North Dakota Tabbed By Coaches As WCHA Favorite

2000-2001 WCHA Men's Preview

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If you take the fact that five WCHA clubs were ranked among the top 15 Div. 1 college hockey clubs at the end of the 1999-2000 season ­ including NCAA champion North Dakota, MacNaughton Cup titlist Wisconsin, and national tournament participant St. Cloud State ­ and then add in the notion that from all preliminary indications every conference team will likely be better this winter, you get the picture that this should be one whale of a campaign.

The 2000-01 season, marking the 49th in the storied history of this league, figures to be one of the best ever ­ if it's even possible to top some of the previous ones.

"You could have a significantly better team this year that you did last year," said Colorado College head coach, "but because everybody else in the WCHA is going to be better, too, it's going to make moving up the league ladder very difficult."

The University of North Dakota, winners of their seventh national crown last April in Providence, R.I., and reigning WCHA Final Five champs, has again been tabbed as the pre-season favorite by the league's ten head coaches. Results of the 30th Annual Grand Forks Herald WCHA Coaches Poll, conducted by sportswriter Virg Foss and released in early October, lists the Fighting Sioux ahead of the Badgers, who held down the nation's No. 1 ranking for a good portion of the 1999-2000 season, wrestled the WCHA regular season title away from UND after three years and shared the top spot for most victories in the country (31) with ­ you guessed it ­ North Dakota.

Both the Sioux and the Badgers are loaded again and are unquestionably the two teams to beat. Just consider the likes of a few of the players that dot their rosters. Like UND goaltender Karl Goehring (already the WCHA record-holder for lowest overall career GAA at 2.18 and for most shutouts in league play at 10), UW defenseman Jeff Dessner (last year's league defensive player of the year), Badger goaltender Graham Melanson (his 31 victories led the nation last season), the Sioux's Jeff Panzer (defending league scoring champion), the UW's Dany Heatley (pre-season WCHA MVP choice, league rookie of the year in '99-00, and No. 2 pick in the NHL draft), and UND's Bryan Lundbohm (22 goals last winter). There is, however, one significant wrinkle in the race for the MacNaughton Cup. The Sioux and the Badgers engage each other in just one conference series this winter, with that one coming in Grand Forks on Feb. 9-10. Last year, they played a single series in Madison, also in January, and Wisconsin prevailed in a pair of dramatic overtime games that launched them on to their third MacNaughton Cup and first since 1990.

So how do you pick the league race? If you agree with the coaches, it will be North Dakota (1), Wisconsin (2), St. Cloud State and Minnesota battling for third, Colorado College (5), Denver (6), MSU Mankato (7), Alaska Anchorage and Minnesota-Duluth tied for eighth, and MTU (10).

What's New

In addition to what should be one of the most competitive races for the top five places in league history, the 2000-01 season ushers in several other exciting developments:

  • The league's flagship event ­ the Xcel Energy WCHA Final Five ­ marks a return to Saint Paul and the first of a three-year run at the new state-of-the-art 18,000-seat Xcel Energy Center.

  • The ramifications of the league's second-over overseas tour this past August ­ the WCHA All Star Team's Norway Tour 2000 ­ will be felt all year long with a new comraderie among the 24 outstanding senior and juniors who represented their ten schools in truly "all-star" fashion...make a point to watch the post-game handshakes and pay special attention to the players that made the trip overseas...it's really something to see.

  • Building continues in earnest on the University of North Dakota's spectacular new facility thanks to the generosity of Sioux alum Ralph Engelstad...the 12,000-seat arena, complete with luxury suites, is on track to open in time for the league's 50th anniversary season in 2001-02. And when you add in Denver's Magness Arena (opened in 1999-2000), Wisconsin's barely two-year old Kohl Center, a host of improvements at the National Hockey Center, and the three-year-old Colorado Springs World Arena, it's not hard to feel pretty good about the state of college hockey in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

  • A long and distinguished tradition continues in December when a talented team from Russia visits the WCHA on an international tour and games at Minnesota, Wisconsin, MSU Mankato and St. Cloud State.

  • Two up and coming head coaches make their debut behind the bench in the WCHA in 2000-01 in Minnesota-Duluth's Scott Sandelin (assistant coach for three WCHA crowns and two national titles at North Dakota) and Minnesota State, Mankato's Troy Jutting, who played a key role in the Mavericks unparalleled success (a first-year team record 15 league wins and a berth in the Final Five) in their debut campaign in the WCHA...Sandelin and Jutting take over from two of the truly great coaches in the history of college hockey, Mike Sertich at UMD and Don Brose at MSU.

