April 28, 2004

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MADISON, Wisc. ­ It was another banner season for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 2003-04, a campaign that brought unprecedented exposure and awards to the conference and it's member teams, student-athletes and coaches.

2003-04 was a season that saw the league capture a third consecutive national championship and record 34th overall when the University of Denver Pioneers defeated fellow WCHA-member Minnesota Duluth, 5-3, in a national semi-final on April 8 and then blank Maine, 1-0, in the NCAA Frozen Four championship game on April 10 at FleetCenter in Boston, Mass.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, with a collegiate conference record 34 national championship titles won by member teams since the league's founding in 1951, has now qualified at least one team into the final round of four in 49 of it's 52 seasons overall. The WCHA has also now placed one of its teams into the national championship game the past five seasons in a row and has had at least two teams in the Frozen Four a total of 35 times overall.

It was a season that saw the league place a record-tying five teams in the national tournament in No. 1 NCAA West Regional seed North Dakota, No. 1 NCAA Midwest Regional Seed Minnesota, No. 2 NCAA Midwest Regional seed Minnesota Duluth, No. 3 NCAA East Regional seed Wisconsin, and No. 3 NCAA West Regional seed Denver. Those WCHA teams went 5-0 in their opening games against teams from other conferences.

It was a season that saw the WCHA have at least five teams ranked among the nation's top 15 teams in the final USA Today/American Hockey Magazine weekly poll for April 13 and in 26 of 28 weeks overall, including the pre-season. The final USA Today/AHM poll had Denver (27-12-5) at No. 1, Minnesota Duluth (28-13-4) at No. 4, North Dakota (30-8-3) at No. 5, Minnesota (27-14-3) at No. 6, Wisconsin (22-13-8) at No. 8, and Colorado College (20-16-3) at No. 15.

It was a season that saw the Western Collegiate Hockey Association break it's own Div. 1 conference season attendance record (set in 2002-03 at 1,511,991) with a total of 1,513,137 fans. Showing improved home game averaged in 2003-04 were Minnesota Duluth (4,603 vs 3,982), Minnesota State (3,860 vs 3,685), and Wisconsin (11,555 vs 11,350).

It was a season that saw WCHA member teams post an impressive 60-20-9 record and .725 winning percentage against teams from other Div. 1 conferences. The league was also 57-27-8 (.663) vs other Div. 1 conference teams in 2002-03 and 56-24-2 (.695) in 2001-02.

It was a season that saw one of the most competitive conference races in recent history come down to the final weekend of the regular season as North Dakota captured the league title and MacNaughton Cup over runner-up Minnesota Duluth.

It was a season that saw the 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five draw a conference record 82,564 fans to Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., and the Minnesota Golden Gophers earn their second straight Broadmoor Trophy with a memorable 5-4 victory over North Dakota in the championship game. The Final Five featured crowds of 14,123 for the play-in game Thursday (March 18), 15,022 for the first semi-final on Friday (March 19), a sellout crowd of 19,208 for the second semi-final on Friday, 14,905 for the third place game on Saturday (March 20), and an all-time WCHA record sellout crowd of 19,306 for the Broadmoor Trophy championship game.

It was a season that saw six teams in the WCHA win at least 20 games overall in North Dakota (30), Minnesota Duluth (28), Denver (27), Minnesota (27), Wisconsin (22) and Colorado College (20).

It was a season that saw a Western Collegiate Hockey Association player ­ Minnesota Duluth's Junior Lessard ­ earn the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's top player for the third consecutive season and record 10th time overall. Two WCHA players ­ Lessard and North Dakota sophomore forward Zach Parise ­ were among the three Hobey Baker OEHat Trick' finalists and four ­ Lessard, Parise, Minnesota junior defenseman Keith Ballard and North Dakota junior forward Brandon Bochenski were Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalists.

It was a season that saw Wisconsin senior defenseman Dan Boeser named one of five finalists for the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award. The Badger tri-captain overcame a battle with cancer to become of the top scoring defensemen in the WCHA in 2003-04 and generates his time to helping children in his local community.

It was a season that saw eight conference players earn JOFA All-American honors, including six first teamers in goaltender Bernd Bruckler (Wisconsin), defensemen Keith Ballard (Minnesota) and Ryan Caldwell (Denver), and forwards Brandon Bochenski (North Dakota), Junior Lessard (Minnesota Duluth) and Zach Parise (North Dakota) and two second teamers in defenseman Beau Geisler (Minnesota Duluth) and forward Thomas Vanek (Minnesota).

It was a season that saw University of Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin earn the Spencer Penrose Award as the American Hockey Coaches' Association Men's Div. 1 Coach of the Year. Both Sandelin, and Penrose runner-up George Gwozdecky of University of Denver, were among the eight finalists for the award. Sandelin will be honored at the AHCA Convention in Naples, Fla., on April 24.

