The shake-up in hockey from the Big Ten and National Collegiate Hockey Conference got me wondering how the teams in the WCHA have performed in the last ten years, enough time to establish trends, but no so much time to include years irrelevant by most. These trends are important for potential recruits (who desire teams who are good now), fans, and it could even be said the implications of these conference shake-ups. Put differently, most players won’t choose a school based on how good it has been in the last fifty years. Otherwise, Michigan Tech would be high for recruits. Similarly, most players don’t go to a team because they have one good year. And of course, most fans have their interest stimulated when the program is in a good streak, not having the first good year in thirty years. Thus, that’s my reasoning for ten years.
So, here are some statistics from the season 2001-2002 to 2010-2011. I included new-comers Nebraska-Omaha and Bemidji in most stats but have underlined them to remind everyone that they haven’t been with the WCHA during most of these years in which they compiled their statistics. I apologize on some of these tables...They didn't transfer over from Excel very nicely
Records by WCHA teams (all games, conference, non-conference, playoffs):
overall
# Team w-l-t...winning %
1 Denver 255-121-36...0.663
2 North Dakota 259-132-37...0.648
3 Minnesota 243-127-49...0.638
4 Colorado College 236-138-37...0.619
5 Wisconsin 208-157-46...0.562
6 St. Cloud State 198-158-43...0.550
7 Bemidji-State* 178-146-38...0.544
8 Minnesota-Duluth 185-172-48...0.516
9 Nebraska-Omaha* 172-176-52...0.495
10 Minnesota State 153-182-52...0.463
11 Alaska Anchorage 106-216-45...0.35
12 Michigan Tech 88-249-43...0.288
*Keep in mind here that Bemidji’s record, as good as it is, wasn’t as challenged as it would have been if they had been playing in the WCHA (which would have comprised much of the schedule). Same thing with Nebraska.
Here is Miami’s record for comparison. Comparing with the WCHA, they would have been tied for 4th with Colorado College. But of course, they are not in the WCHA.
overall
Team w-l-t...winning %
Miami 229-133-41...0.619
Record by WCHA teams (conference games):
Overall
# team w-l-t-winning %
1 Nebraska-Omaha* 17-9-2...0.643
2 Denver 162-85-33...0.638
3 North Dakota 158-93-29...0.616
4 Minnesota 149-94-37...0.598
5 Colorado College 151-100-29...0.591
6 Wisconsin 132-111-37...0.538
7 St. Cloud State 129-116-35...0.523
8 Minnesota-Duluth 114-128-38...0.475
9 Minnesota State 102-139-39...0.434
10 Bemidji-State* 8-15-5...0.375
11 Alaska Anchorage 71-173-36...0.318
12 Michigan Tech 58-188-34...0.268
(*Bemidji and Nebraska records for 2010-2011 season only)
Average Attendance (attendance average for nine years between 2002-2003 season and 2010-2011 season…NO data for 2001-2002):
# team Avg.
1 Wisconsin 13247
2 North Dakota 11289
3 Minnesota 9935
4 Nebraska-Omaha* 6824
5 Colorado College 6693
6 St. Cloud State 5996
7 Denver 5616
8 Minnesota-Duluth** 4730
9 Minnesota State 3884
10 Alaska Anchorage 3749
11 Michigan Tech 2543
12 Bemidji-State*** 1840
*includes pre-WCHA years
**statistic weighted heavily by the smaller DECC; attendance was higher at Amsoil Arena for 1st year.
***includes pre-WCHA years. Statistic weighted heavily by smaller John Glas Fieldhouse; attendance was higher at Sanford Center for 1st year.
