March 21, 2005

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MADISON, Wisc. ­ The five teams that competed in last week's 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five ­ University of Denver, Colorado College, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin and University of North Dakota have all earned berths in the NCAA Division 1 Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament, which gets underway this coming weekend ­ March 25-27 ­ at four regional sites.

All five of those Western Collegiate Hockey Association-member teams have won at least 22 games overall and all five are ranked among the nation's top 15 in the most recent college hockey polls. Three of the WCHA's record-tying five NCAA tournament teams ­ Denver, Colorado College and Minnesota ­ were awarded No. 1 regional seeds. Head coach George Gwozdecky's Pioneers (28-9-2), who became only the ninth team in the 53-year history of the WCHA to claim both the regular season (MacNaughton Cup co-champion) and playoff (Broadmoor Trophy) titles, are the top seed in the NCAA Northeast Regional, set for March 26-27 at Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. Head coach Scott Owens' Tigers (29-8-3), who are co-WCHA regular season champions, are the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Midwest Regional, set for March 25-26 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. And head coach Don Lucia's Golden Gophers (26-14-1) are the top seed for the NCAA West Regional, set for March 26-27 at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.

First-year head coach Dave Hakstol's Fighting Sioux (22-14-5), meanwhile, are the No. 2 seed at the NCAA East Regional, set for March 25-26 at DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., and head coach Mike Eaves' Badgers are the No. 3 seed for the NCAA Midwest Regional.

At the NCAA Northeast Regional, Denver will take on Bemidji State (23-12-4) of College Hockey America on Saturday at 12 Noon ET, followed by a game between New Hampshire (25-10-5) of the Hockey East Association and Harvard (21-9-3) of the ECAC at 3:30 pm ET.

At the NCAA Midwest Regional, Colorado College will take on Colgate (25-10-3) of the ECAC at 5:00 pm ET, with that matchup followed by the Wisconsin vs Michigan (30-7-3) of the CCHA encounter at 8:30 pm ET.

At the NCAA West Regional, Minnesota will faceoff against Maine (20-12-7) of the Hockey East Association at 1:30 pm CT, followed by Cornell (26-4-3) of the ECAC vs Ohio State (27-10-4) of the CCHA at 5:00 pm CT.

And at the NCAA East Regional, Boston College (25-6-7) of the Hockey East Association will take on Mercyhurst (18-15-4) of the Atlantic Hockey Association at 4:30 pm ET, followed by North Dakota vs Boston University (23-13-4) of the Hockey East Association at 8:00 pm ET.

The four regional winners this weekend will then advance to the 2005 NCAA Men's Frozen Four, set for April 7 & 9 at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.

2005 NCAA Div. 1 Men's Ice Hockey Championship Regional Seeds & Matchups

NCAA East Regional
March 25-26 @ DCU Center, Worcester, MA
Boston College (HEA) ­ No. 1 seed; North Dakota (WCHA) ­ No. 2 seed; Boston University (HEA) ­ No. 3 seed; Mercyhurst (AHA) ­ No. 4 seed. Games for Friday: Boston College (25-6-7) vs Mercyhurst (18-15-4), 4:30 pm ET; North Dakota (22-14-5) vs Boston University (23-13-4), 8:00 pm ET. Games for Saturday (championship): Boston College/Mercyhurst vs North Dakota/Boston University, 8:00 pm ET.

NCAA Northeast Regional
March 26-27 @ Mullins Center, Amherst, MA
Denver (WCHA) ­ No. 1 seed; New Hampshire (HEA) ­ No. 2 seed; Harvard (ECAC) ­ No. 3 seed; Bemidji State (CHA) ­ No. 4 seed. Games for Saturday: Denver (28-9-2) vs Bemidji State (23-12-1), 12 Noon ET; New Hampshire (25-10-5) vs Harvard (21-9-3), 3:30 pm ET. Games for Sunday (championship): Denver/Bemidji State vs New Hampshire/Harvard, 12 Noon ET.

