2009–10 WCHA women's ice hockey season

2009–10 Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's ice hockey season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportIce hockey
DurationSeptember 2009 - March, 2010
Number of teams8
Tournament
ChampionMinnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
Runners-UpMinnesota Golden Gophers
Ice hockey seasons
← 08–09
10–11 →

The 2009–10 Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's ice hockey season marked the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive ice hockey among Western Collegiate Hockey Association members.

Preseason

According to a poll of league coaches, Wisconsin was the preseason pick to win the WCHA title. Defending WCHA champion Minnesota placed second in the poll; Minnesota Duluth placed third. All three of the teams qualified for the NCAA Frozen Four in the previous season.[1]

Brooke Ammerman and Brianna Decker of Wisconsin were voted Preseason Player of the Year and Preseason Rookie of the Year, respectively.[2][3]

Exhibition games

Exhibition games against Canadian teams

Three games were played against Canadian Interuniversity Sport teams.

Date Location NCAA team CIS team Score
September 25 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Manitoba ND, 3-1[4]
September 26 Columbus, OH Ohio State Wilfrid Laurier 1–1, Ohio State scores in shootout[5]
September 26 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Manitoba Man, 3-2[6]

US Olympic exhibition games

Throughout the season, various NCAA schools played against the United States Olympic Hockey team.

Date Location NCAA team Score
September 25 Xcel Energy Center WCHA All-Stars 6–1, USA[7]
September 26 National Hockey Center St. Cloud State 13–0, USA[8][9]
January 5 Madison, WI Wisconsin 9–0, USA[10]
January 12 Ridder Arena Minnesota 8–5, USA[11]

WCHA All-Star Team

The head coach of the WCHA All-Stars was Jeff Giesen of St. Cloud State, with Maria Lewis of North Dakota and Heather Farrell of Bemidji State serving as assistant coaches. The Athletic Trainer was Stef Arndt of St. Cloud State.

WCHA All-Star Team[12]
Position Name Class School
G Alyssa Grogan So. Minnesota
G Ashley Nixon Jr. St. Cloud State
G Zuzana Tomcikova So. Bemidji State
D Brittany Haverstock So. Wisconsin
D Danielle Hirsch Sr. St. Cloud State
D Kelly Lewis Jr. North Dakota
D Jaime Rasmussen Sr. Minnesota Duluth
D Shannon Reilly Jr. Ohio State
D Anne Schleper So. Minnesota
D Holly Snyder Sr. Minnesota State
F Brooke Ammerman So. Wisconsin
F Emmanuelle Blais Sr. Minnesota Duluth
F Mallory Deluce Jr. Wisconsin
F Laura Fridfinnson Jr. Minnesota Duluth
F Jasmine Giles Sr. Wisconsin
F Caitlin Hogan Sr. St. Cloud State
F Christina Lee Sr. Minnesota State
F Laura McIntosh So. Ohio State
F Holly Roberts Sr. St. Cloud State
F Natalie Spooner So. Ohio State
F Emily West Jr. Minnesota
F Alyssa Wiebe So. North Dakota
Note: G = goaltender, D = defense, F = forward
So. = Sophomore, Jr. = Junior, Sr. = Senior

Regular season

Standings

2009–10 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings
Conference Overall
GP W L T SOW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Minnesota Duluth†* 28 20 6 2 1 43 90 55 41 31 8 2 138 83
Minnesota† 28 18 6 4 3 43 91 49 40 26 9 5 129 74
St. Cloud State 28 11 11 6 4 32 70 77 37 15 14 8 96 103
Wisconsin 28 15 12 1 0 31 84 63 36 18 15 3 107 82
Ohio State 28 12 13 3 1 28 90 94 37 17 15 5 122 117
Bemidji State 28 9 12 7 3 28 47 64 38 12 19 7 65 98
Minnesota State 28 5 18 5 3 18 49 92 34 7 22 5 66 117
North Dakota 28 7 19 2 0 16 44 71 34 8 22 4 61 92
Championship:
† indicates conference regular season champion; * indicates conference tournament champion
Updated July 21, 2024

In season honors

Players of the week

Throughout the conference regular season, WCHA officials name a player of the week each Monday.