National Championships over these last ten years:
Minnesota: 2
Denver: 2
Duluth: 1
Wisconsin: 1
NCAA frozen four appearances over the last ten years:
North Dakota: 5
Minnesota: 3
Duluth: 2
Wisconsin: 2
Denver: 2
(for comparison: Miami: 2)
Colorado College: 1
Bemidji State: 1
NCAA tournament appearances over the last ten years:
North Dakota: 9
Minnesota: 7
Denver: 7
(for comparison Miami: 7)
Colorado College: 6
St. Cloud: 5
Wisconsin: 5
Bemidji State: 4
Duluth: 3
Nebraska Omaha: 2
Mankato: 1
Broadmoor Cups over these last ten years (cup given for winning final five):
Minnesota: 3
North Dakota: 3
Denver: 3
Duluth: 1
Final Five Appearances over these last ten years:
North Dakota: 9
Minnesota: 8
Denver: 7
Duluth: 6
Colorado College: 6
Wisconsin: 6
St. Cloud: 5
Alaska-Anchorage: 2
Mankato: 1
Michigan Tech: 1
Bemidji State: 1
MacNaughton Cups over these last ten years (cup given to regular season champion):
Denver: 3 (1 shared with CC)
North Dakota: 3
Colorado College: 3 (1 shared with DEN)
Minnesota: 2
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Some interesting observations:
• These stats remind me of how dismal UMD had been. Although many consider them an upper echelon team now, it wasn’t long ago that the Bulldogs were in the dumpster of the WCHA and playing in the DECC, arguably the biggest dump in the WCHA. However, they have made a surprising number of final fives even in their down years and have had perhaps the biggest turn-around of any WCHA team. It would be interesting to wonder if UMD would even have been considered in this super league if it happened five years ago.
• Denver has been consistently good. They never had a below .500 season and were almost always a top 3 or 4 team in the always difficult WCHA. Attendance nothing to brag about for the Pioneers but then again, Magness Arena isn’t massive.
• Minnesota had some very good years. A lot of Bulldog/Sioux/Husky/Maverick/Badger fans like to hate the Gophers. But there is no doubting that in their best years, they had some very good teams. Just looking at some game results during these years, they blew out many teams in conference games, a rarity in the WCHA, where games are always close. Even in their “down” years, they have never been a true gutter team and were almost always around the middle of the pack. One has to wonder when Minnesota will move back to their former self: near the top of the college hockey world. Me thinks this had something to do with JOHN HILL.
• North Dakota is now a top-tier team. Prior to the 2000’s, UND usually got around 5,500 at the old Ralph. Now in the new Ralph Engelstad Arena, UND has been #2 in attendance, an amazing accomplishment for the small town of Grand Forks. UND has also had much success with the Final Five, an expected ritual for Sioux fans. But no national championships over these years despite the number of NCAA appearances.
• St. Cloud has some impressive statistics. It’s no secret that the National Hockey Center rocks during big games but I never knew they averaged nearly 6,000 fans at their games. Had many good years and were usually in the upper half of the WCHA but also had some low finishes.
• Wisconsin seemed to perform worse than I thought they did. Although they lead the league in attendance, they rarely finished high in the league, usually finishing in the middle of the WCHA. For some reason, I thought their record would turn out in the top 3 or 4. Of course, they have had a few really good years and long playoff runs.
• Colorado College is a WCHA power but this wasn’t something I didn’t know. However, amongst the usual WCHA powers (Denver, UND, Minnesota, Wisconsin, St. Cloud, and Colorado College), CC has really taken a step back (perhaps more than any). They have had three straight years of barely over .500 records. Of course, they made the NCAA last year but they don’t seem to be a top 1-3 team in the WCHA anymore. Will they return to their former glory years of the early 2000’s?
• Anchorage/Mankato/Tech have been usual bottom teams but they also all managed to make it to the Final Five at least once. Mankato has sprinkled their bad years with a few good ones but Anchorage and Tech haven’t had a conference record of above .500 during these last ten years.
• Can’t really judge Bemidji or Nebraska by one year but its important to note that Bemidji, once averaging less than 2,000 fans a game now averages almost 4,000 fans a game. Nebraska obviously finished well in the WCHA and has immediately become a “good” program, enough for the Super League to have wanted them. Of course, attendance helps and Nebraska has plenty of fans.