It was a season that saw 74 student-athletes representing all 10 member institutions earn WCHA All-Academic Team honors, including Denver's Connor James who earned the prestigious WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year award.

It was a season that saw UMD's Junior Lessard and UND's Brandon Bochenski share the conference scoring title with 39 points each ­ only the fourth time in league history this has occured ­ and Wisconsin's Bernd Bruckler become the first Badger goaltender to claim the league goaltending title (2.11 GAA) since 1993-94 (Jim Carey).

It was a season that saw nine WCHA players play key roles in the 2004 U.S. National Junior Team's Gold Medal-winning performance in the IIHF World Junior Championship in Finland. Coached by Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves, the U.S. team featured WCHA players Matt Carle (D, Denver), Mark Stuart (D, Colorado College), Jeff Likens (D, Wisconsin), Ryan Suter (D, Wisconsin), Jake Dowell (F, Wisconsin), Brady Murray (F, North Dakota), Drew Stafford (F, North Dakota), Brett Sterling (F, Colorado College), and Zach Parise (F, North Dakota). Parise tied for the scoring lead with 11 points (5g,6a) and was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player. He was also one of the IIHF's three Directorate Award Winners and was selected to the All-Tournament Team by the media. Scores of the U.S. games were 8-0 over Austria on Dec. 26, 5-0 over Slovakia on Dec. 28, 4-3 over Sweden on Dec. 30, 4-1 over Russia on Dec. 31, 2-1 over Finland (semi-finals) on Jan. 3, and 4-3 over Canada (Gold Medal game). The United States will host next year's IIHF World Junior Championship from Dec. 25, 2004 through January 4, 2005 in Grand Forks, N.D., and Thief River Falls, Minn.

It was a season that saw seven WCHA teams ranked among the top 17 teams in the USCHO.comm Div. 1 Men's Pairwise Rankings for March 22, with North Dakota tied at No. 1, Minnesota at No. 4, Minnesota Duluth at No. 5, Denver tied at No. 6, Wisconsin tied at No. 10, Colorado College tied at No. 13, and St. Cloud State at No. 17.

It was a season that saw five WCHA teams top their conference point totals of the previous season in Wisconsin (+17 points), Alaska Anchorage (+11), North Dakota (+10), Minnesota Duluth (+8), and Denver (+3).

It was a season that saw Alaska Anchorage put together a sensational late season run, winning their first ever WCHA playoff game and their round WCHA playoff series at Wisconsin, and then advancing to their first-ever WCHA Final Five, where the Seawolves upended Colorado College, 4-1, in the quarterfinal game on Thursday before falling to North Dakota, 2-4, and Minnesota Duluth, 2-4, in the third place game.

It was a season that again saw the WCHA host an international team over the mid-season holidays (Dec. 9-15) when Latvia's HC Riga 2000 played exhibitions at Wisconsin (UW, 3-2), Minnesota (UM, 7-1), and Minnesota Duluth (UMD, 5-2).

It was a season that saw University of North Dakota head coach Dean Blais named as head coach for the 2005 U.S. National Junior Team for next year's IIHF World Junior Championship in Grand Forks and Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin named as one of two assistant coaches.

It was a season that saw some 215 regular season and playoff games televised in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, including all five games from the 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five via Fox Sports Net North and all 12 first-round WCHA playoff games.

It was a season that saw This Week in the WCHA, the league's unique weekly radio show, mark it's seventh straight season being broadcast in all 10 member markets as well as numerous other outlets. And it was a season that saw the league's official web site ­ wcha.com ­ continuing to generate record numbers as a total of 1,891,182 page views had been recorded in a nine-month period between July, 2003 and March, 2004. Included in that total was a one-month league record of 484,304 page views for March. And with April, May and June numbers still to come, the league will definitely surpass the 2,000,000 mark for the first time. The previous season high in the eight-year history of the site of 1,609,857 came in 2002-03.