Week Player of the week
10/05/09 Chelsey Jones, Minnesota[13]
10/12/09 Sarah Erickson, Minnesota
10/19/09 Emmi Leinonen, Minnesota State
10/26/09 Emmanuelle Blais, Minnesota Duluth[14]
11/02/09 Meaghan Pezon, St. Cloud State[15]
11/09/09 Raelyn LaRocque, Ohio State[16]
11/16/09 Holly Roberts, St. Cloud State
11/23/09
11/30/09
12/7/09
12/14/09
12/21/09
12/28/08
1/4/10 Felicia Nelson, St. Cloud State[17]
1/11/10 Sarah Erickson, Minnesota[18]
1/18/10 Natalie Spooner, Ohio State[19]
1/25/10 Carolyne Prevost, Wisconsin[20]
2/1/10
2/8/10
2/15/10 Holly Roberts, St. Cloud State[21]
2/22/10
3/1/10
3/8/10

Defensive players of the week

Throughout the conference regular season, WCHA officials name a Defensive player of the week each Monday.

Week Player of the week
10/05/09 Jorid Dagfinrud, North Dakota
10/12/09 Zuzana Tomcikova, Bemidji State
10/19/09 Noora Räty, Minnesota
10/26/09 Jaime Rasmussen, Minnesota Duluth
11/02/09 Becca Ruegsegger, Wisconsin
11/09/09 Zuzana Tomcikova, Bemidji State
11/16/09 Anne Schleper, Minnesota
12/07/09 Noora Räty, Minnesota and Jennifer Harss, Minnesota-Duluth[22]
01/04/10 Chelsea Knapp, Ohio State
01/11/10 Becca Ruegsegger, Wisconsin
01/18/10 Zuzana Tomcikova, Bemidji State and Ashley Nixon, St. Cloud State
01/25/10 Noora Raty, Minnesota
02/17/10 Alli Altmann, MSU-Mankato

Rookie of the week

Throughout the conference regular season, WCHA officials name a Freshman player of the week each Monday.

Week Player of the week
10/05/09 Brianna Decker, Wisconsin
10/12/09 Katherine Wilson, Minnesota Duluth
10/19/09 Minttu Tuominen, Ohio State
10/26/09 Noora Räty, Minnesota
11/02/09 Hokey Langan, Ohio State
11/09/09 Audrey Cournoyer, Minnesota Duluth
11/16/09 Mariia Posa, Minnesota Duluth
11/23/09 Megan Bozek, Minnesota
11/30/09
12/07/09
12/14/09 Megan Bozek, Minnesota
01/04/10 Mary Loken, North Dakota
01/11/10 Erika Wheelhouse, Bemidji State
01/18/10 Jessica Wong, Minnesota Duluth
01/25/10 Hokey Langan, Ohio State
02/15/10 Hokey Langan, Ohio State

Postseason

WCHA tournament

Quarterfinals

Date Teams Score Notes
February 26 Ohio State at Wisconsin OSU, 3-1 Natalie Spooner gets a hat trick[5]
February 27 Ohio State at Wisconsin OSU, 4-3 (OT)
Date Location Opponent Score
February 26 Ridder Arena Minnesota vs. MSU Mankato 5-8
February 27 Ridder Arena Minnesota vs. MSU Mankato 3-4 (3 OT)
  • February 27: After 3 hours and 47 minutes, Emily West scored at 1:16 of triple overtime to eliminate the MSU-Mankato Mavericks.[23]
Date Opponent Location Score Notes
Feb. 26 St. Cloud State St. Cloud 0-3
Feb. 27 St. Cloud State St. Cloud 2-1 End 14 game playoff losing streak
Feb. 28 St. Cloud State 4-1 Advance to first ever WCHA Final Face-Off
  • February 27: Bemidji State ends its 14 game playoff losing streak in a 2-1 victory over St. Cloud State.[24]
Date Location Opponent Score Notes
Feb. 26 Heritage Center North Dakota 6-2 Emmanuelle Blais scores 4 goals[25]
Feb. 27 Heritage Center North Dakota 3-1 Sweep series

