Western Collegiate Hockey Association
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Full Slate of WCHA Series for Feb. 29-March 2 Weekend has League-Leading CC Hosting MSU, UND at UMD, DU at MTU, SCSU Hosting UW, UM at UAA
Feb. 25, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
MADISON, Wisc. - Two weeks, three teams, four games each. That's what remains in the race for the 2007-08 Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season championship and quest for the MacNaughton Cup. League-leading Colorado College (37 points) has opened a four-point advantage over second place North Dakota (33 points) and a six-point lead over third place Denver (31 points), but all three are still in the hunt for the hardware.
The No. 4-ranked Tigers (23-8-1, 18-5-1 WCHA) return home to host No. 9/10-ranked Minnesota State (16-11-4, 10-10-4 WCHA) on Friday (Feb. 29) and Saturday (March 1) at Colorado Springs World Arena (7,343), the No. 2/3-ranked Fighting Sioux (21-8-2, 16-7-1 WCHA) travel to No. 15-ranked Minnesota Duluth (12-12-6, 8-11-5 WCHA) for a two-game set at the DECC (5,294) on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and the No. 7-ranked Pioneers (21-10-1, 15-8-1 WCHA) hit the road for a pair of games at Michigan Tech (11-16-5, 7-13-4 WCHA) and John MacInnes Student Ice Arena on Friday and Saturday night. Colorado College and Minnesota State will be meeting for the only two times this regular season. North Dakota is 1-0-1 vs the Bulldogs, after a 2-2 (ot) tie and 2-1 win in Grand Forks back on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. And Denver and Michigan Tech will also be contesting their only series of the regular season.
Colorado College has three of it's last four games on home ice including a regular season-ending home-and-home set with DU, where the Tigers own a league-best 14-1-0 mark this season. North Dakota, after it's series at UMD, will return home to conclude the regular season with a two-game set against St. Cloud State on March 7-8. Denver, meanwhile, will play three of four on the road. The Tigers, Sioux and Pioneers have all clinched a first round home WCHA playoff berth.
Colorado College, North Dakota and Denver have won or shared 11 WCHA regular season titles between them over the past 14 seasons (beginning in 1993-94). CC won the MacNaughton Cup in 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, and 2002-03 and shared the crown with DU in 2004-05. North Dakota shared the MacNaughton Cup in 1996-97 (with Minnesota) and won the title outright in 1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01, and 2003-04. Denver won the title in 2001-02 and shared the top spot with CC in 2004-05.
In addition to the three previously mentioned WCHA series this coming weekend, the four other league teams will also be engaged in conference play as on-coming and No. 12/13-ranked St. Cloud State (16-13-3, 11-11-2 WCHA) entertains No. 13/14-ranked Wisconsin (14-13-7, 10-11-5 WCHA) at the National Hockey Center (5,732) on Friday and Saturday and No. 17-ranked Minnesota (13-13-8, 7-11-6 WCHA) heads to Alaska Anchorage (7-18-7, 3-18-5 WCHA) and Sullivan Arena (6,251). The Badgers swept the Huskies in Madison back on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 by 3-2 and 4-3 scores. The Golden Gophers and Seawolves, meanwhile, split their first series of the season on Nov. 16-17 in Minneapolis, with UM winning 3-0 that Friday night and UAA coming back for a 4-2 victory that Saturday.
Outside the league this week, Minnesota State will play host to Central Collegiate Hockey Association-member Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday at Alltel Center in Mankato, with face-off set for 7:37 pm CT. After North Dakota's two-game sweep of Bemidji State this past weekend, the WCHA has upped it's 2007-08 non-conference mark to 48-17-10 and winning percentage against other Div. 1 conferences to a noteworthy .707.
With two weeks to go in the regular season, Colorado College (24 gp, 37 points) is perched atop the WCHA standings, with North Dakota (24 gp, 33 points) in second and Denver (34 gp, 31 points in third). The Tigers can clinch at least a share of the MacNaughton Cup with four more points and a loss or tie by North Dakota. DU can reach a maximum of 39 points.
The two remaining first round home WCHA playoff berths are still up for grabs among six teams. Wisconsin (26 gp, 25 points) is currently in fourth place, Minnesota State (24 gp, 24 points) and St. Cloud State (24 gp, 24 points) are deadlocked in fifth but both have two games in hand on the UW. Minnesota Duluth (24 gp, 21 points) stands seventh this week, Minnesota (24 gp, 20 points) is up to eighth, Michigan Tech (24 gp, 18 points) is ninth, and Alaska Anchorage (26 gp, 11 points) is 10th.
A season ago (2006-07), Minnesota won their second consecutive WCHA championship with 39 points, while it required 29 points to achieve a first round home-ice playoff berth. The top five finishers at the conclusion of the league's 28 games-per-team conference schedule earn home ice for the opening round of the 2008 WCHA Playoffs. Any ties in the final regular standings will result in the use of the league's tie-breaking procedures to determine playoff positions.
In this week's (Feb. 25) USCHO.com/CSTV Poll Div. 1 National Poll, the WCHA has eight of 10 teams ranked among the nation's top 20. North Dakota is No. 2, Colorado College is No. 4, Denver is No. 7, Minnesota State is No. 9, St. Cloud State is No. 12, Wisconsin is No. 13, Minnesota Duluth is No. 15, and Minnesota is No. 17.
In the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll for Feb. 25, North Dakota is No. 3, Colorado College is No. 4, Denver is No. 7, Minnesota State is No. 10, St. Cloud State is No. 13, Wisconsin is No. 14, and Minnesota Duluth is No. 15. Also receiving votes was Minnesota.
Looking ahead to the final regular season weekend of March 7-8, there will be four WCHA series played on that Friday and Saturday. Colorado College and Denver will engage in a home-and-home set, North Dakota hosts St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth plays at Minnesota, and Minnesota State hosts Michigan Tech. Both Wisconsin and Alaska Anchorage will be idle on the final weekend.
This Week in the WCHA Games for Tuesday, February 26: Nebraska-Omaha at Minnesota State, 7:37 pm CT (nc).
Games for Friday, February 29: Denver at Michigan Tech, 7:07 pm ET; Wisconsin at St. Cloud State, 7:07 pm CT; Minnesota State at Colorado College, 7:37 pm MT; Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage, 7:37 pm AT.
Games for Saturday, March 1; North Dakota at Minnesota Duluth, 2:07 pm CT; Denver at Michigan Tech, 7:07 pm ET; Wisconsin at St. Cloud State, 7:07 pm CT; Minnesota State at Colorado College, 7:07 pm AT; Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage, 7:07 pm AT.
Games for Sunday, March 2: North Dakota at Minnesota Duluth, 2:07 pm CT.
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