2004 NCAA Men's Frozen Four Re-Cap

April 10, 2004

Rocky Mountain High! Denver Captures 2004 NCAA Championship with 1-0 Win over Maine
Pioneers Earn School's 6th NCAA Frozen Four Crown while WCHA Adds to Record with 34th National Championship

BOSTON, Mass. ­ The University of Denver Pioneers, one of the most storied programs in college hockey history, put an end to a 34-year drought with a memorable 1-0 shutout victory over the University of Maine Black Bears here Saturday (April 10) night that earned the school it's first national championship since 1969 and sixth overall. Before a sellout crowd of 18,597 at FleetCenter, the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game here, the OECinderella' Pioneers road a first period power-play goal from sophomore center Gabe Gauthier, the stellar goaltending of senior Adam Berkhoel (24 saves), and survived a monumental 6-on-3 OEdisadvantage' over the final 1:21 of regulation to gain the victory and hand the Western Collegiate Hockey Association it's 34th national championship overall since 1951, it's fourth in the last five years, and third straight. The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux won the Frozen Four in 2000 while the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers won in both 2002 and 2003. "I pretty much anticipated that it was going to be that type of game," said Denver head coach George Gwozdecky. "Both teams rely on goaltending and solid defense, and whenever one took the lead, it was going to be tougher to get it back from them. "We're very proud," added Gwozdecky. "The way the game finished, I thought was pretty symbolic of the way our season has been. We haven't made it easy, but looking back when it was darkest for us in January... this team was led by our captain, Ryan Caldwell... he showed great, great leadership, great character, and we persevered and battled back in January and February, and again tonight in that last minute and a half. Wow. It's a great finish. "Maine battled extremely hard. I thought we got our game going early, much earlier than we did on Thursday afternoon. Sometimes it is just your time. And I told the team that. I really believed that coming into the Frozen Four. You have to be good, you have to persevere. You know you're going to have some battles. But if you have the kind of character and the kind of team put together that believe in themselves and will fight and die for each other and throw their faces in front of shots, then good things will happen. Timing is so critical. I am very proud of what this team has done and accomplished for the University of Denver. And I now Keith (Magnuson) is somewhere looking down and he is proud, too." In the first period, Denver scored the game's first and only goal on a power-play attempt at 12:26 when sophomore center Gabe Gauthier beat Jimmy Howard between the legs for his 18th of the season, with an assist from senior left wing Connor James. James came back from a broken leg suffered late in the regular season to play in both Frozen Four games and also earn a spot on the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team along with teammate and defenseman Ryan Caldwell, and goaltender Adam Berkhoel. Berkhoel was also named the championship's Most Outstanding Player. "Adam is such a true, true team guy," said Gwozdecky. "He is just a terrific young man and I am so pleased for him that he was able to accomplish that win tonight because he has had a difficult senior year with the team not playing very well in front of him. I am so happy for him and he deserves every accolade he is going to get and more. If he is not the best goaltender in the country, I don't know who is. You show your real stuff on the national stage, and Adam has done that." "It was a tremendous win for Denver," said a gracious Maine head coach Tim Whitehead, who has seen his team lose in the championship game twice now by just a single goal. "They (the Pioneers) showed a lot of courage and a lot of heart to even get this far and to win it in a great game ­ a 1-0 game. We have tremendous respect for how they played and how they carried themselves. It is a tremendous accomplishment." "Words can't describe how I feel right now," said senior winger Connor James. "Like coach said, we have every piece of the puzzle. We have every type of player and we are a close-knit team. I'm pretty pumped up right now. This is the most exciting thing to ever happen to me." The second period was scoreless, as was the third. And then, almost remarkably and as Denver battled through that 6-on-3 disadvantage for the final 1:21, it was golden. A 1-0 final score. A national championship on-ice celebration. A OEsmile' from late, great Denver hockey alum Keith Magnuson, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident late last summer. And a true OERocky Mountain High' for the 2003-04 edition of the University of Denver Pioneers.

2004 National Championship Game Notes: Denver finishes as national champions with a 27-12-5 record... Maine finished 33-8-3... Maine had an early first period power-play goal disallowed due to a man in the crease violation (after video review)... respective shots on goal 10:19 into first period showed Maine with only four and Denver with just two... shots on goal after the first period were just six for Maine and four for Denver... that is the second lowest total (10 combined) between two teams in Frozen Four history, with the record being eight between Colorado College (5) and Michigan (3) in 1996 in Cincinnati, Ohio... shots on goal with 8:37 remaining in second period showed Maine with 10 and Denver with six... shots on goal with 3:42 remaining in second period showed Maine with 13 and Denver with 10... shots on goal with 7:45 remaining in the third period showed Denver with 19 and Maine with 18... Denver was down 5-on-3 with 1:34 remaining in regulation after a delay of game call... Maine then pulled goaltender Jimmy Howard to create a rare 6-on-3 advantage for the final 1:21... Maine owned a 24-20 advantage in shots on goal... Denver was whistled for 11 minor penalties for 22 minutes while Maine was called for eight for 16 minutes... on the power-play, Denver was 1-of-4 while Maine was 0-of-6... Denver head coach George Gwozdecky has now won a national championship as a player (with Wisconsin), as an assistant coach (with Michigan State), and as a head coach (with Denver)... the shutout in the championship game was the third in history, with the others coming in 1968 (Denver 4 vs North Dakota 0) and in 1972 (Boston University over Cornell)... Denver won their previous five NCAA championship titles in 1958 (6-2 over North Dakota in Minneapolis, Minn.), 1960 (5-3 over Michigan Tech in Boston, Mass.), 1961 (12-2 over St. Lawrence in Denver, Colo.), 1968 (4-0 over North Dakota in Duluth, Minn.) and in 1969 (4-3 over Cornell in Colorado Springs, Colo.)... Denver went 4-0 in the NCAA Tournament, defeating Miami (3-2) and North Dakota (1-0) in the NCAA West Regional in Colorado Springs the last weekend in March and then Minnesota Duluth (5-3) and Maine (1-0) in the Frozen Four in Boston... Denver played in both the first and last games of the 2003-04 college hockey season... Denver played and defeated Ohio State, 5-2, back on Oct. 3 in the Lefty McFadden Invitational and then wrapped up the NCAA Championship with the 1-0 triumph over Maine on April 10.

