20 2018-19 WCHA WEEKLY RELEASE WEEK TWENTY-THREE (WCHA FINAL FACEOFF) / wcha.com YEARS CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE @wcha_whockey @wcha_whockey /WCHAWomensHockey FloHockey.tv CONTACT: TODD BELL / O: 952-681-7668 / C: 972-825-6686 / [email protected] WESTERN COLLEGIATE OPENING FACEOFF HOCKEY ASSOCIATION 2019 WCHA Final Faceoff: The nation's premier conference tournament is set, • FOUNDED 1999 • as the Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association will host 2950 Metro Drive, Suite 102 the 2019 WCHA Final Faceoff this weekend at Ridder Arena. The stellar four-team Bloomington, MN 55425 championship field features three of the country's top-ranked teams. 952-681-7947 The tournaments gets underway on Saturday with the first semifinal pitting No. 1 seed and top-ranked Minnesota against No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth at 2:07 p.m. CT. MEMBER TEAMS Second seed and the nation's No. 2 team, Wisconsin meets No. 3 seed and ninth- Bemidji State University ranked Ohio State in the second semifinal at 5:07 p.m. CT. University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth • Top-ranked Minnesota, the No. 1 seed, earned a bye directly into the Final Faceoff by capturing its 10th Minnesota State University WCHA regular season championship. The Gophers are playing in their 20th consecutive WCHA Final The Ohio State University Faceoff and are looking for a WCHA record eighth postseason title, and second in a row. St. Cloud State University • Nationally second-ranked Wisconsin, the No. 2 seed, is back in the WCHA Final Faceoff for the ninth- University of Wisconsin consecutive time and is seeking its fourth title in the last five season. The Badgers, who are led by Patty Kazmaier finalist Annie Pankowski, swept St. Cloud State in the WCHA Quarterfinals last weekend to 16 National Championships advance. 98 All-Americans • Ninth-ranked Ohio State, the No. 3 seed, is making its second-consecutive Final Faceoff appearance after 100+ Olympians and sweeping Minnesota State last weekend. The Buckeyes are seeking their first WCHA postseason title. National Team Members • Fourth-seeded Minnesota Duluth returns to the Final Faceoff for the first time since 2017 after a home sweep of in-state rival Bemidji State and is seeking its sixth Final Faceoff crown and its first since 2010. UPCOMING IN THE WCHA • On the Airwaves: All three Final Faceoff games will be streamed live in FloHockey. Sunday's championship game WCHA Final Faceoff will air live on FOX Sports North and FOX Sports Wisconsin. Quarterfinals • Jack Swanson returns to handle play-by-play duties for all three games. He will be joined by Julie Friend (tournament seed) for Saturday's semifinals and Natalie Darwitz for Sunday's championship game. SATURDAY, MARCH 9 • Championship Hardware: The Gophers, Badgers, Buckeyes and Bulldogs will be playing for the WCHA Final (4) Minnesota Duluth vs. (1) Minnesota, Faceoff trophy, made possible by the generosity of ESPN's John Buccigross and his #bucciovertimechallenge and 2:07 p.m. ET# #cawlidgehawkey initiative. (3) Ohio State vs. (2) Wisconsin, • Gophers Capture 10th Regular Season Crown: Minnesota won its 10th WCHA title this season, extending its league 5:07 p.m. CT# record for regular season championships. The Gophers also became the first team to receive the Julianne Bye Cup, the WCHA's new regular season championship trophy. The Cup is named in honor of longtime women's hockey Championship Game advocate, Julianne Bye. SUNDAY, MARCH 10 Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 2:07 p.m. ET#$ BY THE NUMBERS (WCHA FINAL FACEOFF EDITION) # denotes FloHockey.tv • 182: Career points scored by Minnesota's Kelly Pannek, the most among current Gophers and 10th-best total in $ denotes Fox Sports North/Wisconsin school history. • 49: WCHA postseason wins by Wisconsin. • 20: Wins by Ohio State this season, giving the Buckeyes back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in program history. • 12: WCHA postseason tournaments held at Ridder Arena with this year's Final Faceoff; the most of any facility. • 4: Number of Minnesota Duluth players riding four-game scoring streaks entering this weekend's Final Faceoff - Gabbie Hughes (3g, 3a), Maggie Flaherty (2g, 4a), Anneke Linser (3g, 1a) and Anne Klein (2g, 2a). 2019 WCHA FINAL FACEOFF (SEEDS IN PARENTHESES) • Semifinal 1, (4) Minnesota Duluth vs. (1) Minnesota: The Gophers and Bulldogs are meeting in the WCHA semifinals for the seventh time in the history of the two programs. Minnesota is 5-1 in the previous six meetings. • Semifinal 2, (3) Ohio State vs. (2) Wisconsin: The Badgers and Buckeyes are meeting in the WCHA semifinals for 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE just the second time. Wisconsin won the previous meeting, 4-0, in 2007 at Ridder Arena. The Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is celebrating its 2018-19 WCHA STANDINGS 20th Anniversary season in 2018-19, honoring Conference- Final Overall 20 Years of Excellence as the nation's premier Rk (Natl Rank) Team Pts GP W L T SW % GF GA GP W L T % GF GA women's college hockey conference. 