University of Minnesota Athletics
WCHA Unveils 2019-20 Schedule Outline
5/8/2019 11:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
An 84-game conference slate, challenging nonconference tests, and the 2020 WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena highlight the upcoming WCHA season.
MINNEAPOLIS – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) has released an outline of the league's composite schedule for 2019-20, which includes weekend dates and match-ups for all seven conference teams. Exact game dates and times for the league's 21st season will be announced at a later date.
The upcoming season features an 84-game WCHA slate, along with several intriguing non-conference matchups, and the second installment of the four-team Minnesota Cup in January. The WCHA Final Faceoff tournament returns to Ridder Arena next March as well.
The 2019-20 composite schedule outlines weekend dates and opponents for each of the league's seven member institutions. Exact game days and times, which will follow the :07 and :37 format for league games and nonconference home contests, will be announced at a later date. Fans can once again catch all the WCHA action live on FloHockey.tv this season.
League Play
The WCHA league schedule will once again feature 24 games in 2019-20, comprised of two series (one home and one away) against each of the other six member institutions. The chase for the Julianne Bye Cup begins the weekend of Oct. 4-5 and concludes Feb. 21-22. A total of 15 weekends will feature at least one WCHA series, including 12 with the full possible allotment of three league sets.
Non-Conference Play
The WCHA, which led the nation with a .759 non-league winning percentage in 2018-19 (43-13-2), will play 58 games against non-league teams in 2019-20. The schedule features 11 contest against four of the six non-WCHA teams that qualified for the 2019 NCAA tournament in Clarkson, Princeton, Boston College, and Cornell, while including 23 contests against nine ECAC Hockey opponents (and a possible two additional games in regular season tournaments), a minimum of 19 games against five College Hockey America (CHA) schools (with the potential for up to two additional tournament games), and at least 12 games against four Hockey East programs (with three additional tournament games against two schools a possibility).
Minnesota's non-conference slate includes series with Colgate (Sept. 27-28), Robert Morris (Oct. 11-12), Boston College (Nov. 29), Harvard (Nov. 30), and Yale (Jan. 3-4), along with facing Minnesota State in the 2019 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game in Prior Lake, Minn., in non-conference action.
2020 WCHA Postseason Tournament
All seven league teams advance to the 2020 WCHA Postseason Tournament, seeded by finish in the final regular season standings. As a reward for emerging as either WCHA champion or co-champion following the league's 84-game schedule, the top-seeded team will earn a bye for the quarterfinal round and will advance directly to the WCHA Final Faceoff weekend. The remaining six teams will play best-of-three, WCHA quarterfinal-round series, hosted by the No. 2-4 seeds, the weekend of Feb. 28-29. The three winners will advance to join the top seed at the 2020 WCHA Final Faceoff. College hockey's top conference championship weekend is set for March 6-7 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
About the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Women's League
The Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association will mark its 21st season in 2019-20. The nation's premier women's hockey conference, WCHA member institutions have won a record 17 national championships since the league's inception in 1999 (including 16 of a possible 19 NCAA titles), while producing seven Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winners, 101 All-Americans and numerous Olympic and national team members. The seven-team, NCAA Division 1 conference consists of: Bemidji State University (Beavers), the University of Minnesota (Golden Gophers), the University of Minnesota Duluth (Bulldogs), Minnesota State University (Mavericks), Ohio State University (Buckeyes), St. Cloud State University (Huskies) and the University of Wisconsin (Badgers). For more information, visit wcha.com.
###
The upcoming season features an 84-game WCHA slate, along with several intriguing non-conference matchups, and the second installment of the four-team Minnesota Cup in January. The WCHA Final Faceoff tournament returns to Ridder Arena next March as well.
The 2019-20 composite schedule outlines weekend dates and opponents for each of the league's seven member institutions. Exact game days and times, which will follow the :07 and :37 format for league games and nonconference home contests, will be announced at a later date. Fans can once again catch all the WCHA action live on FloHockey.tv this season.
League Play
The WCHA league schedule will once again feature 24 games in 2019-20, comprised of two series (one home and one away) against each of the other six member institutions. The chase for the Julianne Bye Cup begins the weekend of Oct. 4-5 and concludes Feb. 21-22. A total of 15 weekends will feature at least one WCHA series, including 12 with the full possible allotment of three league sets.
Non-Conference Play
The WCHA, which led the nation with a .759 non-league winning percentage in 2018-19 (43-13-2), will play 58 games against non-league teams in 2019-20. The schedule features 11 contest against four of the six non-WCHA teams that qualified for the 2019 NCAA tournament in Clarkson, Princeton, Boston College, and Cornell, while including 23 contests against nine ECAC Hockey opponents (and a possible two additional games in regular season tournaments), a minimum of 19 games against five College Hockey America (CHA) schools (with the potential for up to two additional tournament games), and at least 12 games against four Hockey East programs (with three additional tournament games against two schools a possibility).
Minnesota's non-conference slate includes series with Colgate (Sept. 27-28), Robert Morris (Oct. 11-12), Boston College (Nov. 29), Harvard (Nov. 30), and Yale (Jan. 3-4), along with facing Minnesota State in the 2019 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game in Prior Lake, Minn., in non-conference action.
2020 WCHA Postseason Tournament
All seven league teams advance to the 2020 WCHA Postseason Tournament, seeded by finish in the final regular season standings. As a reward for emerging as either WCHA champion or co-champion following the league's 84-game schedule, the top-seeded team will earn a bye for the quarterfinal round and will advance directly to the WCHA Final Faceoff weekend. The remaining six teams will play best-of-three, WCHA quarterfinal-round series, hosted by the No. 2-4 seeds, the weekend of Feb. 28-29. The three winners will advance to join the top seed at the 2020 WCHA Final Faceoff. College hockey's top conference championship weekend is set for March 6-7 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
About the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Women's League
The Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association will mark its 21st season in 2019-20. The nation's premier women's hockey conference, WCHA member institutions have won a record 17 national championships since the league's inception in 1999 (including 16 of a possible 19 NCAA titles), while producing seven Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winners, 101 All-Americans and numerous Olympic and national team members. The seven-team, NCAA Division 1 conference consists of: Bemidji State University (Beavers), the University of Minnesota (Golden Gophers), the University of Minnesota Duluth (Bulldogs), Minnesota State University (Mavericks), Ohio State University (Buckeyes), St. Cloud State University (Huskies) and the University of Wisconsin (Badgers). For more information, visit wcha.com.
###
Follow Women's Hockey
Women's Hockey Tickets
Experience the excitement and tradition connecting generations of Gopher fans! Create memories for a lifetime with your friends and family while you root for your Golden Gophers. Get Tickets
Support Women's Hockey
Support the University of Minnesota Women's Hockey program. Your support helps our student-athletes succeed athletically, academically, and socially. It takes just seconds to make a monthly or one-time donation. Thank you for your support! Give Now
WCHA Postseason Hype
Monday, March 02
Highlights: Gophers 6, St. Cloud State 1
Sunday, March 01
Highlights: Gophers 4, St. Cloud State 1
Saturday, February 28
Abbey Murphy Breaks Goals Record
Saturday, February 28