NCAA West Regional
March 26-27 @ Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota (WCHA) ­ No. 1 seed; Cornell (ECAC) ­ No. 2 seed; Ohio State (CCHA) ­ No. 3 seed; Maine (HEA) ­ No. 4 seed. Games for Saturday: Minnesota (26-14-1) vs Maine (20-12-7), 1:30 pm CT; Cornell (26-5-3) vs Ohio State (27-10-4), 5:00 pm CT. Games for Sunday (championship): Minnesota/Maine vs Cornell/Ohio State, 2:30 pm CT.

NCAA Midwest Regional
March 25-26 @ Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
Colorado College (WCHA) ­ No. 1 seed; Michigan (CCHA) ­ No. 2 seed; Wisconsin (WCHA) ­ No. 3 seed; Colgate (ECAC) ­ No. 4 seed. Games for Friday: Colorado College (29-8-3) vs Colgate (25-10-3), 5:00 pm ET; Michigan (30-7-3) vs Wisconsin (23-13-4), 8:30 pm ET. Games for Saturday (championship): Colorado College/Colgate vs Michigan/Wisconsin, 5:00 pm ET.

Note: for a printable 2005 NCAA Division 1 Men's Ice Hockey Championship bracket, visit www.ncaasports.com/icehockey/mens.

NCAA Frozen Four Titles; NCAA Tournament Appearances
North Dakota has won seven NCAA championships (1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000). The Fighting Sioux are also making their 20 national tournament appearance overall in 2005.

Denver has won six NCAA championships (1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004). The Pioneers are making their 17 national tournament appearance overall in 2005.

Minnesota has won five NCAA championships (1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003). The Golden Gophers are making a record 29th national tournament appearance overall in 2005.

Wisconsin has won five NCAA championships (1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990. The Badgers are making their 20th national tournament appearance overall in 2005.

Colorado College has won two NCAA championships (1950, 1957). The Tigers are making their 17th national tournament appearance overall in 2005.

Two WCHA Officiating Crews Selected for NCAA Regional Competition
Greg Shepherd, WCHA Supervisor of Officials, announced today (March 21) that two sets of conference officials have been selected to work this coming weekend's NCAA regionals.

Working at the NCAA West Regional in Minneapolis, Minn., will be referee Derek Shepherd and assistant referees Kile Bergren and Nathan Freeman.

Working at the NCAA East Regional in Worcester, Mass., will be referee Jon Campion and assistant referees Tim Swaider and Butch Mousseaux.

2004-05 Season Home Attendance in WCHA Tops 1,500,000 Again
For the second consecutive season, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association has drawn in excess of 1.5 million fans. A turnout of 77,746 for the 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five pushed the league's home attendance total to 1,508,427, for a record per game average of 7,149 fans. The WCHA, which has now drawn in excess of 1,000,000 fans 12 straight seasons, is the only Div. 1 men's ice hockey conference to surpass 1.5 million fans in a single season.

The WCHA passed the one million mark back on Jan. 28, when a sellout crowd of 6,105 watched host Denver take on Alaska Anchorage at Magness Arena.

In 2003-04, the WCHA eclipsed its own Div. 1 hockey conference season attendance record when 1,513,137 fans attended 217 home games, including a record 82,564 for the 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five.

77,746 Attend 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five at Xcel Energy Center as Tournament Tops 1,000,000 Fans Since 1988 Since it's inception in 1988, the WCHA Playoff Championship ­ or WCHA Final Five as it has been known since 1993 ­ has now drawn a total of 1,016,782 fans. This year, the 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five, held March 17-19 at Xcel Energy Center (18,064) in Saint Paul, Minn., drew 77,746 to the five games, the second highest total in history.

A Thursday (March 17) night Final Five record crowd of 15,583 saw North Dakota upend Wisconsin, 3-2. On Friday (March 18) afternoon, 13,132 watched Denver edge the Fighting Sioux, 2-1 in overtime, while a near sellout crowd of 17,794 saw Colorado College down Minnesota, 3-0, on Friday night. And that despite a snowstorm that hit the Twin Cities area. Last Saturday (March 19), 14,730 watched UND defeat Minnesota, 4-2, in the third place game while 16,507 saw Denver skate past Colorado College, 1-0, in the Broadmoor Trophy championship contest.

