WCHA announces playoff sites and format, unveils revised conference logo
March 25, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which the Alaska Nanooks hockey program will join beginning next season, announced the playoff format and championship sites for the next four years and also unveiled a newer, revised conference logo during a press conference Saturday afternoon at the Xcel Energy Center.
The playoff championship, known as the WCHA Final Five, will head to Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., for the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons and will be back at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., for the 2014-15 and 2016-17 championships.
"We just couldn't be more pleased to be able to host the best conference post-season hockey tournament in the country in two of the premier facilities in the Midwest," Commissioner Bruce McLeod said in a WCHA release. "We are tremendously excited to bring WCHA championship hockey and the quest for the Broadmoor Trophy to Grand Rapids as well as continue our long-standing tradition and success of playing in Saint Paul.”
He continued, “Both Grand Rapids and Saint Paul are wonderful travel destinations for fans, featuring first-class arenas centered in exciting downtown areas with noteworthy tourist attractions, great shopping, and fine hotels and restaurants. In Grand Rapids, we have the proximity of our Michigan-based WCHA teams and in Saint Paul of our Minnesota-based schools. This is truly the best of both worlds for us.”
In addition to the sites, the post-season playoff format was also released as the top-eight squads will advance to a best-of-three series at the home sites of the top-four finishers. Following the first round, the four series winners advance to the WCHA Playoff Championship the following weekend and will face off in a single-elimination playoff to determine the tournament champions, which will hoist the Broadmoor Trophy. The 2014 championship will take place March 21-22 while the 2015 tournament is set for March 20-21.
The WCHA also unveiled a brand-new look to the conference logo for the 2013-14 season. The conference worked in partnership with Adrenalin, Inc., one of the country's top design, marketing and brand expansion teams, to come up with the new logo.
“This powerful, eye-catching and colorful update to our brand identity keeps the WCHA out front and on track as we move into a new era," McLeod said. “With this unveiling today we carry on our mission of both honoring our distinguished past and setting the stage for the continued success of our brand in the future. We sincerely appreciate and commend the efforts of Dan Price and the top-notch team at Adrenalin, Inc.”
The new-look 10-team WCHA will consist of Alabama Huntsville, Alaska, Alaska Anchorage, Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and Northern Michigan.
Huntsville is currently a Division I independent program while Alaska, BGSU, FSU, LSSU and NMU will come to the WCHA from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The remaining schools are current members of the league.