2002-03 WCHA Women's Season-In-Review
Minnesota-Duluth remains the only NCAA women's ice hockey champion after taking its third-straight title. |
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April 22, 2003
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BULLDOGS CROWNED NCAA CHAMPS FOR THIRD YEAR
Minnesota-Duluth became the first host school to win an NCAA title on its home ice when it defeated Harvard for its third consecutive championship.
UMD, winner of all three NCAA titles, took 84:19 to earn its latest championship. Nora Tallus scored at 4:19 of the second overtime notching the championship-winning goal for the Bulldog 4-3 victory over Harvard. The contest, the longest in NCAA women's hockey history, was played in front of the largest crowd in NCAA Women's Frozen Four history and the second largest women's collegiate ice hockey crowd of all-time with 5,167 people in attendance
MINNESOTA-DULUTH SWEEPS LEAGUE TITLES
Minnesota-Duluth became the first WCHA school to take the regular-season, post-season and NCAA titles in the same year. The Bulldogs went 21-2-1 to gain its four-point cushion for the regular-season title. UMD then defeated Ohio State, 6-1, and Minnesota, 5-3 in the title game, to win the 2003 WCHA Women's Final Five.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Minnesota-Duluth head coach Shannon Miller led the Bulldogs to their third consecutive NCAA title and was named the 2003 American Hockey Coaches Association University Division Coach of the Year.
Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson, the WCHA Co-Coach of the Year with Miller, along with Minnesota head coach Laura Halldorson, made the list of eight finalists.
FIVE ALL-AMERICANS Five league members representing two teams were selected to the Jofa/AHCA All-American Team. One half of the six-member first team were WCHA players, with Minnesota defender Ronda Curtin and forward Natalie Darwitz, as well as Minnesota-Duluth forward Jenny Potter named to the squad. Minnesota-Duluth forward Maria Rooth and Minnesota forward Krissy Wendell were selected to the second team.
THREE FINAL RANKED TEAMS
Three WCHA teams made the final list of ranked teams, while four teams were listed in the poll during some point during the season. Minnesota-Duluth completed the season as the top-ranked team in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll after winning the NCAA title. Minnesota finished fourth with its fourth-place result at the NCAA Frozen Four. Wisconsin also finished ranked No. 6 in the final poll. The four teams that were ranked during the season and their highest ranking:
Minnesota-Duluth 1st Minnesota 1st Wisconsin 5th Ohio State 10th
FIRST IN ATTENDANCE
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association led the nation in attendance in each of the first three years of its existence and it can now add a fourth year to the streak. For its 116 regular-season tilts, the WCHA attracted 70,481 fans for a 608 average. The ECAC ranked second at 322 fans per game.
LEAGUE TOTAL/DATES AVERAGE WCHA 70,481/116* 608 ECAC 46,112/143 322 CHA 15,821/63* 251 Hockey East 22,397/95* 236 * Missing attendance for one or more games.
PATTY KAZMAIER FINALISTS
Four players from the WCHA were named to the list of 10 finalists for The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Two each from Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota were among the group. Bulldog forwards Jenny Potter and Maria Rooth, along with Golden Gopher forwards Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell were honored.
Rooth became a four-time finalist with the honor, while Jenny Potter made the cut and was among the final three choices.
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