March 14, 2004

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MADISON, Wisc. ­ Three of the five berths for the upcoming 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five, set for March 18-20 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., have been secured by No. 1-WCHA playoff seed and MacNaughton Cup champion North Dakota, No. 5-seed and two-time defending NCAA champion Minnesota, and No. 7-seed Colorado College.

That leaves two and makes for a pair of decisive third games on Sunday (March 14) night as No. 2-playoff seed Minnesota-Duluth hosts No. 9-seed Minnesota State at 7:05 pm CT at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center and No. 3-seed Wisconsin hosts No. 8-seed Alaska Anchorage at 7:05 pm CT at the Kohl Center. The Bulldogs are 4-1-1 vs the Mavericks this season while the Badgers own a 3-1 mark against the Seawolves to date.

The No. 1-ranked Fighting Sioux (28-6-3, .797) will enter the Final Five as the top seed after knocking off No. 10-seed Michigan Tech twice this weekend in their WCHA first-round playoff series, 6-2 and 4-3 (ot). The No. 5-seeded Golden Gophers (24-13-3, .638), who downed No. 6-seed St. Cloud State, 6-1 and 7-3, will head to the Final Five as at least the No. 4 seed and could move as high as No. 2 depending on Sunday's results. The No. 7-seeded Tigers (20-15-3, .566), meanwhile, upset No. 4-seed and host Denver, 4-3 and 6-1, to gain a spot in the playoff championship and could be seeded anywhere from No. 5 to No. 3 for the Final Five depending on tonight's results.

At Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks Saturday (March 13) night, North Dakota overcame a 3-1 third period deficit ­ with F Drew Stafford netting the game-winner at 9:29 of overtime ­ to defeat Michigan Tech, 4-3, before 10,215 and take their first round playoff series two games to none. The Huskies went up 3-1 on F Brett Engelhardt's goal at 13:34 of the second period before the Sioux struck back with third period goals from F Zach Parise at 5:39 and F Chris Porter at 8:53 to knot the score. In goal, Jake Brandt had 23 stops for UND while Cam Ellsworth made 42 saves for MTU ­ including 12 in overtime.

Before 4,646 at the DECC in Duluth last night, the host and No. 2-seed Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs rallied behind a three-goal hat trick ­ including the eventual game-winner ­ and two assists from W Junior Lessard and a goal and two assists from D Beau Geisler to down Minnesota State, 6-2, and even their first round playoff series at one game apiece. MSU owned a 1-0 lead early in the second period following F Brock Becker's goal at 1:54 before UMD rallied for four straight tallies over the next 9:50 to go up 4-1. Lessard's five points equalled a UMD WCHA playoff record. In goal, Isaac Reichmuth had 26 stops for the Bulldogs while starter Jon Volp (38 saves) and Kyle Nixon (5 saves) combined for 43.

At the Kohl Center in Madison Friday evening, the No. 3-seeded and host Wisconsin Badgers blanked No. 8-seed Alaska Anchorage, 4-0, and evened their series at one game apiece before 10,865 as F A.J. Degenhardt scored two goals and G Bernd Bruckler netted a 16-save shutout. F Rene Bourque's goal just 2:00 into the first period held up as the game-winner and Wisconsin outshot the Seawolves, 45-16. For UAA, Kevin Reiter had 41 saves between the pipes.

At Magness Arena in Denver last night, the visiting and No. 7-seeded Colorado College Tigers received two goals from both D Brady Greco and F Brett Sterling and 35 saves from Curtis McElhinney to down the No. 4-seed Pioneers and claim their first round WCHA playoff series two games to none. CC struck for three first period goals ­ with Sterling's tally at 15:27 holding up as the game-winner ­ and never trailed in earning a trip to the WCHA Final Five and keeping their NCAA tournament hopes alive. Denver cut the lead to 3-1 on F Gabe Gauthier's power-play goal at 5:00 of the second period but the Pioneers could get no closer despite owning a 35-29 advantage in shots on goal. CC hit on 3-of-6 power-play attempts.

