University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Go For WCHA Four-Peat
3/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| 2015 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF | |
| Semifinal 1 | Sat., March 7 | 2 p.m. CT | Minnesota vs. Bemidji State |
| Semifinal 2 | Sat., March 7 | 5 p.m. CT | Wisconsin vs. North Dakota |
| Championship | Sun.,March 8 | 1 p.m. CT | Semifinal Winners |
| Location | Ralph Engelstad Arena | Grand Forks, N.D. |
| Tickets | Ticket Info | Ticketmaster.com |
| Live Stats | Semifinal 1 | Semifinal 2 | Championship |
| Coverage | FastHockey.com Video (Free) | Midco Sports | 105 FM The Ticket |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Bemidji State | Wisconsin | North Dakota |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
March 5, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS - WCHA regular season-champion and national No. 2 Minnesota (31-2-4) faces No. 10 Bemidji State (20-16-1) in the first semifinal of the 2015 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D., at 2 p.m. CT Saturday.
No. 3 Wisconsin (26-6-4) and No. 8 North Dakota (22-11-3) meet in Saturday's second semifinal at 5 p.m. CT. The semifinal winners face off in Sunday's WCHA playoff championship game to battle for the postseason league title and the WCHA's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. Puck drop for Sunday's championship is at 1 p.m. CT.
All-tournament packages or single-session tickets to the 2015 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF can be purchased at the Ralph Engelstad Arena box office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by calling 800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com.
WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF COVERAGE
All three WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF games will be streamed for free at FASTHockey.com with play-by-play from Jack Swanson and color commentary from Jeff Giesen. The broadcast will also air on Midco Sports Net's secondary channel, for customers of Midcontinent Communications. Game the Gophers participate in will air live on 105 FM The Ticket locally in Minneapolis, and live stats will be available through UNDsports.com and WCHA.com.
ABOUT THE 2015 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF FIELD
Minnesota enters the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF as the league's three-time defending tournament champions in search of the program's seventh overall WCHA postseason title. The Gophers advanced with a WCHA First Round sweep over eighth-seeded Minnesota State, winning 10-0 and 5-1.
Last year, Minnesota won its sixth overall WCHA postseason crown with a 3-1 win over North Dakota in the title game after defeating UMD, 4-1, in the semifinal round. This year, Wisconsin and North Dakota meet in the semifinal round for the third-straight season, with UND eliminating the Badgers each of the last two seasons.
Wisconsin looks for its fourth WCHA playoff title, while UND is pursuing its first. Bemidji State is back in the tournament for just the second time after losing in the 2010 semifinals. All four teams are nationally ranked in the most recent USCHO.com national poll, and all four have recorded 20-win seasons.
ABOUT THE SERIES: MINNESOTA VS. BEMIDJI STATE
Minnesota is 60-5-7 all-time against Bemidji State. This season, the Gophers are 2-1-1 against the Beavers, most recently sweeping BSU on the road with 3-2 and 4-2 wins on Feb. 20-21. In their first meeting this year, the Gophers and Beavers tied 2-2 in overtime (BSU shootout win) on Oct. 31 before BSU won a 1-0 decision on Nov. 1.
ABOUT THE SERIES: MINNESOTA VS. NORTH DAKOTA
The Gophers are 46-7-0 all-time against UND, including most recently a road split with a 3-0 loss and a 3-1 win in Grand Forks, N.D., Feb. 6-7. The Gophers swept UND in the first meeting between the two teams this season with 5-2 and 5-0 wins at Ridder Arena in Oct. 2014.
ABOUT THE SERIES: MINNESOTA VS. WISCONSIN
Minnesota is 43-26-9 all-time against Wisconsin. The Gophers are unbeaten in the last 15-straight meetings (14-0-1), including most recently a 1-0-1 series with the Badgers in Minneapolis in Jan. 2015. The Gophers also earned a road sweep in Madison in October 2014, winning 4-1 and 2-1 in overtime. Minnesota's senior class is 15-1-2 against Wisconsin, and the juniors, sophomores and freshmen have never lost to the Badgers.
GOPHERS IN THE WCHA POSTSEASON
Minnesota is the three-time defending WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF champions and looks for an unprecedented fourth-straight league title this year. The Gophers have won a WCHA-best six tournament titles (2002, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014), joining Minnesota Duluth (2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2010) and Wisconsin (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011) in combining to win all of 15 postseason championships in WCHA history.
GOPHER QUICK HITS
- Hannah Brandt is a top-three finalist for the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
- Kelly Pannek leads the nation's rookies with 42 points (13g-29a) and 1.14 points per game.
