FIELD OF DREAMS!
March 29, 2005
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MADISON, Wisc. For the first time in the 58-year history of the NCAA Division 1 Men's Ice Hockey Championship, one conference will be sending four teams to the final round. And that conference is the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, home now to a record 35 (including 2005) national championship teams since the league's founding in 1951-52.
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Conference-member teams University of Denver, Colorado College, University of Minnesota and University of North Dakota the top four ranked teams in this week's (March 28-April 3) USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Div. 1 Men's College Poll and who together have claimed 20 national championships will next head to the 2005 NCAA Men's Frozen Four to contend for college hockey's top team prize as a result of titles claimed in last weekend's NCAA regional competition. North Dakota has won seven NCAA titles, Denver has six, Minnesota has five and Colorado College has two. The 2005 NCAA Men's Frozen Four will be contested April 7 and 9 at Value City Arena (17,500 capacity) at The Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The two semi-final matchups at the Frozen Four on Thursday, April 7 will feature Denver vs Colorado College at 2:00 pm ET followed by Minnesota vs North Dakota at 7:00 pm ET. Both of those games will be telecast live by ESPN 2.
The 2005 national championship game will match the winner of the Denver/CC game vs the winner of the UM/UND game on Saturday, April 9 at 7:00 pm ET. The title game will be telecast live by ESPN. The broadcast team for ESPN's coverage will consist of Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, Darren Pang and Erin Andrews.
All three Frozen Four games will also be audiocast live nationally by Westwood One, with Sean Grande (play-by-play) and Cap Raeder (color) behind the mike. Radio coverage of Denver's games will be provided by KKFN 950 AM, with Jay Stickney (play-by-play) and Charlie Host (color) behind the mikes. Radio coverage of Colorado College's games will be provided by KRDO 1240 AM with Jeff Thomas (play-by-play) and Jim Paradise (color). Radio coverage of Minnesota's games will be provided by WCCO with Wally Shaver (play-by-play) and Glen Sonmor (color). And radio coverage of North Dakota's games will be provided by KQHT OEThe Fox' 96.1 FM, with Tim Hennessy (play-by-play) and Greg Lotysz (color) at the mikes.
Head coach George Gwozdecky's defending NCAA-champion Denver Pioneers (30-9-2, .756) are ranked No. 1 in the latest poll (USA Today/USA Hockey Magzine) and are the 2004-05 WCHA regular season co-champion and WCHA Final Five champion. Last weekend, top-seeded Denver captured the NCAA Northeast Regional crown at Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass., after defeating Bemidji State, 4-3 (ot), on March 26 and New Hampshire, 4-2, on March 27. Denver enters the Frozen Four on a seven-game winning streak and the Pioneers are 3-2-0 against CC this season.
Head coach Scott Owens' Colorado College Tigers (31-8-3, .774), who were co-MacNaughton Cup winners along with Denver, are ranked No. 2 in the latest national poll. Top-seeded CC won the NCAA Midwest Regional championship at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., this past weekend, defeating Colgate, 6-5, on March 25 and Michigan, 4-3, on March 26.
Head coach Don Lucia's Minnesota Golden Gophers (28-14-1, .663) are ranked No. 4 in the latest USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national poll. Minnesota is coming off the NCAA West Regional title, won last weekend at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. The top-seeded Golden Gophers won 1-0 (ot) over Maine on March 26 and 2-1 (ot) over Cornell on March 27.
And head coach Dave Hakstol's North Dakota Fighting Sioux (24-14-5, .616) are ranked No. 3 in this week's national poll. Second-seeded North Dakota captured the NCAA East Regional championship at DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., last weekend, after defeating Boston University, 4-0, on March 25 and top-seeded Boston College, 6-3, on March 27.
NCAA Frozen Four Practice, Team Press Conference Schedules
Wednesday (April 6) practice schedules have been set for the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Colorado College will practice from 12:00 Noon ET to 1:00 pm ET on April 6, followed by a team press conference from 1:15 pm ET to 1:45 pm ET.
Denver will practice from 1:15 pm ET to 2:15 pm ET on April 6, with a team press conference from 2:30 pm ET to 3:00 pm ET.
North Dakota will practive from 2:30 pm ET to 3:30 pm ET on April 6, with a team press conference from 3:45 pm ET to 4:15 pm ET.
