NCHA Women's Hockey Teams Make Final Pitch For NCAA Playoff Bid

     The hotly contested race for the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association�s representative to the NCAA Division III playoffs comes down to one final weekend.

     Election Day for the national tournament is Sunday and NCHA women�s hockey teams have one final chance to persuade the voters in this weekend�s conference playoffs in Stevens Point.

     Frontrunners UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior have had their campaigns in full swing since mid-January and are prepared for one last showdown on Saturday. However, UW-River Falls and Lake Forest would love nothing more than to disrupt the polls like a pair of spoiling third-party candidates.

     One NCHA candidate is assured of a nomination to the Division III tournament. The bid is determined on play throughout the entire season and not necessarily awarded to the tournament champion. Meanwhile, unlike the real world of political elections, the candidates who fail to receive enough votes are still eligible to earn a position in the seven-team field through one of two at-large berths awarded nationally.

     UW-Stevens Point has already received one major endorsement as the conference�s regular season champion for the second straight year. The Pointers are also the two-time incumbent in the league�s playoffs, beating UW-River Falls in last year�s title game.

     Fifth-ranked UW-Superior�s platform consists of a 21-2-2 overall record and an 11-game unbeaten streak entering the weekend. UW-Stevens Point is ranked sixth in the country and puts forward a resume that features a 17-4-4 overall mark and 12-game unbeaten streak. The teams� unbeaten streaks are the longest in the country and began when UW-Stevens Point beat the Yellowjackets 1-0 on Jan. 14. The Pointers have had the better of three earlier debates between the two contenders this season with two wins and a tie.

     UW-Stevens Point�s campaign slogan has been defense. The Pointers lead the country, having allowed just 28 goals in their 25 games. UW-Stevens Point enters the weekend having posted three straight shutouts and allowing only six goals over its current 12-game streak. Junior goaltender Amy Statz shares the national lead with a 1.22 goals against average, while freshman Nicole Grossmann leads the offense with 16 goals and seven assists for 23 points.

     UW-Superior features a more diversified portfolio with six players that have scored 20-plus points. Junior Erin Kegley ranks fourth in the nation in scoring with 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 points. The Yellowjackets also feature a pair of solid goaltenders as freshman Rikki Nespor is tied with Statz with a 1.22 goals against average and has a national-best .944 save percentage. Senior Kristy Faechner leads the country in winning percentage with a 12-0 record.

     UW-River Falls is 13-10-2 and six one-goal setbacks hurt the Falcons� chances on the final ballot. Senior Lindsey O�Keefe leads the team with eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points. Junior Amber Lindner has a 2.39 goals against average and .915 save percentage.

     Lake Forest was the early voter preference this fall as the Foresters opened with a 9-1-2 record and sat in first place in mid-December. However, a 2-9-2 record over the second half of the year dropped the team to 11-10-4 overall and a fourth place finish. Sophomore Courtney DeHoey has 15 goals and 14 assists for a team-high 29 points. Junior Sally Bevis carries a 2.52 goals against average and .922 save percentage.

     The teams are geared to make their final pitch this weekend as all four hopes to find their way to the top of the exit polls when the ballots close Saturday night.