Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The University of Wisconsin captured the regular season WCHA championship in 2006-07. |
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WCHA Women's 2007-08 Composite Schedule Released
July 19, 2007
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MADISON, Wisc. - The Western Collegiate Hockey Association and Associate Commissioner Sara R. Martin today released the 2007-08 women's composite schedule, highlighted by the two-week post-season conference tournament that culminates in the 2008 WCHA Championship next March 8-9 at the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center (DECC) in Duluth, Minn.
"We are all looking forward to the coming 2007-08 season," said Martin. "We have enjoyed great fortune and success throughout the first eight seasons of WCHA women's hockey and we look forward to continuing to develop our sport and expose our student-athletes and coaches to an ever-growing legion of fans.
"Coming off our eighth consecutive national championship, and based on the continuing emergence of all of our member teams, we're confident the WCHA as a whole will be even more competitive from top to bottom this coming season."
The conference's post-season championship tournament will open the weekend of February 29-March 2 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) with a first round, best-of-three series format at campus sites. The No. 1 seeded team will host the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 seed will host the No. 7 seed, the No. 3 seed will host the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seed. The four first-round winners will then advance to the 2008 WCHA Championship at the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center (capacity 5,294) on Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9. On Saturday, there will be two semi-final match-ups at 1:07 pm CT and 4:07 pm CT, with the championship game set for Sunday at 1:07 pm CT.
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"The WCHA is excited to hold it's premier women's event at the DECC," said Martin. "The University of Minnesota Duluth and the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center did an outstanding job of hosting the 2003 NCAA Women's Frozen Four and we look forward to working with them on our championship tournament," commented Martin.
Tickets for the 2008 WCHA Playoff Championship will go on sale Nov. 5, 2007 at 10:00 am CT at the University of Minnesota Duluth Ticket Office. Three-game season tickets for the women's championship tournament will be available in three prices: $20 for a reserved seat, $18 for general admission, and $15 for seniors and youth (age 18 and under). Beginning Nov. 5, tickets may be purchased by calling the University of Minnesota Duluth Athletic Ticket Office at 218 726-8595.
Single session tickets for the 2008 WCHA Championship, priced at $15, $12 and $8, will be available on the days of the semifinals and championship game. The two semifinal games will be played on Saturday, March 8 at 1:00 pm CT and 4:00 pm CT. The WCHA Championship game is set for Sunday, March 9 at 1:00 pm CT.
All Association home games will again face-off at either :07 or :37 after the hour in '07-08.
The opening weekend of the 2007-08 campaign will occur Sept. 28-30, when two-time defending NCAA Women's Frozen Four champion Wisconsin hits the road to take on Union College in a pair of non-conference matchups on Friday and Saturday. Five other WCHA teams will see their first on-ice action in a series of exhibitions, with Bemidji State hosting Univ. of Manitoba on Friday, Ohio State hosting Wilfrid Laurier Univ., St. Cloud State entertaining Balmoral Hall School, and North Dakota hosting the Univ. of Manitoba on Saturday, and Minnesota State hosting the Minnesota Whitecaps on Sunday.
The battle for the 2007-08 WCHA regular season championship will again consist of a 28-game schedule for each of the league's eight clubs, with each team playing the other seven four times - twice at home and twice on the road. The opening weekend of league competition - October 5-6 - will have Bemidji State hosting Minnesota State and St. Cloud State entertaining Minnesota Duluth. Other conference openers, by school, are: Minnesota (Oct. 12 vs SCSU and Oct. 13 @ SCSU), North Dakota (Oct. 19-20 vs Bemidji State), Ohio State (Oct. 13-14 @ Wisconsin), and Wisconsin (Oct. 13-14 vs OSU). There will be a total of seven weekends throughout the regular season - Nov. 1-4, Nov. 23-25, Dec. 7-9, Feb. 1-3, Feb. 8-9, Feb. 15-17, and Feb. 22-24 - that will feature four head-to-head WCHA series.
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux, under first-year head coach Brian Idalski (former assistant coach at SCSU), will make their 2007-08 pre-season debut on Sept. 29 when the Sioux host the Univ. of Manitoba in an exhibition, and their regular season debut over the weekend of Oct. 5-6, when they join host Minnesota, Boston University and Northeastern in the Nike Bauer Women's Classic tournament at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. UND will play BU in the opening game while the Golden Gophers will skate against Northeastern.
