Conference play gets underway this week in Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) action as the reigning national champion No. 1 Wisconsin travels to Bemidji State for a series begining on Saturday.
In non-conference action, No. 3 Minnesota hosts Boston College for its season opener, while No. 6 Minnesota Duluth travels to Syracuse with both series begining on Thursday. The 13th-ranked St. Cloud State Huskies travel to No. 12 UConn for a marquee matchup on Friday and St. Thomas is at Lindenwood.
The WCHA Weekly notes packet presented by OS Hockey will be updated every week (Open PDF files on the right)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Thursday, Sept. 25
No. 6 Minnesota Duluth at Syracuse - 5 PM
RV Boston College vs No. 3 Minnesota - 6 PM
Friday Sept. 26
No. 13 St. Cloud State at No. 12 UConn - 5 PM
No. 6 Minnesota Duluth at Syracuse - 5 PM
RV St. Thomas at Lindenwood - 6 PM
RV Boston College vs No. 3 Minnesota - 6 PM
No. 1 Wisconsin at Bemidji State - 6 PM
Saturday, Sept. 27
No. 13 St. Cloud State at No. 12 UConn - 2 PM
RV St. Thomas at Lindenwood - 2 PM
No. 1 Wisconsin at Bemidji State - 3 PM
**All times in CT
Note - rankings based on USCHO Poll
WHERE TO WATCH
Back on B1G+: Fans can stream all WCHA home games on B1G+. To subscribe, download the B1G+ app or visit bigtenplus.com. A B1G+ subscription, which provides access to WCHA hockey games as well as the entire library of events and programming on B1G+, is available in both annual ($89.99) and monthly ($12.99) options.
WCHA Tops USCHO Preseason Poll: In the USCHO Preseason Poll, six of the league’s eight teams were recognized as Wisconsin took the number one spot, followed by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Minnesota, No. 6 Minnesota Duluth, and No. 13 St. Cloud State. St. Thomas was receiving votes in the poll.
WCHA Tops USCHO Preseason Poll: In the USCHO Preseason Poll, six of the league’s eight teams were recognized as Wisconsin took the number one spot, followed by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Minnesota, No. 6 Minnesota Duluth, and No. 13 St. Cloud State. St. Thomas was receiving votes in the poll.
Conference Play Gets Underway: The reigning NCAA National Champion, No. 1 Wisconsin, is set to face Bemidji State in Bemidji in a series beginning this Friday, marking the first conference game of the 2025-26 season.
Return to Ridder: The third-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers will make their season debut on Thursday when they host RV Boston College, marking the first time since the 2019-20 season the two teams have matched up.
Marquee Matchup: A top-13 matchup is on the weekend slate as No. 13 St. Cloud State faces No. 12 UConn on the road this Friday and Saturday. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since September 29th of 2018.
Historic Huskies: St. Cloud State earned the opening weekend series sweep over Lindenwood while posting back-to-back shutouts to open a season for the first time in program history. First-year Head Coach Mira Jalosuo earned her first win at the helm in Friday’s 5-0 victory.
WCHA Over Everyone: WCHA teams went undefeated with an 8-0-0 record against non-conference teams in the opening weekend. Minnesota Duluth (Mercyhurst), St. Thomas (Post University), St. Cloud State (Lindenwood), and Minnesota State (RPI) each earned series sweeps over their respective opponents.
Shutouts All Around: Four WCHA netminders recorded their first shutouts of the season in the opening weekend as Minnesota State’s Hailey Hansen, St. Thomas’ Julia Minotti and St. Cloud State’s duo of Emilia Kyrkkö and Jojo Chobak each recorded their first shutouts of the season in the opening weekend.
Overtime Thrills: In No. 6 Minnesota Duluth’s season opener against RV Mercyhurst, UMD’s Caitlin Kraemer recorded the game-winning goal in overtime for the fifth game-winning goal of her career. The overtime win was UMD’s first in extra time since it defeated UConn 1-0 in 2 OTs on March 4, 2024 in the NCAA Tournament.
Point Leaders: St. Cloud State’s Siiri Yrjölä and St. Thomas’ Rylee Bartz each recorded five points in two games over the weekend to lead all league performers. The Huskies’ Yrjölä was named the Defender of the Week while Bartz earned her first Forward of the Week honor for the Tommies.
WCHA Merch Alert: The WCHA and Game One teamed up to launch a brand-new online store, giving fans across the league access to a wide selection of official WCHA apparel. Get your gear today & a special offer today by visiting shop.game-one.com/nw/nw1/wcha.
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league on X and Instagram @WCHA_WHockey, and online at wcha.com.