From the WCHA …

MADISON, Wis. – An impressive field that consists of five nationally-ranked teams, all with at least 22 victories overall this season, is set to descend upon the City of Saint Paul later this week for the 2010 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five, to be held Thursday, March 18 through Saturday, March 20 at Xcel Energy Center (18,064.
    The top five seeded teams for the first round of WCHA playoffs all succeeded in winning their best-of-three series. Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season and MacNaughton Cup champion Denver (27-7-4) is the No. 1 seed for the league playoff championship, second place regular season finisher Wisconsin (24-9-4) is the No. 2 seed, St. Cloud State (22-12-5) is the No. 3 seed, North Dakota (22-12-5) is the No. 4 seed and defending Final Five and Broadmoor Trophy champion Minnesota Duluth (22-16-1) is the No. 5 seed. All five WCHA Final Five games will be telecast live by Fox Sports North and audiocast live via the league’s official web site, www.wcha.com.
    Denver and Wisconsin both secured berths with two-game sweeps in first round WCHA playoff action on March 12 and 13, with the Pioneers winning 2-1 and 4-2 over No. 10 seed Michigan Tech and the Badgers defeating No. 9 seed Alaska Anchorage 4-1 and 7-2. St. Cloud State, North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth, meanwhile, all prevailed in three games. The Huskies lost 5-4 (ot) to No. 8 seed Minnesota State on Friday night before coming back with 3-2 and 3-2 (ot) victories on Saturday and Sunday. The Sioux won 6-0 over No. 7 seed Minnesota on Friday, fell by a 4-2 count on Saturday, and then captured a 4-1 win on Sunday. And the Bulldogs won 3-2 (ot) over No. 6 Colorado Colllege on Friday, dropped a 5-3 decision on Saturday, and came back with a 4-0 triumph on Sunday.
    The 2010 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five will open on Thursday evening (March 18) with a matchup between No. 5 Minnesota Duluth and No. 4 North Dakota at 7:07 pm CT.
    Prior to that contest, the conference will present it’s post-season men’s individual awards at the annual WCHA Awards Banquet, set for 3:45 pm CT at RiverCentre – adjacent to the Xcel Energy Center.
    On Friday (March 19) at the Final Five, there will be two semifinal matchups. The first semifinal, set for 2:07 pm CT, will have No. 3 seed St. Cloud State taking on No. 2 Wisconsin. The second semifinal will match Thursday’s winner (North Dakota or Minnesota Duluth) against top-seeded Denver at 7:07 pm CT.
    In between games on Friday, the WCHA and the Saint Paul Convention & Visitors Authority will host the second WCHA Fan Fest in the Kellogg Lobby inside Saint Paul RiverCentre, next door to Xcel Energy Center. From approximately 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm, hockey fans can celebrate with music, interactive games, food and more, with additional entertainment provided by WCHA-member schools’ pep bands, cheerleaders and mascots. Notable WCHA alumni will also be in attendance. All hockey fans are welcome, tickets are not necessary for admittance, and the WCHA Fan Fest is free and open to the public.
    Then on Saturday (March 20) at the 2010 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five, the playoff championship will conclude with the Third Place Game at 2:07 pm CT and the Broadmoor Trophy championship game at 7:07 pm CT. The winner of the Final Five receives the WCHA’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.

This Week in the WCHA
2010 Red Baron WCHA Final Five • Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, MN

Games for Thursday, March 18: No. 5 Minnesota Duluth (22-16-1) vs No. 4 North Dakota (22-12-5), 7:07 pm CT (TV – FS North).

Games for Friday, March 19: Semi-Final: No. 3 St. Cloud State (22-12-5) vs No. 2 Wisconsin (24-9-4), 2:07 pm CT (TV – FS North); Semi-Final: Thursday’s Winner vs No. 1 Denver (27-7-4), 7:07 pm CT (TV – FS North).

Games for Saturday, March 20: Third Place Game, 2:07 pm CT (TV – FS North); Broadmoor Trophy Championship Game, 7:07 pm CT (TV – FS North).

WCHA Playoff Results
First Round • Best-of-Three

Results of Friday, March 12: (10) Michigan Tech 1 at (1) Denver 2 (nc); (9) Alaska Anchorage 1 at (2) Wisconsin 4 (nc); (8) Minnesota State 5 at (3) St. Cloud State 4 ot (nc); (7) Minnesota 0 at (4) North Dakota 6 (nc); (6) Colorado College 2 at (5) Minnesota Duluth 3 ot (nc).

Results of Saturday, March 13: (10) Michigan Tech 2 at (1) Denver 4 (DU wins series 2-0); (9) Alaska Anchorage 2 at (2) Wisconsin 7 (nc) (UW wins series 2-0); (8) Minnesota State 2 at (3) St. Cloud State 3 (nc) (series tied 1-1); (7) Minnesota 4 at (4) North Dakota 2 (nc) (series tied 1-1); (6) Colorado College 5 at (5) Minnesota Duluth 3 (nc) (series tied 1-1).

Results of Sunday, March 14: (8) Minnesota State 2 at (3) St. Cloud State 3 ot (nc) (SCSU wins series 2-1); (7) Minnesota 1 at (4) North Dakota 4 (nc) (UND wins series 2-1); (6) Colorado College 0 at (5) Minnesota Duluth 4 (nc) (UMD wins series 2-1).

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