2009–10 WCHA women's ice hockey season

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

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

among Western Collegiate Hockey Association

Western Collegiate Hockey Association

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....

members.

Preseason

Sept. 24:The Badgers are the preseason pick to win the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s title, according to a poll of league coaches. Wisconsin went 34-2-5 last season en route to its third NCAA title in four years. The Badgers collected six first-place votes and 48 points in a poll of the eight coaches. Defending WCHA champion Minnesota, placed second with 43 points and two first-place votes. Minnesota Duluth, with 38 points, was selected to finish third. All three of those teams qualified for the NCAA Frozen Four last season.

WCHA Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Place	School	First Place Votes	Total Points
1	Wisconsin	(6)	48
2	Minnesota	(2)	43
3	Minnesota Duluth	(0)	38
4	St. Cloud State	(0)	29
5	Ohio State	(0)	23
6	North Dakota	(0)	20
7	MSU Mankato	(0)	16
8	Bemidji State	(0)	7

Preseason WCHA awards

Player of the Year voting

Player School Votes
Brooke Ammerman Wisconsin 5
Natalie Spooner Ohio State 2
Saara Tuominen Minnesota Duluth 1
Rookie of the Year voting

Player School Votes
Brianna Decker Wisconsin 6
Hokey Langan Ohio State 1
Jennifer Hars Minnesota Duluth 1

Player	School	Votes
Brooke Ammerman	Wisconsin	5
Natalie Spooner	Ohio State	2
Saara Tuominen	Minnesota Duluth	1

Player	School	Votes
Brianna Decker	Wisconsin	6
Hokey Langan	Ohio State	1
Jennifer Hars	Minnesota Duluth	1

CIS Exhibition

Date	Location	NCAA school	CIS team	Score
Fri. Sept 25	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	Manitoba	ND, 3-1
Sat. Sept 26	Columbus, OH	Ohio State	Wilfrid Laurier	Tie, 1-1 (Ohio State scores in shootout)
Sat. Sept 26	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	Manitoba	Man, 3-2

US Olympic exhibition games

Throughout the season, various NCAA schools will play the United States Olympic Hockey team.

On September 25, Natalie Darwitz

Natalie Darwitz

Natalie Darwitz is an American ice hockey player. Natalie has been the Captain of the US Women's National Team since the start of the 2007-08 season...

was named the Player of the Game for Team USA.

Date	Location	NCAA school	Score
September 25	Xcel Energy Center Xcel Energy Center The Xcel Energy Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is named for its locally-based corporate sponsor Xcel Energy. With an official capacity of 18,064, the arena has four spectator levels: one suite level and three general seating levels. The arena is owned by the...	WCHA All-Stars	6-1, US
September 26	National Hockey Center	St. Cloud State	USA, 13-0
January 5	Madison, WI	Wisconsin	9-0
January 12	Ridder Arena Ridder Arena Ridder Arena is the ice rink of the women's hockey team at the University of Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are the only collegiate women's hockey team to have an arena built for them. The arena was opened in 2002. The arena seats about 3,400 people; included in that total are the occupants of about...	Minnesota	8-5

Box scores

September 25

Period	Goal	Assists	Time of Goal
1	Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej (USA)	Hillary Knight	1:56
1	Kerry Weiland (USA)		4:51
1	Monique Lamoureux (USA)		8:17
1	Caitlin Cahow (USA)		10:43
2	Molly Engstrom (USA)		4:11
3	Holly Roberts (WCHA)		5:03
3	Julie Chu (USA)		10:32

WCHA All-Star Team

On September 25, a group of WCHA All-Stars will play the US Olympic Team. The head coach of the WCHA All-Stars is Jeff Giesen from St. Cloud State. Assisting him are Maria Lewis from North Dakota and Heather Farrell from Bemidji State. The Athletic Trainer is Stef Arndt from St. Cloud State. The roster is as follows:

Position	Name	Class	School
G	Alyssa Grogan	Minnesota	So
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

January

January 14: Nina Tikkinen, a junior forward for Minnesota State, has been named to Finland’s 2010 Winter Olympic Hockey Team.

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
10/12/09	Sarah Erickson, Minnesota
10/19/09	Emmi Leinonen, Minnesota State
10/26/09	Emmanuelle Blais, Minnesota Duluth
11/02/09	Meaghan Pezon, St. Cloud State
11/09/09	Raelyn LaRocque, Ohio State
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
1/11/10	Sarah Erickson, Minnesota
1/18/10	Natalie Spooner , Ohio State
1/25/10	Carolyne Prevost, Wisconsin
2/1/10
2/8/10
2/15/10	Holly Roberts, St. Cloud State
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
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 Noora Räty Noora Räty is a member of the Finland women's national ice hockey team and also plays for the Minnesota Golden Gophers .-Playing career:... , 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 Mariia Posa Mariia Posa is a member of the Finland women's ice hockey national team. She plays also for the University of Minnesota-Duluth.-Minnesota Duluth:... , 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

