Final WCHA Men s Standings

Transcription

1 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 2211 S. Josephine Street, Room 302 Denver, CO p: f: Doug Spencer Associate Commissioner for Public Relations Western Collegiate Hockey Association 559 D Onofrio Drive, Ste. 103 Madison, WI p: f: dspencer@mailbag.com Home of a Collegiate Record 37 Men s National Championship Teams Since , 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011 Men s Conference Members University of Alaska Anchorage Bemidji State University Colorado College University of Denver Michigan Technological University University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth Minnesota State University University of Nebraska Omaha University of North Dakota St. Cloud State University University of Wisconsin 2013 Red Baron WCHA Final Five March Xcel Energy Center Saint Paul, MN visit us on the web at: wcha.com wcha.com/mobile October 8, 2012/For Immediate Release regular season begins thursday as michigan tech visits lssu; oct highlights include uaa hosting kendall hockey classic, Uno hosting ice breaker tourney in kc cc entertains clarkson; um hosts michigan state; umd welcomes ohio state; msu heads to alabama-huntsville; scsu off to new hampshire; uw takes on northern michigan in green bay; bsu, uno, und host exhibitions; WCHA Media Teleconference with Head Coaches set for tuesday, Oct. 9; five wcha teams ranked among top 20 in latest uscho.com div. 1 men s college hockey poll um no. 2, und no. 4, du no. 7, umd no. 13, uw no. 15 cc, scsu, uno, mtu, msu receive votes MADISON, Wis. The regular season commences this week as nine of the 12 Western Collegiate Hockey Association men s-member teams participate in non-conference action. Michigan Tech will get things started on Thursday (Oct. 11) evening in a 7:35 pm ET face-off when the Huskies visit CCHA-member Lake Superior in the first game of a home-and-home set that will then find Final WCHA Men s Standings Conference Only Overall Pts GP Record Win% GF- GA GP Record Win% GF- GA 1 Minnesota Minnesota Duluth Denver North Dakota Colorado College St. Cloud State Nebraska Omaha Michigan Tech Bemidji State Wisconsin Minnesota State Alaska Anchorage This Week in the WCHA Games for Monday, October 8: Univ. of Lethbridge at Nebraska Omaha (EX),. Games for Thursday, October 11: Michigan Tech at Lake Superior (NC), 7:35 pm ET. Games for Friday, October 12: Michigan State at Minnesota (NC), 6:07 pm CT; St. Cloud State at New Hampshire (NC), 7:30 pm ET; Minnesota State at Alabama-Huntsville (NC), 7:00 pm CT; * Wisconsin vs Northern Michigan (NC), 7:05 pm CT; Ohio State at Minnesota Duluth (NC), ; USA Under-18 Team at North Dakota (EX), ; Clarkson at Colorado College (NC), ; # Army vs Nebraska Omaha (NC), 9:00 pm CT; & Canisius at Alaska Anchorage (NC), 8:07 pm AT. * Resch Center (Green Bay, WI); # IceBreaker (Kansas City, MO); & Kendall Hockey Classic (Anchorage, AK) Games for Saturday, October 13: * Notre Dame/Maine vs Nebraska Omaha (NC), 3:30/6:30 pm CT; St. Cloud State at New Hampshire (NC), 7:00 pm ET; # Lake Superior at Michigan Tech (NC), 7:07 pm ET; Minnesota State at Alabama-Huntsville (NC), 7:00 pm CT; & Wisconsin vs Northern Michigan (NC), 7:05 pm CT; Ohio State at Minnesota Duluth (NC), ; USA Under-18 Team at Bemidji State (EX), ; Clarkson at Colorado College (NC), ; Michigan State at Minnesota (NC), 8:07 pm CT; % Air Force at Alaska Anchorage (NC),. * IceBreaker (Kansas City, MO); # Hall of Fame Day; & - Resch Center (Green Bay, WI); % Kendall Hockey Classic con t

2 the two clubs playing game two of the series on Saturday (Oct. 13) night at 7:07 pm ET at John MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton. On Friday and Saturday, Oct , Alaska Anchorage will host Air Force (Atlantic Hockey Association), Alaska (CCHA) and Canisius (AHA) at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage in the 22nd annual Kendall Hockey Classic while Nebraska Omaha hosts the Ice Breaker Tournament at Sprint Center in Kansas City with Army (AHA), Maine (HEA) and Notre Dame (CCHA). In two-game non-conference series this weekend, Colorado College will entertain Clarkson (ECAC Hockey) at Colorado Springs World Arena, Minnesota takes on visiting CCHAmember Michigan State at Mariucci Arena, Minnesota Duluth hosts Ohio State of the CCHA at AMSOIL Arena, Minnesota State travels to Alabama Huntsville (independent), St. Cloud State heads to Hockey East Association-member New Hampshire, and Wisconsin suits up against CCHA-member Northern Michigan at Resch Center in Green Bay. In exhibition play this week, Nebraska Omaha entertains University of Lethbridge on Monday evening, North Dakota hosts the USA Under- 18 Team on Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena, and Bemidji State skates against the visiting USA Under-18 Team on Saturday evening at Sanford Center. In the first on-ice activity of , ten league-member teams competed in a series of exhibition match ups against Canadian-based opponents. Last Saturday (Oct. 6), host Alaska Anchorage defeated University of Regina 3-1 at McDonald Center in Eagle River, Michigan Tech won 6-2 over Brock University in Houghton, host Minnesota blanked University of Lethbridge 7-0, Wisconsin shut out the USA Under-18 Team 5-0 in Madison, and Denver tied University of British Columbia 2-2 (ot) in a game played at Pepsi Center in Denver. On Sunday (Oct. 7), host Colorado College skated past British Columbia 3-1, Minnesota State downed Lethbridge 7-1 in Mankato, and Bemidji State tied visiting Manitoba 3-3. The first WCHA series of will occur Oct when Michigan Tech hosts defending league champion and preseason favorite Minnesota. The conference schedule and race for the MacNaughton Cup (regular season championship) again consists of a total of 168 games, with each member team playing 28 WCHA contests. In this week s (Oct. 8) USCHO.com Division 1 Men s College Hockey Poll, five WCHA-member teams were listed among the nation s top 20, led by Minnesota at No. 2. North Dakota is ranked No. 4 nationally, Denver is No. 7, Minnesota Duluth is No. 13 and Wisconsin is No. 15. Five other league clubs received votes in the latest poll, with those being Colorado College, St. Cloud State, Nebraska Omaha, Michigan Tech and Minnesota State. Last Week in the WCHA Results of Saturday, October 6 Brock Univ. 2 at Michigan Tech 6 (EX) Univ. of Lethbridge 0 at Minnesota 7 (EX) Univ. of Manitoba 3 at North Dakota 5 (EX) * Univ. of British Columbia 2 at Denver 2 ot (EX) USA Under-18 Team 0 at Wisconsin 5 (EX) # Univ. of Regina 1 at Alaska Anchorage 3 (EX) * at Pepsi Center; # at McDonald Center (Eagle River, AK) Results of Sunday, October 7 Univ. of Manitoba 3 at Bemidji State 3 ot (EX) Univ. of Lethbridge 1 at Minnesota State 7 (EX) Univ. of British