And before a capacity crowd of 10,052 at Mariucci Arena Friday evening, the host and No. 5-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers earned a trip to the Final Five with a 7-3 decision over No. 6-seed St. Cloud State as F Troy Riddle notched a three-goal hat trick ­ including the game-winner at on a power-play at 1:39 of the third period ­ and set up two others for five points. The Golden Gophers, who outshot the Huskies, 46-26, hit on 4-of-9 power-play opportunities and also had two goals and two assists from F Ryan Potulny. SCSU tied the game at 1-1 on a goal from F Brock Hooton at 0:22 of the second period and also closed to within one at 3-2 on a shorthander from F Matt Hendricks at 0:24 of the third. In goal, Kellen Briggs made 23 saves for UM while Tim Boron had 39 stops for SCSU.

Following Sunday evening's two remaining first-round WCHA playoff games, the five winning teams will be re-seed No. 1 through No. 5 according to their regular season finish and advance to the 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five, set for March 18-20 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul. North Dakota has gained the No. 1 seed already.

This Week in the WCHA

First-Round, WCHA Playoffs - Best-of-3.
Results from Friday, March 12: #10 Michigan Tech 2 @ #1 North Dakota 6; #9 Minnesota State 4 @ #2 Minnesota-Duluth 3 ot; #8 Alaska Anchorage 3 @ #3 Wisconsin 2; #7 Colorado College 4 @ #4 Denver 3; #6 St. Cloud State 1 @ #5 Minnesota 6.

Results from Saturday, March 13: #10 Michigan Tech 3 @ #1 North Dakota 4 ot (UND wins series, 2-0); #9 Minnesota State 2 @ #2 Minnesota-Duluth 6 (series tied 1-1); #8 Alaska Anchorage 0 @ #3 Wisconsin 4 (series tied 1-1); #7 Colorado College 6 @ #4 Denver 1 (CC wins series 2-0); #6 St. Cloud State 3 @ #5 Minnesota 7 (UM wins series 2-0).

Games for Sunday, March 14: #9 Minnesota State @ #2 Minnesota-Duluth, 7:05 pm CT; #8 Alaska Anchorage @ #3 Wisconsin, 7:05 pm CT.

WCHA First-Round Playoff Summaries - Best-of-Three

Friday, March 12

#10 Michigan Tech 2 @ #1 North Dakota 6: 1st: G1 UND - Zach Parise 19 (Drew Stafford, Andy Schneider), 3:27; G2 MTU - Clay Wilson 2 (unassisted), 8:39. 2nd: G3 UND - Brady Murray 18 (Brandon Bochenski, Zach Parise), PPG, 1:28; G4 UND - Nick Fuher 10 (Zach Parise, Stafford), 16:41. 3rd: G5 UND - Stafford 9 (Zach Parise, Murray), 0:26; G6 UND - Quinn Fylling 12 (Rory McMahon), 1:44; G7 MTU - Justin Brown 1 (Ryan Markham, B.J. Radovich), 5:14; G8 UND - Colby Genoway 11 (David Lundbohm, Fuher), 7:25. Score by Periods: MTU 1-0-1 = 2; UND 1-2-3 = 6. Pen: MTU 5-10; UND 6-12. PPs: MTU 0-4; UND 1-3. Saves: Cam Ellsworth (MTU), 7-13-0 = 20 (41:44); Bryce Luker (MTU), x-x-7 = 7 (18:16); Jake Brandt (UND), 6-4-3 = 13 (60:00). Att: 9,837. Time: 2:12. (UND leads series, 1-0)

#9 Minnesota State 4 @ #2 Minnesota-Duluth 3 ot: 1st: G1 UMD - Luke Stauffacher 13 (Tim Stapleton, Beau Geisler), 6:02; G2 MSU - Chad Clower 5 (Nate Metcalf), 10:06. 2nd: G3 MSU - David Backes 15 (Steven Johns, Clower), PPG, 1:25; G4 MSU - Clower 6 (Aaron Forsythe, Travis Morin), 6:34; G5 UMD - Junior Lessard 24 (Marco Peluso, Geisler), PPG, 7:36; G6 UMD - Justin Williams 9 (Geisler, Todd Smith), 19:56. 3rd: No scoring. OT: G7 MSU - Lucas Fransen 4 (Forsythe, Shane Joseph), 12:18 Score by Periods: MSU 1-2-0-1 = 4; UMD 1-2-0-0 = 3. Pen: MSU 6-12; UMD 3-6. PPs: MSU 1-3; UMD 1-6. Saves: Jon Volp (MSU), 12-10-22-2 = 46 (72:18); Isaac Reichmuth (UMD), 14-7-9-4 = 34 (72:18). Att: 4,408. Time: 2:42. (MSU leads series, 1-0)

