Western Collegiate Hockey Association

Erica McKenzie and the Golden Gophers are on a 21-game unbeaten streak

HEADLINES

Laura Fast of St. Cloud State, Andrew Thomas of Denver Named Recipients of WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarships for 2008-09

2007-08 WCHA WOMEN'S SEASON-IN-REVIEW

SCHULER TO JOIN BULLDOG WOMEN'S HOCKEY STAFF

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Minnesota Extends Nation's Best Unbeaten Streak to 21 Games with Feb. 15-16 WCHA Sweep of SCSU; Badgers, Buckeyes Each Win Twice

Bulldogs, Golden Gophers, Badgers, Huskies have Earned Home WCHA Playoff Berths

Feb. 17, 2008

MADISON, Wis. - The second to the last weekend of the 2007-08 regular season saw home teams Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio State all win twice in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play while St. Cloud State gained the fourth and final home conference playoff berth.

The No. 4-ranked Golden Gophers (25-4-3, 21-4-1 WCHA), who won twice over SCSU this past Friday and Saturday (Feb. 15-16) by 4-2 and 5-2 scores, stretched their nation's best unbeaten streak to 21 games (19-0-2), their winning streak to 11, and moved within one point of league-leading and idle Minnesota Duluth (25-4-1, 22-4-0 WCHA) in the race for the league championship.

No. 5-ranked Wisconsin (23-7-2, 19-5-2 WCHA), by virtue of 4-0 and 3-0 victories over visiting Bemidji State (4-25-3, 1-23-2 WCHA), kept their hopes for at least a share of a third consecutive conference title alive while Ohio State (14-15-3, 9-14-3 WCHA) moved into fifth place with 3-2 and 4-0 wins over visiting Minnesota State (10-19-1, 9-16-1 WCHA). The Badgers can still earn a share of the regular season crown, although UMD owns the playoff seeding tie-breaker vs the UW by virtue of a 3-1-0 mark in head-to-head competition. If two or more teams tie for the regular season title, they will be declared co-champions.

Looking ahead to next weekend - Feb. 22-24 - there will be a full slate of four WCHA series contested as No. 3-ranked Minnesota Duluth hosts St. Cloud State (Sat-Sun), Minnesota hosts Wisconsin (Sat-Sun), Ohio State heads to Bemidji State (Fri-Sat), and Minnesota State entertains North Dakota (Fri-Sat). First, second and third places in the final WCHA standings are up for grabs on the final regular season weekend, along with the fifth and sixth place spots.

Last Week in the WCHA
Results of Friday, February 15: Bemidji State 0 at Wisconsin 4; Minnesota 4 at St. Cloud State 2; Minnesota State 2 at Ohio State 3.

Results of Saturday, February 16: *Bemidji State 0 at Wisconsin 3; Minnesota State 0 at Ohio State 4; St. Cloud State 2 at Minnesota 5. *Eagle's Nest (Verona, WI). upcoming in the wcha

This Week in the WCHA
Games for Friday, February 22: Ohio State at Bemidji State, 7:07 pm CT; North Dakota at Minnesota State, 7:07 pm CT.

Games for Saturday, February 23: Ohio State at Bemidji State, 2:07 pm CT; North Dakota at Minnesota State, 3:07 pm CT; St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth, 3:37 pm CT; Wisconsin at Minnesota, 4:07 pm CT.

Games for Sunday, February 24: Wisconsin at Minnesota, 3:07 pm CT; St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth, 3:07 pm CT.