Columbia 1 at Colorado College 3 (EX) WCHA to Host Media Teleconference with Men s Head Coaches on Tuesday, Oct. 9 The Western Collegiate Hockey Association will conduct a seasonopening teleconference for with 12 conference-member men s head coaches on Tuesday, October 9 at 11:00 am CT (12 Noon ET, 10 am MT, 8 am AT). The teleconference will include remarks from Commissioner Bruce McLeod, a playing rules update from Supervisor of Officials Greg Shepherd, and a question and answer session with the men s head coaches. Each coach will give a brief synopsis of his team for the season, followed by questions from media members. The schedule (times are approximate) for the Oct. 9 media teleconference is: 11:00 am CT: Commissioner Bruce McLeod and NCAA Playing Rules Update, Supervisor of Officials Greg Shepherd 11:10 am CT: Minnesota coach Don Lucia 11:17 am CT: St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko 11:24 am CT: Michigan Tech Coach Mel Pearson 11:31 am CT: Wisconsin Coach Mike Eaves 11:38 am CT: Nebraska Omaha Coach Dean Blais 11:45 am CT: North Dakota Coach Dave Hakstol 11:52 am CT: Bemidji State Coach Tom Serratore 11:59 am CT: Minnesota Duluth Coach Scott Sandelin 12:06 am CT: Minnesota State Coach Mike Hastings 12:13 pm CT: Denver Coach George Gwozdecky 12:20 pm CT: Colorado College Coach Scott Owens 12:27 pm CT: Alaska Anchorage Coach Dave Shyiak WCHA member team head coaches and staff should phone in to the Tuesday, Oct. 9 teleconference by 10:59 am CT. Coaches and staff call-in number is: Enter passcode is #. The call-in number for the media on Tuesday, Oct. 9 is: Enter passcode is #. Catch the League s Weekly Radio Show This Week in the WCHA at WCHA.com The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is pleased to once again provide it s long-running weekly radio show This Week in the WCHA via wcha.com and to interested media outlets. The show will be available each Friday at WCHA.com beginning Oct. 12 and is also available for electronic distribution. Hosted by Jim Rich and produced by Kevin Falness of the Minnesota Wild Radio Network, This Week in the WCHA runs 6-7 minutes and features key moments and highlights from live game broadcasts, including goals, saves, overtime game-winners, post-game sound clips, a look at upcoming games.

3 USCHO.com Div. 1 Men s College Hockey Poll Minneapolis, Minn./October 8, 2012 Rk Team (first place votes) Record Pts Last Week 1 Boston College (37) Minnesota (12) Michigan (1) North Dakota Cornell Massachusetts-Lowell Denver Miami Western Michigan Union College Ferris State Boston University Minnesota Duluth Notre Dame Wisconsin Michigan State Harvard Quinnipiac NR 19 Merrimack NR 20 Maine others receiving votes: Colorado College 101, Air Force 93, New Hampshire 64, St. Cloud State 62, Ohio State 20, Nebraska Omaha 13, Lake Superior 8, Northern Michigan 8, Providence 8, Niagara 7, RIT 7, Northeastern 6, Rensselaer 5, Michigan Tech 4, Yale 4, Minnesota State 3, Robert Morris 2. The USCHO.com Poll consists of 50 voters, including 28 coaches from the Division I conferences and 22 beat writers and sports professionals from across the country. The poll, published weekly by the Associated Press, is a production of USCHO.com, which provides in-depth coverage of college hockey. WCHA Unveils All-New Mobile Website for Season at wcha.com/mobile The Western Collegiate Hockey Association has announced an allnew mobile website for the season that includes significant updates and upgrades to the previous platform. The WCHA s men s and women s mobile site, which has been launched at the same url as before ( now includes more visually appealing pages, a better navigation system and improved mobile box scores among other changes. The pages can be viewed on a regular web browser, but are optimized for mobile browsers. We couldn t be more pleased to announce this all-new WCHA mobile website to our followers across the country and around the world, said Commissioner Bruce McLeod and Associate Commissioner Sara Martin. The WCHA has presented a significant number of improvements to WCHA.com over the past few seasons and now with this newest mobile development the men s and women s leagues will be at the forefront of providing quick access to all the latest scores, box scores, game stories, statistics and press releases with an easierto-use, more appealing platform. The many upgrades for that can now be found at www. wcha.com/mobile include the following: More visually appealing league and member team home pages with images included to promote the top stories Better navigation system including easy links to each member team's home page from a menu at top of each page Individual mobile player statistics pages that are accessible from team and league stats pages, press releases and game stories Improved mobile press release presentation that now includes images and the ability for people to share via social media Improved mobile game story presentation with images now included and the ability for embedding potential video. Mobile game stories can also now be shared via social media Significant changes to mobile box scores with the addition of all game data, including all player and team stats. Previous box scores were all text-based. The new version uses an accordion format for accessing different game stats categories. These mobile box scores will also be the basis for the live box scores for the coming season and beyond. WCHA.com, the official website of the 61-year-old WCHA, includes TheWCHAShop.com as the league s on-line merchandise store and WCHA.com/mobile. They are joint ventures of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and SportDesigns.com, featuring a statistical partnership with CollegeHockeyStats.net. October 3, 2012 Grand Forks Herald s WCHA Coaches Poll Tabs Minnesota No. 1, UND No. 2 If the Western Collegiate Hockey Association coaches are correct, Minnesota and North Dakota will be battling to win the league s championship in by Brad Elliott Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald Minnesota is the defending MacNaughton Cup champion. North Dakota is the defending Broadmoor Trophy winner. If the Western Collegiate Hockey Association coaches are correct, those two teams will be battling to win the league s championship in before departing for new, startup leagues. The Gophers are picked to win the league in the 42nd annual Grand Forks Herald WCHA coaches poll, getting 11 of 12 first-place votes and 121 points. UND, which received the other first-place vote, is picked to finish second with 110 points. Denver (91 points), St. Cloud State (90), Wisconsin (70) and Minnesota-Duluth (69) round out the top six. First and foremost, we want to be able to get home ice, UND coach Dave Hakstol said. To get in that top three, it