#8 Alaska Anchorage 3 @ #3 Wisconsin 2: 1st: G1 UW - Jake Dowell 6 (Robbie Earl, Jeff Likens), PPG, 2:51; G2 UAA - Dallas Steward 14 (Brandon Segal, Justin Bourne), PPG, 9:01; G3 UAA - Charlie Kronschnabel 9 (Chris Fournier, Chris King), PPG, 18:54. 2nd: G4 UW - Ross Carlson 6 (Tom Gilbert, Ryan Suter), PPG, 5:14. 3rd: G5 UAA - Justin Johnson 2 (Chris Fournier, Curtis Glencross), PPG, 5:56. Score by Periods: UAA 2-0-1 = 3; UW 1-1-0 = 2. Pen: UAA 9-18; UW 8-16. PPs: UAA 3-6; UW 2-7. Saves: Chris King (UAA), 14-17-14 = 45 (60:00); Bernd Bruckler (UW), 8-5-8 = 21 (58:19. Att: 9,291. Time: 2:15. (UAA leads series, 1-0)

#7 Colorado College 4 @ #4 Denver 3: 1st: G1 CC - Marty Sertich 11 (Andrew Canzanello, Matt Zaba), 4:07; G2 Denver - Ted O'Leary (Michael Handza, Jussi Halme), 10:02. 2nd: G3 Denver - Gabe Gauthier 16 (J.D. Corbin, Brett Skinner), 13:38. 3rd: G4 CC - Canzanello 5 (Braydon Cox, Aaron Slattengren), 7:22; G5 CC - Trevor Frischmon 9 (Mark Stuart, Canzanello), 9:57; G6 CC - Slattengren 15 (Richard Petiot, Cox), 11:48. Score by Periods: CC 1-0-3 = 4; Denver 1-1-1 = 3. Pen: CC 8-16; Denver 8-16. PPs: CC 0-5; Denver 1-5. Saves: Matt Zaba (CC), 9-6-3 = 18 (60:00); Adam Berkhoel (Denver), 9-6-7 = 22 (59:28). Att: 4,391. Time: 2:15. (CC leads series, 1-0)

#6 St. Cloud State 1 @ #5 Minnesota 6: 1st: G1 UM - Mike Vannelli 2 (Jake Fleming), 10:02; G2 SCSU - Brock Hooton 5 (Peter Szabo, Joe Jensen), 12:30; G3 UM - Matt Koalska 12 (Troy Riddle, Thomas Vanek), PPG, 14:58. 2nd: G4 UM - Vanek 22 (Joey Martin, Riddle), 6:18; G5 UM - Ryan Potulny 2 (Vanek, Peter Kennedy), 9:44; G6 UM - Riddle 18 (Vannelli), 14:44. 3rd: G7 UM - Ryan Potulny 3 (Riddle, Keith Ballard), PPG, 15:21. Score by Periods: SCSU 1-0-0 = 1; UM 2-3-1 = 6. Pen: SCSU 14-28; UM 12-24. PPs: SCSU 0-3; UM 2-5. Saves: Adam Coole (SCSU), 8-6-x = 14 (30:40); Tim Boron (SCSU), x-11-8 = 19 (29:20); Kellen Briggs (UM), 5-10-11 = 26 (60:00). Att: 10,042 (sellout). Time: 2:20. (UM leads series, 1-0)

Saturday, March 13

#10 Michigan Tech 3 @ #1 North Dakota 4 ot: 1st: G1 MTU - Colin Murphy 15 (Marek Dora, Brett Engelhardt), PPG, 11:21; G2 UND - Brandon Bochenski 24 (Matt Jones, Zach Parise), PPG, 14:22; G3 MTU - Brandon Schwartz 4 (Jon Pittis), PPG, 19:00. 2nd: G4 MTU - Engelhardt 12 (Schwartz), 13:34. 3rd: G5 UND - Zach Parise 20 (Bochenski 29), 5:39; G6 UND - Chris Porter 10 (Nick Fuher), 8:53. OT: G7 UND - Drew Stafford 10 (David Lundbohm, Porter), 9:29. Score by Periods: MTU 2-1-0-0 = 3; UND 1-0-2-1 = 4. Pen: MTU 3-6; UND 3-6. PPs: MTU 2-2; UND 1-2. Saves: Cam Ellsworth (MTU), 12-6-12-12 = 42 (69:29); Jake Brandt (UND), 6-9-6-2 = 23 (69:29). Att: 9,837. Time: 2:40. (UND wins series, 2-0)