Of course, many will argue with the time frames I took. But I just took the last ten years. If I would have taken statistics a year earlier, Minnesota would be #2 in winning percentage ahead of North Dakota. If I would have taken it two years earlier, North Dakota would have a national championship for this frame and Duluth wouldn’t. But these are the last ten years and numbers are numbers.
Thoughts?
So, here are some statistics from the season 2001-2002 to 2010-2011. I included new-comers Nebraska-Omaha and Bemidji in most stats but have underlined them to remind everyone that they haven’t been with the WCHA during most of these years in which they compiled their statistics. I apologize on some of these tables...They didn't transfer over from Excel very nicely
Records by WCHA teams (all games, conference, non-conference, playoffs):
overall
# Team w-l-t...winning %
1 Denver 255-121-36...0.663
2 North Dakota 259-132-37...0.648
3 Minnesota 243-127-49...0.638
4 Colorado College 236-138-37...0.619
5 Wisconsin 208-157-46...0.562
6 St. Cloud State 198-158-43...0.550
7 Bemidji-State* 178-146-38...0.544
8 Minnesota-Duluth 185-172-48...0.516
9 Nebraska-Omaha* 172-176-52...0.495
10 Minnesota State 153-182-52...0.463
11 Alaska Anchorage 106-216-45...0.35
12 Michigan Tech 88-249-43...0.288
*Keep in mind here that Bemidji’s record, as good as it is, wasn’t as challenged as it would have been if they had been playing in the WCHA (which would have comprised much of the schedule). Same thing with Nebraska.
Here is Miami’s record for comparison. Comparing with the WCHA, they would have been tied for 4th with Colorado College. But of course, they are not in the WCHA.
overall
Team w-l-t...winning %
Miami 229-133-41...0.619
Record by WCHA teams (conference games):
Overall
# team w-l-t-winning %
1 Nebraska-Omaha* 17-9-2...0.643
2 Denver 162-85-33...0.638
3 North Dakota 158-93-29...0.616
4 Minnesota 149-94-37...0.598
5 Colorado College 151-100-29...0.591
6 Wisconsin 132-111-37...0.538
7 St. Cloud State 129-116-35...0.523
8 Minnesota-Duluth 114-128-38...0.475
9 Minnesota State 102-139-39...0.434
10 Bemidji-State* 8-15-5...0.375
11 Alaska Anchorage 71-173-36...0.318
12 Michigan Tech 58-188-34...0.268
(*Bemidji and Nebraska records for 2010-2011 season only)
Average Attendance (attendance average for nine years between 2002-2003 season and 2010-2011 season…NO data for 2001-2002):
# team Avg.
1 Wisconsin 13247
2 North Dakota 11289
3 Minnesota 9935
4 Nebraska-Omaha* 6824
5 Colorado College 6693
6 St. Cloud State 5996
7 Denver 5616
8 Minnesota-Duluth** 4730
9 Minnesota State 3884
10 Alaska Anchorage 3749
11 Michigan Tech 2543
12 Bemidji-State*** 1840
*includes pre-WCHA years
**statistic weighted heavily by the smaller DECC; attendance was higher at Amsoil Arena for 1st year.
***includes pre-WCHA years. Statistic weighted heavily by smaller John Glas Fieldhouse; attendance was higher at Sanford Center for 1st year.