Statistical leaders

Name	School	Goals
Goals

Name	School	Assists
Assists

Name	School	Points
Points
Hokey Langan	Ohio State	51

Name	School	PPG
Power Play Goals

Quarterfinals

Date	Time	Teams	Score	Notes
02/26/2010	7:00 PM	Ohio State at Wisconsin	OSU, 3-1	Natalie Spooner gets a hat trick
02/27/2010	7:00 PM	Ohio State at Wisconsin	OSU, 4-3 (OT)	Buckeyes win series 2-0

Date	Location	Opponent	Score	Notes
Feb. 26	Ridder Arena	Minnesota vs. MSU Mankato	5-8
Feb. 27	Ridder Arena	Minnesota vs. MSU Mankato	3-4 (3 OT)	Emily West gets the game winner

February 27: After 3 hours and 47 minutes, Emily West scored at 1:16 of triple overtime to eliminate the MSU-Mankato Mavericks.

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.

Date	Location	Opponent	Score	Notes
Feb. 26	Heritage Center	North Dakota	6-2	Emmanuelle Blais scores 4 goals
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.

Date	Location	Opponent	Score	Notes
March 7	Ridder Arena	Minnesota vs. Minnesota Duluth	Minn Duluth, 3-2	Bulldogs fifth championship

NCAA 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 Forzen 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). 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 Zuzana Tomčíková Zuzana Tomčíková is a member of the Slovakia women's national ice hockey team and also plays for the Bemidji State Beavers. Tomčíková was part of the team that finished in eighth place at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games... , Bemidji State
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 Noora Räty Noora Räty is a member of the Finland women's national ice hockey team and also plays for the Minnesota Golden Gophers .-Playing career:... , Minnesota
WCHA First Team	Natalie Spooner Natalie Spooner Natalie Spooner played for the Canadian National women's ice hockey team from 2007 to 2008, and rejoined the program in 2010. Currently, she competes for the Ohio State Buckeyes women's ice hockey program... , F, Ohio State
	Emmanuelle Blais, F, Minnesota Duluth
	Emily West, F, Minnesota
	Anne Schleper, D, Minnesota
	Jaime Rasmussen, D, Minnesota Duluth
	Noora Raty Noora Räty Noora Räty is a member of the Finland women's national ice hockey team and also plays for the Minnesota Golden Gophers .-Playing career:... , 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

Patty Kazmaier Award nominees

There are 45 nominees for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Ten of the nominees are from Western Collegiate Hockey Association-member teams.

Player	Position	Class	School	Nationality
Emmanuelle Blais	Forward	Senior	Univ. of Minnesota Duluth
Laura Fridfinnson	Forward	Junior	Univ. of Minnesota Duluth
Caitlin Hogan	Forward	Senior	St. Cloud State Univ.
Hokey Langan	Forward	Freshman	Ohio State
Felicia Nelson	Forward	Senior	St. Cloud State Univ.
Noora Räty Noora Räty Noora Räty is a member of the Finland women's national ice hockey team and also plays for the Minnesota Golden Gophers .-Playing career:...	Goalie	Freshman	Minnesota
Anne Schleper	Defense	Sophomore	Minnesota
Natalie Spooner	Forward	Sophomore	Ohio State
Zuzana Tomcikova Zuzana Tomčíková Zuzana Tomčíková is a member of the Slovakia women's national ice hockey team and also plays for the Bemidji State Beavers. Tomčíková was part of the team that finished in eighth place at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games...	Goaltender	Sophomore	Bemidji State Univ.
Emily West	Forward	Junior	Minnesota

Active players

The following active WCHA players will represent their respective countries in Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Canada Hockey Place, home of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, and at UBC Winter Sports Centre, home of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport's UBC Thunderbirds. Twelve teams competed in the men's event and eight teams competed in the...

Player	NCAA school	Nationality	Position	Goals	Assists	Points	Medal
Elin Holmlöv Elin Holmlöv Elin Holmlöv is a Swedish ice hockey player. She play forward position for the Sweden women's national ice hockey team. She won the bronze medal at the 2007 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba.She played also for the Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey...	Minnesota-Duluth		Forward				4th Place
Haley Irwin Haley Irwin Haley Irwin is a member of the 2009–10 Hockey Canada national women's team and also plays for the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.-Playing career:...	Minnesota-Duluth		Forward				Gold
Jocelyne Lamoureux Jocelyne Lamoureux Jocelyne Lamoureux is an American ice hockey forward. She was named to the United States women's national ice hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics along with her twin sister Monique, winning a silver medal. Both sisters have dual American and Canadian citizenship...	North Dakota		Forward				Silver
Monique Lamoureux Monique Lamoureux Monique Lamoureux is an American ice hockey forward. She was named to the United States women's national ice hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics as was her twin sister Jocelyne, where they captured a silver medal with team USA...	North Dakota		Forward				Silver
Heidi Pelttari	Minnesota State		Forward				Bronze
Mariia Posa	Minnesota State		Forward				Bronze
Noora Raty	Minnesota		Goaltender				Bronze
Nina Tikkinen	Minnesota State		Forward				Bronze
Zuzana Tomčíková ‎	Bemidji State		Goaltender				8th
Saara Tuominen	Minnesota Duluth		Forward				Bronze

Former players

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