Minnesota will practice from 3:45 pm ET to 4:45 pm ET on April 6, with a team press conference from 5:00 pm ET to 5:30 pm ET.
NCAA Frozen Four Titles; National Tournament Appearances
The University of North Dakota has won seven NCAA Frozen Four championships (1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000). The Fighting Sioux are making their 15th Frozen Four appearance overall since 1958 and are in their 20 national tournament appearance.
The University of Denver has won six NCAA Frozen Four championships (1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004). The Pioneers are making their 13th Frozen Four appearance overall since 1958 and are in their 17 national tournament appearance.
The University of Minnesota has won five NCAA Frozen Four championships (1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003). The Golden Gophers are making their 19th Frozen Four appearance overall since 1953 and are in their record 29th national tournament appearance.
Colorado College has won two NCAA Frozen Four championships (1950, 1957). The Tigers are making their 10th Frozen Four appearance overall since 1948 and are in their 17th national tournament appearance overall.
NCAA Frozen Four... Who's Home and Away
Denver has been designated as the home team for their national semi-final matchup with Colorado College on Thursday afternoon, April 7, at 2:00 pm ET. The Pioneers will wear white jerseys while the Tigers will wear black jerseys.
Minnesota has been designated as the home team for their national semi-final matchup against North Dakota on Thursday evening, April 7, at 7:00 pm ET. The Golden Gophers will wear white jerseys while the Fighting Sioux will wear green jerseys.
2005 NCAA Div. 1 Men's Ice Hockey Championship Regional Results
Note: for complete game summaries involving WCHA teams at the NCAA regionals, go to page 17 of this release.
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. Results of Friday: Mercyhurst 4 vs Boston College 5; Boston University 0 vs North Dakota 4. Results of Saturday (championship): North Dakota 6 vs Boston College 3. East Regional All-Tournament Team: Forwards Travis Zajac, North Dakota; Colby Genoway, North Dakota; T.J. Kemp, Mercyhurst; Defensemen Nick Fuher, North Dakota; Brian Boyle, Boston College; Goaltender Jordan Parise, North Dakota. Most Outstanding Player Jordan Parise, G, North Dakota.
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. Results of Saturday: Bemidji State 3 vs Denver 4 (ot); Harvard 2 vs New Hampshire 3 (ot). Results of Sunday (championship): New Hampshire 2 vs Denver 4. Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team: Forwards Gabe Gauthier, Denver; Daniel Winnick, New Hampshire; Kevin Ulanski, Denver; Defensemen Matt Carle, Denver; Tyson Teplitsky, New Hampshire; Goaltender Kevin Regan, New Hampshire. Most Outstanding Player Gabe Gauthier, F, Denver.
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. Results of Saturday: Maine 0 vs Minnesota 1 (ot); Ohio State 2 vs Cornell 3. Results of Sunday (championship): Cornell 1 vs Minnesota 2 (ot). West Regional All-Tournament Team: Forwards Garrett Smaagaard, Minnesota; Matt Moulston, Cornell; Evan Kaufmann, Minnesota; Defensemen Mike Vannelli, Minnesota; Doug Krantz, Cornell; Goaltender Kellen Briggs, Minnesota. Most Outstanding Player Kellen Briggs, G, Minnesota.
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. Results of Friday: Colgate 5 vs Colorado College 6; Wisconsin 1 vs Michigan 4. Results of Saturday (championship): Michigan 3 vs Colorado College 4. Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team: Forwards Trevor Frischmon, Colorado College; Jeff Tambellini, Michigan; Marty Sertich, Colorado College; Defensemen Brandon Rogers, Michigan; Brian Salcido, Colorado College; Goaltender Al Montoya, Michigan. Most Outstanding Player Trevor Frishmon, F, Colorado College.
Note: for a printable 2005 NCAA Division 1 Men's Ice Hockey Championship bracket, visit www.ncaasports.com/icehockey/mens.
NCAA Championship (Frozen Four) Facts; WCHA Leads All Conferences with Record 35 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 (through 2003-04), 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.
This year's Frozen Four winner will also now come from the WCHA either Colorado College, Denver, Minnesota or North Dakota giving the league a record 35th national title overall. WCHA-member teams will now have also finished as the national runner-up on 27 other occasions, including 2005.