In 2004, the WCHA Final Five drew a record 82,564 to Xcel Energy Center.

NCAA Championship (Frozen Four) Facts
WCHA Leads all Conferences with Record 34 National Titles
Since it's founding in 1951-52, national (NCAA) championships have been become a hallmark of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and its member teams.

Over the past 52 seasons, teams representing the WCHA (MCHL/WIHL/WCHA) have earned a collegiate record 34 NCAA championships, including the most recent back-to-back-back titles won by Minnesota in St. Paul in 2002 and in Buffalo in 2003, and by Denver in Boston in 2004. WCHA-member teams have also finished as the national runner-up on 26 other occasions.

National Championships: 9 ­ Michigan; 7 ­ North Dakota; 6 ­ Denver; 5 ­ Minnesota, Wisconsin; 4 ­ Boston University; 3 ­ Michigan Tech, Lake Superior State; 2 ­ Colorado College, Cornell, Rensselaer, Michigan State, Maine, Boston College.

Frozen Four Appearances: 22 ­ Michigan (1948-2003); 20 ­ Boston University (1950-97); 18 ­ Minnesota (1953-2003), Boston College (1948-2004); 14 ­ North Dakota (1958-2001); 12 ­ Denver^ (1958-2004), Harvard (1955-94); 10 ­ Michigan Tech (1956-81), Michigan State (1959-2001); 9 ­ Wisconsin^ (1970-90), Colorado College (1948-97), St. Lawrence (1952-2000), Maine (1988-2004).

Frozen Four Wins: 24 ­ Michigan (1948-2001); 20 ­ North Dakota (1958-2001); 19 ­ Minnesota (1953-2003); 18 ­ Boston University (1950-97); 16 ­ Denver^ (1958-2004); 13 ­ Wisconsin^ (1970-90); 11 ­ Michigan Tech (1956-81); 10 ­ Boston College (1948-2004); 8 ­ Maine (1988-2004), Michigan State (1959-2001); 7 ­ Colorado College (1948-97), Cornell (1967-80), Lake Superior State (1988-94).

Frozen Four Winning Percentage: .875 ­ Lake Superior State (1988-94) (7-1-0); .750 ­ Bowling Green, 1978-84 (3-1-0); .722 ­ Wisconsin^, 1970-90 (13-5-0); .714 ­ North Dakota, 1958-2001 (20-8-0); .667 ­ Denver^, 1958-2004 (16-8-0), Michigan, 1948-2002 (24-12-0); .600 ­ Rensselaer, 1958-85 (6-4-0); .559 ­ Minnesota, 1953-2003 (19-15-0); .550 ­ Michigan Tech, 1956-81 (11-9-0).

Tournament Appearances: 29 ­ Minnesota (1953-2005); 28 ­ Boston University (1950-2005); Michigan (1948-2005); 25 ­ Boston College (1948-2005); 23 ­ Michigan State (1959-2004); 20 ­ North Dakota (1958-2005), Wisconsin^ (1970-2005), Harvard (1955-2005); 18 ­ Clarkson (1957-99); 17 ­ Colorado College (1948-2005), Denver^ (1958-2005).

Tournament Wins: 47 ­ Minnesota (1953-2004); 43 ­ Michigan (1948-2004); 33 ­ Boston University (1950-2003); 31 ­ North Dakota (1958-2004); 29 ­ Wisconsin^ (1970-2004); 26 ­ Boston College (1948-2003), Maine (1987-2004); 23 ­ Michigan State (1959-2004); 21 ­ Denver^ (1958-2004); 20 ­ Lake Superior State (1985-96). Tournament Winning Percentage: .689 ­ North Dakota (1958-2004) (31-14-0); .683 ­ Michigan (1948-2004) (43-20-0); .641 ­ Lake Superior State (1985-96) (20-11-1); .625 ­ Wisconsin^ (1970-2004) (29-17-2); .619 ­ Maine (1987-2004) (26-16-0); .618 ­ Minnesota (1953-2004) (47-29-0), Denver^ (1958-2002) (21-13-0); .591 ­ Michigan Tech (1956-81) (13-9-0); .532 ­ Boston University (1950-2003) (33-29-0)