National Championships over these last ten years:
Minnesota: 2
Denver: 2
Duluth: 1
Wisconsin: 1
NCAA frozen four appearances over the last ten years:
North Dakota: 5
Minnesota: 3
Duluth: 2
Wisconsin: 2
Denver: 2
(for comparison: Miami: 2)
Colorado College: 1
Bemidji State: 1
NCAA tournament appearances over the last ten years:
North Dakota: 9
Minnesota: 7
Denver: 7
(for comparison Miami: 7)
Colorado College: 6
St. Cloud: 5
Wisconsin: 5
Bemidji State: 4
Duluth: 3
Nebraska Omaha: 2
Mankato: 1
Broadmoor Cups over these last ten years (cup given for winning final five):
Minnesota: 3
North Dakota: 3
Denver: 3
Duluth: 1
Final Five Appearances over these last ten years:
North Dakota: 9
Minnesota: 8
Denver: 7
Duluth: 6
Colorado College: 6
Wisconsin: 6
St. Cloud: 5
Alaska-Anchorage: 2
Mankato: 1
Michigan Tech: 1
Bemidji State: 1
MacNaughton Cups over these last ten years (cup given to regular season champion):
Denver: 3 (1 shared with CC)
North Dakota: 3
Colorado College: 3 (1 shared with DEN)
Minnesota: 2
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Some interesting observations:
• These stats remind me of how dismal UMD had been. Although many consider them an upper echelon team now, it wasn’t long ago that the Bulldogs were in the dumpster of the WCHA and playing in the DECC, arguably the biggest dump in the WCHA. However, they have made a surprising number of final fives even in their down years and have had perhaps the biggest turn-around of any WCHA team. It would be interesting to wonder if UMD would even have been considered in this super league if it happened five years ago.
• Denver has been consistently good. They never had a below .500 season and were almost always a top 3 or 4 team in the always difficult WCHA. Attendance nothing to brag about for the Pioneers but then again, Magness Arena isn’t massive.
• Minnesota had some very good years. A lot of Bulldog/Sioux/Husky/Maverick/Badger fans like to hate the Gophers. But there is no doubting that in their best years, they had some very good teams. Just looking at some game results during these years, they blew out many teams in conference games, a rarity in the WCHA, where games are always close. Even in their “down” years, they have never been a true gutter team and were almost always around the middle of the pack. One has to wonder when Minnesota will move back to their former self: near the top of the college hockey world. Me thinks this had something to do with JOHN HILL.
• North Dakota is now a top-tier team. Prior to the 2000’s, UND usually got around 5,500 at the old Ralph. Now in the new Ralph Engelstad Arena, UND has been #2 in attendance, an amazing accomplishment for the small town of Grand Forks. UND has also had much success with the Final Five, an expected ritual for Sioux fans. But no national championships over these years despite the number of NCAA appearances.
• St. Cloud has some impressive statistics. It’s no secret that the National Hockey Center rocks during big games but I never knew they averaged nearly 6,000 fans at their games. Had many good years and were usually in the upper half of the WCHA but also had some low finishes.
• Wisconsin seemed to perform worse than I thought they did. Although they lead the league in attendance, they rarely finished high in the league, usually finishing in the middle of the WCHA. For some reason, I thought their record would turn out in the top 3 or 4. Of course, they have had a few really good years and long playoff runs.
• Colorado College is a WCHA power but this wasn’t something I didn’t know. However, amongst the usual WCHA powers (Denver, UND, Minnesota, Wisconsin, St. Cloud, and Colorado College), CC has really taken a step back (perhaps more than any). They have had three straight years of barely over .500 records. Of course, they made the NCAA last year but they don’t seem to be a top 1-3 team in the WCHA anymore. Will they return to their former glory years of the early 2000’s?
• Anchorage/Mankato/Tech have been usual bottom teams but they also all managed to make it to the Final Five at least once. Mankato has sprinkled their bad years with a few good ones but Anchorage and Tech haven’t had a conference record of above .500 during these last ten years.
• Can’t really judge Bemidji or Nebraska by one year but its important to note that Bemidji, once averaging less than 2,000 fans a game now averages almost 4,000 fans a game. Nebraska obviously finished well in the WCHA and has immediately become a “good” program, enough for the Super League to have wanted them. Of course, attendance helps and Nebraska has plenty of fans.
Of course, many will argue with the time frames I took. But I just took the last ten years. If I would have taken statistics a year earlier, Minnesota would be #2 in winning percentage ahead of North Dakota. If I would have taken it two years earlier, North Dakota would have a national championship for this frame and Duluth wouldn’t. But these are the last ten years and numbers are numbers.
Thoughts?
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