From the WCHA …

MADISON, Wis. – One of the big series of the early portion of the 2009-10 Western Collegiate Hockey Association schedule takes place this weekend – Nov. 20-21 – when defending MacNaughton Cup champion and No. 2-ranked North Dakota (7-2-1, 5-2-1 WCHA) heads to the Mile High City to take on pre-season league favorite and No. 3-ranked Denver (6-3-1, 4-1-1 WCHA) at Magness Arena (6,026). The second place Fighting Sioux are coming off a home split with St. Cloud State last weekend while the Pioneers return to on-ice play after a week off. Face-offs are set for 7:37 pm MT on Friday and 7:07 pm MT on Saturday.
    In three other upcoming WCHA series this Friday and Saturday, No. 20-ranked Minnesota Duluth (7-4-1, 4-3-1 WCHA) travels to Minnesota (4-5-1, 3-4-1 WCHA) and Mariucci Arena (10,000), No. 15-ranked Wisconsin (6-3-1, 4-3-1 WCHA) heads to St. Cloud State (4-4-2, 3-2-1 WCHA) and the National Hockey Center (5,371), and Minnesota State, Mankato (3-6-1, 1-6-1 WCHA) journeys to Alaska Anchorage (4-8-0, 2-6-0 WCHA) and Sullivan Arena (6,251).
    League-leading and No. 7-ranked Colorado College (7-2-1, 6-1-1 WCHA), meanwhile, will take a break from conference play to host Robert Morris of College Hockey America at the Colorado Springs World Arena (7,343). So far this season, WCHA-member teams are a collective 17-10-1 in non-conference competition for a .625 winning percentage.
    Michigan Tech (3-7-0, 2-6-0 WCHA), coming off a league road split at Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 13-14, is idle this week.
    Heading into the sixth week of the 140-game WCHA slate (28 games per team), Colorado College – selected by the head coaches to finish eighth in the 10-team league this season – has been the story to date as the Tigers have compiled a 6-1-1 league mark to stand alone in first place with 13 points. Coach Scott Owens’ club has also gained seven of their 13 points on the road so far, including a sweep this past weekend at Minnesota State and a three-point series at Wisconsin on Oct. 16-17. North Dakota currently stands second with a 5-2-1 league mark and 11 points, followed by Denver (4-1-1), Minnesota Duluth (4-3-1) and Wisconsin (4-3-1), all with nine points. St. Cloud State (3-2-1) and Minnesota (3-4-1) are tied for sixth place with seven points apiece, followed by Alaska Anchorage (2-6-0) and Michigan (2-6-0) in eighth with four points each, and Minnesota State (1-6-1) in 10th with three. DU and SCSU have played the fewest league games to date with six each.
    Five head-to-head WCHA matchups for the 2009-10 season – all two-game series – have already concluded. Alaska Anchorage and North Dakota split, 1-1; Wisconsin won over UAA, 2-0; Colorado College won over both Michigan Tech and Minnesota State, 2-0; and St. Cloud State took their two-game set vs Minnesota Duluth, 1-0-1.
    Looking ahead to Thanksgiving weekend – Nov. 27-28 – there will be three WCHA series on the docket as Colorado College hosts Alaska Anchorage, Minnesota State entertains Michigan Tech, and Denver hosts St. Cloud State. In non-conference play next week, Minnesota and Wisconsin will take on CCHA-members and hosts Michigan and Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase while North Dakota will host Bemidji State, Miami and Ohio State in the four-team Subway Holiday Classic tournament at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
    In this week’s (Nov. 16, 2009) USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Div. 1 Men’s College Hockey Poll, North Dakota is ranked No. 2, Denver is No. 3, Colorado College is No. 7, Wisconsin is No. 15 and Minnesota Duluth is No. 20. Also receiving votes this week was St. Cloud State.
    This 2009-10 campaign marks the 58th in the storied history of the WCHA, with the league owning a record 36 national championships. It will also mark the final season with a membership consisting of 10 teams, as both Bemidji State University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha come on board as the 11th and 12th members in 2010-11.

This Week in the WCHA

Games for Friday, November 20: Minnesota State at Alaska Anchorage (WCHA), 7:07 pm AT; Minnesota Duluth at Minnesota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Wisconsin at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; North Dakota at Denver (WCHA), 7:37 pm MT; Robert Morris at Colorado College (WCHA), 7:37 pm MT.
Games for Saturday, November 21: Minnesota State at Alaska Anchorage (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; North Dakota at Denver (WCHA), 7:07 pm MT; Minnesota Duluth at Minnesota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Wisconsin at St. Cloud State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Robert Morris at Colorado College (nc), 7:07 pm MT.

Last Week in the WCHA

Results of Friday, November 13
Alaska Anchorage 1 at Wisconsin 5 (WCHA)
Michigan Tech 3 at Minnesota Duluth 2 (WCHA)
Colorado College 1 at Minnesota State 0 ot (WCHA)
St. Cloud State 2 at North Dakota 4 (WCHA)
Results of Saturday, November 14
Alaska Anchorage 2 at Wisconsin 6 (WCHA)
Colorado College 3 at Minnesota State 2 (WCHA)
Michigan Tech 1 at Minnesota Duluth 8 (WCHA)
St. Cloud State 3 at North Dakota 2 (WCHA)
Bemidji State 1 at Minnesota 4 (nc)
Results of Sunday, November 15
Bemidji State 6 at Minnesota 2 (nc)

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