^ ds not include vacated years

WCHA Players, Teams Prominent in Latest Div. 1 National Rankings
Sertich, Sterling, Murphy Run 1-2-3 in Scoring
In this week's (March 20-27, 2005) NCAA Division 1 men's hockey national statistical rankings, Western Collegiate Hockey Association-member players run No. 1, 2 and 3 in average points per game. CC's Marty Sertich (25-36-61) is at 1.52, CC's Brett Sterling (32-29-61) is at 1.52, and MTU's Colin Murphy (11-42-53) is at 1.43. Other WCHA players among the top 25 include UMD's Evan Schwabe (T 20th, 1.18, 19-26-45) and Denver's Gabe Gauthier (24th, 1.18, 20-26-46).

In goals per game, Sterling (0.80) is No. 1, Sertich (0.62) is No. 9, and UM's Ryan Potulny (0.59) and Danny Irmen are tied at No. 15 at 0.59. Sterling is also No. 1 nationally in goals scored with 32.

In assists per game, Murphy (1.14) is No. 1, Sertich (0.90) is tied at No. 2, UM's Tyler Hirsch is No. 11 (0.82) and Denver's Brett Skinner is tied at No. 22 (0.77). Murphy is also No. 1 nationally in assists overall with 42.

In power-play goals, Sterling is No. 1 nationally with 17 while Potulny is tied at No. 2 with 14. In shorthanded goals, UW's Adam Burish is tied at No. 1 with four. In game-winning goals, Sterling is tied at No. 3 with six.

In points per game among Div. 1 defensemen, Denver's Matt Carle (12-27-39) is No. 2 at 1.00, Skinner (4-30-34) is No. 5 at 0.87, MTU's Lars Helminen (8-24-32) is No. 7 at 0.86, CC's Brian Salcido (5-21-26) is tied at No. 12 at 0.74, and MSU's Kyle Peto (3-24-27) is No. 14 at 0.73.

In points per game among Div. 1 rookies, UW's J Pavelski (16-29-45) is No. 2 at 1.12, Denver's Paul Stastny (15-27-42) is No. 3 at 1.11, UND's Rastislav Spirko (16-20-36) is No. 11 at 0.88, and UND's Travis Zajac (15-18-33) is No. 16 at 0.80.

In goals-against average, CC's Curtis McElhinney is No. 7 at 1.93, UND's Jordan Parise is No. 14 at 2.15, UND's Philippe Lamoureux is No. 16 at 2.19, Denver's Peter Mannino is No. 18 at 2.27, and UW's Bernd Brückler is No. 21 at 2.35.

In saves percentage, McElhinney is No. 3 nationally at .934, Mannino is No. 16 at .921, MTU's Cam Ellsworth is No. 25 at .916, CC's Matt Zaba is No. 26 at .916, and Brückler is No. 27 at .916.

And in winning percentage among the nation's goaltenders, McElhinney is No. 2 nationally at .848 (19-3-1), Mannino is No. 6 at .775 (15-4-1), Denver's Glenn Fisher is No. 10 at .711 (13-5-1), Parise is No. 14 at .674 (14-6-3), Zaba is No. 16 at .647 (10-5-2), UM's Kellen Briggs is No. 17 at .633 (19-11-0) and Brückler is No. 24 at .597 (17-11-3).

In men's Div. 1 national team statistics, Western Collegiate Hockey Association-member teams are also prominent among the leaders.

In scoring offense, Denver is No. 3 nationally at 4.00 goals per game, Colorado College is No. 4 at 3.70, Minnesota is No. 5 at 3.66, and Wisconsin is No. 19 at 3.15.

In scoring defense, Colorado College and Wisconsin are tied at No. 6 at 2.17, North Dakota is No. 11 at 2.29, Minnesota is No. 18 at 2.54, and Denver is No. 19 at 2.62.

In average scoring margin, Colorado College is No. 3 at 1.52, Denver is No. 5 at 1.38, Minnesota is No. 9 at 1.12, Wisconsin is No. 12 at 0.97, and North Dakota is No. 18 at 0.66.

