tournament, three WCHA teams are in the top eight of the national PairWise rankings: No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 3 Minnesota and No. 8 Bemidji State. MEMBER TEAMS • Badgers Raise the Trophy: Nationally second-ranked Wisconsin has won the fifth WCHA regular season championship in program Bemidji State University history, clinching the title with a sweep of Minnesota State last weekend. At 24-1-1 in conference play, the Badgers enter this University of Minnesota weekend's Border Battle with a chance to match the 2013-14 Minnesota squad for the second-most league wins (26) in WCHA history; University of Minnesota Duluth a UW sweep would give it sole possession of the second-most points in league annals with 80. Minnesota State University • A Look at the 2016 Playoffs: Two of the four first-round matchups for the 2016 WCHA playoffs are set, as top-seed Wisconsin will host eight-seed Minnesota State and No. 2 Minnesota will welcome No. 7 Ohio State. Bemidji State and North Dakota are both assured of University of North Dakota home-ice advantage; with two points or more this weekend in Mankato, the Beavers will earn the No. 3 seed. Likewise, should St. Cloud Ohio State University State earn at least two points this weekend at Minnesota Duluth, the Huskies will be seeded fifth and the Bulldogs sixth. St. Cloud State University • Brandt Watch: One of the all-time great players in WCHA history, Minnesota senior forward Hannah Brandt continues to move up the University of Wisconsin league and NCAA record books. Entering Friday, she ranks fifth in WCHA history (since 1999-2000) with 114 career goals (UW's Brianna Decker, who scored 115 with UW, is fourth), second with 159 assists (just one shy of matching Jocelyne Lamoureux, who holds the 15 National Championships league record with 160 during her career with UMN and UND) and second with 273 points (12 behind J. Lamoureux's league-record 285). In NCAA Division I history (since 2000-01), Brandt is eighth for goals (Decker is seventh), third for assists (J. Lamoureux is second) 80 All-Americans and fourth for points (J. Lamoureux and Harvard's Julie Chu are tied for second). 100+ Olympians and • Quickly Around the WCHA: At 20-9-3, BEMIDJI STATE has reached the 20-win plateau during the regular season for the first time in National Team Members program history; the Beavers got the last two victories on consecutive game-winning goals by Stephanie Anderson, who now owns the school record with nine ... MINNESOTA maintains its hold on the national attendance lead, averaging 1,470 fans per game; at home at Ridder Arena, the Gophers also lead the NCAA with 2,045 fans per game ... MINNESOTA DULUTH freshman G Maddie Rooney 2016 WCHA set a program record with 61 saves last Friday against UMN (tied for the third-highest single-game total in WCHA history), including FINAL FACE-OFF a program-standard 31 stops in the second period ... MINNESOTA STATE junior G Brianna Quade leads the WCHA and ranks second CHAMPIONSHIP nationally with 897 saves ... NORTH DAKOTA senior F Meghan Dufault, who recently surpassed Alyssa Wiebe (2008-12) for fifth place Saturday, March 5 & Sunday, March 6 in program history, currently has 126 career points - five shy of Michelle Karvinen (2011-14) in fourth ... OHIO STATE is the only team in Ridder Arena; Minneapolis, Minn. the country to finish out its season with six-straight games against ranked opponents (vs. No. 2 Wisconsin, at No. 7 Bemidji State and Tickets available at mygophersports.com; vs. No. 9 North Dakota) ... ST. CLOUD STATE senior F Molly Illikainen, who has a career high 16 goals this season, is nearing the career 100-point plateau (44g-52a=96pts) ... WISCONSIN sophomore F Annie Pankowski, who ranks eighth nationally by averaging 1.56 points All-tourney packages from $20 to $35 per game, is the first Badger since Brianna Decker in 2012-13 to record 50 points in a season (19g-31a). BY THE