s going to be a long haul. For a team to be in the top three in this league, you ve got to play well early and you re going to have to be consistent through the year. Minnesota and UND both return significant portions of their rosters from last season, when they met in the West Regional championship. Minnesota won that matchup and advanced to the Frozen Four. The Gophers will be led by Nick Bjugstad, who is the WCHA coaches preseason player of the year. Bjugstad received eight votes for player of the year. Bjugstad racked up 25 goals and 42 points in 40 games last season, earning first team All-WCHA honors. In the offseason, he decided to return to Minnesota instead of sign a pro contract with the Florida Panthers. Other player of the year votes went to Wisconsin forward Mark Zengerle (two), Omaha forward Matt White and St. Cloud State forward Ben Hanowski. Maybe that s one of the storylines for this season some of the returning veterans and some of the returning players who were very good in our league last year, Hakstol said. They are coming back one more year to mature and I think it s going to be a deep league. The WCHA also boasts an impressive crop of rookies. North Dakota s Rocco Grimaldi is voted the best of them. Grimaldi, voted the league s preseason player of the year last season as well, was injured in preseason camp, only played four games and

4 received a medical redshirt to return once again as a rookie this season. Grimaldi received seven first-place votes. We know him so well as a person and know him well as a player, Hakstol said. We re excited to have him contribute on the ice and contribute to the team and be a big part of the team. It s so hard to do that when you are injured and out of the lineup for the majority of the season. Our whole team is looking forward to having him back in the lineup. Minnesota defenseman Mike Reilly (three votes), Wisconsin forward Nic Kerdiles and Minnesota-Duluth defenseman Andrew Welinski also received preseason rookie of the year votes. 42nd annual Grand Forks Herald coaches poll Rk Team, Points (First Place Votes) 1 Minnesota, 121 (11) 2 North Dakota, 110 (1) 3 Denver, 91 4 St. Cloud State, 90 5 Wisconsin, 70 6 Minnesota Duluth, 69 7 Colorado College, 56 8 Nebraska Omaha, 51 Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, Bemidji State, Alaska Anchorage, 15 Preseason WCHA Player of the Year: Nick Bjugstad, F, UM (8); Mark Zengerle, F, UW (2); Matt White, F, UNO (1); Ben Hanowski, F, SCSU (1). Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year: Rocco Grimaldi, F, UND (7); Mike Reilly, D, UM (3); Nic Kerdiles, F, UW (1); Andrew Welinski, D, UMD (1). September 26, 2012 Minnesota Near Unanimous Pick in 94X WCHA Preseason Media Poll Gopher s nick Bjugstad Runaway Choice for Player of the Year Courtesy Bruce Ciskie, Sports Director, Red Rock Radio A year after surprising many by winning the WCHA s MacNaughton Cup championship, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are a nearlyunanimous pick of WCHA media to win the league again in The annual 94X WCHA Preseason Media Poll, released Wednesday, shows the Gophers easily outdistancing the rest of the league. A panel of 25 members of the WCHA media voted on a predicted order of finish, along with a handful of individual honors. Minnesota received a whopping 24 of 25 first-place votes. Defending WCHA playoff champion North Dakota had the other first-place vote and finished a distant second. Denver came in third, followed by Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth. St. Cloud State claimed the final home-ice position in the preseason balloting. Minnesota junior forward Nick Bjugstad was a runaway choice for the Preseason Player of the Year. He also anchors the media s second annual Preseason All-WCHA Team, where he is joined at forward by Wisconsin junior Mark Zengerle and St. Cloud State senior Ben Hanowski. The defensemen on the team are Denver s Joey LaLeggia and Nick Jensen of St. Cloud State. Sam Brittain of Denver and Josh Thorimbert of Colorado College tied for the goaltending nod. For the second straight year, the media chose North Dakota s Rocco Grimaldi as Preseason Rookie of the Year. Grimaldi took a redshirt after an injury-ravaged season, and he is again eligible for rookie honors. Teams were scored under a standard system of 12 points for a firstplace vote, 11 for second, and so on. The number listed with each team is the number of points that team averaged per vote. 94X WCHA Preseason Media Poll Predicted Order of Finish 1 Minnesota (24 first place votes) poll average 2 North Dakota (1) Denver Wisconsin Minnesota Duluth St. Cloud State Colorado College Nebraska Omaha Michigan Tech Minnesota State Bemidji State Alaska Anchorage 1.04 Preseason WCHA Player of the Year: Nick Bjugstad, F, UM (16 votes). Others receiving more than one vote: Erik Haula, F, UM (4); Mark Zengerle, F, UW (3). Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year: Rocco Grimaldi, F, UND (8 1/2 votes). Others receiving more than one vote: Nic Kerdiles, F, UW (5); Jordan Schmaltz, D, UND (2 1/2); Brady Skjei, D, UM (2); Andy Welinski, D, UMD (2). Preseason All-WCHA Team Forwards: Nick Bjugstad, UM (20 votes); Mark Zengerle, UW (17); Ben Hanowski, SCSU (8). Others receiving more than one vote: Danny Kristo, UND (7); Erik Haula, UM (6); Rylan Schwartz, CC (5); Corban Knight, UND (3). Defensemen: Joey LaLeggia, DU (20 votes); Nick Jensen, SCSU (9). Others receiving more than one vote: Nate Schmidt, UM (7); Wade Bergman, UMD (3). Goaltender: Sam Brittain, DU and Josh Thorimbert, CC (7 1/2 votes each). Others receiving more than one vote: Juho Olkinuora, DU (3), Joel Rumpel, UW (2). The following media members took part in the 94X Preseason Media Poll: David Ahlers, KKAR Radio/University of Nebraska Omaha; Stephen Anderson, Daily Mining Gazette; Andy Baggot, Wisconsin State Journal; Tyler Buckentine, USCHO.com; Mike Chambers, Denver Post; Bruce Ciskie, KZIO Radio/Bulldog Radio Network; Chris Dilks, Western College Hockey; Shane Frederick, Mankato Free Press; John Gilbert, WCHA.com; Kurt Haider, KENI Radio; Mick Hatten, St. Cloud Times; Dirk Hembroff, WKMJ Radio; Jack Hittinger, Bemidji Pioneer; Ken Landau, FM The Eagle Radio; Don Lyons, Leighton Broadcasting/St. Cloud; Todd Milewski, USCHO.com; Dan Myers, Minnesota Hockey Magazine; Jess Myers, 1500ESPN.com; Joe Paisley, Colorado Springs/Colorado College; Kevin Pates, Duluth News Tribune; Chris Peters, United States of Hockey; Brian Posick, WIBA Radio/Badger Radio Network; Chad Purcell, Omaha World Herald; Brad Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald; Jay Stickney, ESPN Radio. 94X is the broadcast home of UMD Bulldog men s hockey and can be heard on KZIO-FM (94.1 in the Twin Ports, FM in the surrounding area).