In team power-play stats, Colorado College is No. 3 at 23.6%, Michigan Tech is No. 7 at 22.1%, Minnesota is No. 9 at 21.6%, Wisconsin is No. 14 at 19.8%, Denver is No. 17 at 19.5%, and North Dakota is No. 18 at 19.3%.

In team penalty-killing stats, Wisconsin is No. 7 at 86.9%, Colorado College is No. 11 at 86.0%, North Dakota is No. 14 at 85.8%, and Denver is No. 15 at 85.1%.

And in team winning percentage, Colorado College is No. 3 at .762 (29-8-3), Denver is No. 5 at .744 (28-9-2), Minnesota is No. 11 at .646 (26-14-1), Wisconsin is tied at No. 13 at .625 (23-13-4), and North Dakota is No. 20 at .598 (22-14-5).

WCHA Team Statistical Leaders
(thru games of March 20)
Scoring Offense, G/GM (All Games): 4.00, Denver
Scoring Offense, G/GM (WCHA): 4.07, Denver
Scoring Defense, G/GM (All Games): 2.17, Colorado College, Wisconsin
Scoring Defense, G/GM (WCHA): 2.29, Wisconsin
Penalty Minutes, Game (All Games): 20.7, Minnesota State
Penalty Minutes, Game (WCHA): 20.8, Minnesota State
Power-Play (All Games): 23.6%, Colorado College
Power-Play (WCHA): 25.2%, Colorado College
Penalty-Kill (All Games): 86.9%, Wisconsin
Penalty-Kill (WCHA): 86.2%, Wisconsin

WCHA Individual Statistical Leaders
(thru games of March 20)
Most Points (All Games): 61, Brett Sterling, Jr, LW, CC; Marty Sertich, Jr, C, CC
Most Points (WCHA): 42, Marty Sertich, Jr, C, CC
Most Goals (All Games): 32, Brett Sterling, Jr, LW, CC
Most Goals (WCHA): 20, Luke Fulghum, Sr, LW, Denver
Most Assists (All Games): 42, Colin Murphy, Sr, RW, MTU
Most Assists (WCHA): 25, Marty Sertich, Jr, C, CC; Colin Murphy, Sr, RW, MTU
Most PP Points (All Games): 33, Brett Sterling, Jr, LW, CC
Most PPG (All Games): 16, Brett Sterling, Jr, LW, CC
Most SH Points (All Games): 4, Jussi Halme, Sr, D, Denver; Adam Burish, Jr, C, UW
Most SHG (All Games): 4, Adam Burish, Jr, C, UW
Most GWG (All Games): 6, Brett Sterling, Jr, LW, CC
Most Points, Defenseman (All Games): 39, Matt Carle, So, D, Denver
Most Points, Defenseman (WCHA): 30, Matt Carle, So, D, Denver
Most Points, Freshman (All Games): 45, J Pavelski, Fr, C, UW
Most Points, Freshman (WCHA): 31, Paul Stastny, Fr, C, Denver
Best GAA (All Games): 1.93, Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best GAA (WCHA): 2.09, Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best Saves Percentage (All Games): .934, Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best Saves Percentage (WCHA): .931, Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best Winning Pct. (All Games): .848 (19-3-1), Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best Winning Pct. (WCHA): .833 (12-2-1), Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC.