2004 NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team
F - Connor James, Denver; F - Dustin Penner, Maine; F - Junior Lessard, Minnesota Duluth; D - Prestin Ryan, Maine; D - Ryan Caldwell, Denver; G - Adam Berkhoel, Denver. Most Outstanding Player: Adam Berkhoel, G, Denver.

2004 NCAA Men's Frozen Four Championship Game Summary
Saturday, April 10 @ FleetCenter, Boston, Mass.

University of Denver 1 vs University of Maine 0
Team Lineups: Denver: 4 - Brett Skinner, D; 6 - Mike Handza, C; 7 - Adrian Veideman, C; 9 - Gabe Gauthier, C; 11 - J.D. Corbin, RW; 12 - Matt Carle, D; 14 - Max Bull, C; 15 - Jon Foster, LW; 16 - Kevin Ulanski, RW; 17 - Luke Fulghum, LW; 18 - Ted O'Leary, LW; 19 - Connor James, LW; 20 - Jussi Halme, D; 21 - Ryan Caldwell, D; 24 - Adam Berkhoel, G; 25 - Greg Keith, RW; 26 - Nick Larson, D; 27 - Matt Laatsch, D; 28 - Glenn Fisher, G; 39 - Jeff Drummond, RW. Maine: 1 - Frank Doyle, G; 2 - Mike Lundin, D; 4 - Steve Mullin, D; 6 - Troy Barnes, D; 7 - Mathew Deschamps, D; 10 - John Ronan, RW; 11 - Michel Leveille, C; 12 - Keith Johnson, RW; 13 - Todd Jackson, LW; 15 - Greg Moore, LW; 17 - Ben Murphy, C; 20 - Cameron Lyall, LW; 21 - Colin Shields, RW; 22 - Mike Hamilton, LW; 23 - Jon Jankus, C; 24 - Prestin Ryan, D; 25 - Dustin Penner, RW; 28 - Derek Damon, C; 33 - Jimmy Howard, G; 55 - Jeff Mushaluk, D.

1st Period: P1 Denver - Max Bull (2-checking from behind), 3:39; P2 Maine - Dustin Penner (2-holding the stick), 5:13; P3 Denver - Gabe Gauthier (2-roughing), 5:13; P4 Maine - Mathew Deschamps (2-obstruction, interference), 11:49; G1 Denver - Gabe Gauthier 18 (Connor James 25), PPG, 12:26; P5 Denver - Bull (2-cross checking), 13:25; P6 Maine - Jon Jankus (2-tripping), 14:24; P7 Denver - J.D. Corbin (2-holding), 17:03. 2nd Period: P8 Maine - Todd Jackson (2-tripping), 6:26; P9 Denver - Gabe Gauthier (2-cross checking), 6:31; P10 Maine - Jon Jankus (2-holding the stick), 6:31; P11 Denver - Jeff Drummond (2-hooking), 8:16; P12 Denver - Ryan Caldwell (2-roughing), 9:47; P13 Maine - Mike Hamilton (2-roughing), 9:47. 3rd Period: P14 Denver - Jeff Drummond (2-obstruction, holding), 3:24; P15 Maine - Prestin Ryan (2-interference), 8:09; P16 Denver - Jon Foster (2-roughing), 12:15; P17 Maine - Mathew Deschamps (2-roughing), 12:15; P18 Denver - Matt Laatsch (2-hooking), 17:51; P19 Denver - Gabe Gauthier (2-delay of game), 18:26. Score by Periods: Denver 1-0-0 = 1; Maine 0-0-0 = 0. Pen: Denver 11-22; Maine 8-16. PPs: Denver 1-4; Maine 0-6. Shots on Goal: Denver 4-6-10 = 20; Maine 6-9-9 = 24. Saves: Adam Berkhoel (Denver), 6-9-9 = 24 (60:00); Jimmy Howard (Maine), 3-6-10 = 19. Att: 18,597 (sellout). Time: 2:38.

