Bloomington, Minn. - Defending national champion Wisconsin and defending league champion Ohio State are the picks among league head coaches to win the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's 2023-24 regular season title.
Each team received four first place votes and totaled 46 points in preseason polling among the WCHA's eight coaches. The results of the poll showed an expected tight race and a lot of premier players as the WCHA heads into its 25
th season of competition.
Minnesota finished in third place with 35 points while Minnesota Duluth finished fourth with 31 points.
All four of the predicted first division teams in the poll qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament last year. Wisconsin beat Ohio State 1-0 in the national title game. Minnesota reached the semifinals before falling in overtime to Wisconsin and UMD reached the quarterfinals before falling to Minnesota.
St. Cloud State is picked to finish fifth with 27 points while Minnesota State and St. Thomas tied for sixth with 17 points. Bemidji State rounds out this year's poll with seven points.
Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey, who was named the best defenseman at the International Ice Hockey Federation women’s world tournament, was named WCHA Preseason Player of the Year, with seven votes. Ohio State senior forward Hannah Bilka, a former Olympian for the United States, received one vote among coaches.
Ohio State forward Joy Dunne is the choice of coaches as WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year. Minnesota Duluth goalie Eve Gascon received two votes and Wisconsin forward Kelly Gorbatenko also received a vote from the coaches.
The preseason All-WCHA Team features Harvey, a sophomore and former Olympian, and Ohio State’s Cayla Barnes, another former Olympian, on defense. Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy, another former Olympian, is at forward along with Wisconsin’s Casey O’Brien and Ohio State’s Jenn Gardiner who tied with Wisconsin’s Kirsten Simms for the final spot at forward. Ohio State's Amanda Thiele rounds out the team at goaltender.
The WCHA opens its 159-game schedule the weekend of Sept. 23-24 when Bemidji State travels to Lindenwood and St. Cloud State hosts Union. Conference play begins Sept. 30-Oct. 1 when Ohio State travels to Minnesota State. That weekend also has a pair of exhibition matchups for Minnesota and St. Thomas against Durham West.
Wisconsin will hoist its national championship banner Friday, Oct. 6 before its game at LaBahn Arena in Madison with Boston College, one of a seven-game, nonconference WCHA lineup across the country.
The first WCHA matchup is set for Thursday, Oct. 12 as Wisconsin hosts Minnesota State, while the first full weekend of conference play of the league’s eight teams in four matchups follows on Oct. 13.
2023-24 WCHA Coaches Poll
(Coaches could not vote for their own team. First place votes are in parentheses)
1. Wisconsin (4) 46 points
1. Ohio State (4) 46
3. Minnesota 35
4. Minnesota Duluth 33
5. St. Cloud State 27
6. Minnesota State 17
6. St. Thomas 17
8. Bemidji State 7
Preseason WCHA Player of the Year:
Caroline Harvey, Soph., D, Wisconsin (7 votes)
Others receiving votes: Hannah Bilka, F, Ohio State (1).
Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year
Joy Dunne, F, Ohio State (5 votes)
Others receiving votes: Eve Gascon, G, Minnesota Duluth (2); Kelly Gorbatenko, F, Wisconsin (1)
Preseason All-WCHA
F: Jenn Gardiner, Sr., Ohio State (tie) with Kirsten Simms, So., Wisconsin
F: Abbey Murphy, Jr., Minnesota
F: Casey O’Brien, Sr., Wisconsin
D: Cayla Barnes, Sr., Ohio State
D: Caroline Harvey, Soph, Wisconsin
G – Amanda Thiele, Sr., Ohio State
Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically by position):
Forwards – Hannah Bilka, Sr., Ohio State; Jenna Buglioni, Sr., Ohio State; Britta Curl, Sr., Wisconsin; Lacey Eden, Jr., Wisconsin; Jamie Nelson, Sr., Minnesota State; Makenna Webster, Sr. Ohio State.
Defense – Nina Jobst-Smith, Sr. Minnesota Duluth; Madeline Wethington, Sr., Minnesota.
Goaltender: Jojo Chobak, ; St. Cloud State; Skylar Vetter, Jr., Minnesota;.