5 Oct. 1, 2012 Hockey City Classic Individual Tickets now on Sale Tickets Range from $15-$85 for Feb. 17 Soldier Field Outdoor Hockey Doubleheader CHICAGO Individual tickets for the Hockey City Classic went on sale to the general public at 10 am CT on Monday, Oct. 1. Tickets are valid for both games and may be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by calling or at Ticketmaster outlets. The Hockey City Classic will showcase an outdoor college hockey doubleheader at Soldier Field on Feb. 17, The puck drops at noon CT when Notre Dame faces off against Miami University, followed immediately by Minnesota vs.wisconsin at approximately 3:30 pm CT. Ticket prices range from $15-$85. For a seating map and pricing options, please visit: hockeycityclassic.com. USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men s Div. 1 Preseason College Hockey Poll Week 1: September 24, 2012 Rk Team, Points (1st Place) Record 1 Boston College, 476 (20) Minnesota, 476 (12) Michigan, 408 (2) North Dakota, Union College, Cornell, UMass-Lowell, Denver, Miami, Notre Dame, Western Michigan, Minnesota Duluth, Boston University, Ferris State, Wisconsin, others receiving votes: Harvard, 58; Maine, 24; Quinnipiac, 24; Michigan State, 19; Colorado College, 19; New Hampshire, 17; Ohio State, 17; St. Cloud State, 15; Merrimack College, 7; Providence College, 6; Yale, 6; Air Force, 3; Northern Michigan, 1; Michigan Tech, 1. WCHA Men s Schedule highlights Red Baron WCHA Final Five March at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul; 168-Game League Slate Opens Oct as Defending MacNaughton Cup Champion Minnesota Visits Michigan Tech; Broadmoor Trophy Winner North Dakota Coming Off Record-Tying Third Straight WCHA Final Five Championship; League Welcomes Mike Hastings as New Minnesota State Coach; Michigan Tech to Host Great Lakes Invitational Outdoors at Comerica Park in Detroit Dec ; Two Outdoor Games in February to Feature Nebraska Omaha vs UND in Omaha, Minnesota vs Wisconsin in Chicago; NCAA Regionals to be Contested in Grand Rapids, Toledo, Manchester and Providence; 2013 NCAA Men s Frozen Four to be Held April at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, marking it s 61st season of on-ice competition and owning a record 37 NCAA Men s Frozen Four titles since it s founding in 1951, released it s men s composite schedule for on July 26, highlighted by the return of one of college hockey s most successful post-season tournaments the Red Baron WCHA Final Five to Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul next March In addition, the Association welcomes Mike Hastings as the new head coach at Minnesota State, Michigan Tech will host the annual Great Lakes Invitational outdoors at Comerica Park (home of MLB s Detroit Tigers) Dec and there are two more outdoor games in the month of February as Nebraska Omaha entertains North Dakota at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha on Saturday the 9th and Minnesota and Wisconsin hook-up in the Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday the 17th. The league s 168-game conference schedule launches the weekend of Oct as defending MacNaughton Cup champion Minnesota travels to Michigan Tech, North Dakota has a shot at becoming the first team to ever win four consecutive WCHA Final Five crowns, the four NCAA regional tournaments will be contested in Grand Rapids, Toledo, Manchester and Providence the weekend of March 29-31, and the 2013 NCAA Men s Frozen Four will be played at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh April We are thrilled about what promises to be a tremendously exciting season in , said Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod, who marks his 19th year at the helm of college hockey s most historic and successful league. Our final campaign together in our current make-up should be one of the best ever. Across the board our teams look improved, there is some great talent back, and there are plenty of highlights throughout the season that will command attention, from the Ice Breaker in Kansas City and the Kendall Hockey Classic in Anchorage in October, to the Great Lakes Invitational at Comerica Park in Detroit in December, to the two outdoor WCHA games in Omaha and Chicago in February and on to the Red Baron WCHA Final Five in March and the NCAA Men s Frozen Four in Pittsburgh in April. We had four teams earn national tournament berths a season ago, with Minnesota advancing to the Frozen Four, four teams wind up in the nation s top 10 at the end of the season, we were in non-conference play, Jack Connolly (Minnesota Duluth) won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, Denver s Joey LaLeggia was the national rookie of the year, we had seven players earn All-American honors and we had a record 110 men s and women s student-athletes named as WCHA Scholar-Athletes and a record 150 men s players earn All-WCHA Academic Team honors. We also want to extend another special welcome to Mike Hastings as the new head coach of the Minnesota State Mavericks, said McLeod, and acknowledge the many contributions that Troy Jutting

6 made to both MSU and the league over his long tenure there. Under the leadership of Commissioner McLeod, who has over the past 19 seasons fashioned a thriving partnership between the WCHA, Xcel Energy Center and the NHL s Minnesota Wild, the annual Red Baron WCHA Final Five has developed into one of college hockey s most prosperous conference tournaments. Last season s Final Five drew a total attendance 73,002 best at the playoff championship since 2009 and eighth highest in the 20- year history of the Final Five and an average per game crowd of 14,600. The 2013 edition of the Red Baron WCHA Final Five will mark the event s 13th consecutive year at Xcel Energy Center, where the playoff championship has drawn 923,566 fans in 12 previous appearances and an average crowd in excess of 15,500 per game. As an Association, we have been tremendously fortunate, said McLeod. This on-going success has not happened by accident but rather by a lot of hard work and diligence over the past two decades. The Final Five has been a labor of love for the staffs of the WCHA, Xcel Energy Center and the Minnesota Wild and together we look forward to making the 2013 Red Baron WCHA Final Five the best yet. I also want to acknowlege the great support we have received from Xcel Energy Center Vice-President and