Strength of WCHA in 2003-04 Reflected in National Polls, Results

The overall strength of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 2003-04 was evident in on-going national polls, pairwise rankings and on-ice results. In non-conference play (vs teams from other Div. 1 conferences) this season, WCHA member teams owned a noteworthy 60-20-9 record and a .725 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. Five WCHA teams were also ranked among the nation's top 15 teams in the final USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll for April 13. National champion Denver was No. 1, Minnesota-Duluth was No. 4, North Dakota was No. 5, Minnesota was No. 6, Wisconsin was No. 8, and Colorado College was No. 15. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association had at least five teams ranked among the nation's top 15 in the USA Today/AHM poll in 26 of 28 weeks this season, including the pre-season poll. Seven WCHA teams had overall winning percentages of .526 or better this season. North Dakota (30-8-3) finished at .768, NCAA champion Denver (27-12-5) was at .670, Minnesota-Duluth (28-13-4) was at .667, Minnesota (27-14-3) finished at .648, Wisconsin (22-13-8) finished at .605, Colorado College (20-16-3) finished at .551, and St. Cloud State (18-16-4) finished at .526. Also of note, six WCHA teams reached the 20-victory plateau this season in North Dakota (30), Minnesota-Duluth (28), Denver (27), Minnesota (27), Wisconsin (22), 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).

WCHA Teams in the National Rankings € 2003-04 Week-by-Week in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll

September 29/Pre-Season: Minnesota (#1), North Dakota (#5), Colorado College (#10), Denver (#12), Minnesota-Duluth (#15).

October 6: Minnesota (#1), North Dakota (#5), Denver (#10), Colorado College (#11), Minnesota-Duluth (#14).
October 13: North Dakota (#3), Minnesota (#4), Denver (#10), Colorado College (#11), Minnesota-Duluth (#13).
October 20: North Dakota (#3), Minnesota (#4), Denver (#8), Colorado College (#9).
October 27: North Dakota (#2), Denver (#6), Colorado College (#8), Minnesota-Duluth (#10), Minnesota (#12), St. Cloud State (#15).

November 3: North Dakota (#2), Colorado College (#6), Denver (#7), Minnesota-Duluth (#9), Minnesota (#10), St. Cloud State (#11).
November 10: North Dakota (#1), Colorado College (#2), St. Cloud State (#7), Denver (#8), Minnesota-Duluth (#13).
November 17: North Dakota (#1), St. Cloud State (#5), Colorado College (#6), Denver (#8), Minnesota-Duluth (#15).
November 24: North Dakota (#1), Colorado College (#6), St. Cloud State (#9), Denver (#10).

December 1: North Dakota (#1), Colorado College (#4), St. Cloud State (#6), Denver (#8), Wisconsin (#11).
December 8: North Dakota (#1), Colorado College (#4), St. Cloud State (#6), Wisconsin (#7), Denver (#10).
December 15: North Dakota (#1), Wisconsin (#4), Denver (#5), Colorado College (#7), St. Cloud State (#10).
December 22: North Dakota (#1), Wisconsin (#4), Colorado College (#5), Denver (#8), St. Cloud State (#10).
December 29: North Dakota (#1), Wisconsin (#3), Colorado College (#4), Denver (#6), St. Cloud State (#8), Minnesota (#15).

January 5: North Dakota (#1), Wisconsin (#3), Colorado College (#5), Denver (#6), St. Cloud State (#7), Minnesota (#13).
January 12: North Dakota (#1), Wisconsin (#4), St. Cloud State (#6), Denver (#7), Minnesota (#8), Colorado College (#10), Minnesota-Duluth (#12).
January 19: North Dakota (#1), Minnesota (#5), Wisconsin (#6), St. Cloud State (#7), Minnesota-Duluth (#9), Denver (#10), Colorado College (#12).
January 26: North Dakota (#1), Minnesota (#5), Wisconsin (#7), Minnesota-Duluth (#8), St. Cloud State (#9), Denver (#10), Colorado College (#12).

February 2: North Dakota (#1), Minnesota (#5), Minnesota-Duluth (#6), St. Cloud State (#8), Wisconsin (#9), Denver (#11).
February 9: North Dakota (#2), Minnesota (#4), Minnesota-Duluth (#6), Wisconsin (#7), St. Cloud State (#9), Denver (#12).
February 16: North Dakota (#2), Minnesota-Duluth (#5), Wisconsin (#6), Minnesota (#7), St. Cloud State (#8), Denver (#10), Colorado College (#13).
February 23: North Dakota (#2), Minnesota-Duluth (#5), Wisconsin (#6), Minnesota (#7), St. Cloud State (#9), Denver (#11).