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); 19 Minnesota (1953-2005), Boston College (1948-2004); 15 North Dakota (1958-2005); 13 Denver^ (1958-2005); 12 Harvard (1955-94); 10 Colorado College (1948-2005), Michigan Tech (1956-81), Michigan State (1959-2001); 9 Wisconsin^ (1970-90), 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).
National 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).
National Tournament Wins: 49 Minnesota (1953-2005); 44 Michigan (1948-2005); 33 North Dakota (1958-2005), Boston University (1950-2003); 33 North Dakota (1958-2005); 29 Wisconsin^ (1970-2005); 27 Boston College (1948-2005); 26 Maine (1987-2005); 24 Michigan State (1959-2004); 23 Denver^ (1958-2005).
National Tournament Winning Percentage: .702 North Dakota (1958-2005) (33-14-0); .677 Michigan (1948-2005) (44-21-0); .641 Lake Superior State (1985-96) (20-11-1); .639 Denver^ (1958-2005) (23-13-0); .628 Minnesota (1953-2005) (49-29-0); .612 Wisconsin^ (1970-2005) (29-18-2); .605 Maine (1987-2005) (26-17-0); .591 Michigan Tech (1956-81) (13-9-0).
^ does not include vacated years
NCAA Frozen Four Championship Game Scores Involving WCHA Teams
Year Teams & Score
1952 Michigan 4 vs Colorado College 1
1953 Michigan 7 vs Minnesota 3
1954 Rensselaer 5 vs Minnesota 4 ot
1955 Michigan 5 vs Colorado College 3
1956 Michigan 7 vs Michigan Tech 5
1957 Colorado College 13 vs Michigan 6
1958 Denver 6 vs North Dakota 2
1959 North Dakota 4 vs Michigan State 3 ot
1960 Denver 5 vs Michigan Tech 3
1961 Denver 12 vs St. Lawrence 2
1962 Michigan Tech 7 vs Clarkson 1
1963 North Dakota 6 vs Denver 5
1964 Michigan 6 vs Denver 3
1965 Michigan Tech 8 vs Boston College 2
1966 Michigan State 6 vs Clarkson 1
1968 Denver 4 vs North Dakota 0
1969 Denver 4 vs Cornell 3
1971 Boston University 4 vs Minnesota 2
1973 Wisconsin 4 vs Denver 2
1974 Minnesota 4 vs Michigan Tech 2
1975 Michigan Tech 6 vs Minnesota 1
1976 Minnesota 6 vs Michigan Tech 4
1977 Wisconsin 6 vs Michigan 5 ot
1979 Minnesota 4 vs North Dakota 3
1980 North Dakota 5 vs Northern Michigan 2
1981 Wisconsin 6 vs Minnesota 3
1982 North Dakota 5 vs Wisconsin 2
1983 Wisconsin 6 vs Harvard 2
1984 Bowling Green 5 vs Minnesota Duluth 4 (4 ot)
1987 North Dakota 5 vs Michigan State 3
1989 Harvard 4 vs Minnesota 3 ot
1990 Wisconsin 7 vs Colgate 3
1991 Northern Michigan 8, Boston University 7 (3 ot)
1992 Lake Superior State 5 vs Wisconsin 3
1996 Michigan 3 vs Colorado College 2 ot
1997 North Dakota 6 vs Boston University 4
2000 North Dakota 4 vs Boston College 2
2001 Boston College 3 vs North Dakota 2 ot
2002 Minnesota 4 vs Maine 3 ot
2003 Minnesota 5 vs New Hampshire 1
2004 Denver 1 vs Maine 0
Nationwide Arena to Host 2005 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Ceremony
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Ceremony, a popular tradition for fans attending the Frozen Four, will be held Friday, April 8, in Columbus, Ohio at Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.
The ceremony will take place at 2:30 pm ET, and is preceeded by the USCHO Town Hall Meeting (1:00 pm ET) and the Hockey Humanitarian Award ceremony. All events are free and open to the public, with doors opening at Noon.
The ceremony will be televised live by FOX Sports Net affiliates reaching 25 million homes. The following affiliates will carry the show, which will be hosted by Columbus Blue Jackets radio color analyst Bill Davidge, a former player at Ohio State and coach at Miami (Ohio): FOX Sports Detroit, FOX Sports New England, FOX Sports New York, FOX Sports North, FOX Sports Ohio, FOX Sports Rocky Mountain.