General Manager Jack Larson, Minnesota Wild Owner and Governor Craig Leipold, and former Minnesota Wild Owner Bob Naegele, Jr., who was a key player in the Final Five from day one. Another essential part of our continuing success in marketing the Final Five has been our exclusive television partnership with FOX Sports North and our many corporate sponsors. We want to sincerely thank Mike Dimond (Senior Vice President and General Manager for FOX Sports North) and his entire staff and to also thank Red Baron as our on-going title sponsor. The first on-ice competition for will consist of a series of exhibition contests between Oct. 6-8 for Alaska Anchorage, Bemidji State, Colorado College, Denver, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Minnesota State, Nebraska Omaha and North Dakota. The first regular season action, all non-conference match ups, will occur Oct Michigan Tech travels to CCHA-member Lake Superior State on Thursday and then hosts the Lakers on Saturday, Alaska Anchorage hosts Air Force, Alaska Fairbanks and Canisius in the Kendall Hockey Classic, St. Cloud State visits New Hampshire, Minnesota State plays at Alabama-Huntsville, Nebraska Omaha hosts the Ice Breaker Tournament at Sprint Center in Kansas City with Army, Maine and Notre Dame, Colorado College entertains Clarkson, Wisconsin takes on Northern Michigan at Resch Center in Green Bay, Minnesota welcomes Michigan State, and Minnesota Duluth entertains Ohio State In exhibition play, North Dakota engages the U.S. Under-18 Team in a single game in Grand Forks on the 12th while Bemidji State hosts the U.S. Under-18 Team on Saturday the 13th. Competition for the WCHA regular season championship and MacNaughton Cup, a 168-game campaign which consists of 28 league games for each of the league s 12 member teams, commences Oct with one two-game series featuring defending league champ Minnesota visiting Michigan Tech. Other WCHA series openers, by member team, are: Alaska Anchorage (Oct at North Dakota), Bemidji State (Oct at Nebraska Omaha), Colorado College (Nov. 2-3 at Wisconsin), Denver (Oct vs Michigan Tech), Minnesota Duluth (Oct vs Wisconsin), Minnesota State (Oct at St. Cloud State), Nebraska Omaha (Oct vs Bemidji State), North Dakota (Oct vs Alaska Anchorage), St. Cloud State (Oct vs Minnesota State), and Wisconsin (Oct at Minnesota Duluth). During the course of the 168-game league slate, there are four weekends that will feature all 12 teams engaged in league play Nov. 30-Dec. 1 (six series), Dec. 7-8 (six series), Feb. 8-9 (six series), and March 8-10 (six series). WCHA teams will also be hosting or playing in a number of regular season tournaments this season. Alaska Anchorage will host the Kendall Hockey Classic at Sullivan Arena Oct and play in the Brice Alaska Goal Rush in Fairbanks Oct , Bemidji State plays in the Ledyard National Bank Classic in Hanover, N.H., Dec , Michigan Tech hosts the Great Lakes Invitational at Comerica Park in Detroit Dec , Minnesota hosts the Mariucci Classic on Dec , Minnesota Duluth travels to the Florida College Hockey Classic in Estero Dec , Minnesota State skates in the UCONN Hockey Classic in Storrs on Dec , Nebraska Omaha hosts the Ice Breaker Tournament at Sprint Center in Kansas City Oct , and North Dakota plays in the Brice Alaska Goal Rush Oct Other non-tournament, non-conference match ups by team are: Alaska Anchorage (March 1-2 home-and-home with Alaska Fairbanks for the Alaska Airlines Governor s Cup); Bemidji State (Oct vs Lake Superior State, Jan. 4-5 vs Western Michigan); Colorado College (Oct vs Clarkson, Oct. 19 at Air Force, Oct. 20 vs UMass-Lowell, Oct. 23 vs New Hampshire, Oct. 24 vs Yale); Denver (Oct. 19 vs UMass- Lowell, Oct. 20 vs Air Force, Oct. 23 vs Yale, Oct. 24 vs New Hampshire, Dec. 29 vs Boston University in U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, Jan. 4-5 vs Cornell); Michigan Tech (Oct. 11 at Lake Superior State, Oct. 13 vs Lake Superior State, Dec. 4 at Northern Michigan, Feb. 12 vs Northern Michigan); Minnesota (Oct vs Michigan State, Oct. 28 vs Canisius, Nov at Vermont, Jan. 5 vs Notre Dame); Minnesota Duluth (Oct vs Ohio State, Oct at Notre Dame, March 1-2 vs Alabama-Huntsville); Minnesota State (Oct at Alabama- Huntsville, Oct vs Rensselaer, Jan. 4-5 vs Providence College); Nebraska Omaha (Oct vs Northern Michigan, Nov vs Alabama-Huntsville, Dec at Quinnipiac); North Dakota (Nov. 2-3 vs Boston University, Nov at Notre Dame, Jan. 4-5 vs Holy Cross); St. Cloud State (Oct at New Hampshire, Oct vs Alabama-Huntsville, Dec vs Rensselaer, Jan. 4-5 vs Northern Michigan); and Wisconsin (Oct vs Northern Michigan at Green Bay, Dec vs Alabama-Huntsville, Jan vs Miami, Feb vs Penn State). The quest for the WCHA Playoff Championship and the Broadmoor Trophy gets underway the weekend of March with six first round, best-of-three series. Those pairings will have the #1 seed hosting the #12 seed, #2 hosting #11, #3 hosting #10, #9 at #4, #8 at #5, and the #7 seed at the #6 seed. The six-round playoff winners will then be re-seeded (according to their regular season finish) and advance to the 2013 Red Baron WCHA Final Five, set for March at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. North Dakota is a three-time defending Broadmoor Trophy champion. There will be two Final Five games contested on Thursday at 2:07 pm CT and as the No. 5 seed will play the No. 4 seed and the and No. 6 seed will play the No. 3 seed. The No. 1 and No. 2 Final Five seeds will receive byes on Thursday. On Friday, there will be two semi-final match ups at 2:07 pm and, followed by the Broadmoor Trophy championship game on Saturday at 7:07 pm CT. In 2010, the WCHA unveiled an all-new Broadmoor Trophy at the Final Five. The bronze cast trophy, created by Blue Ribbon Trophies & Awards of Colorado Springs, Colo., is a recreation of the famous Broadmoor Hotel, host to numerous past national championships and the former home of Colorado College hockey. There are a total of three Broadmoor Trophies. The largest is on display at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, one is a traveling trophy, and one is given to the winning team each year as a permanent addition to their display case. The four NCAA Men s Division 1 Regionals will be contested the weekend of March On Friday and Saturday, the NCAA Northeast Regional will be played at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H.