Semifinals

Date Location Opponent Score Notes
Ridder Arena Minnesota vs. Ohio State
Date Location Opponent Score Notes
Ridder Arena Minnesota Duluth vs. Bemidji State

Finals

  • March 7: The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 3-2 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis to win the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF playoff championship. It is the Bulldogs fifth WCHA playoff championship. This was their first postseason victory over the Golden Gophers since 2003. In addition, the Bulldogs lost three previous league playoff games against the Gophers at Ridder Arena.[26]
Date Location Opponent Score Notes
March 7 Ridder Arena Minnesota vs. Minnesota Duluth Minn Duluth, 3-2 Bulldogs fifth championship

NCAA tournament

Main article: 2010 NCAA Women's Division I ice hockey tournament
  • March 8: Two teams from the WCHA will compete for the 10th NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The University of Minnesota will be the host school for the 2010 Frozen Four, to be held March 19 and 21 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. WCHA tournament champion University of Minnesota Duluth, and at-large selection Minnesota will be two of eight competing teams.

Minnesota Duluth (28-8-2) is seeded Number 2 and the Bulldogs will host the New Hampshire Wildcats (19-8-5) on Saturday, March 13 at 2:00 pm central standard time. The Golden Gophers (25-8-5) are the number 3 seed, and will host the Clarkson Golden Eagles (23-11-5), on March 13 at 4:00 pm central standard time. Minnesota Duluth won the Frozen Four for the first three years that the tournament was held (2001, 2002 and 2003). The Golden Gophers proceeded to win the next two Frozen Four tournaments (2004 and 2005).[27] Neither team has won since.

Record Win % R32 S16 E8 F4 CG
0–0

WCHA awards and honors

Honor Selection
Player of the Year (Tie) Felicia Nelson, St. Cloud State and Zuzana Tomcikova, Bemidji State[28]
Coach of the Year Steve Sertich, Bemidji State
Freshman of the Year Hokey Langan, Ohio State
Student Athlete of the Year Caitlin Hogan, St. Cloud State
Defensive Player of the Year, Anne Schleper, Minnesota
Scoring Champion Hokey Langan, Ohio State
Goaltending Champion Noora Raty, Minnesota
WCHA First Team Natalie Spooner, F, Ohio State
Emmanuelle Blais, F, Minnesota Duluth
Emily West, F, Minnesota
Anne Schleper, D, Minnesota
Jaime Rasmussen, D, Minnesota Duluth
Noora Raty, G, Minnesota
WCHA Second Team Felicia Nelson, F, St. Cloud State
Hokey Langan, F, Ohio State
Holly Roberts, F, St. Cloud State
Laura Fridfinnson, F, Minnesota Duluth
Megan Bozek, D, Minnesota
Rachel Davis, D, Ohio State
Zuzana Tomcikova, G, Bemidji State
WCHA Third Team Brooke Ammerman, F, Wisconsin
Caitlin Hogan, F, St. Cloud State
Montana Vicharek, D, Bemidji State
Stefanie McKeough, D, Wisconsin
Jennifer Harss, G, Minnesota Duluth
All-Freshman Team Hokey Langan, F, Ohio State
Katherine Wilson, F, Minnesota Duluth
Brianne Decker, F, Wisconsin
Megan Bozek, D, Minnesota
Stefanie McKeough, D, Wisconsin
Noora Raty, G, Minnesota

WCHA all-academic team

National awards and honors

Patty Kazmaier Award nominees

Of the 45 nominees for the Patty Kazmaier Award, ten were from the WCHA.[29]

Player Position Class School Nationality
Emmanuelle Blais Forward Senior Univ. of Minnesota Duluth  Canada
Laura Fridfinnson Forward Junior Univ. of Minnesota Duluth  Canada
Caitlin Hogan Forward Senior St. Cloud State Univ.  United States
Hokey Langan Forward Freshman Ohio State  Canada
Felicia Nelson Forward Senior St. Cloud State Univ.  Canada
Noora Räty Goalie Freshman Minnesota  Finland
Anne Schleper Defense Sophomore Minnesota  United States
Natalie Spooner Forward Sophomore Ohio State  Canada
Zuzana Tomcikova Goaltender Sophomore Bemidji State Univ.  Slovenia
Emily West Forward Junior Minnesota  United States