March 1: North Dakota (#1), Wisconsin (#4), Minnesota-Duluth (#5), Denver (#7), Minnesota (#10), St. Cloud State (#13), Colorado College (T-#15).
March 8: North Dakota (#1), Minnesota-Duluth (#4), Wisconsin (#5), Denver (#6), Minnesota (#8), St. Cloud State (#15).
March 15: North Dakota (#1), Minnesota-Duluth (#3), Minnesota (#5), Denver (#9), Wisconsin (#11 tie), Colorado College (#14).
March 22: North Dakota (#2), Minnesota (#3), Minnesota-Duluth (#5), Denver (#9), Wisconsin (#11).
March 29: Minnesota-Duluth (#3), Denver (#4), North Dakota (#5), Minnesota (#7), Wisconsin (#8).

April 13, 2004 - Final: Denver (#1), Minnesota-Duluth (#4), North Dakota (#5), Minnesota (#6), Wisconsin (#8), Colorado College (#15).

2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five Record Attendance of 82,564 Lifts '03-04 Season Attendance in WCHA to Record 1,513,137

In addition to setting a post-season WCHA championship attendance record with 82,564 attending the 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five last week in Saint Paul, Minn., the Western Collegiate Hockey Association has also set a new standard for season home attendance.

The 82,564 in attendance at the Final Five, which surpassed the previous record of 75,151 set in 2002 at Xcel Energy Center, lifted the league's total home attendance in 2003-04 to 1,513,137 ­ eclipsing the previous record total of 1,511,991 set in 2003-04.

Scott Sandelin of Minnesota Duluth Named AHCA Men's Div. 1 Coach of the Year

April 14, 2004/Gloucester, Mass. ­ For his efforts in returning his Bulldogs to the NCAA Division I Men's Frozen Four after a 19-year absence, Scott Sandelin of the University of Minnesota Duluth is the winner of the 2004 Spencer Penrose Award, given to the Men's Division I Coach of the Year. Sandelin took over the Minnesota Duluth program in 2000 and has made his mark in a relatively short amount of time. By his third season in Duluth, Sandelin had engineered the greatest one-year turnaround in WCHA history, taking the 6-19-3 WCHA mark of 2002 and turning it into a 14-10-4 league record in 2003. This year, UMD compiled a 28-13-4 record, finishing second in the WCHA, and then captured the NCAA Midwest Regional by defeating Michigan State, 5-0, and Minnesota, 3-1, to advance to the Frozen Four in Boston. There, the dream of the school's first NCAA title died in a 5-3 semifinal loss to fellow WCHA member Denver, the eventual national champion. Sandelin's four-year record at Minnesota Duluth is 70-80-16.

A 1987 graduate of North Dakota, Sandelin was a Hobey Baker finalist as a senior and returned to his alma mater in 1994 as an assistant coach to Dean Blais. The Hibbing, Minnesota, native enjoyed great success on the Sioux staff, including NCAA titles in 1997 and 2000.

Prior to entering the college coaching ranks, Sandelin coached the Fargo-Moorhead Junior Kings of the Junior Elite Hockey League in 1993-94 and the Fargo-Moorhead Express of the American Hockey Association in 1992-93.

A second round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1982 Draft (40th selection overall), Sandelin played seven years of profesional hockey, including NHL stints with Montreal, Philadelphia, and Minnesota. Sandelin also served the AHCA as an Officer for four seasons.

The runner-up for this year's award was George Gwozdecky of the University of Denver.

The Division I Men's Ice Hockey Coach of the Year Award is named after Spencer Penrose, a wealthy Colorado Springs, Colo., benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site of the first 10 NCAA ice hockey championships. College hockey's Coach of the Year recipients are chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA). Winners will receive their awards at the annual AHCA Coach of the Year Banquet, held in conjunction with the AHCA Convention in Naples, FL. This year's banquet is scheduled for Saturday, April 24.

Finalists for the 2003-04 AHCA Men's Ice Hockey Division One Coach of the Year Award: Enrico Blasi, Miami University; George Gwozdecky, University of Denver; Stan Moore, Colgate University; Paul Pearl, College of the Holy Cross; Tim Whitehead, University of Maine; Jerry York, Boston College.

UMD's Junior Lessard Named Winner of 2004 Hobey Baker Memorial Award WCHA Player of the Year is League's 10th Hobey Baker Winner

April 9, 2004/Boston, Mass. ­ University of Minnesota Duluth senior forward Junior Lessard, the WCHA Player of the Year and a First Team JOFA All-American, was today (April 9) announced as the winner of the 2004 Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's top Division 1 player. Lessard was honored in ceremonies Friday afternoon at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall.

