University of Minnesota Athletics
Border Battle Set for WCHA Championship
3/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| 2016 WCHA Final Face-off Championship Game | |
| Championship | Sunday, March 6 | 2:07 p.m. | Minnesota vs. Wisconsin |
| Location | Ridder Arena | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| Championship | Game Day Live | Live TV FSN | FOX Sports Go Video | Free Audio | |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Wisconsin |
| Tournament Info | WCHA.com | WCHA Final Face-off Central | @WCHA_WHockey |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram | #WCHA |
March 6, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS - Defending national champion Minnesota (32-3-1) is looking for its league-best seventh WCHA postseason crown when the No. 2 Gophers take on the No. 3 Badgers (33-3-1) in the 2016 WCHA Final Face-off championship game. The border rivals play for the WCHA tournament title and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament at 2 p.m. CT Sunday afternoon at Ridder Arena.
Top-seeded Wisconsin knocked off No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth, 5-0, in Saturday's first semifinal before No. 2 seed Minnesota defeated No. 3 seed North Dakota, 2-0, to secure its place in the WCHA title game. This year marks the ninth time in league history that the WCHA Final Face-off is being held at Ridder Arena.
WCHA Final Face-off Coverage
Saturday's semifinal games will be streamed for free online at WCHA.com and GopherSports.com with play-by-play from Jack Swanson and color commentary from Natalie Darwitz. Sunday's championship game will air live on Fox Sports North. Both Gopher games will feature free audio on GopherSports.com, and live stats will be available for all three games through GopherSports.com and WCHA.com.
About the 2016 WCHA Final Face-off Field
Minnesota is making its 17th-consecutive appearance at the WCHA Final Face-off after knocking off Ohio State in two games, winning 5-2 and 5-0, while WCHA regular-season champion Wisconsin is playing in its sixth-straight WCHA Final Face-Off after sweeping Minnesota State with 4-0 and 6-0 wins in the WCHA First Round.
North Dakota is back for the sixth-straight year following a pair of 6-1 wins over fifth seeded St. Cloud State. After missing out last season, Minnesota Duluth is back in the league's championship event following an upset sweep over host Bemidji State with 5-1 and 2-1 (overtime) wins.
Gophers in the WCHA Postseason
Minnesota has won a WCHA-best six tournament titles (2002, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, and 2014), joining Minnesota Duluth (2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, and 2010) and Wisconsin (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2015) in combining to win all of 16 postseason championships in WCHA history. The Gophers own a 42-11-0 all-time mark in WCHA postseason games, including Saturday's semifinal win over North Dakota. Minnesota finished tied for third in last year's tournament, dropping a 1-0 decision to Bemidji State in the semifinal round but won three consecutive WCHA postseason crowns in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Last Time Out: Gophers Advance with 2-0 Win over North Dakota
Minnesota brings an 18-game unbeaten streak into Sunday's WCHA title game after blanking North Dakota, 2-0, in the WCHA Final Face-off semifinal round on Saturday. Sydney Baldwin and Amanda Kessel scored goals and Amanda Leveille made 21 saves as the Gophers punched their ticket to the 2016 WCHA Final Face-off championship game. Minnesota scored one goal in each of the first two periods and held the Fighting Hawks scoreless on three power play opportunities, including a five-on-three advantage to start the third period.
NCAA Postseason on the Horizon
The WCHA Final Face-off champion earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The NCAA selection show will air live on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 6. The NCAA quarterfinal round is set for March 11-13, and the 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four will be held in Durham, N.H., Friday-Sunday, March 18-20.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. Wisconsin
Minnesota enters the WCHA title game with a 47-28-9 all-time record against Wisconsin, including a 7-8-0 mark in postseason games. The Gophers and Badgers last met in the WCHA Final Face-off in the 2011 championship game, when the Badgers took a 5-4 overtime decision from the Gophers at Ridder Arena. This season, Minnesota and Wisconsin are even at 2-2-0 with each team earning back-to-back wins on its home ice.
Gophers Senior Class Success
Minnesota's five seniors, Hannah Brandt, Brook Garzone, Amanda Kessel, Amanda Leveille, and Milica McMillen, make up the program's most successful class in program history with an overall record of 145-8-6 for a .931 winning percentage and has a 100-6-6 mark (.920) in WCHA games from 2012-13 to 2015-16. The Gophers have outscored their opponents 770-178 during the seniors' four years in Maroon and Gold.
Frost Surpasses Coaching Milestone
With Minnesota's 7-0 win over St. Cloud State (Jan. 22), head coach Brad Frost became the winningest coach in Gopher women's hockey history, surpassing Laura Halldorson (278-67-22) for career coaching wins. Frost owns an all-time mark of 290-44-22 heading into Sunday's WCHA Final Face-off championship game.
Leveille Makes Mark in Recordbooks
Amanda Leveille ranks second in Minnesota history and fourth in NCAA history with 32 career shutouts and 95 career wins (95-8-5), trailing only Noora Raty (114-17-8 with 43 shutouts). Her 1.17 career goals against average and .947 career save percentage are both the best in Minnesota history.
McMillen Closing in on Scoring Record
Among all-time Gopher defensemen, Milica McMillen ranks second in career goals (44, chasing Megan Bozek with 47), fourth in career points (119) and sixth in career assists (75).
Brandt Continues Climbing in NCAA, WCHA, & Minnesota Ranks
Hannah Brandt is the NCAA's active career scoring leader with 280 career points (114 goals, 166 assists). She is Minnesota's career leader in both points and assists and is second in Gopher history in career goals, trailing only Nadine Muzerall (139). Among all-time WCHA players, Brandt is the all-time assists leader and ranks second in career points (chasing Jocelyne Lamoureux at 285) and fifth in career goals. Among all-time NCAA players, she fourth in points, 10th in goals, and second in assists.
Scoring Leaders
Dani Cameranesi (32g-35a), Hannah Brandt (24g-35a), Sarah Potomak (12g-37a), and Kelly Pannek (22g-25a) are among the nation's top 11 leading scorers, ranked fourth, fifth, ninth, and 11th in points per game, respectively. Minnesota's offense ranks second in the NCAA at 4.86 goals per game. Brandt leads the nation with 1.09 assists per game in 32 games while Sarah Potomak leads the nation's rookies in scoring with 1.44 points per game.
Power-Play Leaders
The Gophers continue to lead the nation at .449 (44/98) on the power play. Dani Cameranesi leads the nation with 13 power-play goals, which ranks fourth in Gopher all-time single-season records.
Home, Sweet Home
Minnesota is currently on a 36-game home unbeaten streak (33-0-3). The Gophers are 81-2-5 in their last 88 home games, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012. In addition, Minnesota is 162-9-6 in the team's last 177 games, a stretch that includes an NCAA-record 62-game winning streak.
Up Next: NCAA Field Announcement
The WCHA Final Face-off champion earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The entire NCAA field will be announced live on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 6, and the NCAA quarterfinal round is set for March 11-13.
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