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WCHA Tournament

An Ice Hockey Wiki article.

The WCHA Tournament is the post-season tournament for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The Tournament occurs follwoing the end of the regular season and prior to the NCAA Tournament. The winner is awarded the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Contents

[edit] Current Format

[edit] Men

Currently, all 10 WCHA teams qualify for the playoffs. Following the regular season, teams are seeded 1-10 based on thier performance during the regular season. Ties in the standings are broken (for seeding purposes only) via head to head records, conference wins, and fewest goals allowed in the head to head series. The top 5 teams host best of three series at campus sites on the first weekend, with the winners advancing to the WCHA Final Five. The teams are then reseeded, again in order of regular season finish. The new 4th and 5th seeds meet in the 'play-in' game on Thursday, with the winner advancing to meet the #1 seed on Friday. The #2 and #3 seeds also meet Friday, and the winners and losers of those contests go on to play in the championship and third place games, respectively, held on Saturday. The champion takes home the Broadmoor Trophy.

[edit] Women

(to be added)

[edit] Past Formats

[edit] Men

The WCHA Tournament has had many different formats over the years, partly due to the changing nature of the landscape of college hockey. Many seasons prior to 1981 included a format that produced dual tournament champions, each of which would earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, with expansion of the NCAA Tournament and college hockey in general, the WCHA Tournament has been 'standardized' to a great degree, matching the general NCAA precedent of having one champion earn one automaitc bid.

Past formats had constantly been altered and recycled, but in chronological order, they include:

  • 1959-61 - One round of four teams (Two champions)
  • 1961-62 - One round of four teams and a championship finals series (One champion)
  • 1962-65 - One round of four teams and a championship game (One champion)
  • 1965-68 - Two rounds with eight teams (Two champions)
  • 1968-70 - Eight teams at East and West Regionals (Two champions)
  • 1970-71 - Four teams at an East Regional (Two champions)
  • 1971-76 - Eight teams in two rounds of two game total goal series (Two champions)
  • 1976-77 - Eight teams in two rounds of two game total goal series, plus a two team two game championship series decided by total goals (One champion)
  • 1977-81 - Eight teams in two rounds of two game total goal series (Two champions, same format as 1971-76)
  • 1981-87 - Eight teams in two rounds of two game total goal series, plus a two team two game championship series decided by total goals (One champion, same format as 1976-77)
  • 1988-92 - Opening round, best of three series at campus sites, followed by a single elimination four team playoff championship at a single site neutral venue (One champion)
  • 1993-present - Opening round, best of three series at campus sites, followed by a single elimination five team playoff championship at a single site neutral venue (One champion)

[edit] Women

(to be added)

[edit] Tournament Champions

[edit] Men

[edit] Women

(to be added)


Western Collegiate Hockey Association

Men: Alaska-Anchorage | Colorado College | Denver | Michigan Tech | Minnesota | Minnesota-Duluth | Minnesota State | North Dakota | St. Cloud State | Wisconsin
Women: Bemidji State | Minnesota | Minnesota-Duluth | Minnesota State | North Dakota | Ohio State | St. Cloud State | Wisconsin

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