WCHA Team Notes € NCAA Regionals
Colorado College Tigers
The Tigers will be playing in the NCAA tournament for nine time in the last 11 seasons and 17th time overall... CC's 29 victories to date in 2004-05 ties its fourth highest total ever in a season... the Tigers won 33 games in 1995-96, 30 each in 1994-95 and 2002-03, and 29 in 1998-99... since the 1993-94 campaign, they have won 317 decisions overall for an average of 26.4 per year... Colorado College and Colgate, which will meet in the post-season for the first time ever on Friday, have played each other only six times in the past... CC leads the all-time rivalry by a slim 3-2-1 margin after splitting with the Raiders at the World Arena early in the 1999-00 season, Scott Owens' first as head coach... the Tigers own an overall record of 15-16 in the NCAA playoffs, including an 8-2 mark against current members of the ECAC... senior goalie Curtis McElhinney, who was in net for both games at the WCHA Final Five last weekend, has improved his league-best goals-against average to 1.93 and saves percentage to .934... last Saturday's 1-0 loss to Denver was just his third setback of the season, as he takes a remarkable 19-3-1 (.848) record into the NCAA playoffs... last Friday's whitewashing of Minnesota was the ninth shutout of his career... McElhinney's allowed one or fewer goals in a game on 11 occasions this campaign... the two-time All-WCHA first-team selection and goaltending champion, who earned All-America honors as a sophomore in 2002-03, now is 60-15-8 (.771) during his four years as a Tiger... two of his three assists this season have come on game-winning goals... McElhinney was named to the 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team... junior left wing Brett Sterling has scored twice in a game on eight occasions this season after clicking for a pair of tallies against the Gophers last Friday... Sterling, who was the Most Valuable Player and an all-tournament team selection at the 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five, now has collected 17 points (12g,5a) in 13 career post-season outings for Colorado College... he has climbed into a tie with linemate and fellow All-America/Hobey Baker Award Top-10 Finalist Marty Sertich for the national scoring lead, each with 61 points, and continues to lead the country with 32 goals including 17 on the power-play... he has factored in on a dozen game winners to date in 2004-05, scoring six and assisting on six more... more than half (38) of his 75 career goals have come on the power-play... CC now has had a pair of Hobey Baker Award Top 10s in two of the last three seasons... Sertich and Sterling are the sixth and seventh Tigers ever to earn that distinction... Sertich, who has logged 21 multiple-point games this season despite being held off the scoresheet last weekend, currently is tied for 43rd place on the school's all-time points chart with 129 (45g,84a) during his career as a Tiger... CC is 0-3 in Final Five championship games... the Tigers are a perfect 23-0 in 2004-05 when leading after two periods, but just 3-6-1 when behind after two... they are 9-4-3 in one-goal games... freshman defenseman Jack Hillen, whose outlet pass sprang Sterling for the first goal of the game in last Friday's victory over Minnesota, has three assists in three post-season appearances for Colorado College... the Tigers have erupted for three or more goals in a period on 13 occasions this season and four or more in a period on four occasions.

Denver Pioneers
The top-seed and defending NCAA champion Denver Pioneers (28-9-2) will play fourth-seed Bemidji State (23-12-1) of College Hockey America at the NCAA Northeast Regional on Saturday, March 26 in Amherst, Mass... puck drup is scheduled for 10 am MT at the Mullins Center... the Denver/Bemidji State winner will play the winner of second-seed New Hampshire (25-10-5) of the Hockey East Association and third-seed Harvard (21-9-3) of the ECAC on Sunday, March 27 at Noon MT... Denver is 21-13 (.618) all-time in the NCAA Tournament... the Pioneers will make their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and rank third all-time with six national titles (1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969 and 2004)... Head coach George Gwozdecky, who captured his 400th career win against North Dakota on March 18 at the 2005 WCHA Final Five, is 6-4 in 10 NCAA tournament games... The Pioneers became the 9th WCHA team to capture the MacNaughton Cup and Broadmoor Trophy in the same season with their 1-0 win over Colorado College on March 19... senior Luke Fulghum (21-17-38) scored his team-leading game-winning goal on the power play in the second period to give the Pioneers the win... freshman goaltender Peter Mannino (15-4-1, 2.27 GAA, .921 Sv%) set a school record with his third consecutive shutout and broke his own school mark for consecutive shutout minutes at 186:00... his five shutouts this season are the most for any freshman netminder to play at Denver... Gabe Gauthier (20-26-46), who was named to the 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five All-Tournanment Team, scored both goals in Denver's 2-1 overtime win against North Dakota at the Final Five... also named to the 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team from the champion Pioneers was defenseman Matt Laatsch... sophomore Glenn Fisher, who stopped 29 of 30 shots on goal to lead the Denver to a 2-1 overtime win over North Dakota in a WCHA Final Five semi-final on March 18, sports a 13-5-1, 2.84 GAA, and .890 Sv%... the Pioneers have won five consecutive games and have outscored its opponents 16-2 during the winning streak.

Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota claimed fourth place at the 2005 WCHA Final Five last weekend, falling 3-0 to Colorado College in the semifinals and 4-2 to North Dakota in the third-place game... UM hosts the NCAA West Regional as a No. 1 seed and will face No. 4 seed Maine in the opening game of the 2005 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 26 at 1:30 pm CT, at Mariucci Arena... the sixth-ranked Golden Gophers (26-14-1) earned a No. 1 seed for the fourth year in a row... the two semi-final winners will meet on Sunday at 2:30 pm CT with the winner advancing to the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four in Columbus, Ohio on April 7 & 9... the Golden Gophers own a 12-9-0 all-time record vs. Maine in a series dating back to 1984... in the last meeting, Maine shut out Minnesota, 4-0, in the 2003-04 season opener (10/10/03) at the Maverick Stampede in Omaha, Neb.... the two teams last met in the post-season in the dramatic 2002 NCAA Championship game at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on April 6, 2002... the Golden Gophers dropped Maine, 4-3, in overtime to capture their first national title in 23 years... Mariucci Arena (cap. 10,000) is hosting an NCAA Regional for the third time in six years after playing host to the West Regional in 2000 and 2003... last Friday vs. CC, Minnesota was shut out for the first time since a 4-0 loss to Maine on Oct. 10, 2003, a span of 82 games... Minnesota is 26-9-0 under Don Lucia in the post-season... the Golden Gophers are 9-9-0 vs. ranked opponents this season... Minnesota is making its nation-leading 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including its fifth in a row... Minnesota is 47-29-0 all-time in the NCAA Tournament... the 47 wins is the most by any team in the nation, with Michigan ranking second with 43... the Golden Gophers' .618 winning percentage in the tournament ranks sixth all-time as North Dakota leads the way at .689 (31-14-0)... since the NCAA adopted the regional format in 1992, the Golden Gophers own a 10-6-0 record in NCAA Regional action... Minnesota has faced six of the 15 teams this season in the NCAA Tournament and have a 9-9-0 record in those contests... Don Lucia owns a 14-7 (.667) record in the NCAA Tournament during his tenures with Alaska-Fairbanks, Colorado College and the Golden Gophers... he is 8-2-0 with Minnesota and was 6-5-0 with CC... UM is 18-8-1 in games played in Minnesota and 8-6-0 out of state... Minnesota is 9-5-0 in one-goal games, 4-6-0 in two-goal games and 13-3-0 in three- goal or more games.

