Wcha

The WCHA will approve Northern Michigan University's application to become its sixth member sometime next week, according to a statement released by the conference today.  The move will assure the league enough schools to maintain an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.  The Wildcats were previously a member of the WCHA until 1997, when they moved to the CCHA. The WCHA was forced to act quickly following last week's news that the league was being gutted by the formation of the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which will include powerhouse programs North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Minnesota-Duluth, and Nebraska-Omaha.  Miami, currently a CCHA program, will also join that conference.  Like the WCHA, the CCHA faces the loss of more teams with Notre Dame and Western Michigan also reportedly interested in jumping ship.  If those schools leave the CCHA, the conference in which UAF plays will be down to four members.

Freshman Scott Allen scored his first collegiate goal at 14:25 of the third period to lift UAA to a 5-4 WCHA road victory at Minnesota State-Mankato on Friday night.  The five goals marked a season high for the Seawolves in conference play. Curtis Leinweber and Brett Cameron also tallied their first goals of the season for the Seawolves.  The wild game featured four ties and five lead changes.  Jordan Kwas and Mickey Spencer also lit the lamp for the Seawolves.  In Saturday's series finale, Spencer, Cameron, and Kwas each scored again and Leinweber tallied two more goals as UAA built a 5-1 lead over the Mavericks.  MSU-Mankato stormed back to salvage a tie, 5-5.  Both teams end the weekend 2-7-1 in the WCHA, tied for last place.

With the University of Alaska Anchorage picked 11th out of 12 teams in the preseason WCHA coaches poll and North Dakota a near-unanimous selection to win the conference, the Fighting Sioux travel to Anchorage for the season opener a week from Friday. First-year WCHA members Nebraska-Omaha and Bemidji State were picked 8th and 9th, respectively. Only Michigan Tech is beneath the Seawolves in the poll. Contact Kevin Wells at kwells@ktuu.com WCHA 2010 Preseason Coaches Poll Rankings: 1. North Dakota 2. St. Cloud State 3. Minnesota-Duluth 4. Denver 5. Minnesota 6. Colorado College.

It looks like the WCHA could be turning to an old friend to help fill its membership void. collegehockeynews.com is reporting that former WCHA school Northern Michigan is close to reaching an agreement to re-joining its old league.   Northern Michigan is currently a member of the CCHA. That league also faces the loss of additional schools following the formation of a new super-conference that includes North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Minnesota State-Mankato, and Nebraska-Omaha out of the WCHA and Miami out of the CCHA.

Bowling Green University has accepted an invitation to join the WCHA for the 2013-14 season, bringing the league's total number of schools to nine after the conference splits in two seasons. The Falcons are one of five current CCHA schools to announce such a move in the off-season.  Lake Superior State, Ferris State, UAF, and Northern Michigan will also become WCHA members in the fall of 2013 along with current league schools UAA, Minnesota State-Mankato, Bemidji State, and Michigan Tech.

Alaska's two collegiate hockey programs are losing several members of their existing conferences. The athletic departments at WCHA programs North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Nebraska Omaha, and 2011 NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth, along with CCHA school Miami released a joint statement on Saturday, confirming their intention to leave their respective leagues to form a super-conference of six schools.  The new league will start...

The nine future members of the WCHA recently concluded productive meetings in Detroit, during which the league approved a 28-game conference schedule and a postseason tournament involving all nine schools. The WCHA has been hurt by team defections to other leagues that take effect in the fall of 2013.  At that time, the league will consist of Alaskan schools UAA and UAF, plus current WCHA teams Minnesota State-Mankato, Bemidji State, and Michigan Tech.  Current CCHA programs Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State, Bowling Green, and Ferris State will also join the conference.

Danny Kristo had three assists as fourth ranked North Dakota took down UAA in Friday's first WCHA contest for both schools, 4-1 in Grand Forks.  The Fighting Sioux, who defeated the Seawolves 5-0 in a non-conference contest one week ago, struck three times in a span of less than seven minutes in the second period to break open a contest that was scoreless after one frame. Alex Gellert scored UAA's lone goal, his third of the season to cut the deficit to 3-1 in the second.  However, Derek Forbort tallied just 22 seconds later to give North Dakota its final victory margin.  UAA drops to 2-2-1 overall with the loss.  Chris Kamal made 14 of his 30 stops in the first period.

UAA and UAF will become conference rivals in hockey for the 2013-14 season.    Today, the WCHA extended a formal offer to UAF, Ferris State, Bowling Green, Lake Superior State, and Western Michigan to join forces.  The Nanooks, Ferris State Bulldogs, and Lake Superior State Lakers have already accepted.  The move is in response to a summer of unprecedented realignment in college hockey that will essentially cut both the CCHA...

During the frenetic summer of realignment in college hockey, the WCHA was able to stay intact when five schools, including UAA and St. Cloud State, remained tight and even lured four members of the CCHA.  Now, St. Cloud is fleeing its long-time conference as well. The Huskies and Western Michigan Broncos have accepted an invitation to join the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference, effective in the fall of 2013. The Broncos, currently a CCHA program, also had an offer to join the WCHA but declined.  Adding those two schools to the NCHC brings that conference's membership to eight members, with six of those schools being currently affiliated with the WCHA.  At present time, the WCHA will also have eight schools.