2010 Olympics

Active players

Ten active WCHA players represented their respective countries in ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Player NCAA team Nationality Position Medal Refs
Elin Holmlöv Minnesota-Duluth  Sweden Forward 4th Place
Haley Irwin Minnesota-Duluth  Canada Forward Gold
Jocelyne Lamoureux North Dakota  United States Forward Silver
Monique Lamoureux North Dakota  United States Forward Silver
Heidi Pelttari Minnesota State  Finland Forward Bronze
Mariia Posa Minnesota State  Finland Forward Bronze
Noora Raty Minnesota  Finland Goaltender Bronze
Nina Tikkinen Minnesota State  Finland Forward Bronze [30]
Zuzana Tomčíková Bemidji State  Slovakia Goaltender 8th place
Saara Tuominen[31] Minnesota Duluth  Finland Forward Bronze

Former players

The following former NCAA players will represent their respective countries in Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Player NCAA team Nationality Position Medal Refs
Natalie Darwitz Minnesota  United States Forward Silver
Meghan Duggan Wisconsin  United States Forward Silver
Molly Engstrom Wisconsin  United States Defence Silver
Hilary Knight Wisconsin  United States Forward Silver
Gigi Marvin Minnesota  United States Forward Silver
Meghan Mikkelson Wisconsin  Canada Forward Gold [32]
Caroline Ouellette Minnesota Duluth  Canada Forward Gold
Jessie Vetter Wisconsin  United States Goaltender Silver
Jinelle Zaugg Wisconsin  United States Forward Silver

See also

References

  1. ^ "UMD women picked third". Duluth News Tribune. September 24, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  2. ^ "Brianna Decker | Women's Hockey". Wisconsin Badgers. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "0000017d-df61-d169-a77d-dff58cf40018 - Duluth News Tribune | News, weather, and sports from Duluth, Minnesota". Duluth News Tribune. September 24, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "Women's hockey kicks off season with win over Manitoba". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Ohio State Buckeyes | Ohio State University Athletics". Ohio State Buckeyes. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  6. ^ "Sioux split opening series with 3-2 loss". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
  7. ^ "USA Hockey". Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  8. ^ "USA Hockey". Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  9. ^ "St. Cloud State University Husky Athletics". Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  10. ^ "USA Hockey". Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  11. ^ "USA Hockey". Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  12. ^ "wcha.com". Retrieved September 26, 2009.[dead link‍]
  13. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/100709aaa.html[permanent dead link‍]
  14. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/102809aab.html[permanent dead link‍]
  15. ^ "wcha.com". Retrieved November 11, 2009.[dead link‍]
  16. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/111109aaa.html[permanent dead link‍]
  17. ^ "wcha.com". Retrieved January 30, 2010.[dead link‍]
  18. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/011310aaa.html[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/012010aac.html[permanent dead link‍]
  20. ^ "wcha.com". Retrieved January 30, 2010.[dead link‍]
  21. ^ "wcha.com". Retrieved February 19, 2010.[dead link‍]
  22. ^ "UMD Bulldogs - Women's Hockey". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  23. ^ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38864&SPID=3323&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204897322[permanent dead link‍]
  24. ^ "BSU ends 14 playoff game losing streak; wins 2-1 in St. Cloud - Bemidji State University Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on December 14, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  25. ^ "Welcome to collegehockeystats.net". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  26. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/030710aab.html[permanent dead link‍]
  27. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/030810aaa.html[permanent dead link‍]
  28. ^ http://www.wcha.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/wcha/sports/w-hockey/auto_pdf/wchaw-2010awards-030410[permanent dead link‍]
  29. ^ "wcha.com". Retrieved February 19, 2010.[dead link‍]
  30. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/011410aaa.html[permanent dead link‍]
  31. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/011310aac.html[permanent dead link‍]
  32. ^ "Former Badgers named to Canadian Olympic roster - UWBADGERS.COM - the Official Web Site of the Wisconsin Badgers Athletics". Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2010.