The top scorer in NCAA Division 1 hockey in 2003-04 with 32 goals and 31 assists for 63 points in 45 games played, Lessard becomes the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's 10th Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner overall since the award's founding in 1980-81, the WCHA's third straight winner, and his school's fourth. Lessard joins previous WCHA winners Neal Broten of Minnesota (1981), Tom Kurvers of Minnesota Duluth (1984), Bill Watson of Minnesota Duluth (1985), Tony Hrkac of North Dakota (1987), Robb Stauber of Minnesota (1988), Chris Marinucci of Minnesota Duluth (1994), Brian Bonin of Minnesota (1996), Jordan Leopold of Minnesota (2002) and Peter Sejna of Colorado College (2003).

Named after his father, Lucien, but commonly known as Junior, Lessard completed his outstanding collegiate career here at the 2004 NCAA Frozen Four, where he scored two goals in Minnesota Duluth's 5-3 loss to fellow WCHA-member University of Denver in one of two national semi-finals on Thursday (April 8) evening at FleetCenter. During UMD's impressive eight-game post-season run, Lessard produced nine goals, six assists and 15 points and fashioned a season-ending nine-game scoring streak. In addition to earning WCHA Player of the Year honors, the Bulldogs' alternate team captain was an All-WCHA First Team honoree this season and shared the conference scoring championship (based on 28 league games) with Brandon Bochenski of North Dakota with 39 scoring points each.

"If you look at what Junior has done and what he has meant to our team," said Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin, "he was an obvious choice as a finalist. And that he ultimately won the award is a fitting and distinguished honor for one of the hardest-working, most talented players I've every coached."

A 6-0, 195-pounder from St. Joseph deBeauce, Quebec, Lessard is the sole remaining member of former UMD head coach Mike Sertich's final recruiting class and helped the Bulldogs to a second place finish in the WCHA regular season and to a 28-13-4 overall record in 2003-04. The Bulldogs were in the hunt for the conference championship and MacNaughton Cup until the final weekend of the regular season. In addition to his 63 scoring points this season, Lessard produced three three-goal hat tricks and was a three-time recipient of the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honor. Over his 160 game collegiate career at UMD, Lessard scored 74 goals, assisted on 68 and amassed 142 total points.

Suffering a knee injury in the third period of the third place game at the 2004 Red Baron WCHA Final Five on March 20 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., Lessard returned to the UMD lineup after six days off to score two goals in the Bulldogs' 5-0 NCAA Midwest Regional victory over Michigan State on March 27 and also helped his team to a 3-1 regional win over WCHA-rival Minnesota on March 28 that launched his club on to the program's first Frozen Four appearance since 1985. For his efforts in Grand Rapids, Mich., Lessard was named to the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team.

All the honors he has garnered this season seem to be just frosting on the cake for Lessard, however, who almost lost his hockey career and life last summer while swimming off Duluth's Park Point in Lake Superior. While swimming with teammate Evan Schwabe and their girl friends, the group was drawn away from the beach by a powerful riptide current. Then David Israel came to the rescue.

"I was in big danger," recalled Lessard. "I didn't want to think about what might happen. I was just hoping someone would come.

"It was like slow motion. I was thinking about everything... my family, my hockey..." Finally, Israel arrived with a boogie board that he used first to save the girls. Lessard grabbed on and hung on for dear life as he was towed to the shore where he collapsed throwing up blood. He was then taken to St. Mary's Hospital and treated for four hours before being released. It took him more than three weeks before he regained his strength.

Now, he says, little things don't bother him any more. "I just go to practice and I'm happy to be there. After the lake incident, you realize what a great opportunity you have."

The Hobey Baker Memorial Award annually honors the top Division 1 college hockey player in the U.S. The first round of balloting, done by all 58 Division 1 head coaches and a fan ballot, determined the top 10 finalists. Those 10 names are then advanced to the Selection Committee, a geographically balanced group of 25 members made up of media, NHL scouts, college hockey coaches and supervisors of officials. Additionally, a fan vote conducted on-line allows college hockey fans a 1% vote in each round of the balloting.

On March 31, the Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists was announced. In addition to Lessard, the group included University of North Dakota sophomore forward Zach Parise and Brown University senior goaltender Yann Danis.

For more information on the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, please visit: www.hobeybaker.com. And special thanks to the Hobey Baker Memorial Award for information contained in this release.