    Attendance Soars

    Still the only college hockey conference in history to surpass 1,000,000 in home attendance for a single season, the WCHA has now topped that mark seven consecutive seasons.

    In 1999-00, nine of the WCHA's ten men's teams ranked among the top 18 NCAA hockey home attendance leaders, led by Wisconsin (1st, 11,517 per game) in first, Minnesota (2nd, 9,562), Colorado College (5th, 6,852) and St. Cloud State (9th, 5,881). Also in the top 18 were North Dakota (11th), Minn-Duluth (13th), Denver (14th), Alaska Anchorage (15th), and MSU, Mankato (18th).

    Alaska Anchorage Seawolves

    Coach: Dean Talafous, 5th year. WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 8th (tie). 1999-2000 Overall Record: 15-18-3 (.458). WCHA Record: 11-14-3, 25 pts, 7th. Top Returnees: Steve Cygan, Jr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, 14-13=27), Mike Scott, Jr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, 8-15=23), Gregg Zaporzan, Jr, F (8-12=20), Reggie Simon, Sr, F (5-10=15), Corey Hessler, Jr, D (2-7=9), Matt Shasby, So, D (1-8=9), Corey Strachan, So, G (9-10-1, 2.89, .887). Departures: Klage Kaebel, F (7-7=14), Chris Pont, F (9-4=13), Matt Williams, D (6-5=11), Corey McEachran, G (6-8-2, 2.72, .893). Notes: The Seawolves were in the hunt for a home first round home WCHA playoff berth until the final weeks of the 1999-2000 campaign and with their top four scorers (Cygan, Scott, Zaporzan and Simon), 77% (156 of 203 points) of their scoring, two up-and-coming young defensemen in Hessler and NHL draftee Shasby, and Strachan in goal returning, fifth-year head coach Dean Talafous feels the Seawolves are primed to take the next step in their climb up the league ladder...Cygan and Scott were also members of the WCHA All-Star Team for Norway Tour 2000 in mid-August...Alaska Anchorage won 15 games overall (the most since 1993-94) and allowed just 2.89 goals per game a year ago...they were 8-8-2 at Sullivan Arena and 7-10-1 on the road...the Seawolves averaged just 8.2 minutes in penalties per game in 1999-2000, the fewest in the nation...Alaska Anchorage is a combined 28-36-8 overall over the last two seasons heading into the new campaign.

    Colorado College Tigers

    Coach: Scott Owens, 2nd year. WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 5th. 1999-2000 Overall Record: 18-18-3 (.500). WCHA Record: 14-11-3, 31 pts, 5th. Top Returnees: Noah Clarke, So, F (All-WCHA Rookie Team, 17-20=37), Mark Cullen, Jr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, 11-20=31), Jesse Heerema, Jr, F (12-14=26), Justin Morrison, Sr, F (7-19=26), Paul Manning, Sr, D (All-WCHA Third Team, 6-17=23), Mike Colgan, Sr, D (WCHA All-Star Team, 4-16=20), Jeff Sanger, Jr, G (14-14-1, 2.47, .907, 3 SO's). Departures: Toby Petersen, F (14-19=33), K.J. Voorhees, F (16-8=24), Cam Kryway, F (9-7=16), Dan Peters, D (2-8=10). Notes: Scott Owens guided the Tigers to a winning record in the WCHA and a conference home playoff berth in his first year behind the bench, and with four of his top five scorers (Clarke, Cullen, Heerema, Morrison), two top defensemen in Manning and Colgan, and Sanger (2.47 GAA, .907 SV%) in goal returning, prospects are bright for 2000-01...Clarke was just the fourth freshman ever to lead the team in scoring and was involved in seven GWGs (scored three)...the Tigers were just 4-12-0 in one-goal games last winter...the Tigers held their opponent scoreless on the power-play in 22 of 39 games last year and gave up an average of just 2.62 goals per game...CC has won 18 games overall in eight of the last nine seasons, but lost more games at home (10) in '99-00 than they did on the road (8)...CC is 34-16-3 (.670) since the new World Arena opened in 1997-98.

