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. January 31, 2012 [email protected] Race for WCHA Championship, Four Home Playoff Berths Heads WCHA Women’s Administrative, WCHA Public Relations Office into February; Four Upcoming League Series have OSU at UMD, Sara R. Martin Associate Commissioner BSU at UND, UM at SCSU, MSU at UW; Women’s Record Crowd of p: 608 829-0104. f: 608 829-0105. [email protected] 12,402 Watches Host Badgers Edge BSU at Kohl Center Doug Spencer Defending WCHA/NCAA champion Wisconsin Holds Six-Point Lead with Three Weeks to Associate Commissioner for Public Relations Go after Weekend Sweep … UW is First Team to Clinch Home Playoff Berth; Minnesota, p: 608 829-0100. f: 608 829-0200. [email protected] Minnesota Duluth Also Forge Jan. 27-28 League Sweeps; Four WCHA Teams Among Top Bill Brophy 10 in Latest USCHO.Com Women’s Div. 1 National Poll… UW at No. 1, UM No. 2, UND at Women’s Public Relations Director p: 608 277-0282. [email protected] No. 6, UMD No. 9 … BSU Also Receives Votes; WCHA-Member Teams Stand an Impressive Mailing Address Western Collegiate Hockey Association 33-7-6 (.783) in Non-Conference Play; Ticket Packages On Sale for 2012 WCHA FINAL 559 D’Onofrio Drive, Suite 103 FACE-OFF, March 2-3 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth Madison, WI 53719-2096 MADISON, Wis. – Last weekend the focus was on the top two teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey WCHA Women’s League Association as top-ranked Wisconsin took two one-goal victories over Bemidji State, clinched a home Bemidji State University playoff spot and set a women’s college hockey attendance record when 12,402 fans watched the Badgers University of Minnesota score a thrilling 1-0 victory on Jan. 28. Second place Minnesota, meanwhile, earned two road victories at University of Minnesota Duluth Minnesota State to stay on the Badgers’ heels – both in the league standings and the national poll. Minnesota State University University of North Dakota This weekend, with just six games left in the regular season for each of the league’s eight-member Ohio State University clubs, the focus is on Duluth, where No. 9-ranked Minnesota Duluth (14-11-1, 11-10-1-1 WCHA) and Ohio St. Cloud State University State (14-10-4, 11-10-1-1 WCHA), teams tied for fourth place and the last first round home playoff spot, University of Wisconsin go head-to-head Feb. 3-4 in a crucial series. Face-offs at AMSOIL Arena (6,726) are at 7:07 pm CT both Friday and Saturday evenings. In their first head-to-head meetings this season, the Bulldogs and Buckeyes Home of a Record 12 Consecutive con’t National Championship Teams 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011-12 WCHA Standings 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Conference Only Overall 2012 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF Pts GP W L T SW Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA March 2-3 1 Wisconsin 57 22 18- 2- 2 1 .864 82- 35 28 24- 2- 2 .893 127- 41 AMSOIL Arena 2 Minnesota 51 22 16- 4- 2 1 .773 80- 34 28 22- 4- 2 .821 116- 40 Duluth, MN 3 North Dakota 39 22 12- 8- 2 1 .591 94- 62 27 16- 9- 2 .630 127- 69 visit us on the web at: 4 Minnesota Duluth 35 22 11-10- 1 1 .523 72- 51 26 14-11- 1 .558 92- 61 Ohio State 35 22 11-10- 1 1 .523 60- 68 28 14-10- 4 .571 79- 80 wcha.com 6 Bemidji State 26 22 8-12- 2 0 .409 56- 61 29 14-12- 3 .534 86- 68 7 St. Cloud State 12 22 4-18- 0 0 .182 26-115 28 5-21- 2 .214 37-130 8 Minnesota State 9 22 3-19- 0 0 .136 29- 73 28 7-21- 0 .250 56- 90 (shootout win = 1 additional point) This Week in the WCHA Games for Friday, February 3: Minnesota State at Wisconsin (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT; Bemidji State at North Dakota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Minnesota at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Ohio State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT. Games for Saturday, February 4: Minnesota at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT; Bemidji State at North Dakota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Ohio State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT. Games for Sunday, February 