Eight WCHA Alums Named To U.S. National Team For 2003 IIHF World Championships
April 26, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
MADISON, Wisc. Eight Western Collegiate Hockey Association alums, representing six member schools, have been selected to the 23-player roster for the 2003 United States Men's National Team, which will compete at the 2003 International Ice Hockey Federation Menıs World Championship April 26-May 11 in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku, Finland. The announcement was made by 2003 U.S. Men's National Team Co-General Managers Jay Feaster and Larry Pleau, Director of Player Personnel Art Berglund, USA Hockey President Walter L. Bush, Jr., USA Hockey Vice President and International Council Chairperson Ron DeGregorio and USA Hockey Executive Director Doug Palazzari.
Five WCHA alums named as forwards were Matt Cullen (St. Cloud State University), Brad DeFauw (University of North Dakota), Kelly Fairchild (University of Wisconsin), Craig Johnson (University of Minnesota) and John Pohl (University of Minnesota). Selected as defensemen were Brett Hauer (University of Minnesota-Duluth) and Jordan Leopold (University of Minnesota). And named as one of three team goaltenders was Damian Rhodes (Michigan Tech University).
Head Coach of the U.S. National Team for the fourth consecutive year is Lou Vairo of Colorado Springs, Colo. Vairo will be joined on the coaching staff by former New York Rangersı Head Coach Bryan Trottier and New Jersey Devils' scout Jay Leach.
Team USA competes with Russia, Switzerland and Denmark in Group B of the 2003 IIHF Menıs World Championship in Tampere, Finland. The U.S. begins the tournament playing each team in its Group in a round-robin format. Following the Preliminary Round, teams are re-seeded within their Groups according to points (two points for a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss).
The top-three teams in each Group then advance to the Qualification Round to play in three cross-over games against the opposite Group in its bracket (for example, if the U.S. advanced it would play against the top-three teams in Group C). Teams carry points into the Qualification Round based on competition against teams that also advance.
Following this round, the top-four point leaders in each of the two brackets (Groups A & D and Groups B & C) will advance to the single-elimination Quarterfinal Round on May 7. Teams are re-seeded to determine match-ups. New points acquired in the Qualification Round only carry-over if they come against teams advancing to the Quarterfinal Round. The four winning teams in the Quarterfinal Round advance to the Semifinal Round on May 9 and the Medal Round from May 10-11.
|
|
 |