Other 2007-08 non-conference schedule highlights include Minnesota State at Connecticut and North Dakota at Rensselaer on Oct. 12-13, 2007 NCAA tournament qualifiers Minnesota Duluth and Mercyhurst hooking up on Oct. 20-21 in Duluth, Bemidji State at Niagara on Nov. 9-10, St. Cloud State at Boston University on Nov. 16-17, Wisconsin at New Hampshire on Nov. 17-18, the UMD Bulldogs taking on NCAA Frozen Four qualifier St. Lawrence on the road on Dec. 14-15, Bemidji State hosting Vermont on Dec. 29-30, Minnesota hosting NCAA Frozen Four qualifier Boston College on Jan. 12-13, SCSU hosting Vermont on Jan. 18-19, and Ohio State at Niagara on Jan. 25-27. The regular season will conclude the weekend of Feb. 22-24.
Following two weeks of WCHA playoffs, the NCAA Women's Division 1 championship tournament will commence the weekend of March 14-16 at regional sites (TBA), followed by the 2008 NCAA Women's Frozen Four, to be held March 20-22 at the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center in Duluth, Minn., and hosted by the University of Minnesota Duluth.
2006-07 Season Highlights
National Championship: The WCHA retained its title of "Home of the National Champions" as Wisconsin became the third WCHA team to repeat as the national champion. The WCHA has won the NCAA title in all seven years of its existence and has won the women's collegiate national championship eight straight times. Since the inception of the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in 2001, three different WCHA teams have won the title. Minnesota Duluth won the first three NCAA crowns in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Minnesota, after winning the national title in 2000, took home the NCAA titles in 2004 and 2005 and Wisconsin has won the last two crowns after beating UMD, 4-1 in the all-WCHA 2007 NCAA Women's Frozen Four final in Lake Placid, N.Y.
After blanking St. Lawrence in the semifinals, Wisconsin and goalie Jessie Vetter's NCAA tournament shutout streak ended at 422:36 when UMD's Emmanuelle Blais scored, but it took the Badgers just seven seconds to get that goal back when Jasmine Giles deflected in a rebound off an Erika Lawler rush. For the second NCAA final in two years, UW's Jinelle Zaugg scored the first goal. Erika Lawler added the second, and Sara Bauer scored the third. Bauer, UMD's Jessica Koizumi, Vetter, Zaugg, and UW defensemen Bobbi-Jo Slusar and Meagan Mikkelson were the other all-tourney selections. Bauer was the Most Outstanding Player.
The Badgers went 36-1-4 overall in 2006-07, suffering only one loss - a 2-0 setback at UMD on Nov. 24 - during the entire season.
National Attendance: The WCHA led the way again in national attendance in 2006-07. Wisconsin ranked first in average home attendance with at 1,362 for 20 homes dates. They also led the nation with a total home attendance figure of 28,607. Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth ranked second and third, respectfully, in both categories. WCHA home arenas were also the site of two of the top single-game attendance highs. Leading the way was the NCAA regional game at UW's Kohl Center against Harvard with 5,125 on March 10. Also ranked was a January sellout at Ridder Arena when Minnesota drew 3,251 for a game against Wisconsin. The Border Battle attracted 5,524 for the two-game series.
WCHA Regular Season Championship: For the second consecutive season, the University of Wisconsin captured the regular season WCHA championship. The Badgers compiled a 23-1-4 record for 50 points over 28 league games, posting a .893 winning percentage.
Finishing second in the regular season was Minnesota Duluth at 19-6-3 (41 points), while Minnesota was third at 17-10-1 (35 points) and Ohio State was fourth at 13-11-4 (30 points).
WCHA Playoff Championship: The Wisconsin Badgers also won the conference tournament championship for the second straight time, sweeping visiting North Dakota in the first round two games to none on Feb. 23-24, and then skating past both Ohio State (4-0) and Minnesota (3-1) in the WCHA Playoff Championship at Ridder Arena on March 3-4.
In the Polls: During the 2006-07 season, six different WCHA teams were ranked among the top 10 in the national polls. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, Ohio State and St. Cloud State all cracked the polls at one point during the season.
