March 23, 2003

North Dakota, St. Cloud State are No. 4 Seeds; Minnesota State is No. 5 Seed; Golden Gophers are Defending National Champions; WCHA's 2002-03 Non-Conference Mark Stands at Impressive 52-23-8 (.675)

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Tournament Bracket in PDF Format
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2003 Broadmoor Trophy (WCHA Final Five) champion Minnesota

MADISON, Wisc. - Five Western Collegiate Hockey Association-member teams, led by regular season and MacNaughton Cup champion Colorado College and playoff and Broadmoor Trophy champion Minnesota, have earned berths in the 16-team 2003 NCAA Tournament, which gets underway this coming weekend with four, four-team regionals. Also earning berths in the championship field, announced on ESPN on Sunday evening, were North Dakota, St. Cloud State and Minnesota State.

The Tigers (29-6-5) earned the No. 1 seed for the Midwest Regional at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, set for March 29-30. CC will take on No. 4 Wayne State (21-16-2) at 12 Noon ET on Saturday while the other game will match No. 2 Maine (24-9-5) vs No. 3 Michigan (28-9-3) at 3:30 pm ET. The Midwest Regional championship game is set for Sunday at 3:00 pm ET.

The Golden Gophers (24-8-9), who defeated CC, 4-2, on Saturday night in the championship game of the 2003 Kellogg's WCHA Final Five at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., are the No. 1 seed in the West Regional at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minn., set for March 28-29. Minnesota will faceoff against No. 4 seed Mercyhurst (22-12-2) at 7:30 pm CT on Friday night while the other game will match No. 3 seed North Dakota (26-11-5) against No. 2 Ferris State (30-9-1) at 4:00 pm CT. The West Regional championship game will be contested on Saturday at 4:00 pm CT.

WCHA members St. Cloud State and Minnesota State, meanwhile, will head east for first-round NCAA action. The Huskies (17-15-5) are the No. 4 seed in the Northeast Regional, set for March 28-29 at Centrum Center in Worcester, Mass. SCSU will take on No. 1 seed New Hampshire (25-7-6) at 7:30 pm ET on Friday. The first game on Friday will have No. 2 seed Boston University (24-13-3) taking on No. 3 seed Harvard (22-9-2) at 4:00 pm ET. The Northeast Regional championship game will commence at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday.

The Mavericks (20-10-10) will be the No. 4 seed in the East Regional, set for March 29-30 at Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. Minnesota State will faceoff against No. 1 seed Cornell (28-4-1) at 12 Noon ET on Saturday, with the second game featuring No. 2 seed Boston College (23-10-4) against No. 3 Ohio State (25-12-5) at 3:30 pm ET. The East Regional championship game will faceoff on Sunday at 12 Noon ET. Following next weekend's four regionals, the four winning teams will advance to the 2003 NCAA Men's Frozen Four, set for April 10-12 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. In the two Frozen Four national semi-finals on Thursday, April 10, the Northeast Regional champion will be matched against the East Regional champion while the West Regional champion will take on the Midwest Regional champion. The two games will be at 12 Noon and 6:00 pm ET, with the order of the games TBA. On Saturday, April 12, the national championship game will get underway at 7:00 pm ET.

2003 Kellogg's WCHA Final Five - March 20-22 EUR Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
Thursday, March 20: #5 Minnesota-Duluth 2 vs #4 North Dakota 1. Friday, March 21: Minnesota-Duluth 3 vs #1 Colorado College 4 (ot); #3 Minnesota State 2 vs #2 Minnesota 3 (ot). Saturday, March 22: Third Place Game: Minnesota-Duluth 6 vs Minnesota State 4; Broadmoor Trophy Championship Game: Minnesota 4 vs Colorado College 2.

2003 Division 1 Men's Ice Hockey Selections Announced
(release courtesy NCAA)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee has selected the 16 teams that will be participating in the 2003 Men's Ice Hockey Championship. The championship playoff format involves four predetermined regional sites with four teams assigned to each site. The four regional winners advance to the Frozen Four. The entire championship uses a single-elimination format. The 2003 bracket was increased to 16 teams after having only 12 teams in the field since 1988.