7 and the NCAA West Regional will be contested at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. On Saturday and Sunday, the NCAA East Regional will be played at Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. while the NCAA Midwest Regional will be held at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. The four regional winners will then advance to the 2013 NCAA Men s Frozen Four, which is set for April at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa WCHA Men s Season Highlights The Western Collegiate Hockey Association s campaign of will be one to remember. And although the league fell short of adding to it s record total of 37 men s national championships won since it s founding in 1951 and defending it s crown, there were still an abundance of noteworthy team and individual highlights that helped keep college hockey s most historic and successful conference among the best in the sport. Witness the following: Four WCHA-member teams earned trips to the national tournament in Denver, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota After claiming the NCAA West Regional crown, Minnesota advanced to the NCAA Men s Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla. along with first-time qualifiers Ferris State and Union College along with eventual champion Boston College The Golden Gophers also prevailed for the league s regular season title and MacNaughton Cup with a conference mark and 40 points The 12 WCHA-member men s teams combined for a record and.593 winning percentage against Div. 1 non-conference opponents Four WCHA-member teams were ranked among the nation s top eight in the final USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men s Div. 1 College Hockey Poll issued on April 9 they were Minnesota at No. 4, Minnesota Duluth at No. 5, North Dakota at No. 6 and Denver at No. 8 In the final USCHO.com Division 1 Men s College Hockey Poll issued on April 9, UM was ranked No. 4 nationally, UND was No. 5, UMD was No. 6 and DU was No. 12. Two other league teams Colorado College and St. Cloud State also received votes North Dakota skated to a record third consecutive Red Baron WCHA Final Five playoff championship title and Broadmoor Trophy UND won all three Final Five games to become only the third team ever to do so (Minnesota Duluth in 2009, North Dakota in 2010) Minnesota Duluth senior forward Jack Connolly earned both the Hobey Baker Memorial Award and the Lowe s Senior CLASS Award A resurgence was launched at Michigan Tech under first-year WCHA Coach of the Year Mel Pearson, with the Huskies winning more games (16) this season than in the previous three combined and earning a highly-coveted berth in the Red Baron WCHA Final Five Seven league-member team players received All-American acclaim West First Team honorees from the WCHA were Minnesota Duluth senior forward Jack Connolly, Colorado College sophomore forward Jaden Schwartz and Wisconsin junior defenseman Justin Schultz Both Connolly and Schultz were repeat First Team All-Americans West Second Team All-American selections were Minnesota sophomore forward Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward J.T. Brown, Minnesota senior goaltender Kent Patterson and Denver sophomore forward Jason Zucker Denver defenseman Joey LaLeggia was chosen as the National Rookie of the Year LaLeggia also was the WCHA Rookie of the Year and earned All-WCHA First Team and All-WCHA Rookie Team honors Post-season individual honors handed out by the WCHA saw Minnesota Duluth senior forward Jack Connolly earn WCHA Player of the Year honors, North Dakota senior goaltender Brad Eidsness chosen as WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year, Wisconsin junior defenseman Justin Schultz named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, Denver defenseman Joey LaLeggia selected as WCHA Rookie of the Year, Michigan Tech s Mel Pearson honored as the WCHA Coach of the Year in his first season behind the Huskies bench, Connolly capture the league scoring championship, and Minnesota senior Kent Patterson claim the WCHA Goaltending Championship Four WCHA teams recorded at least 25 victories overall Minnesota had 28, North Dakota had 26 and both Minnesota Duluth and Denver had 25 A record 110 men s and women s student-athletes were honored as WCHA Scholar-Athletes in A record number of 150 men s student-athletes earned All-WCHA Academic Team accolades The 2012 Red Baron WCHA Final Five, held at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul from March 15-17, drew a total attendance 73,002 and an average per game crowd of 14,600. The total attendance of 73,002 including crowds of 16,738 on Friday night and 16,838 for the title contest was the best at the playoff championship since 2009 and was the eighth highest in the 20-year history of the Final Five WCHA alums Mark Johnson and Jeff Sauer were honored by the National Hockey League in October of 2011 with the prestigious Lester Patrick Award, awarded for outstanding service to hockey in the United States Five WCHA member-team players were honored as national players of the month or national rookies of the month by the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) in Minnesota goaltender Kent Patterson was the National Player of the Month for October Minnesota freshman forward Kyle Rau was National Rookie of the Month for October Minnesota forward Nick Bjugstad was National Player of the Month for November Bemidji State freshman goaltender Andrew Walsh was National Rookie of the Month for December Denver freshman defenseman Joey LaLeggia was National Rookie of the Month for January In year-end national tournament play, the WCHA was represented at the NCAA Men s Div. 1 Ice Hockey Championship tournament by league and West Regional champion Minnesota, Red Baron WCHA Final Five champion North Dakota, defending Frozen Four champion Minnesota Duluth and Denver The Gophers, winners of five previous national championships in 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002 and 2003, made their 20th Frozen Four appearance overall and first since 2005 in Columbus, Ohio, when an all-wcha national championship round included eventual champion Denver, runner-up North Dakota, Minnesota and Colorado College. The Gophers fell to eventual national champion Boston College by a 6-1 count in one of the two semi-final match ups at the 2012 NCAA Men s Frozen Four Minnesota had earned the trip to Tampa by winning the West Regional at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul March 24-25, defeating both Boston University, 7-3, and league-rival North Dakota, 5-2 Denver fell by one goal to Ferris State, 2-1, on March 23 in a semifinal at the Midwest Regional at Resch Center in Green Bay. The FSU Bulldogs went on to capture that regional and advance to the Frozen Four with a 2-1 victory over Cornell on Saturday Defending national champion Minnesota Duluth came up one victory shy of reaching the Frozen Four when the Bulldogs fell 4-0 to Boston College in the title contest at the Northeast Regional at DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. Minnesota Duluth advanced to the regional championship after a 5-2 triumph over Maine in a semifinal The other regional victor this season was Union College, as the Dutchmen came out on top at the NCAA East Regional at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. Union skated past Michigan State, 3-1, in a semifinal and then downed UMass-Lowell, 4-2, in the championship tilt Over 92 games season, WCHA-member teams went a combined in games against other Div.1 conference-member teams.