5: Minnesota State at Wisconsin (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT. 2011-12 WCHA Women’s Weekly Release • 013112 split at the OSU Ice Rink, with Ohio State winning 4-1 on Nov. 25 and Upcoming in the WCHA UMD coming back to capture a 6-2 triumph on Nov. 26. In Grand Forks, No. 6-ranked North Dakota (16-9-2, 12-8-2-1 WCHA) Games for Friday, February 10 will entertain Bemidji State (14-12-3, 8-12-2 WCHA) at Ralph Engelstad Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT Arena (11,634) on Friday and Saturday in a pair of 7:07 pm CT puck- Minnesota at Ohio State (WCHA), 7:07 pm ET drops. UND and the Beavers are tied at 1-1 this season after a series North Dakota at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT split on Nov. 25-26, with North Dakota prevailing 5-2 in game one at Wisconsin at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT Crookston, Minn., and Bemidji State battling back for a 3-2 victory at Games for Saturday, February 11 Sanford Center on Nov. 26. Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT At the National Hockey Center (5,371) this weekend, St. Cloud State Wisconsin at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT (5-21-2, 4-18-0 WCHA) will go up against No. 2-ranked Minnesota Minnesota at Ohio State (WCHA), 4:07 pm ET (22-4-2, 16-4-2-1 WCHA) on Friday night at 7:07 pm CT and Saturday North Dakota at Minnesota State (WCHA), 3:07 pm CT afternoon at 2:07 pm CT. The Huskies and Golden Gophers last Games for Friday, February 17 met on the opening league weekend of Oct. 7-8 at Ridder Arena Bemidji State at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT in Minneapolis, with Minnesota taking both games by 6-0 and 8-0 Ohio State at Wisconsin (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT counts. North Dakota at Minnesota (WCHA), 6:07 pm CT And at the Kohl Center (15,325) in Madison, No. 1-ranked Wisconsin Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT (24-2-2, 18-2-2-1 WCHA) will hook-up with Minnesota State (7-21-0, Games for Saturday, February 18 3-19-0 WCHA) in a two-game matinee set on Friday at 2:07 pm CT Ohio State at Wisconsin (WCHA), 12:37 pm CT and Sunday at 2:07 pm CT. The Badgers swept the host Mavericks on Bemidji State at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 2:07 pm CT Dec. 2-3 at All Seasons Arena by 4-0 and 5-1 scores. North Dakota at Minnesota (WCHA), 4:07 pm CT A look at this week’s WCHA standings show Wisconsin (18-2-2-1 Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 6:07 pm CT WCHA) at the top with 57 points, six more than second place Minnesota (16-4-2-1 WCHA) with 51. North Dakota (12-8-2-1 WCHA) is in third place with 39 points, four better than Minnesota Duluth (11-10- 1-1 WCHA) and Ohio State (11-10-1-1 WCHA), who sport identical In Madison, host Wisconsin used an overtime goal by right winger conference slates and 35 points apiece. Bemidji State (8-12-2-0 WCHA) Madison Packer to edge Bemidji State 3-2 last Friday. On Saturday, stands in sixth place with 26 points, St. Cloud State (4-18-0-0 WCHA) center Hilary Knight scored her first goal since Dec. 10 with 7:38 left is in seventh with 12 points and Minnesota State (3-19-0-0 WCHA) is in regulation to give the Badgers a 1-0 victory over the Beavers as eighth with six points. a record crowd of 12,402 on “Fill the Bowl” night at the Kohl Center After the conclusion of the regular season on Feb. 18, the first roared. Wisconsin goaltender Alex Rigby made 28 saves in her sixth round of WCHA Playoffs – a best-of-three format – will be contested and the team’s eighth shutout of the season while Zuzana Tomcikova the following weekend of Friday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 26. made 32 saves between the pipes for BSU. Wisconsin is the only team All eight teams will participate in the playoffs, with the No. 1 seed to sweep the season series from the Beavers. The previous record for hosting the No. 8 seed, No. 2 hosting No. 7, No. 3 hosting No. 6 and most fans to watch a women’s college hockey game was 10,668, set No. 4 hosting No. 5. at the Kohl Center on Jan. 29, 2011. The four first round winners will then advance to the league playoff On Jan.