Automatic qualification privileges are granted to the postseason champions of six conferences. The remainder of the field is selected at large.

Cornell was the No 1 overall seed, its first No. 1 seed since 1980. The other No. 1 seeds, in order, included Colorado College, defending champion Minnesota and New Hampshire.

The dates, sites, times and pairings of this year's championship are as follows:

Northeast Regional, March 28-29 - Centrum Centre - Worcester, Massachusetts
March 28, 4 pm ET - No. 2 Boston U. (24-13-3) vs No. 3 Harvard (22-9-2)
March 28, 7:30 pm ET - No. 1 New Hampshire (25-7-6) vs No. 4 St. Cloud State (17-15-5)
March 29, 8 pm ET - Northeast Region Championship

West Regional, March 28-29 - Mariucci Arena - Minneapolis, Minnesota
March 28, 5 pm ET - No. 2 Ferris State (30-9-1) vs No. 3 North Dakota (26-11-5)
March 28, 8:30 pm ET - No. 1 Minnesota (24-8-9) vs No. 4 Mercyhurst (22-12-2)
March 29, 5 pm ET - West Region Championship

East Regional, March 29-30 - Dunkin' Donuts Center - Providence, Rhode Island
March 29, Noon ET - No. 1 Cornell (28-4-1) vs No. 4 Minnesota State Mankato (20-10-10)
March 29, 3:30 pm ET - No. 2 Boston College (23-10-4) vs No. 3 Ohio State (25-12-5)
March 30, Noon ET - East Region Championship

Midwest Regional, March 29-30 - Yost Ice Arena - Ann Arbor, Michigan
March 29, Noon ET - No. 1 Colorado College (29-6-5) vs No. 4 Wayne State (Michigan) (21-16-2)
March 29, 3:30 pm ET - No. 2 Maine (24-9-5) vs No. 3 Michigan (28-9-3)
March 30, 3 pm ET - Midwest Region Championship

2003 NCAA Men's Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 - HSBC Arena - Buffalo, New York
April 10, Noon and 6 pm ET (order of games TBA)
Northeast Region Champion vs. East Region Champion
West Region Champion vs. Midwest Region Champion

April 12, 7 pm Eastern time - National Championship

Note: NCAA Productions will produce all eight first round contests and syndicate each game for interested local TV stations and regional sports networks. ESPN will produce all four regional finals for clearance in regional markets. Local station clearances will be announced during the week of March 23.

ESPN will televise the national championship game live. ESPN2 will broadcast the semifinal games. For the latest updates on television clearances on all games, check www.ncaasports.com under broadcast info. The University of Minnesota defeated the University of Maine, 4-3 in overtime, to win the 2002 championship.

Championship Notes

The 30-year drought without a back-to-back champion in men's ice hockey, the longest such streak in NCAA history in any sport, any division, will be in jeopardy as Minnesota is the No. 1 seed in the West Region.

Boston University last captured two hockey titles in a row, winning the 1971 and 1972 championships.

Division II men's basketball went 24 years without back-to-back champions from 1970 to 1993; the next longest active streak is Division III baseball's current 23-year span.

Michigan's consecutive tournament appearance streak has reached 13, tying Minnesota's 13-year streak of NCAA appearances from 1985-97.

Ferris State, Minnesota State Mankato and Wayne State become the 40th, 41st and 42nd different teams to participate in the Division I championship.

Head coaches Troy Jutting of Minnesota State University, Mankato and Bob Daniels of Ferris State, are making their first coaching appearances in the tournament; the last coach to win the NCAA title in his first appearance was Dean Blais of North Dakota in 1997.

Boston University and Minnesota are both making their 27th appearance in the NCAA tournament, the most of any school.

Five of the last seven national championship games have gone to overtime.

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