Wisconsin, Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth were ranked in the top 10 during all 24 weeks of the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll and Ohio State was ranked for 12 weeks. UW, UM and UMD made the top 10 of the USCHO.com Division I Women's Poll in each of the 21 weeks of the poll. Four WCHA teams finished the season ranked in the top 10 of both national polls. UW was first in both while UMD was second in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll and eighth in the USCHO.com. Minnesota finished ninth in both polls while OSU ended the year 10th in both polls. UW earned the No. 1 ranking 13 times.
2007 World Championship Participation: The WCHA was well represented at the 2007 IIHF Women's World Championship in Winnipeg and Selkirk, Manitoba. Nine current WCHA players, Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson, who led Team USA, and seven former league players represented the WCHA. Four current UW players (forwards Meghan Duggan, Erika Lawler, Jessie Vetter and Jinelle Zaugg) and two former Badgers (defenseman Molly Engstrom and Kerry Weiland) skated for silver medalist Team USA. UM forward Gigi Marvin and ex-Gophers Krissy Wendell and Natalie Darwitz also played for Team USA as did former UMD skater Jenny Potter. The Bulldogs also had three current players and three alumni in the tournament. Current forward Michaela Lanzl skated for Team Germany. UMD teammates Elin Holmlov and Kim Martin played for Team Sweden, a roster which also includes UMD alum Maria Rooth. Carla MacLeod, who played at UW, and Caroline Ouellette, an assistant coach and former player at UMD, played for gold medalist Team Canada, along with Tessa Bonhomme, a defenseman at Ohio State. Former Buckeye Emma Laaksonen played for Team Finland.
AHCA All-Americans: The WCHA had five players named to the 2006-07 AHCA All-America team with three first-team selections and two second-team honorees. Wisconsin's Jessie Vetter was selected as the first team goaltender while UW's Meaghan Mikkelson (defense) and Sara Bauer (forward) were also named to the first team. Ohio State's Tessa Bonhomme (defenseman) and Wisconsin's Bobbi-Jo Slusar (defenseman) were second team selections.
National Coach of the Year: The AHCA named Wisconsin's Mark Johnson as Div. 1 national coach of the year for the second straight season.
Patty Kazmaier Award: For the second straight season, Wisconsin's Sara Bauer was one of the three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award, which goes to the top player in women's college hockey. Last year, Bauer won the award and two years ago Minnesota's Krissy Wendell became the first WCHA player to receive the honor.
WCHA Individual Honors: For the second straight season, Wisconsin forward Sara Bauer was named the WCHA Player of the Year. UW defenseman Meaghan Mikkelson was the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, Minnesota Duluth goaltender Riitta Schaublin was the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year for the second straight year, UW forward Meghan Duggan was the WCHA Rookie of the Year, the Badgers' Christine Dufour was the WCHA Goaltending Champion, Bauer was the WCHA Scoring Champion, and UW's Mark Johnson was the WCHA Coach of the Year.
2006-07 All-WCHA First Team: F - Sara Bauer, UW; F - Noemie Marin, UMD; F - Gigi Marvin, UM; D - Meaghan Mikkelson, UW; D - Tessa Bonhomme, OSU; G - Jessie Vetter, UW.
2006-07 All-WCHA Second Team: F - Meghan Duggan, UW; F - Erin Keys, OSU; F - Jinelle Zaugg, UW; D - Amber Bowman, OSU; D - Bobbi-Jo Slusar, UW; G - Kim Martin, UMD.
2006-07 All-WCHA Third Team: F - Jessica Koizumi, UMD; F - Erika Lawler, UW; F - Bobbi Ross, UM; D - Melanie Gagnon, UM; D - Lisa Chesson, OSU; G - Christine Dufour, UW.
2006-07 All-WCHA Rookie Team: F - Meghan Duggan, UW; F - Holly Roberts, SCSU; F - Saara Tuominen, UMD; D - Holly Snyder, MSU; D - Michelle Maunu, UM and Ashley Lynch, UND (tie); G - Kim Martin, UMD.
UMD's Riitta Schaublin Named Student-Athlete of the Year Again: Minnesota Duluth's Riitta Schaublin was named the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. A senior goaltender from Basel, Switzerland, Schaublin ranked among the league goaltending leaders, finishing third with a .938 save percentage and fourth with a 1.59 goals-against average. A two-time All-WCHA Academic Team member, Schaublin was a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist last year and completed her undergraduate degree in mathematics with a 3.94 GPA. She is pursuing her degree in the UMD Math Department's master's program during her final year of athletic eligibility and had a 4.0 GPA last semester while serving as a teacher's assistant for calculus II class. She plans to finish graduate school in December, 2007 and eventually obtain a PhD in economics.