#9 Minnesota State 2 @ #2 Minnesota-Duluth 6: 1st: No scoring. 2nd: G1 MSU - Brock Becker 9 (Rob Rankin), 1:54; G2 UMD - Beau Geisler 9 (Jesse Unklesbay, T.J. Caig), 4:31; G3 UMD - Junior Lessard 25 (Evan Schwabe), 5:43; G4 UMD - Lessard 26 (Geisler, Schwabe), PPG, 7:06; G5 UMD - Luke Stauffacher 14 (Lessard, Geisler), 14:21; G6 MSU - Shane Joseph 18 (Chad Clower, David Backes), 18:03. 3rd: G7 UMD - Lessard 27 (Schwabe, Tim Stapleton), PPG, 6:04; G8 UMD - Justin Williams 10 (Lessard), 14:47. Score by Periods: MSU 0-2-0 = 2; UMD 0-4-2 = 6. Pen: MSU 16-32; UMD 17-34. PPs: MSU 0-8; UMD 2-5. Saves: Jon Volp (MSU), 8-19-11 = 38 (54:47); Kyle Nixon (MSU), x-x-5 = 5 (5:13); Isaac Reichmuth (UMD), 10-8-8 = 26 (60:00). Att: 4,646. Time: 2:22. (series tied 1-1)

#8 Alaska Anchorage 0 @ #3 Wisconsin 4: 1st: G1 UW - Rene Bourque 15 (unassisted), 2:00. 2nd: G2 UW - A.J. Degenhardt 7 (Robbie Earl, Jake Dowell), 2:39; G3 UW - Ryan MacMurchy 15 (Bourque, Andrew Joudrey), 3:24; G4 UW - Degenhardt 8 (Adam Burish), 14:30. 3rd: No scoring. Score by Periods: UAA 0-0-0 = 0; UW 1-3-0 = 4. Pen: UAA 5-10; UW 7-14. PPs: UAA 0-4; UW 0-2. Saves: Kevin Reiter (UAA), 21-12-8 = 41 (59:56); Bernd Bruckler (UW), 5-4-7 = 16 (60:00). Att: 10,865. Time: 2:05. (series tied 1-1)

#7 Colorado College 6 @ #4 Denver 1: 1st: G1 CC - Colin Stuart 10 (Scott Polaski, Lee Sweatt), 11:43; G2 CC - Brett Sterling 14 (Richard Petiot, Tyler Liebel), 15:27; G3 CC - Reid Goolsby 3 (Aaron Slattengren, Joey Crabb), 18:24. 2nd: G4 Denver - Gabe Gauthier 17 (Matt Carle, Brett Skinner), PPG, 5:00; G5 CC - Brady Greco 6 (Andrew Canzanello, Marty Sertich), PPG, 8:20; G6 CC - Greco 7 (Mark Stuart, Sertich), PPG, 17:46. 3rd: G7 CC - Sterling 15 (Canzanello, Crabb), PPG, 6:50. Score by Periods: CC 3-2-1 = 6; Denver 0-1-0 = 1. Pen: CC 12-24; Denver 12-24. PPs: CC 3-6; Denver 1-6. Saves: Curtis McElhinney (CC), 7-14-14 = 35 (60:00); Adam Berkhoel (Denver), 10-x-x = 10 (18:24); Glenn Fisher (Denver), x-8-5 = 13 (41:36). Att: 4,732. Time: 2:23. (CC wins series, 2-0)

