The WCHA Takes On Canada
Oct. 2, 2000
Madison, Wis. - Four of the WCHA's seven women's ice hockey teams take to the ice for the first time in the 2000-01 season with exhibition contests against university teams from Canada. MSU, Mankato and Bemidji State open on Friday, Oct. 6 against Regina and Manitoba, respectively. Regina will travel to St. Cloud State, while Toronto will cross the border and skate against Ohio State on Saturday.
In 1999-00, WCHA teams went 1-2 against university teams from north of the border, with the win coming in the form of a 7-1 victory for Minnesota-Duluth over Concordia (Quebec).
Bulldogs, Gophers Seek Repeats
2000-01 WCHA Women's Preview
The men of the WCHA claim 31 national titles as part of their storied history. In 1999-00, the conference formed its women's league and wasted little time in reaching national prominence. The Minnesota Golden Gophers represented the new group with the conference's first national title, while Minnesota-Duluth reached the national semifinal. These same two teams, along with Wisconsin, made up the top three schools nationally in attracting fans and helped the conference lead the country in attendance.
The second season of the WCHA promises more firsts as women's hockey begins its history as a NCAA sport. Minnesota will play host to the first Women's Frozen Four for women in March as the fledgling conference attempts to build on its impressive debut. While Minnesota looks to defend its national title on its home ice, and Minnesota-Duluth attempts to win back-to-back regular season and playoff titles, expect greater challenges from the remaining five squads.
The league formed three tiers in its standings during 1999-00 with UMD and the UM accumulating 44 and 43 points,respectively, Wisconsin earning 31, and the remaining squads starting 16 points behind the Badgers. An influx of new talent should allow the lower five teams to close the gap on the two championship teams.
Aiding in that end are some marquee losses Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth must absorb if they hope to repeat 1999-00 performances. The Gophers will play without WCHA Defensive Player of the Year Winny Brodt, who will play the year with the U.S. National Team. Minnesota-Duluth must adjust to life without WCHA Player of the Year Jenny Schmidgall. Both squads appear to have reloaded and are not expected to miss a beat.
The Gophers welcome nine new faces to a team that already returns 15 letterwinners. National Tournament MVP and WCHA All-Tournament goaltender Erica Killewald returns after posting a 1.89 goals against and .928 save percentage in 27 games last season. On defense, Courtney Kennedy, Kelly Olson, Emily Buchholz and Angela Borek return after combining for a plus-166 rating a year ago. Up front, national goal-scoring leader Nadine Muzzerall (49-28=77) is one of five 50-point forwards returning.
Internationally flavored Minnesota-Duluth welcomes 19 players back and adds five newcomers from Finland, Switzerland and Canada. The nation's top two rookie scorers in WCHA Rookie of the Year Maria Rooth (37-31=68) and All-WCHA Second Team selection Hanne Sikio (25-39=64) will again grace the Bulldog ice at forward. Captain and WCHA All-Tournament pick Brittny Ralph (9-22=31) anchors the blueline, guarding WCHA Tournament MVP Tuula Puputti who will patrol the crease for UMD.
The Wisconsin Badgers, one of three first-year programs during the 1999-00 season, were the only other team to feature players on the All-WCHA team. First-team and Under-22 U.S. National Team goaltender Jackie MacMillan posted an 11-game win streak to lead the Badgers to their third-place finish during the inaugural season. Defenders Sis Paulsen (17-27=44) and Kerry Weiland (10-25=35) also played into All-WCHA honors. Sharing the team's scoring lead were forwards Kelly Kegley (26-19=45) and Kendra Antony (22-23=45), while 2000-01 co-captain Michelle Sikich (18-20=38) gave the UW five point-per-game scorers. With newcomers adding depth to the scoring attack, the Badgers hope to challenge the two champions.
After winning just two conference games during the first half of the 1999-00 season, the St. Cloud State Huskies won twice as many conference games the second half and climbed into the fourth spot in league standings. Defender Tara McNamara (3-1=4) returns as one of two players left from the original 1998-99 squad and will captain the Huskies. Fiona McLeod (18-12=30), the team's 1999-00 leading scorer, moves to the blueline to aid the SCSU defensive effort. Laura Gieselman faced the most shots of any goaltender in the country last season and won St. Cloud State's first WCHA Player of the Week honor. Jenny Swanson (11-18=29) leads the offense as the highest-scoring returner on the forward lines.
Despite a fifth-place finish during the regular season, the Ohio State Buckeyes opened eyes with a third-place showing at the WCHA Tournament. Things continue to look up for OSU, who welcome Under-22 U.S. National Team goaltender Melissa Glaser back along with teammate April Stojak. They make up one of the strongest goaltending tandems in the league. Emily Hudak (6-6=12) led Buckeye defenders in scoring while helping teammate Lindsey Steblen (3-5=8) and the rest of the OSU defenders to the the third-best goals against average in the league (3.41). Leading scorer Corinne Rosen (16-17=33) returns to pace the forwards. Shana Frost (11-15=26) and WCHA All-Tournament pick Lindsey Ogren (10-5=15) also return to bolster what should be an improved offense. Help will come in the form of a quality recruiting class that should vault into contention for a league title.
The Bemidji State Beavers return a balanced attack in their attempt to climb the ranks of women's hockey and the WCHA. The trio of Kerri McEwen (19-18-37), Lill Raynard (17-18=35) and Alicia Kinsman (15-15=30) power the offense. Lisa Peters (13-15=28) led the Beaver scoring from the blueline and keeps opponents away from goaltender Bre Dedrickson. Dedrickson was second in the WCHA with 732 saves during the season. A perfect 10-0-0 in non-conference action last year, the women's hockey squad put up the largest turn around for any sport in school history, winning 13 more games last season than in their inaugural campaign of 1998-99. The Beavers will again look to improve upon their 15-win total from a year ago.
Every team in the conference will rely upon new faces to their rosters during the 2000-01 season, but perhaps none more the Minnesota State, Mankato Mavericks. MSU will add 15 first-year players to a team that led the WCHA in all-academic selections. The returners start with WCHA Co-Student Athlete of the Year Katie Beauduy, who enters her second season after posting a 6-8-1 mark. Returning at forward are Tristin Stephenson (15-17=32),who led the squad in power-play goals, and team MVP Ashleigh Miller (14-6=20). Ironwoman and 1999-00 MSU most improved player Jody Rankin (0-3=3) has missed just one game during the past two years on defense, and will welcome back Heather Nadeau (0-8=8) as the team's top scoring defender.
The league, like women's hockey, is at an exciting point. Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota set a high standard in the inaugural season that themselves and the rest of the WCHA will strive for. Some highly touted newcomers will play a large role for the champions as well as those looking to reach that high level. Four of the five of Minnesota's 2000 Ms. Hockey finalists will don the WCHA patch on their sweaters, as will three of the five runners-up. Players with national team experience from the United States, Finland and Switzerland will also add to the increasing depth of the nation's premier hockey conference.
Though in its infancy, the WCHA and its member teams are
pouring in the necessary resources for the start and the continuation
of something great. The WCHA season culminates at its playoffs in
Rochester, Minn., but what the league hopes, is to see one of its
teams raise the first NCAA Women's Collegiate Ice Hockey Championship
Trophy at the home of one of its own.
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