WCHA Players, Teams Prominent in Latest Div. 1 National Rankings
Sertich, Sterling, Murphy Run 1-2-3 in Scoring
In this week's (March 28-April 3, 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 (27-37-64) is at 1.52, CC's Brett Sterling (34-29-63) is at 1.50, and MTU's Colin Murphy (11-42-53) is at 1.43. Other WCHA players among the top 25 include Denver's Gabe Gauthier (12th, 1.27, 23-29-52) and UMD's Evan Schwabe (T 22nd, 1.18, 19-26-45) and
In goals per game, Sterling (0.81) is No. 1, Sertich (0.64) is No. 9, Gauthier (0.56) is No. 18, and UM's Ryan Potulny (0.56) and Danny Irmen (0.56) are tied at No. 29. Sterling is also No. 1 nationally in goals scored with 34.
In assists per game, Murphy (1.14) is No. 1, Sertich (0.88) is tied at No. 2, UM's Tyler Hirsch is No. 9 (0.82) and Denver's Brett Skinner is No. 24 (0.76). Murphy is also No. 1 nationally in assists overall with 42.
In power-play goals, Sterling is No. 1 nationally with 18 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. 1 with seven.
In points per game among Div. 1 defensemen, Denver's Matt Carle (12-29-41) is No. 2 at 1.00, MTU's Lars Helminen (8-24-32) is No. 5 at 0.86, Denver's Brett Skinner is tied at No. 7 (4-31-35) at 0.85, CC's Brian Salcido (6-23-29) is No. 11 at 0.78, MSU's Kyle Peto (3-24-27) is No. 14 at 0.73, and CC's Lee Sweatt (3-24-27) and UND's Nick Fuher (7-20-27) are tied at No. 20 at 0.66.
In points per game among Div. 1 rookies, UW's Joe Pavelski (16-29-45) is No. 2 at 1.10, Denver's Paul Stastny (15-27-42) is No. 4 at 1.05, UND's Rastislav Spirko (16-21-37) is No. 14 at 0.88, and UND's Travis Zajac (17-19-36) is No. 15 at 0.84.
In goals-against average, CC's Curtis McElhinney is No. 12 at 2.09, UND's Jordan Parise is No. 13 at 2.10, UND's Philippe Lamoureux is No. 16 at 2.19, Denver's Peter Mannino is No. 17 at 2.25, UM's Kellen Briggs is No. 22 at 2.37, UW's Bernd Brückler is No. 23 at 2.35, and CC's Matt Zaba is No. 25 at 2.46.
In saves percentage, McElhinney is No. 6 nationally at .927, Mannino is No. 12 at .922, Parise is No. 18 at .919, MTU's Cam Ellsworth is No. 26 at .916, and CC's Matt Zaba is No. 26 at .916.
And in winning percentage among the nation's Div. 1 goaltenders, McElhinney is No. 1 nationally at .860 (21-3-1), Mannino is No. 5 at .786 (16-4-1), Denver's Glenn Fisher is No. 7 at .725 (14-5-1), Parise is No. 9 at .700 (16-6-3), Briggs is No. 16 at .656 (21-11-0), and Zaba is No. 17 at .647 (10-5-2).
In men's Div. 1 national team statistics, Western Collegiate Hockey Association-member teams are also prominent among the leaders heading into the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four.
In scoring offense, Denver is No. 2 nationally at 4.00 goals per game, Colorado College is No. 4 at 3.76, Minnesota is No. 5 at 3.56, Minnesota Duluth is No. 18 at 3.13 and Minnesota State is No. 19 at 3.11.
In scoring defense, Wisconsin is No. 7 nationally at 2.22 goals allowed per game, North Dakota is No. 8 at 2.26, CC is No. 9 at 2.26, UM is No. 14 at 2.44, and Denver is No. 19 at 2.61.
In average scoring margin, Colorado College is No. 3 at 1.50, Denver is No. 4 at 1.39, Minnesota is No. 8 at 1.12, Wisconsin is No. 12 at 0.88, and North Dakota is No. 14 at 0.79.