1 (1/1) Minnesota 58 24 19 4 1 0 .813 95 48 34 29 4 1 .868 148 61 Home to a record 16 national championships, 2 (2/2) Wisconsin 56 24 18 4 2 0 .792 78 26 36 30 4 2 .861 138 40 seven Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award 3 (9/9) Ohio State 40 24 12 10 2 2 .542 57 58 34 20 12 2 .618 94 79 winners, numerous Olympic and national team 4 Minnesota Duluth 35 24 9 11 4 4 .458 63 69 34 15 15 4 .500 91 95 heroes, and countless young women inspired, 5 Bemidji State 32 24 10 12 2 0 .458 49 67 36 13 21 2 .389 75 103 the WCHA is proud to honor yesterday's 6 Minnesota State 16 24 3 16 5 2 .229 41 71 35 9 19 7 .357 64 91 heroes, today's teammates and tomorrow's legends. We are Leaders and Champions. We 7 St. Cloud State 15 24 5 19 0 0 .208 38 82 37 10 25 2 .297 66 119 are the WCHA. (shootout win = 1 additional point; rankings listed by USCHO.com fi rst, followed by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine) HOME OF A RECORD 16 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 •2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2015 • 2016 #WEAREWCHA #LEADERSANDCHAMPIONS #20YEARSOFEXCELLENCE WCHA 20TH ANNIVERSARY #WEAREWCHA 20 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE YEARS Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence WCHA 20TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM Home to 16 national championships since its founding in 1999, the Women’s League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association is celebrating 20 Years of Excellence during its 2018-19 anniversary season. The WCHA Women’s League has accomplished unparalleled success over its fi rst 19 campaigns, with a record 15 NCAA Frozen Four titles (and one AWCHA crown), seven Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winners, 83 Olympians among its hundreds of international team stars, 98 All- Americans – and countless young women inspired. Sara Hannah Dani Natalie We Are ... Yesterday’s Heroes Bauer Brandt Cameranesi Darwitz Wisconsin Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota Since its founding, the WCHA has set standards of excellence unmatched by any other Division I conference – in any sport. The league also continues to craft an indelible legacy on the international and professional hockey scene, with scores of alumnae, current players and coaches enjoying success in such prestigious settings as the Olympic Winter Games, the IIHF World Championship, the Four Nations Cup, and professionally with the Canadian Women's Hockey League, the National Women's Hockey League and the Swedish Women’s Hockey League, among others. Just a few of the many international and professional stars who have worn WCHA jerseys over the years, representing all past and present Brianna Ann-Renee Meghan Amanda member institutions, include the likes of Caroline Ouellette, Brianna Decker Desbiens Duggan Kessel Decker, Noora Räty, Natalie Spooner, Jocelyne Lamoureux, Monique Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Minnesota Lamoureux, Katie Fitzgerald, Emilia (Andersson) Ramboldt and Stephanie Anderson. We Are ... Tomorrow’s Legends With seven high-quality institutions producing leaders and champions on and off the ice, and playing in front of the sport’s best fans, this much is certain: The WCHA - like it has for two decades - will remain elite on the ice, while growing the game by providing an exemplary student-athlete and fan experience. Hilary Jocelyn Monique Gigi Knight Lamoureux Lamoureux Marvin WCHA 20th Anniversary Team Wisconsin North Dakota North Dakota Minnesota As part of the WCHA's celebration of its 20th anniversary, the league is proud to recognize its 20th Anniversary Team. The 20 players selected authored some of the league's greatest moments during their careers and have gone on to star at the professional and international levels around the world. The 20 players were selected from a pool of 120 nominees from WCHA schools. The 20 honorees are: Sara Bauer, F, Wisconsin (2003-07) Hannah Brandt, F, Minnesota (2012-16) Dani Cameranesi, F, Minnesota (2013-17) Sarah Caroline Jenny Noora Natalie Darwitz, F, Minnesota (2002-05) Nurse Oulette Potter Räty Brianna Decker, F, Wisconsin (2009-13) Wisconsin Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota Ann-Renée Desbiens, G, Wisconsin (2013-17) Duluth Duluth Meghan Duggan, F, Wisconsin (2006-09 and 2010-11) Amanda Kessel, F, Minnesota (2010-13 and 2015-16) Hilary Knight, F, Wisconsin (2007-09 and 2010-12) Jocelyne Lamoureux, F, North Dakota (2010-13) Monique Lamoureux, D/F, North Dakota (2010-13) Gigi Marvin, F, Minnesota (2005-09) Sarah Nurse, F, Wisconsin (2013-17) Caroline Ouellette, F, Minnesota Duluth (2002-05) Jenny Potter, F, Minnesota Duluth (1999-2000 and 2002-04) Noora Räty, G, Minnesota (2009-13) Alex Maria Jessie Krissy Alex Rigsby, G, Wisconsin (2010-14) Rigsby Rooth Vetter Wendell Maria Rooth, F, Minnesota Duluth (1999-2003) Wisconsin Minnesota Wisconsin Minnesota Jessie Vetter, G, Wisconsin (2005-09) Duluth Krissy Wendell, F, Minnesota (2002-05) WEEK 23 (MARCH 9-10, 2019)) @wcha_whockey @wcha_whockey /WCHAWomensHockey FloHockey.tv wcha.com #20YEARSOFEXCELLENCE WCHA POSTSEASON HISTORY #WEAREWCHA ALL-TIME WCHA PLAYOFF CHAMPIONS 2003 WCHA PLAYOFF CHAMPIONSHIP Year Champion Head Coach @ Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D.