St. Cloud State's Denelle Maguet Named Women's WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship Recipient for 2007-08: The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced on June 25 the recipients of the league's annual Post-Graduate Scholarship Program for 2007-08. The women's winner was Denelle Maguet of St. Cloud State University while the men's winner was Nate Raduns, also of SCSU.
"The WCHA is tremendously excited and proud to announce the latest men's and women's Post-Graduate Scholarship winners," said Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod and Associate Commissioner Sara R. Martin in a joint statement. "Nate Raduns and Denelle Maguet represent the very best of collegiate athletics and we are proud to have had them both playing hockey and earning their degrees in the WCHA. We wish them both all the best in their future endeavors and know that both of them will be very successful in whatever they choose to pursue."
An advocate of excellence both on and off the ice, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association orginally announced it's annual post-graduate scholarship program in April of 2003 and beginning with the 2003-04 school year. The post-graduate scholarships are two grants of $10,000 each that are presented annually to a male and female student-athlete for post-graduate studies.
Maguet, a senior at St. Cloud State from Ste. Rose, Manitoba, was a two-year varsity captain for the hockey Huskies and a three-year regular at forward. She carried a 3.90 GPA during her collegiate career, earning her B.S. degree this Spring, majoring in HR Management with a minor in Marketing. She is a two-time honoree as a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, is a member of the WCHA All-Academic Team, and was a member of ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-District 5 Second Team. She plans to attend the Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics graduate program at the University of Manitoba and hopes to work in the agricultural industry upon completion of her advanced degree.
Originally a transfer to SCSU in 2004 from the University of Findlay, which dropped it's hockey program, Maguet played in 105 collegiate games for the Huskies, producing 19 goals, 38 assists and 57 scoring points. In her senior season of 2006-07, she had 18 points in 36 games for SCSU's 12-18-7 club.
In addition to her outstanding work both in the classroom and on the ice, Maguet has regularly volunteered off-ice as well, packing food boxes at the Salvation Army, working at hockey camps at local elementary schools and helping in the reading programs for youth at local libraries.
"Denelle Maguet has been a two-year team captain for the Huskies and she is an outstanding student-athlete and top performer on our team," said Huskies' head coach Jeff Giesen. "She is a strong leader both vocally and by example, and she serves the community in a variety of roles and is always willing to go above the regular demands of our team to reach success.
"Denelle is of the highest of character and someone I would hope that my own daughter would follow as to how to do things as a student-athlete. Her leadership has helped establish a culture that will carry on for some time to come."
Nominated for the WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship by St. Cloud State Faculty Athletics Representative Bill Hudson, Maguet is the daughter of Jean Louis and Rosanne Maguet.
League Announces Second Annual Group of WCHA Scholar-Athletes: The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, through Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod, Associate Commissioner Sara Martin, Minnesota State Faculty Representative Ken Anglin (Chair, men's league) and Ohio State Faculty Representative John Bruno (Chair, women's league) today (Feb. 1, 2007) announced the second annual group of WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award recipients.
Twenty-three (23) of this season's 49 WCHA Scholar-Athletes are repeat honorees. On the women's side, they were: Maggie Souba of Minnesota, Jessica Koizumi and Riitta Schaublin of Minnesota Duluth, Kristina Bunker, Jodi Helminen, and Shera Vis of Minnesota State; Mallory Peckels and Erika Vanderveer of Ohio State; Bobbie Anderson, Laura Fast, and Denelle Maguet of St. Cloud State; and Sara Bauer of Wisconsin.
The WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award was developed though Association-member Faculty Representatives and approved by the conference membership beginning for the 2005-06 season. 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 must also have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale for the previous two semesters or three quarters, or may qualify if his or her overall GPA is at least 3.50 for all terms at his or her present institution. WCHA Scholar-Athletes were recognized and honored on-ice with a commemorative plaque at member team home games during the remainder of the 2006-07 season. The winners were also be recognized in tournament programs and in future men's and women's conference yearbooks.