2003-04 Men's Division 1 Ice Hockey JOFA All-Americans Announced € Bruckler, Ballard, Caldwell, Bochenski, Lessard, Parise Earn First Team Honors; Geisler, Vanek Named to Second Team

April 7, 2004/BOSTON, Mass. ­ A total of eight Western Collegiate Hockey Association student-athletes, including WCHA Player of the Year and senior forward Junior Lessard and WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and senior defenseman Ryan Caldwell, have been honored as JOFA All-Americans for 2003-04, as announced today (April 7) by the American Hockey Coaches' Association.

Lessard (University of Minnesota-Duluth) and Caldwell (University of Denver) were joined on the All-American First Team by four other WCHA players in goaltender Bernd Bruckler (University of Wisconsin), defenseman Keith Ballard (University of Minnesota), forward Brandon Bochenski (University of North Dakota), and forward Zach Parise (University of North Dakota).

Named to the JOFA All-American Second Team from the WCHA were senior defenseman Beau Geisler (University of Minnesota-Duluth) and sophomore forward Thomas Vanek (University of Minnesota).

Lessard, an All-WCHA First Team choice who is one of three finalists for the 2004 Hobey Baker Memorial Award (to be announced here on Friday, April 9), shared the WCHA scoring championship this season (39 points in 28 conference games) with Bochenski and is the top point-producing player in Div. 1 hockey this season with 30 goals, 31 assists and 61 points in 44 games heading into the NCAA Men's Frozen Four. Caldwell, Denver's team captain, is one of the top scoring blueliners in college hockey this season with 14 goals, 12 assists and 26 points in 40 games heading into the Frozen Four. Bruckler won the WCHA goaltending title this winter with a 2.11 goals-against average in league play, was an All-WCHA First Team honoree, and is among the top 10 ranked Div. 1 netminders in goals-against average (2.09, 8th) and save percentage (.924, 8th) and owns a 19-10-8 record. Ballard, an All-WCHA First Teamer, is second in points per game among all Div. 1 defensemen this season at 0.97 with 11 goals, 25 assists and 36 points in 37 games. Bochenski, an All-WCHA First Team honoree, shared the league scoring title with Lessard and is third in points per game among all Div. 1 players at 1.46 on 27 goals, 33 assists and 60 points. Parise, an All-WCHA First Team selection last month who recently signed a pro contract with the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils and led the USA to a Gold Medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Finland in January, is second among all Div. 1 skaters in points per game this season at 1.49 on 23 goals, 32 assists and 55 points in 37 games. Geisler, who was an All-WCHA First Team honoree this season, is captain of the UMD Bulldogs and is third in points per game among Div. 1 defenders heading into the Frozen Four at 0.89 points per game (9-25=34). And Vanek, an All-WCHA Second Team choice this winter, was the Golden Gophers' leading scorer in 2003-04 with 26 goals, 25 assists and 51 points in 38 games played.

The JOFA All-American Ice Hockey Teams are sponsored by JOFA, an international leader in hockey equipment, and chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches' Association.

JOFA All-American West First Team
G - Bernd Bruckler, Jr, Wisconsin (Graz, Austria), D - Keith Ballard, Jr, Minnesota (Baudette, MN); D - Ryan Caldwell, Sr, Denver (DeLoraine, MB); F - Brandon Bochenski, Jr, North Dakota (Blaine, MN); F - Junior Lessard, Sr, Minnesota-Duluth (St. Joseph deBeauce, QC); F - Zach Parise, So, North Dakota (Faribault, MN).

JOFA All-American West Second Team
G - Al Montoya, So, Michigan (Glenview, IL); D - Beau Geisler, Sr, Minnesota-Duluth (Coleraine, MN); D - A.J. Thelen, Fr, Michigan State (Savage, MN); F - Derek Edwardson, Sr, Miami (Morton Grove, IL); F - Jim Slater, Jr, Michigan State (Detroit, MI); F - Thomas Vanek, So, Minnesota (Graz, Austria).

JOFA All-American East First Team
G - Yann Danis, Sr, Brown (Saint Jerome, QC); D - Andrew Alberts, Jr, Boston College (Eden Prairie, MN); D - Thomas Pock, Sr, Massachusetts (Klagenfurt, Austria); F - Steve Saviano, Sr, New Hampshire (Reading, MA); F - Lee Stempniak, Jr, Dartmouth (West Senaca, NY); F - Tony Voce, Sr, Boston College (Philadelphia, PA).

JOFA All-American East Second Team
G - Jim Howard, So, Maine (Ogdensburg, NY); D - Prestin Ryan, Sr, Maine (Arcola, SK); D - Stephen Wood, Sr, Providence (Sudbury, MA); F - Patrick Eaves, So, Boston College (Faribault, MN); Todd Jackson, Sr, Maine (Cortland, NY); F - Ryan Shannon, Jr, Boston College (Darien, CT); F - Colin Shields, Sr, Maine (Glasgow, Scotland).

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