In team power-play stats, Colorado College is No. 3 at 23.5%, Michigan Tech is No. 7 at 22.1%, Minnesota is No. 11 at 20.2%, UW is No. 16 at 19.6%, UND is No. 17 at 19.0%, and Denver is No. 18 at 18.9%.
In team penalty-killing stats, Wisconsin is No. 7 at 86.9%, North Dakota is No. 8 at 86.8%, Colorado College is No. 13 at 85.8%, and Denver is No. 15 at 85.3%.
And in team winning percentage, Colorado College is tied at No. 2 at .774 (31-8-3), Denver is No. 4 at .756 (30-9-2), Minnesota is No. 9 at .663 (28-14-1), North Dakota is No. 16 at .616 (24-14-5), and Wisconsin is tied at No.l 16 at .610 (23-14-4).
WCHA Team Statistical Leaders
(thru games of March 27)
Scoring Offense, G/GM (All Games): 4.00, Denver
Scoring Offense, G/GM (WCHA): 4.07, Denver
Scoring Defense, G/GM (All Games): 2.22, 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): 23.5%, 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 27)
Most Points (All Games): 64, Marty Sertich, Jr, C, CC
Most Points (WCHA): 42, Marty Sertich, Jr, C, CC
Most Goals (All Games): 34, 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): 34, Brett Sterling, Jr, LW, CC
Most PPG (All Games): 18, 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): 7, Brett Sterling, Jr, LW, CC
Most Points, Defenseman (All Games): 40, Matt Carle, So, D, Denver
Most Points, Defenseman (WCHA): 30, Matt Carle, So, D, Denver
Most Points, Freshman (All Games): 45, Joe Pavelski, Fr, C, UW
Most Points, Freshman (WCHA): 31, Paul Stastny, Fr, C, Denver
Best GAA (All Games): 2.09, Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best GAA (WCHA): 2.09, Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best Saves Percentage (All Games): .927, Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best Saves Percentage (WCHA): .931, Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best Winning Pct. (All Games): .860 (21-3-1), Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC
Best Winning Pct. (WCHA): .833 (12-2-1), Curtis McElhinney, Sr, G, CC.
WCHA Teams in the National Rankings
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, home to a record 34 national championship teams including those in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004 has had at least five of member teams ranked among the nation's top 15 in every weekly USA Hockey/USA Hockey Magazine Div. 1 men's college hockey poll issued in 2004-05 except one (Feb. 21-27), when the league had four teams.
In addition, four WCHA teams Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 18, Oct. 25), Minnesota (Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13, Dec. 20, Jan. 4), Colorado College (Jan. 10, Jan. 17, Feb. 21, Feb. 28, March 7, March 14) and Denver (March 21, March 28) have been ranked No. 1 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll.
Five other conference teams have been ranked No. 2 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll in North Dakota (Oct. 11, Oct. 18), UMD (Nov. 1), Wiconsin (Nov. 22, Nov. 29), CC (Dec. 6, Dec. 13, Dec. 20, Jan. 4, Jan. 24, Jan. 31, Feb. 7, March 28), and Denver (Feb. 14, Feb. 21, March 14).
WCHA Team Notes :: Frozen Four
Colorado College Tigers (31-8-3)
The Tigers, who are playing in the NCAA tournament for nine time in the last 11 seasons and 17th time overall, have advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time since 1997 ... they have reached the national championship game five times in 1950, 1952, 1955, 1957 and 1996 winning NCAA titles in 1950 and 1957 ... they were eliminated in the semifinals in 1948, 1949 and 1997 ... CC's 31 victories so far in 2004-05 represents its second highest total ever in a season ... the Tigers won 33 games overall in 1995-96, when they lost to Michigan in the NCAA championship game ... since the 1993-94 campaign, they have won 319 decisions overall for an average of 26.6 per year ... Colorado College is 17-16 all-time in the NCAA playoffs ... the Tigers are 9-5-0 this season against the other three teams at the Frozen Four, having gone 2-3-0 against Denver, 4-1, against Minnesota and 3-1 against North Dakota ... they never have met DU before in the NCAA tournament, where they are 0-2-0 against the Gophers and 0-1-0 against the Fighting Sioux ... with his two goals against Michigan on Saturday, junior center Trevor Frischmon matched his goal scoring output (10) of the 2003-04 season ... Frischmon, who notched the first shorthanded tally of his collegiate career in the second period before striking for the game-winner midway through the third vs. Michigan, was named the Midwest Regional's Most Outstanding Player after adding an assist in both games in Grand Rapids ... among his career-high 16 assists this season are four on GWGs ... junior center Marty Sertich (2g,1a) and sophomore defenseman Brian Salcido (1g,2a), who recorded three points apiece at in Grand Rapids, joined Frischmon on the regional's all-tournament team ... Sertich heads to the Frozen Four with a nation-leading 64 points (27g,37a), one more