NUMBERS 2016 • 0.61, .966, 16 and 28 (and 33): NCAA-leading goals-against average, save percentage, shutouts and wins for sensational Wisconsin junior goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens. Both the GAA and save percentage numbers are on pace to set NCAA single-season records, while she is tied for second on the shutout list (Wisconsin program record). Her 33 career blank slates are also third in NCAA annals. • 51: Players honored as 2015-16 WCHA Scholar-Athletes for maintaining a GPA of 3.50+ for the last two quarters or three semesters (or cumulative for time spent at the institution). THE WEEK AHEAD • No. 2 Wisconsin at No. 3 Minnesota: The regular season title is sewn up, but there is still plenty at stake for the NCAA tournament picture in this Border Battle. The No. 2 Badgers, who swept Minnesota earlier this year, visit the third-ranked Gophers at Ridder Arena. • No. 7 Bemidji State at Minnesota State: The Beavers could match a program record with their 21st win, while two points gives BSU the third seed for the WCHA playoffs. BSU earned a pair of 3-1 wins over the Mavericks back on Nov. 20-21. THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA • No. 9 North Dakota at Ohio State: UND enters the final weekend needing help to climb into the No. 3 playoff seed, as the Fighting Hawks face a Buckeyes team that split the Nov. 14-15 series in Grand Forks. Friday, February 19 • Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State: The fifth and sixth WCHA playoff seeds will be determined in St. Cloud, with the Huskies needing (9) North Dakota at Ohio State, 7:07 p.m. ET* two points to outlast the Bulldogs for the higher postseason slot. (7) Bemidji State at Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m. CT* Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State, 7:07 p.m. CT* 2015-16 WCHA STANDINGS (2) Wisconsin at (3) Minnesota, 7:07 p.m. CT* Conference Overall Rk (Natl Rank) Team Pts GP W L T SW % GF GA GP W L T % GF GA Saturday, February 20 1 (2) Wisconsin-x,y 74 26 24 1 1 1 .942 97 14 32 30 1 1 .953 127 18 (2) Wisconsin at (3) Minnesota, 3:03 p.m. CT*^ 2 (3) Minnesota-x 67 26 22 3 1 0 .865 131 36 31 27 3 1 .887 155 40 (7) Bemidji State at Minnesota State, 3:07 p.m. CT* (9) North Dakota at Ohio State, 4:07 p.m. ET* 3 (7) Bemidji State-x 48 26 15 9 2 1 .615 51 49 32 20 9 3 .672 70 59 Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State, 3:07 p.m. CT* 4 (9) North Dakota-x 44 26 12 9 5 3 .558 50 44 30 15 10 5 .583 63 53 5 St. Cloud State 31 26 8 14 4 3 .385 39 83 31 12 15 4 .452 56 98 * - WCHA game 6 Minnesota Duluth 28 26 9 16 1 0 .365 62 79 32 12 19 1 .391 78 97 ^ - Televised live on Big Ten Network (BTN) 7 Ohio State 17 26 5 20 1 1 .212 53 106 32 9 22 1 .297 73 120 Rankings listed by USCHO.com first, then 8 Minnesota State 3 26 0 23 3 0 .058 39 111 32 3 25 4 .156 53 122 USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine (shootout win = 1 additional point; rankings listed by USCHO.com first, followed by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine) x - clinched home-ice advantage for the first round of the 2016 WCHA playoffs; y - clinched 2015-16 WCHA regular season championship HOME OF A RECORD 15 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 •2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2015 TRADITION STARTS HERE THE WEEK IN REVIEW - FEB. 8-14, 2016 #WCHA • A pair of game-winning goals by senior F Stephanie Anderson - giving her a St. Cloud State 1, at No. 9/8 North Dakota 0 school-record nine for her career - lifted Bemidji State to a sweep of visiting at No. 9/8 North Dakota 3, St. Cloud State 0 Ohio State. (Feb. 12 and 13 at Ralph Engelstad Arena; Grand Forks, N.D.) • No. 3 Minnesota showed off the nation's second-ranked offense, unloading Two stalwart senior goaltenders each pitched a shutout, allowing both 118 shots and scoring a combined 13 goals in a road sweep at Minnesota visiting St.