Women's WCHA Scholar-Athletes for 2006-07 were: BSU: Brooke Collins, So; Lisa Kissick, So; Monica Rawlings, So; Kate Robinson, Sr; Helena Tageson, Sr; Nina Ziegenhals, Sr. UM: Gigi Marvin, So; Maggie Souba*, Sr. UMD: Jessica Koizumi*, Sr; Riitta Schaublin*, Sr; Myriam Trepanier, So. MSU: Kristina Bunker*, Jr; Jenna Hewitt, So; Lindsay Macy, Jr; Shera Vis*, Sr. UND: Aynsley Allen, Sr; Christey Allen, Jr; Christy Carlson, So; Casie Hanson, So; Alyssa Johnson, So. OSU: Liana Bonanno, So; Erin Keys, Jr; Mallory Peckels*, Jr; Erika Vanderveer*, Sr. SCSU: Bobbie Anderson*, Jr; Laura Fast*, Jr; Denelle Maguet*, Sr. UW: Sara Bauer*, Sr.
2006-07 All-WCHA Academic Team: BSU: Haley Balcom, Emily Brookshaw, Brooke Collins, Tara Hiscock, Lisa Kissick, Jaime LeDuc, Jessica Pullar, Monica Rawlings, Kate Robinson, Helena Tageson, Nina Zieganhals. UM: Lindsay Block, Gigi Marvin, Erica McKenzie, Anya Miller, Andrea Nichols, Bobbi Ross, Maggie Souba, Dagney Willey. UMD: Karine Demeule, Kirsti Hakala, Jessica Koizumi, Michaela Lanzl, Noemie Marin, Tawni Mattila, Riitta Schaublin, Myriam Trepanier, Suvi Vacker. MSU: Kristina Bunker, Jodi Helminen, Jenna Hewitt, Megan Jedinak, Britni Kehler, Lindsay Macy, Samantha Miller, Richelle St. Croix, Amanda Stohr, Andreanne Thibault, Shera Vis, Ashley Young. UND: Aynsley Allen, Christey Allen, Christine Carlson, Alexia Gagnon-LaPlante, Casie Hanson, Alyssa Johnson, Randi Motsko. OSU: Olivia Antognoli, Liana Bonanno, Amber Bowman, Jody Heywood, Megan Hostasek, Erin Keys, Whitney Miller, Mallory Peckels, Lacey Schultz, Krysta Skarda, Erika Vanderveer. SCSU: Bobbie Anderson, Hailey Clarkson, Jacqueline Jensen, Abby Krause, Laura Fast, Tricia Fast, Marie-Michel Lemieux, Denelle Maguet, Michelle Moen, Sammy Nixon, Brita Schroeder, Lauri St. Jacques. UW: Sara Bauer, Rachel Bible, Angie Keseley, Heidi Kletzien, Meaghan Mikkelson, Phoebe Monteleone, Jessie Vetter.
USCHO.com Honors: For the second straight year Wisconsin's Sara Bauer was named the USCHO.com Player of the Year and Badger teammate Bobbi-Jo Slusar was honored as the Defensive Player of the Year. Bauer was also recognized on the All-USCHO First Team with UW defensemen Slusar and Meaghan Mikkelson. Ohio State's Erin Keys received the Most Improved Player Award. Wisconsin goalie Jessie Vetter was a second-team honoree while Minnesota Duluth forward Noemie Marin and Ohio State defensemen Tessa Bonhomme and Amber Bowman were named to the third team. Wisconsin's Meghan Duggan was named to the All-Rookie team.
Hockey Humantarian Award: Jody Heywood, a junior defenseman at Ohio State, was one of the five finalists for the 2007 Hockey Humanitarian Award. Jody visits the local Children's Hospital once a quarter. She particpated in the Hurricane Katrina Phone-a-Thon which raised money for victims, as well as, the Schott-a-Thon, a Wish for Kids event. She periodically reads at the local school and is a volunteer at Race for the Cure. She spoke at Westerville Girl Power Day and helped at the Franklin County Youth Penitentiary Center where she was a volunteer with Youth for Christ to lead monthly chapels and meet with teenagers. She is involved with the athletes in action leadership team and has served meals at the YMCA for needy families. She also is involved with Habitat for Humanity and has spoken to youth groups for churches, as well as, aiding in classrooms of inner city schools with homework and supervision as an Urban Concern Volunteer.
* - repeat honoree