than junior left wing and linemate Brett Sterling ... last Friday's 6-5 victory over Colgate marked his 22nd multiple-point game of the season ... Sterling has factored in on 13 game-winning goals to date in 2004-05 after scoring twice in the third period of Friday's NCAA first-round triumph ... his 34 goals overall and 18 on the power-play continue to lead the nation ... he has scored twice in a game on nine occasions this campaign and has collected 19 points (14g,5a) in 15 career post-season outings as a Tiger ... more than half (39) of his 77 career goals have been PPGs ... senior goalie Curtis McElhinney, who was in net for both games at the Midwest Regional last weekend, improved his season record to 21-3-1 (.860) with the two victories ... McElhinney, who earned All-America honors as a sophomore in 2002-03, now is 62-15-8 (.776) during his four years at CC ... the two-time All-WCHA first-team selection and goaltending champion has allowed one or fewer goals in a game on 11 occasions this season, including a pair of shutouts ... two of his three assists in OE04-05 have come on game-winning goals ... Colorado College 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 the distinction ... the Tigers are a perfect 24-0 in 2004-05 when leading after two periods and 11-4-3 in one-goal games ... last Saturday marked the fourth time this season that they have rallied to win after trialing at the end of two periods ... Colorado College has erupted for three or more goals in a period on 14 occasions this season, including the opening 20 minutes against Colgate last week ... the Tigers are 12-0 when doing it.
University of Denver Pioneers (30-9-2)
The top-ranked Denver Pioneers (30-9-2) will play in-state rival Colorado College (31-8-3) in the semifinals of 2005 NCAA Frozen Four in Columbus, Ohio ... the game is set for Thursday, April 7 at 12 pm MT at Value City Arena at The Jerome Schottenstein Center ... the game will be televised live by ESPN2 and broadcast live locally in Denver on KKFN AM 950 ³The Fan² and DenverPioneers.com ... WCHA teams Minnesota (28-14-1) and North Dakota (24-14-5) join Denver and Colorado College in the Frozen Four ... Denver is 1-2-0 against Minnesota and 3-0-0 against North Dakota this season ... the defending NCAA champion Pioneers are making their 13th appearance in the Frozen Four and sport a 23-13 (.639) mark in the NCAA Tournament. Denver has won six NCAA national championships (1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969 and 2004) ... Denver will attempt to become the seventh team to earn back-to-back NCAA titles ... the Pioneers and Tigers will meet for the 255th time in the all-time series that began in the 1949-50 season ... Denver is 147-99-8 all-time against the Tigers ... the teams are meeting for the first time in the NCAA Tournament ... Denver has won three of five games against the Tigers this season, including a 1-0 victory on March 19 for the Broadmoor Trophy and WCHA Final Five championship ... WCHA and USCHO.com Coach of the Year George Gwozdecky sports a 253-161-33 (.603) in 11 seasons at Denver ... he is 403-285-54 (.580) overall and 336-255-52 (.563) in NCAA Division 1 programs ... he is the only person to capture an NCAA title as a player (Wisconsin '77), assistant coach (Michigan State '86) and head coach (Denver '04) ... he is 8-4 (.667) all-time in the NCAA Tournament at Denver and 8-5 (.615) all-time ... Denver captured the NCAA Northeast Regional championship with a 4-2 win over second-seeded New Hampshire on March 27 in Amherst, Mass. ... tourney MVP Gabe Gauthier led the Pioneers with his first career hat trick in the 4-2 win over UNH and added three assists in Denver's 4-3 overtime win against Bemidji State on March 26 ... Gauthier, who leads Denver in scoring with a career-high 52 points on 23 goals and 29 assists, was joined on the all-tournament team by senior Kevin Ulanski (11-20-31) and sophomore Matt Carle (12-28-40) ... Ulanski returned to the lineup after missing four games with a cracked knee cap ... he netted his third two-goal game of the year in the 4-3 win overtime win against Bemidji State and added an assist for his second three-point effort of the year ... sophomore Glenn Fisher (14-5-1, 2.84 GAA) earned the win against Bemidji State with 22 saves ... he has won three consecutive games ... freshman Peter Mannino (16-4-1, 2.25 GAA, .922 GAA) won his fifth consecutive game with 31 saves against New Hampshire ... Mannino has allowed just four goals in his last five starts, including three consecutive shutouts ... he set the Denver goaltender record for consecutive shutout minutes at 208:42 against New Hampshire ... Denver is second in the nation in scoring at 4.00 goals per game ... the Pioneers have 15 players with 10 or more points and seven with 20 or more ... Denver owns the nation's longest unbeaten streak at seven games (7-0-0) ... the Pioneers are 49-for-259 (.189) on the power-play this season and 191-for-224 (.853) on the penalty-kill.