    Denver Pioneers

    Coach: George Gwozdecky, 7th year. WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 6th. 1999-2000 Overall Record: 16-23-2 (.415). WCHA Record: 9-18-1, 29 pts, 9th. Top Returnees: Kelly Popadynetz, Sr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, 15-25=40, 7 PPGs), Bjorn Engstrom, Sr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, 12-18=30), Kevin Doell, So, F (8-15=23), Chris Paradise, Jr, D (4-19=23), Greg Barber, So, F (7-8=15), Judd Stauss, Sr, D (WCHA All-Star Team, 4-7=11), Erik Adams, Jr, D (0-4=4), Wade Dubielewicz, So, G (3-5-1, 2.72., .902). Departures: Jon Newman, F (14-23=37), Joe Ritson, F (20-14=34), Mark Rycroft, F (17-17=34), Joe Casey, F (12-8=20). Notes: The Denver Pioneers are looking for a big rebound season in 2000-01...after winning the WCHA Final Five in 1999, they slipped to ninth place last winter...but DU went 5-2-0 over the final seven games to give the team some momentum heading into the new season...Gwozdecky returns his top scorer in Popadynetz, who never went more than two consecutive games last winter without at least one scoring point and who got a jump on his senior season along with proven scorer Engstrom (30 points each of last two years) and defensive-minded Stauss as members of the WCHA All-Star Team that went 3-0-0 in Norway in mid-August...DU was one of two teams (Wisconsin was the other) to beat eventual national champion North Dakota twice last winter, both on Sioux ice...eight of last year's losses came by just one goal...Dubielewicz is the heir-apparent in goal for Stephen Wagner, whose 124 career games played rank first in school history.

    Michigan Tech Huskies

    Coach: Mike Sertich, 1st year (took over November, 2000). WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 10th. 1999-2000 Overall Record: 4-34-0 (.105). WCHA Record: 2-26-0, 4 pts, 10th. Top Returnees: Jarrett Weinberger, Sr, F (10-9=19), Matt Ulwelling, Sr, F (6-12=18), Paul Cabana, Jr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, 10-5=15), Clint Way, Sr, D (1-12=13), Tab Lardner, Sr, F (7-5=12), Mat Snesrud, Sr, D (WCHA All-Star Team, 3-7=10), Brad Patterson, Jr, F (1-9=10), Adrian Fure, Sr, D (0-4=4). Departures: Brad Mueller, F (9-5=14), Devin Hartnell, F (6-4=10), Riley Nelson, F (2-8=10). Notes: The Huskies are setting their collective sights on a much-improved season in 2000-01 and optimism is high for that to happen with 18 returnees and 10 new faces...for the first time in several seasons, they will have a sizeable senior class (seven), and with their three top scorers back in Weinberger, Ulwelling and Cabana (has led or tied in team goals his first two years), Sertich is expecting a jump up in offensive production after MTU netted just 68 goals in 38 games last winter...Michigan Tech also has six of their eight regular defenseman back from 1999-2000, including solid veterans Way, Snesrud and Fure who together have 333 games of collegiate experience under their belts, and two of three goaltenders in Jason Moilanen and Brian Rogers...Cabana and Snesrud both played well for the WCHA All-Star Team during Norway Tour 2000 in mid-August...the Huskies ultimately lost 89 player games due to injury and 11 to illness last winter.

    Minnesota Golden Gophers

    Coach: Don Lucia, 2nd year. WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 3rd (tie). 1999-2000 Overall Record: 20-19-2 (.512). WCHA Record: 13-13-2, 28 pts, 6th. Top Returnees: John Pohl, Jr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, All-WCHA Second Team, 18-41=59, 9 PPGs), Dylan Mills, Sr, D (All-WCHA Second Team, 8-21=29), Jordan Leopold, Jr, D (WCHA All-Star Team, All-WCHA Second Team, 6-18=24), Erik Westrum, Sr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, All-WCHA Third Team, 27-26=53, 10 PPGs), Aaron Miskovich, Sr, F (16-16=32), Adam Hauser, Jr, G (20-14-2, 2.95, .909), Jeff Taffe, So, F (10-10=20). Departures: Nate Miller, F (16-19=35, 10 PPGs), Dave Spehar, F (9-19=19). Notes: UM won 20 games, made it to the WCHA Final Five after defeating CC on the road in the playoffs, and challenged for a home playoff berth until the final weekend of the season in their first year under Lucia...two of the WCHA's top offensive producers and all-league players are back for 2000-01 in Pohl and Westrum, who had 45 goals (19 PPGs) and 112 points between them last winter...on the blueline, UM will be led by Mills and Leopold, a pair of all-league defenseman, while 20-game winner Hauser returns in the nets for his third year...Pohl, Westrum and Leopold were all members of the WCHA All-Star Team in Norway last August...UM's PP connected at a league-best 27.3% a year ago and should again be one of the top units in the country...UM is 25-3-0 in WCHA first round playoff games since the league went to a best-of-three format...UM played nine OT games last season and won 11 of 14 between Christmas and when Hauser was knocked from the lineup with mononucleosis.

    Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs

    Coach: Scott Sandelin, 1st year. WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 8th (tie). 1999-2000 Overall Record: 15-22-0 (.405). WCHA Record: 10-18-0, 20 pts, 8th. Top Returnees: Derek Derow, Sr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, 10-17=27), Mark Carlson, Jr, D (7-19=26), Drew Otten, So, F (9-10=19), Tom Nelson, Jr, F (4-11=15), Andy Reierson, Jr, D (WCHA All-Star Team, 4-11=15), Jesse Fibiger, Sr, D (4-6=10), Ryan Homstol, Sr, F (3-4=7). Departures: Colin Anderson, F (18-22=40), Jeff Scissons, F (14-19=33), Shawn Pogreba, F (3-4=7), Brant Nicklin, G (10-16-0, 3.79, .895). Notes: The Bulldogs welcome a new coach in 2000-01 in Sandelin, a key member of two NCAA championship coaching staffs at North Dakota...coming off a 15-win season, Minnesota-Duluth looks to be in the hunt for a top-five WCHA regular season finish...returning to the fold are Derow at forward and Reierson on defense, two players who were part of the WCHA All-Star Team in Norway in August...also back up front are Otten and Jon Francisco, who enjoyed strong freshman campaigns...UMD scored 36.6% of its goals on the power-play in '99-00 (34 of 93) ­ the second highest figure since the school began keeping that stat in 1973-74 ­ and increased offensive output is a big goal...the loss of Nicklin, who appeared in a school-record 137 games and graduated with the third-most wins (55) ever, leaves a void in goal...the Bulldogs were a respectable 9-11-0 on the road last year but were just 6-11-0 at the DECC.

    MSU, Mankato Mavericks

    Coach: Troy Jutting, 1st year. WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 7th. 1999-2000 Overall Record: 21-14-4 (.590). WCHA Record: 15-10-3, 33 pts, 4th. Top Returnees: T.J. Guidarelli, Sr, F (11-16=27), Jesse Rooney, Sr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, 19-6=25), Peter Holoien, Sr, F (2-23=25), B.J. Abel, So, F (5-17=22), Tyler Baines, Sr, F (5-14=19), Ben Christopherson, Sr, D (WCHA All-Star Team, 3-12=15), Eric Pateman, Jr, G (21-13-4, 2.73, .903, 4 SOs). Departures: Aaron Fox, F (All-WCHA Third Team, 12-38=50), Tim Wolfe, F (20-6=26), Ryan Schrick, F (8-16=24), Todd George, D (6-16=22), Andy Fermoyle, D (1-5=6). Notes: The Mavericks fired a shot heard round the league in the first year in the WCHA and final season under coach Don Brose, winning 21 games overall and 15 in the league (most ever by a first-year member), finishing fourth in the conference, and earning a home playoff berth and a trip to the Final Five...here in 2000-01, MSU turns to longtime assistant coach Troy Jutting, who has a solid senior class to build around...up front, Guidarelli, Rooney (19 goals), Holoien and Baines are consistent producers...on defense, Christopherson ­ who joined Rooney in mid-August as a member of the WCHA All-Star Team that toured Norway ­ will be the ring-leader while the Mavericks have another standout between the pipes in 21-game winner Pateman, who started all but one game in '99-00 and had four shutouts...MSU, who went 8-2-2 over the final 12 games last winter, had winning records both at home (11-7-4) and on the road (10-6-0).

    North Dakota Fighting Sioux

    Coach: Dean Blais, 7th year. WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 1st. 1999-2000 Overall Record: 31-8-5 (.761), NCAA Champions, WCHA Final Five Champions. WCHA Record: 17-6-5, 39 pts, 2nd. Top Returnees: Jeff Panzer, Sr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, All-WCHA 1st Team, West All-American 1st Team, 19-44=63), Karl Goehring, Sr, G (WCHA All-Star Team, All-WCHA 1st Team, West All-American 1st Team, 19-6-4, 1.89, .927, 8 SOs), Bryan Lundbohm, Jr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, 22-22=44), Ryan Bayda, So, F (All-WCHA Rookie Team, 17-23=40), Wes Dorey, Sr, F (15-13=28), Travis Roche, So, D (All-WCHA Rookie Team, 6-22=28), Aaron Schneekloth, Jr, D (3-14=17), Trevor Hammer, Sr, D (2-10=12). Departures: Lee Goren, F (West All-American 2nd Team, All-WCHA 2nd Team, 34-29=63), Jason Ulmer, F (All-WCHA 3rd Team, 18-39=57), Brad DeFauw, F (13-9=22), Mike Commodore, D (5-7=12), Peter Armbrust, F (1-10=11), Mike O'Connell, Sr, D. Notes: After winning NCAA championships two of the past four years ­ including 2000 ­ what to do for an encore?...UND will look to take the MacNaughton Cup back from Wisconsin this winter and will be one of the teams to beat nationally...Blais, who has a 161-68-14 mark and four straight 30-win seasons, has the Sioux loaded again...up front, there's defending WCHA scoring champion and Hobey Baker finalist Panzer, Lundbohm (22 goals), Bayda and Dorey...in goal there's a 1-2 punch of record-setting and league goaltending champion Goehring (64 career wins and 12 shutouts) and Kollar (11-2-1), while Roche, Hammer and Schneekloth head up a solid blueline.