#6 St. Cloud State 3 @ #5 Minnesota 7: 1st: G1 UM - Ryan Potulny 4 (Keith Ballard, Troy Riddle), PPG, 19:46. 2nd: G2 SCSU - Brock Hooton 6 (Peter Szabo), 0:22; G3 UM - Ryan Potulny 5 (Riddle), 12:52; G4 UM - Riddle 19 (Ryan Potulny, Ballard), PPG, 19:14. 3rd: G5 SCSU - Matt Hendricks 14 (Konrad Reeder), SHG, 0:24; G6 UM - Riddle 20 (Thomas Vanek, Matt Koalska), PPG, 1:39; G7 UM - Grant Potulny 14 (Barry Tallackson, Gino Guyer), PPG, 7:16; G8 UM - Riddle 21 (Vanek, Mike Vannelli), 8:38; G9 UM - Tyler Hirsch 7 (Ryan Potulny, Tallackson), 9:13; G10 SCSU - Reeder 5 (Colin Peters, Mike Doyle), 9:33. Score by Periods: SCSU 0-1-2 = 3; UM 1-2-4 = 7. Pen: SCSU 14-44; UM 9-26. PPs: SCSU 0-5; UM 4-9. Saves: Tim Boron (SCSU), 13-14-12 = 39 (60:00); Kellen Briggs (UM), 4-11-8 = 23 (60:00). Att: 10,052 (sellout). Time: 2:20. (UM wins series, 2-0).

2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five Media Teleconference

Tuesday, March 16 - 11:00 AM CT

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association will conduct a teleconference for the media with the Commissioner and the five head coaches whose teams qualify for the 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five on Tuesday, March 16 at 11:00 am CT.

WCHA to Provide Complete Live Audio Coverage of 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five - Log on to wcha.com

The 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five will also be broadcast live over the internet for the fourth consecutive season via the league's official web site ­ wcha.com.

All five games of the championship will again be broadcast live on www.wcha.com, with Jack Swanson, former play-by-play voice of the Wisconsin Badgers and owner, station KJ102 in Roseau, Minn., and Jim Rich, voice of This Week in the WCHA (the league's weekly radio show) handling the commentary. The league will also rotate special guests throughout the broadcasts.

Strength of WCHA in '03-04 Reflected in Polls, Results

The overall strength of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 2003-04 is evident in on-going national polls, pairwise rankings and on-ice results.

In non-conference play (vs teams from other Div. 1 conferences) through games of March 13th, WCHA member teams owned a noteworthy 54-19-9 record and a .713 winning percentage. WCHA teams have been particularly strong outside league play the past three seasons, forging a 57-27-8 (.663) non-conference record in 2002-03 and a 56-24-2 (.695) non-league ledger in 2001-02.

Six WCHA teams are listed among the top 16 in the latest USCHO.com Div. 1 Men Pairwise Rankings for March 14th. North Dakota (28-6-3) is tied at No. 1 (with Boston College and Maine), Minnesota-Duluth (24-11-4) is No. 4, Minnesota (24-13-3) is No. 5, Denver (23-12-5) is No. 6, Wisconsin (21-11-8) is tied at No. 9 (with New Hampshire), and Colorado College (20-15-3) has moved up into a tie at No. 13 (with Notre Dame). St. Cloud State (18-16-4), meanwhile, is tied at No. 17 (with Massachusetts).

Six WCHA teams were also ranked among the nation's top 15 teams in the most recent USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll and USCHO.com polls ­ issued for the week of March 8-14. North Dakota was No. 1, Minnesota-Duluth was No. 4, Wisconsin was No. 5/6, Denver was No. 5/6, Minnesota is No. 8, and St. Cloud State was No. 15. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association has had at least six teams ranked among the nation's top 15 the past 11 consecutive weeks, has had at least five teams ranked among the nation's top 15 in the national polls in 21 of 23 weeks, and has had seven of it's 10 teams among the top 15 five times overall.

Seven WCHA teams currently (thru March 13th) have overall winning percentages of .526 or better. North Dakota (28-6-3) is at .797, Minnesota-Duluth (24-11-4) is at .667, Denver (23-12-5) and Minnesota (24-13-3) are both at .638, Wisconsin (21-11-8) is at .625, Colorado College (20-15-3) is at .566, and St. Cloud State (18-16-4) is at .526.

Also of note, six WCHA teams have already reached the 20-victory plateau this season in North Dakota (28), Minnesota-Duluth (24), Minnesota (24), Denver (23), Wisconsin (21), and Colorado College (20). One season ago ­ in 2002-03 ­ six WCHA-member teams also finished the season with at least 20 victories in Colorado College (30), Minnesota (28), North Dakota (26), Minnesota-Duluth (22), Denver (21), and Minnesota State (20).

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