8 WCHA Regular Season/MacNaughton Cup Champion: Minnesota WCHA Final Five/Broadmoor Trophy Champion: North Dakota NCAA West Regional Champion: Minnesota NCAA Tournament Qualifers Denver, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota Hobey Baker Memorial Award Winner: Jack Connolly, Sr., F, UMD Hobey Baker Memorial Award Top 10 Finalists Jack Connolly, Sr., F, UMD; Justin Schultz, Jr., D, UW Lowe s Senior CLASS Award Winner: Jack Connolly, Sr., F, UMD HCA National Rookie of the Year: Joey LaLeggia, Fr., D, DU CCM/ACHA Division 1 Men s All-Americans West First Team: D - Justin Schultz, Jr., UW*; F - Jack Connolly, Sr., UMD*; F - Jaden Schwartz, So., CC. West Second Team: G - Kent Patterson, Sr., UM; F - Nick Bjugstad, So., UM; F - J.T. Brown, So., UMD; F - Jason Zucker, So., DU. AHCA Men s Division 1 Coach of the Year Award Finalists Don Lucia, UM; Mel Pearson, MTU WCHA Player of the Year: Jack Connolly, Sr., F, UMD WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year: Brad Eidsness, Sr., G, UND WCHA Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Schultz, Jr., D, UW WCHA Rookie of the Year: Joey LaLeggia, Fr., D, DU WCHA Scoring Champion: Jack Connolly, Sr., F, UMD WCHA Goaltending Champion: Kent Patterson, Sr., G, UM WCHA Coach of the Year: Mel Pearson, MTU All-WCHA First Team: G - Kent Patterson, Sr., UM; D - Justin Schultz, Jr., UW; D - Joey LaLeggia, Fr., DU; F - Jack Connolly, Sr., UMD; F - Nick Bjugstad, So., UM; F - J.T. Brown, So., UMD. All-WCHA Second Team: G - Kenny Reiter, Sr., UMD; D - Gabe Guentzel, Sr., CC; D - Nate Schmidt, So., UM; F - Jaden Schwartz, So., CC; F - Drew Shore, Jr., DU; F - Jason Zucker, So., DU. All-WCHA Third Team: G - Josh Thorimbert, So., CC; D - Nick Jensen, So., SCSU; D - Ben Blood, Sr., UND; F - Mark Zengerle, So., UW; F - Brock Nelson, So., UND; F - Travis Oleksuk, Sr., UMD. All-WCHA Rookie Team: G - Juho Olkinuora, Fr., DU; D - Joey LaLeggia, Fr., DU; D - Andrew Prochno, Fr., SCSU; F - Kyle Rau, Fr., UM; F - Jean-Paul Lafontaine, Fr., MSU; F - Jayson Megna, Fr., UNO WCHA Men s Scholar-Athletes To earn recognition as a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, student-athletes must have completed at least one year of residency at their present institution prior to the current academic year and also have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 (4.0 scale) for each of the previous two semesters or three quarters, or may qualify if his/her overall GPA is at least 3.50 for all terms at his/her present institution. Honorees for were: Alaska Anchorage: Matt Bailey, Brett Cameron, **Chris Crowell, Andrew Pickering, Jade Portwood, ***Dusan Sidor. Bemidji State: **Jake Areshenko, **Dan Bakala, Kyle Brodie, **Darcy Findlay, **Drew Fisher, Brad Hunt, Jeff Jubinville, Garrett Ladd, Aaron McLeod, **Jamie MacQueen, **Brance Orban, **Brady Wacker. Colorado College: ***David Civitarese. Denver: Beau Bennett, Daniel Olszewski, **Shawn Ostrow, **Paul Phillips. Michigan Tech: ***Corson Cramer, **Kevin Genoe, Patrick McCadden, Brad Stebner. Minnesota: Zach Budish, Nate Condon, **Jake Kremer, Nick Larson, Taylor Matson, **Nico Sacchetti. Minnesota Duluth: **Aaron Crandall, Luke McManus, ****Kenny Reiter. Minnesota State: Cameron Cooper, **Tyler Elbrecht, Evan Karambelas, ****Austin Lee, Evan Mosey, ***Joe Schiller. Nebraska Omaha: Bryce Aneloski, **Fredrik Bergman, Terry Broadhurst, Kyle Ensign, Zahn Raubenheimer, Johnnie Searfoss, Alex Simonson. North Dakota: Taylor Dickin, ***Brad Eidsness, Dillon Simpson. St. Cloud State: ***Jordy Christian, Nic Dowd, Kevin Gravel, Ben Hanowski, Nick Jensen, ***Drew LeBlanc, **Mike Lee, ***Travis Novak. Wisconsin: Gavin Hartzog. ****four-time honoree; ***three-time honoree; **two time honoree Men s All-WCHA Academic Team To earn recognition as a member of the All-WCHA Academic Team, student-athletes must have completed one year of residency at present institution, prior to the current academic year, and have a grade point average of at least 3.00 (4.00 scale) for the previous two semesters or three quarters. Honorees for were: Alaska Anchorage: Matt Bailey, Brett Cameron, *Chris Crowell, Tyler Currier, *Alex Gellert, Brad Gorham, Chris Kamal, Curtis Leinweber, Daniel Naslund, Andrew Pickering, Jade Portwood, *Dusan Sidor, Quinn Sproule, *Scott Warner. Bemidji State: *Jake Areshenko, *Dan Bakala, David Boehm, Kyle Brodie, *Matt Carlson, *Mathieu Dugas, *Darcy Findlay, *Drew Fisher, *Matt Hartmann, *Brad Hunt, Jeff Jubinville, *Ben Kinne, Garrett Ladd, *Jamie MacQueen, *Aaron McLeod, *Brance Orban, *Brady Wacker, *Shea Walters. Colorado College: *Ted Behrend, *Arthur Bidwill, *David Civitarese, *Gabe Guentzel, *Tim Hall, *Andrew Hamburg, *Joe Howe, Alexander Krushelnyski, Eamonn McDermott, Archie Skalbeck, *Scott Winkler. Denver: Beau Bennett, Sam Brittain, *David Carle, *Nate Dewhurst, *John Ryder, *Dustin Jackson, Chris Knowlton, *John Lee, David Makowski, Adam Murray, Jarrod Mermis, Dan Olszewski, *Shawn Ostrow, *Paul Phillips,*Luke Salazar, *Drew Shore, Nick Shore, Jason Zucker. Michigan Tech: *Jordan Baker, *Corson Cramer, *Kevin Genoe, Milos Gordic, Blake Hietala, *Peter Heinonen, Daniel Holmberg, *Mikael Lickteig, Patrick McCadden, Carl Nielsen, *Brett Olson, Chad Pietila, *Josh Robinson, Daniel Sova, Brad Stebner. Minnesota: Mark Alt, *Zach Budish, Nate Condon, Jake Hansen, Seth Helgeson, Justin Holl, *Jake Kremer, Jared Larson, *Nick Larson, *Taylor Matson, *Kent Patterson, *Nico Sacchetti, Nate Schmidt, Tom Serratore, Chris Student. Minnesota Duluth: *Jack Connolly, *Aaron Crandall, *Keegan Flaherty, *David Grun, Jake Hendrickson, Luke McManus, *Kenny Reiter. Minnesota State: *Cameron Cooper, *Tyler Elbrecht, Evan Karambelas, *Austin Lee, *Evan Mosey, *Joe Schiller. Nebraska Omaha: Bryce Aneloski, Dayn Belfour, *Fredrik Bergman, *Terry Broadhurst, *Kyle Ensign, *John Faulkner, Brent Gwidt, Brock Montpetit, James Polk, Zahn Raubenheimer, Johnnie Searfoss, Alex Simonson, Matt Smith, Andrej Sustr, Tony Turgeon. North Dakota: *Ben Blood, Taylor Dickin, *Brad Eidsness, Derek Forbort, *Mario Lamoureux, *Andrew MacWilliam, *Tate Maris, Brock Nelson, Derek Rodwell, *Carter Rowney, Dillon Simpson. St. Cloud State: Brandon Burrell, *Jordy Christian, Nic Dowd, *Jared Festler, Kevin Gravel, *Ben Hanowski, Nick Jensen, *Drew LeBlanc, *Mike Lee, *Travis Novak. Wisconsin: Tyler Barnes, Chase Drake, Joe Faust, Gavin Hartzog, *Ryan Little, Frankie Simonelli, *Eric Springer, *Mitch Thompson, Mark Zengerle. * repeat honoree