- Dani Cameranesi is closing in on her 100th career point with 98 points (42g-56a).
- Rachel Ramsey needs four assists to tie Megan Bozek (99a) for the most assists by a defenseman in program history.
LAST TIME OUT: GOPHERS ADVANCE WITH SWEEP VS. MAVERICKS
Against the Mavericks in the WCHA First Round, Dani Cameranesi (2g-5a), Maryanne Menefee (3g-3a), Hannah Brandt (4g-1a) and Megan Wolfe (4a) led the Gophers. Cameranesi brings a team-best seven-game point streak into this weekend' WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF. She also needs just two points to reach 100 career points as a Gopher.
WINNING STREAKS
Minnesota enters the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF on a seven-game winning streak. The Gophers have a record of 127-5-5 in the team's last 137 games, a stretch that includes an NCAA-record 62-game winning streak (Feb. 28, 2012 through Nov. 17, 2013). Minnesota also travels to Grand Forks, N.D., with a 65-2-1 record in games away from Ridder Arena since Jan. 14, 2012.
FROZEN FOUR RETURNS TO RIDDER ARENA
The 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four will be held at Ridder Arena March 20 and 22, and tickets are entirely sold out. Fans interested in being put on a waitlist should additional tickets be made available should contact the Gopher Sales & Service Department at 612-624-8080 (option 2).
OFFENSIVE DEFENSE
The Gophers rank fourth in the nation with a 1.16 goals against average, and Minnesota defensemen lead the nation's blue-liners in scoring, averaging 3.65 points per game. Rachel Ramsey (8g-23a) leads the WCHA and ranks third in the nation with 0.84 points per game, and Milica McMillen (10g-15a) is third in the WCHA and tied for eighth in the nation with 0.76 points per game.
SCORING LEADERS
Four Gophers have hit the 40-point mark this season, led by Hannah Brandt (31g-36a), Dani Cameranesi (23g-39a), Kelly Pannek (13g-29a) and Maryanne Menefee (21g-20a). The Gophers' top-nine scorers all have at least 25 points, and all 18 skaters have at least one point on the year.
Hannah Brandt leads the WCHA and is second in the nation with 67 points. Her 1.86 points per game is third in the NCAA. Dani Cameranesi is on Brandt's heels in the national scoring race, ranked fourth with 62 points and 1.72 points per game.
With 171 goals in 37 games, the Gophers' offense leads the WCHA and ranks second in the nation, averaging 4.62 goals per game behind Boston College (5.29). Meanwhile, Minnesota's 1.16 goals against average is second in the WCHA and ranks fourth in the NCAA behind Quinnipiac (1.06), Wisconsin (1.11) and Boston College (1.11).
LEVEILLE AMONG NATION'S TOP GOALTENDERS
Amanda Leveille ranks third in the WCHA and fifth in the nation with a 1.17 goals against average. She is also second in the NCAA and second in the WCHA with a .947 save percentage. Leveille leads the WCHA and ranks second in the nation with a .883 winning percentage (25-2-3) as well.
POWER PLAY LEADERS
The Gophers have the nation's top power-play unit, converting on 38 of 124 opportunities for a .306 percentage. Milica McMillen and Dani Cameranesi are tied for seventh in the nation with seven power-play goals each.
ROAD UNBEATEN STREAK ENDS AT 56 GAMES
Minnesota's 3-0 loss to North Dakota (Feb. 6) was the team's first road loss since a 4-2 loss at Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 13, 2012. The Gophers were unbeaten (55-0-1) in 56-straight true road games (not including neutral-site games). Minnesota brings a 65-2-1 record in games away from Ridder Arena since Jan. 14, 2012 into this weekend's WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF.
ROOKIES FINDING THEIR WAY
Kelly Pannek leads the nation's rookies with 42 points (13g-29a) and 1.14 points per game, and all four Gopher freshman have made their way onto the score sheet this season. Cara Piazza (11g-5a), Sydney Baldwin (5g-6a) and Nina Rodgers (4g-2a) join Pannek to make up the nation's fourth-highest scoring rookie class.
NATIONAL TEAM ACTION
USA Hockey recently announced that Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi and Lee Stecklein and alum Anne Schleper have been named to the U.S. Women's National Team roster for the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship in Malmo, Sweden, March 28 to April 4.
UP NEXT: NCAA QUARTERFINAL ROUND
The NCAA selection show will air live on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 8, and the NCAA quarterfinal round is set for March 13-15. The 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four then returns to Ridder Arena March 20 and 22.
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