North Dakota Fighting Sioux
The UND men's hockey team will play Boston University on Friday at 7:00 pm CT in Worcester, Mass., in a first round regional game in the East Regional of the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Championship... the Fighting Sioux (22-14-5) are seeded second in the East Region, with Boston University (23-13-4) seeded third... Boston College (25-6-7) is seeded first in the East Region and will play fourth-seeded Mercyhurst (18-15-4) on Friday at 3:30 pm CT in the other East Region matchup... the winners of Friday's games will meet on Saturday at 7:00 pm CT in the East Region championship game, with the winner of that game advancing to the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four (April 7 & 9) in Columbus, Ohio... the Sioux have played in Worcester, Mass., once before, defeating Colorado College, 4-1, on March 24, 2001, there in the NCAA quarterfinals to advance to the 2001 Frozen Four in Albany, N.Y.... this will be North Dakota's 20th appearance in the NCAA tournament... UND has won seven NCAA national titles and has four national runner-up finishes... the Sioux are 31-14-0 all-time in the NCAA tournament and have a .689 NCAA tournament winning percentage... the last time that UND played Boston University was on Dec. 29, 2000, in the Badger Showdown in Milwaukee, Wisc.... the Terriers won that game, 4-3... UND and BU have met four times previously in the NCAA tournament, the most recent in 1997, when the Sioux defeated the Terriers, 6-4, in the NCAA championship game in Milwaukee, Wisc... prior to that, the two teams played three games in the quarterfinal round of the 1990 NCAA tournament in Boston, Mass., with Boston University defeating UND in a two-of-three series... UND won the first game in that series (8-5), and BU won the next two games (5-3, 5-0)... North Dakota is 10-6-1 all-time against Boston University... Denver defeated North Dakota, 2-1, in overtime on Friday afternoon in the first semi-final game of the WCHA Final Five, snapping UND's unbeaten streak at seven games (5-0-2), North Dakota's longest of the season... UND's 4-2 win over Minnesota on Saturday in the third-place game of the WCHA Final Five, gave the Sioux a 6-1-2 record in their past nine games... UND made its first-ever appearance in the WCHA Final Five's third-place game... defenseman Matt Greene (Jr., Grand Ledge, MI) scored his first career game-winning goal in last Saturday's 4-2 win over Minnesota... defenseman Nick Fuher (Sr., Grand Forks, ND) scored UND's only goal in the Sioux's 2-1 loss to Denver on March 18, and added an insurance goal in last Saturday's 4-2 win over Minnesota... Fuher was named to the 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five All-Tournament team along with forward Rastislav Spirko (Fr., Vrutky,Slovakia), who scored a shorthanded goal against Minnesota last Saturday... it was Spirko's team-leading 16th goal of the season... Sioux goalie Jordan Parise (So., Faribault, MN) started last Thursday and Saturday for UND, posting a 1-1 mark in the Final Five and stopping 58 of the 62 shots (.935 save percentage) he faced (33 saves Thursday, 25 saves Saturday)... Parise has now allowed just 12 goals over his past eight games... he has stopped 200 of 212 shots (.943 save percentage) in that stretch and has a 1.47 goals-against average in that span... Sioux goalie Philippe Lamoureux (Fr., Grand Forks, ND) started last Friday's game, his first start since Feb. 19 against Alaska Anchorage... Lamoureux stopped 30 of 32 Denver shots... combining Lamoureux's performance with fellow Sioux goalie Jordan Parise (So., Faribault, MN), UND netminders have stopped 230 of the past 244 shots they have faced over the past nine games, a .943 save percentage... the Sioux are now 10-7 all-time in the WCHA Final Five and 68-54-7 (.554) all-time in the WCHA playoffs... last Thursday night's win was UND's first in three appearances in the Final Five's No. 4/5 game... UND lost 3-2 in 1995 to Minnesota and 2-1 in 2003 to Minnesota Duluth in its other Thursday night appearances.

Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin (23-13-4) earned a No. 3 seed for the 2005 NCAA Men's Div. 1 Ice Hockey Tournament and will face second-seeded Michigan (30-7-3) in first-round action Friday at 7:30 pm CT... the game will be played at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., as part of the NCAA Midwest Regional... Michigan, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season and post-season champion, enters the contest with a 12-game unbeaten streak (10-0-2)... the Badgers earned a 3-1 victory over then-No. 1 ranked Michigan at the Kohl Center on Nov. 27... also placed in the Midwest Regional was WCHA regular-season co-champion Colorado College, the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament ... the Tigers will face ECAC-member Colgate on Friday at 4:00 pm CT for a chance to advance to the Midwest Regional final... for the second-straight year, the Badgers' first-round opponent comes off a CCHA tournament title... last season, Wisconsin skated to a 1-0 overtime victory over Ohio State after the Buckeyes won the CCHA tournament... Wisconsin and Michigan have met four times previously in NCAA competition, with each team winning two games... Michigan has won the last two meetings in the postseason series including a 4-3 win in the second round of the 1995 tournament in Madison, Wis., and a 4-3 overtime win during the 1993 second round in Detroit, Mich.... Wisconsin defeated the Wolverines 4-2 in the semi-finals in 1992 in Albany, N.Y., and earned a 6-5 overtime victory in the 1977 NCAA Championship Game in Detroit... current UW head coach Mike Eaves was a part of the 1977 title-winning squad... tickets for the Midwest Regional are currently on sale at Ticketmaster... more information can be found by calling the Wisconsin Ticket Office during regular business hours at 1-800-GO-BADGERS... to view archived video of head coach Mike Eaves, captain Adam Burish and assistant captains Bernd Brückler and Tom Gilbert addressing media questions about the team's selection, visit uwbadgers.com and click on the audio/video link on the left column.

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