University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (28-14-1)
Minnesota advanced to the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four with two dramatic overtime wins over Maine and Cornell last weekend in the 2005 NCAA West Regional at Mariucci Arena ... last Saturday vs. Maine, freshman Evan Kaufmann scored the game-winner at 1:46 of the extra session, while sophomore goaltender Kellen Briggs recorded his school-record-tying eighth career shutout with 25 saves in the 1-0 win ... the overtime goal was Kaufmann's first of his career ... Minnesota posted its second 1-0 win of the season after downing Massachusetts 1-0 in regulation in the second game of this season at the Nye Frontier Classic in Anchorage, Alaska on Oct. 15 ... in the West Regional Final on Sunday (March 27), senior Barry Tallackson scored the game-winning goal at 4:31 of the extra session to push the Golden Gophers to the 2-1 win to their third NCAA Frozen Four in four years ... forwards Garrett Smaagaard and Evan Kaufmann, defenseman Mike Vannelli and goaltender Kellen Briggs were named to the 2005 NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team ... Briggs earned Most Outstanding Player honors after stopping 42 of 43 shots on the weekend ... with his shutout vs. Maine, Briggs tied Adam Hauser (1998- 2002) on the school career shutouts list with eight ... Briggs also matched his 2003-04 season total with four shutouts ... That ranks second all-time behind Robb Stauber's five shutouts in 1987-88 ... Tallackson's game-winning goal last Sunday was his fifth of the season, matching Ryan Potulny for the team lead ... Minnesota is now 4-1-1 in overtime games this season ... UM has qualified for the NCAA Frozen Four in three of the last four seasons ... Minnesota won consecutive overtime games for the first time since downing St. Cloud State, 3-2, at the 1994 WCHA Final Five and UMass-Lowell, 2-1, at the 1994 NCAA West Regional ... UM is making its nation-leading 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament ... the Maroon and Gold is 49-29 all-time in the national tournament ... the 49 wins are the most by any team in the nation ... Don Lucia is 15-7 during his career in the NCAA Tournament, including a 10-2 record with Minnesota ... under Lucia, UM is 28-9-0 in the post-season, including a 4-2-0 playoff mark this season ... Barry Tallackson now has 26 points in 27 career post-season games with 11-15-26 ... the Maroon and Gold is unbeaten in 23 of its last 26 games in the months of March and April ... UM is 10-9-0 vs. ranked opponents this season ... Lucia is now only five wins behind Herb Brooks (1972-79) on the school's all-time coaching wins list with 162 ... the Golden Gophers are on a four-game winning streak at the NCAA Frozen Four ... Minnesota has not lost at the Frozen Four since falling 7-3 to Boston University in 1995 ... UM is 1-2-0 vs. North Dakota, 2-1-0 vs. Denver and 1-4-0 vs. Colorado College this season ... the Golden Gophers won back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2002 and 2003 ... tyhe Maroon and Gold will be making their 19th NCAA Frozen Four appearance ... the 19 appearances rank third behind Michigan's 22 and Boston University's 20.
