Frozen Four Set; Minnesota Remains No. 1 On USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll
March 23, 2005
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The University of Minnesota, a 6-1 winner over No. 8 Providence College in the NCAA quarterfinals, remained No. 1 on this week's USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll. The Golden Gophers, who battle No. 3 Dartmouth College in Friday's (March 25) national semifinal, have maintained the top spot for a record 23 straight weeks.
This Week's NCAA Frozen Four Matchups Friday, March 25 Whittemore Center (Durham, N.H.)
No. 4 St. Lawrence vs. No. 2 Harvard No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 3 Dartmouth
The Gophers will look to defend their national title this weekend as the University of New Hampshire hosts the Frozen Four. The tournament field will feature the same four teams and pairings as last year with No. 1 Minnesota facing off against No. 3 Dartmouth and No. 2 Harvard University playing No. 4 St. Lawrence University in the semifinals on March 25.
No. 3 Dartmouth topped No. 6 University of Wisconsin, 4-3, to continue on in the tournament, while both No. 4 St. Lawrence and No. 2 Harvard went into overtime in their quarterfinal games.
NOTES: Prior to its overtime loss to No. 4 St. Lawrence, three-time NCAA champion No. 5 Minnesota Duluth had never lost an NCAA tournament game ... Natalie Darwitz, a top three finalist for the 2005 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, recorded three points for the Gophers on Friday (March 18), bringing her career total to 237, which is a new school record ... No. 2 Harvard's triple overtime win versus No. 7 Mercyhurst College in the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday (March 19) was the longest game in NCAA tournament history. Mercyhurst goaltender Desi Clark made an NCAA tournament-record 78 saves and Harvard's Nicole Corriero added four goals to her NCAA all-time single-season goal-scoring record (58). Corriero also assisted Julie Chu on the game-winner at 12:28 of the third OT.
ABOUT THE POLL: The eighth annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the American Hockey Coaches Association and USA Hockey Magazine, the official publication of USA Hockey.
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll - #23
(first-place votes in parentheses)
| Last Week | Record | Weeks | |
| 1. University of Minnesota, 190 (19) | 1 | 34-2-2 | 23 |
| 4. Harvard University, 162 | 4 | 25-6-3 | 23 |
| 5. Dartmouth College, 160 | 5 | 27-6-0 | 23 |
| 7. St. Lawrence University, 130 | 7 | 27-7-5 | 23 |
| 2. University of Minnesota Duluth, 106 | 2 | 26-6-2 | 23 |
| 3. University of Wisconsin, 104 | 3 | 28-9-1 | 23 |
| 6. Mercyhurst College, 79 | 6 | 28-7-2 | 21 |
| 8. Providence College, 57 | 8 | 21-11-5 | 14 |
| 9. University of Connecticut, 31 | 9 | 16-12-8 | 4 |
| 10. University of New Hampshire, 21 | 10 | 21-8-6 | 23 |
Others receiving votes: Yale University, 3; Princeton University, 2.
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