    St. Cloud State Huskies

    Coach: Craig Dahl, 14th year. WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 3rd (tie). 1999-2000 Overall Record: 23-14-3 (.613). WCHA Record: 16-9-3, 35 pts, 3rd. Top Returnees: Tyler Arnason, Jr, F (WCHA All-Star Team, All-WCHA Second Team, 19-30=49), Nate DiCasmirro, Jr, F (19-24=43), Mark Hartigan, Jr, F (22-20=42), Brandon Sampair, Sr, F (18-24=42), Ryan Malone, So, F (9-21=30), Joe Motzko, So, F (9-15=24), Duvie Westcott, Jr, D (1-18=19), Jon Cullen, So, F (5-11=16), Scott Meyer, Sr, G (WCHA All-Star Team, All-WCHA Second Team, 20-8-3, 2.37, .920, 7 SOs). Departures: Mike Pudlick, D (All-WCHA First Team, West All-American Second Team, 8-22=30), Geno Parrish, D (3-13=16), Ritchie Larson, D (4-8=12), Tom Lund, D. Notes: After 23 wins overall, a third place WCHA finish, a Final Five berth and a trip to the NCAA tournament last March, the Huskies should battle for one of the top spots in the conference again in 2000-01...SCSU returns their top five scorers in Arnason, DiCasmirro, Hartigan, Sampair and Malone and an all-star in goal in Meyer, who won 20 games and posted a record seven shutouts in '99-00...Arnason and Meyer were also members of the WCHA All-Star Team in Norway in August...biggest question mark heading into the new season appears to be on the blueline...SCSU had winning records both at home (14-6-1) and on the road (8-6-2) last winter and also fashioned a 10-game unbeaten streak..the Huskies have six upper division finishes in their 10 years in the WCHA and five straight Final Five appearances.

    Wisconsin Badgers

    Coach: Jeff Sauer, 19th year. WCHA Coaches' Predicted Finish: 2nd. 1999-2000 Overall Record: 31-9-1 (.768), WCHA Champions. WCHA Record: 23-5-0, 46 pts, 1st. Top Returnees: Jeff Dessner, Sr, D (WCHA All-Star Team, West All-American 1st Team, WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, All-WCHA 1st Team, 11-16=27), Graham Melanson, Sr, G (WCHA All-Star Team, All-WCHA 3rd Team, 31-9-1, 2.51, .914, 4 SOs), Dany Heatley, So, F (West All-American 2nd Team, All-WCHA 1st Team, WCHA Rookie of the Year, 28-28=56), Alex Brooks, Sr, D (WCHA All-Star Team, All-WCHA 3rd Team, 4-10=14), Brian Fahey, So, D (All-WCHA Rookie Team, 6-11=17), David Hukalo, Jr, F (15-24=39), Kevin Granato, Sr, F (10-19=29), Brad Winchester, So, F (9-9=18), Matt Hussey, Jr, F (5-11=16), Matt Doman, Jr, F (1-12=13). Departures: Steve Reinprecht, F (WCHA Player of the Year, All-WCHA 1st Team, West All-American 1st Team, Hobey Baker Finalist, 26-40=66), Dustin Kuk, F (17-22=39), Dan Bjornlie, D (7-12=19). Notes: Coming off a WCHA championship, No. 1 ranking, 31 wins and their 17th NCAA appearance, the Badgers should be even hungrier after falling short as the #1 seed at the NCAA West Regional last March...a strong defense ­ featuring defensive player of the year Dessner along with Brooks and Fahey on the blueline and 31-game winner Melanson (59 career wins, six SOs) betwen the pipes ­ will be a hallmark again...up front, No. 2 NHL draft pick Heatley is coming off a 28-goal, 56-point rookie campaign and will be a major force...supporting him offensively will be the likes of Hukalo, Granato, Winchester, Hussey and Doman...UW went 17-4-1 at home and 13-3-0 on the road last year, and was 12-1-0 before losing their final two...UW has all the tools to be among the nation's elite again.