University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (24-14-5)
UND qualified for its 15th NCAA Frozen Four by winning the NCAA East Regional championship this past weekend in Worcester, Mass. ... the Sioux shut out Boston University, 4-0, on Friday (March 25) and then beat the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, Boston College, 6-3, on Saturday (March 26) at the DCU Center ... Worcester has now been a springboard for North Dakota's last two Frozen Four appearances ... in addition to this season, North Dakota defeated Colorado College, 4-1, on March 24, 2001, in Worcester, Mass., in the NCAA quarterfinals to advance to the 2001 Frozen Four in Albany, N.Y. ... UND will meet WCHA rival Minnesota in the Frozen Four's second semifinal game, to begin at 6 pm Central time ... it will be UND's second meeting against Minnesota in NCAA tournament play ... the only previous NCAA tournament game between the schools was on March 24, 1979, in the NCAA championship game, when the Gophers defeated the Sioux, 4-3, in Detroit, Mich. ... the Sioux are 2-1 against Minnesota this season, splitting a series on Oct. 22-23 (4-2 win, 6-0 loss) and then defeating the Gophers, 4-2, in the third place game on March 19 of the 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. ... the Sioux are making their 20th NCAA appearance this season ... UND has a 33-14 overall NCAA tournament record for an NCAA-record winning percentage of .702 the best among any school that has played at least 15 NCAA tournament games ... UND's 20 Frozen Four wins are second only to Michigan's 24 Frozen Four wins, and the Fighting Sioux's seven national titles (1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000) are second only to Michigan's nine national titles ... in addition to their seven national titles, UND has finished as national runner-up on four occasions ... UND assistant coach Cary Eades is the only current Sioux coach or player to have been part of a Sioux national championship team. Eades was a player on UND's 1980 and 1982 NCAA championship teams and an assistant coach on the 1987 national championship team ... UND head coach Dave Hakstol and associate head coach Brad Berry were both assistants on the 2001 NCAA runner-up team, and senior forward Quinn Fylling (Minot, ND) was a freshman on the 2001 national runner-up squad. Fylling then played a year of juniors before returning to the Sioux for the past three seasons ... Fylling played in his 165th career game on March 26 and is now tied with Jason Notermann (1999-2003) for second on UND's all-time career games played list ... Lee Davidson (1986-90) is first with 167 career games played ... Fylling can move into sole possession of second place in UND's April 7 game and if the Sioux can win, he could tie Davidson on April 9 ... Sioux goalie Jordan Parise (So., Faribault, MN) has a 9-0-2 record in his last 11 games ... after starting his unbeaten streak by stopping 15 of 18 shots in a 6-3 win over Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 18, Parise has been particularly hot in the past 10 games ... in his past 10 games, he has stopped 262 of 277 shots (.946 save percentage) and posted a 1.48 goals-against average ... Parise recorded his second NCAA shutout on Friday (March 25), becoming only the fourth goalie in NCAA tournament history with two NCAA shutouts ... the others are former UND goalie Karl Goehring, former Denver goalie Adam Berkhoel and former Michigan goalie Marty Turco ... Parise's shutout on March 25 was the 29th in NCAA tournament history ... Parise was named most valuable player of the East regional, and was also on the all-tournament team ... he was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Nick Fuher, a senior defenseman from Grand Forks, ND, forward Colby Genoway (Sr., Morden, MB) and forward Travis Zajac (Fr., Winnipeg, MB) ... Genoway had four points (2g,2a) in Friday's (March 25) win over Boston University, figuring in all four UND goals ... it was Genoway's third four-point game of the season and in his career ... he added another assist on Saturday (March 26) ... Zajac scored two goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist on Saturday (March 26) ... he has a team-high 17 goals this season ... forward Drew Stafford (So., Faribault, MN) picked up his team-leading fifth game-winning goal of the season on Friday (March 25) and added another goal Saturday (March 26) along with an assist ... forward Rory McMahon (Sr., Perdue, SK) had one goal and two assists on Friday (March 25) and added another assist on Saturday (March 26) ... Fuher picked up two assists on March 25, one on March 26 and now has seven points (3g,4a) in his past six games ... he has been on the all-tournament team at both the East Regional and WCHA Final Five ... forward Chris Porter (So., Faribault, MN) scored two goals on March 26, his 11th and 12th of the season, snapping a personal 15-game streak without a goal ... Porter now has scored four goals in two games against Boston College this season ... UND killed off all nine Boston University power-play opportunities on March 25 and all nine Boston College power-play opportunities on March 26 ... UND has now gone 9-of-9 on penalty-killing on five occasions this year.
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