9 WCHA Team notebooks oct. 8, 2012 alaska anchorage The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves commence the regular season by hosting the 22nd annual Kendall Hockey Classic on Oct the tournament will feature Air Force and Canisius as the visiting teams and Alaska Fairbanks and UAA as the home teams this is the first time in tournament history that all three visiting teams are making repeat trips to Anchorage Canisius College returns to Kendall after going in the 2004 event, while Air Force returns for the fourth time overall and the second time in three years, following trips in 1999, 2003 and 2010 for the fifth straight season, UAF is also back, looking to add to their titles from 2008 and 2009 the Seawolves will be looking to defend their title after they won last year with a 4-3 overtime victory of St. Cloud State UAA has registered six titles throughout the Classic history and is overall in tournament play the last time UAA faces Canisius was on Oct. 15, 2004 teams tied, 3-3 the Seawolves lead the all-time record against the Golden Griffins, against Air Force, the Seawolves lead the all-time series, the last meeting against the Falcons was on Oct. 9, 2010 with UAA winning, 3-2 Eighth-year head coach Dave Shyiak returns 16 players from last season, including the dependable goaltending combo of juniors Rob Gunderson and Chris Kamal Kamal, who backstopped the Seawolves to the 2011 WCHA Final Five as a rookie, registered a 3.46 GAA and an.877 saves percentage last year junior F Matt Bailey is UAA s leading returning scorer with 10-7=17 totals, and will be joined by six seniors as the veterans anchors of the team senior D Scott Warner was productive on the offensive end with 2-13=15 numbers and senior F Jordan Kwas is a dangerous offensive threat, racking up 14 points last year despite playing in just 21 games the Seawolves added eight newcomers to their roster, including three Alaskans Ben Matthews, Bobby Murphy and Hayden Trupp giving Gunderson and Kamal some competition will be 6-3, 180-pound Michael Matyas in the crease In exhibition play, the Seawolves faced the University of Regina Cougars on Oct. 6 at the Harry J. McDonald Center in Eagle River, Alaska in front of 640 fans, the Seawolves picked up their fifth straight exhibition win with a 3-1 defeat of the Cougars picking up goals for UAA was seniors Tyler Currier and Alex Gellert and sophomore D Austin Coldwell Coldwell, from Vancouver, Wash., also assisted on Currier s tally in the first forward Blake Tatchell was the lone rookie record a point, assisting on Gellert s game-winning goal UAA was scoreless on seven power-play attempts, and kept Regina scoreless on four the Seawolves outshot Regina, Bemidji State The Bemidji State men s hockey team opened its season Sunday with a 3-3 tie in exhibition play versus University if Manitoba Freshman Cory Ward (F, LasVegas, NV) and Brad Robbins (F, Murieta, CA) each netted their first goals in collegiate play in the exhibition, while sophomore Danny Mattson (F, Minneapolis, MN) added the Beavers third goal The tie marked and extension of BSU s exhibition success extending back seven games to March of 2007 BSU is now versus Manitoba in exhibition play The Beavers close the exhibition season with a match up with the USA Under-18 Team Saturday BSU is versus the USA Under-18s all time Bemidji State officially opens the season Oct when it hosts Lake Superior State University for a non-conference series The Bemidji State-Lake Superior State series stretches back to 1966 and includes four match ups in the NAIA Championship The Lakers hold a record over the Beavers all-time, and a versus BSU since both teams made the move to the NCAA Division I level For the second consecutive season Ben Kinne (Sr., F, St. Paul, MN) will captain the BSU men s hockey squad He will be assisted by second-year alternate captain Jake Areshanko (D, Port Coquitlam, BC) and new alternate captains Aaron McLeod (Sr., F, Ottawa, ON) and Matt Prapavessis (So., D, Oakville, ON) Senior Jordan George (F, Madison, WI) opens the campaign as the Beavers top returning scorer He s posted three consecutive 30-point seasons to open his collegiate career and netted a career-high 19 goals lat winter He sits tied for seventh on BSU s Div. 1-era scoring list at 101 points (49g, 52a) His 49 career goals have him seated fourth on BSU s Div. 1-era goal scoring list BSU head coach Tom Serratore is beginning his 12th season at Bemidji State where he has directed the Beavers to a record (.539), five conference titles and four appearances in the NCAA Div. 1 tournament, which includes a run to the 2009 Frozen Four He is a five-time College Hockey America coach of the year and a seven-time Spencer Penrose finalist, including a runner-up finish in 2009 Bemidji State finished the season with a overall record and an mark in WCHA play to finish ninth the league standings The Beavers were bumped from the first round of the WCHA playoffs by North Dakota, which swept the Beavers from the first round of the playoffs with 4-1 and 4-3 victories before earning a WCHA Final Five title and making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament The Beavers completed the campaign as the WCHA s best penalty-killing team snuffing out 92 of 109 opponent power-play opportunities (.844) in league play The Beavers return 20 players for , which includes 11 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders Bemidji State welcomes seven new faces in The incoming freshman class includes four forwards, two blue liners and a goaltender Fabian Sivnert (Fr., G, Hollviken, Sweden/EJHL-Valley Jr. Warriors) joins the BSU goaltender corps; James Hansen (Fr., D, Maple Grove, MN/ USHL-Waterloo) and Graeme McCormack (Fr., D, Thunder Bay, ON/BCHL-Nanaimo) will patrol the blue line, while Cory Ward (Fr., F, Las Vegas, NV/NAHL-Aberdeen), Brad Robbins (Fr., F, Murrieta, CA/USHL-Sioux City), Markus Gerbrandt (Fr., F, Edmonton, AB/AJHL-Fort McMurray) and Phil Brewer (Fr., F, Cambridge, ON/OJHL-Burlington) will join the BSU attacking lines Sam Rendle (So., D, Grand Rapids, MN) makes a return to the BSU line up this fall after missing nearly a full season due to an upper body injury He recorded a goal and three assist in a handful of games a year ago, but was granted a media redshirt and will be a sophomore in colorado college Colorado College s first victory this season will be No. 300 for Scott Owens as head coach He heads into this week s non-conference series against Clarkson University with a (.608) record in 13 previous campaigns at the CC helm The Tigers, who met the University of British Columbia in an exhibition game on Sunday, are unbeaten (9-0-3) in 12 all-time encounters with Clarkson The teams battled to a pair of ties (1-1, 2-2) the last time they met, in Potsdam, N.Y., early during the season Excluding 20 exhibitions, CC is (.688) in 309 official NCAA outings at the World Arena since opening the venue in January 1998 Top returning scorer for the Tigers is senior center Rylan Schwartz, whose 40 points (23g, 17a) in ranked second on the team to younger brother and now St. Louis Blues property Jaden s 41 The older Schwartz, who heads into with 106 career points, has struck for 27 of his 39 tallies in his last 38 appearances for CC after scoring only 12 times in his first 77 He s factored in on 24 game-winners as a Tiger, scoring seven and assisting on 17 Junior netminder Thorimbert earned third-team All-WCHA accolades in after posting a leaguebest (.735) record and.928 saves percentage in conference play His overall saves ratio of.924 was the second highest ever at Colorado College, trailing only former standout Richard Bachman s mark of.931 in Senior goalie Joe Howe, meanwhile, enters his final season having backstopped 40 victories during his career at CC Mike Boivin s eight goals as a junior in matched the combined total scored by the rest of Colorado College s defensemen Boivin was among nine