The University of Alaska Anchorage has narrowed its search for a hockey coach down to four finalists.  There are Chris Brown, Michael Corbett, Gary Heenan, and Damon Whitten.  The new coach will replace Dave Shyiak, who was fired on March 29th following a 4-25-7 season. Brown served as a UAA assistant coach from 1997 to 2000 and since then has been the head coach at Division III schools Marian College ( 2000-2004 ) and Augsburg College ( 2006-present ). Corbett has spent the last 10 years with the Air Force Academy, as assistant coach from 2003 until 2012 until this past season, when he was named associate head coach.

Already thin due to injuries, UAA could ill afford to have a player ejected from its first round WCHA playoff series opener on Friday against St. Cloud State.  However, that scenario played out and the result was a 6-1 loss to the conference regular season champions.  With the score tied 1-1 midway through the first period, UAA's Ben Matthews took a five minute major penalty for checking from behind and also picked up a game miscounduct.  The...

The UAA hockey team has suffered its most decisive sweep of the WCHA season in its final regular season series of the year.  11th-ranked Denver scored three times in the first period of Sunday's 6-1 win over the Seawolves to complete a series sweep.  The Pioneers defeated the Seawolves on Friday, 7-1. Tyler Currier bagged UAA's only goal, but that was long after the issue was decided.  After Denver took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission,...

The 11th-ranked Denver Pioneers threw 52 shots on net Friday night, and seven of them found the back of the net in a 7-1 victory over the UAA Seawolves.  Rob Gunderson made 45 stops, but Zac Larraza beat the junior twice, and DU's Ty Loney collected three assists in the victory.  Scott Allen scored UAA's lone goal, his 12th of the year. The loss drops the Seawolves to 2-21-6 in WCHA play, while Denver improves to 13-9-5 in conference.  The teams play their regular season finale on Sunday morning.  UAA will finish last in the WCHA and head to the regular season conference champion for the first round of the playoffs.  St. Cloud State clinched at least a share of first place with a 4-2 win over Wisconsin on Friday.

Colton Beck scored nine seconds into regulation and the UAF Nanooks never looked back in a 3-1 win over the UAA Seawolves to cap off a two games to none sweep in the annual Governor's Cup series.  Andy Taranto scored twice for the Nanooks, who have now captured the last four Governor's Cup titles and nine out of the last 12.  Bobby Murphy tallied his second goal of the season for the Seawolves, who still have a WCHA regular season series...

The UNO toppled UAA 6-5 in overtime Saturday night despite the Seawolves equalling their best offensive output of the year.  Johnnie Searfoss ended the game with just 31 seconds remaining in the extra frame.  Blake Leask scored a pair of goals for UAA in the losing effort.  Blake Tatchell, Derek Docken, and Matt Bailey also earned marks on the score sheet. The loss drops the Seawolves record to 2-18-6 in the WCHA, 4-19-7 overall.  The team will be off next week, then Friday March 1st they will travel to Fairbanks for game one of the Governors cup against UAF.  Saturday March 2nd the two clubs will play at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.

The UAA hockey team managed only 10 shots on net in a 3-0 Friday night loss to Nebraska-Omaha in WCHA action.  The defeat sends UAA to 2-17-6 in conference play.  On Saturday the Seawolves will honor five seniors in their final home WCHA contest. Ryan Walters scored his 18th goal of the season for the Mavericks in the first period, but the game was within reach for UAA as it only trailed, 1-0 through two periods. Brent Gwidt and Matt White added third period tallies for Nebraska-Omaha, which improves to 13-8-2 in the WCHA.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association voted Thursday to admit the University of Alabama in Huntsville into the conference. The addition of UAH brings the future membership of the league to 10 teams.  Membership begins as soon as the 2013-14 season, and currently consists of University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Bemidji State University, Bowling Green State University, Ferris State University, Lake Superior State...

The UAA Seawolves managed only one shot on goal in the second period and seven total shots in the opening 40 minutes of a 5-1 loss to Minnesota-Duluth on Friday night.  The loss drops the Seawolves to 1-7-3 in WCHA play this season with one game to go before semester break. Chris Casto and Tony Cameranesi each scored twice for the Bulldogs, who led 1-0 a mere 86 seconds into the game on a goal by Jake Hendrickson.  Tyler Currier buried his third goal of the season for UAA and Chris Kamal saved 33 shots.

Stephon Williams of Fairbanks shut out the UAA Seawolves on 16 saves as the Minnesota State Mavericks won their sixth consecutive game, a 3-0 win over UAA on Saturday night.  MSU-Mankato improves to 7-4-0 in the WCHA while the Seawolves drop to 1-6-3 in league play following their second shutout loss in conference. Chase Grant, Eriah Hayes, and Zach Lehrke scored for the Mavericks.  UAA's Chris Kamal made 32 stops in the losing effort.