2008 WCHA men's ice hockey tournament

Format

The first round of the postseason tournament featured a best-of-three games format. All ten conference teams participated in the tournament. Teams were seeded No. 1 through No. 10 according to their final conference standing, with a tiebreaker system used to seed teams with an identical number of points accumulated. The top five seeded teams each earned home ice and hosted one of the lower seeded teams.

The winners of the first round series advanced to the Xcel Energy Center for the WCHA Final Five, the collective name for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship rounds. The Final Five uses a single-elimination format. Teams were re-seeded No. 1 through No. 5 according to the final regular season conference standings, with the top three teams automatically advancing to the semifinals.

Conference standings

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against

Tiebreakers

• Minnesota State and St. Cloud State each finished the regular season with 28 points. Minnesota State won the tiebreaker, having the better head-to-head record of the two teams.

Bracket

Teams are reseeded after the first round March 14–16, 2008 | RD1-seed1=1 | RD1-team1=Colorado College | RD1-score1-1=4 | RD1-score1-2=3* | RD1-score1-3=— | RD1-seed2=10 | RD1-team2=Alaska-Anchorage | RD1-score2-1=1 | RD1-score2-2=2 | RD1-score2-3=— | RD1-seed3=2 | RD1-team3=North Dakota | RD1-score3-1=4 | RD1-score3-2=2 | RD1-score3-3=2 | RD1-seed4=9 | RD1-team4=Michigan Tech | RD1-score4-1=0 | RD1-score4-2=3* | RD1-score4-3=1 | RD1-seed5=3 | RD1-team5=Denver | RD1-score5-1=6 | RD1-score5-2=1 | RD1-score5-3=— | RD1-seed6=8 | RD1-team6=Minnesota-Duluth | RD1-score6-1=3 | RD1-score6-2=0 | RD1-score6-3=— | RD1-seed7=4 | RD1-team7=Minnesota State | RD1-score7-1=1** | RD1-score7-2=1 | RD1-score7-3=2 | RD1-seed8=7 | RD1-team8=Minnesota | RD1-score8-1=0 | RD1-score8-2=2* | RD1-score8-3=3** | RD1-seed9=5 | RD1-team9=St. Cloud State | RD1-score9-1=3 | RD1-score9-2=4* | RD1-score9-3=— | RD1-seed10=6 | RD1-team10=Wisconsin | RD1-score10-1=0 | RD1-score10-2=3 | RD1-score10-3=— March 20, 2008 | RD2-seed1=5 | RD2-team1=St. Cloud State | RD2-score1=2 | RD2-seed2=7 | RD2-team2=Minnesota | RD2-score2=3 March 21, 2008 | RD3-seed1=1 | RD3-team1=Colorado College | RD3-score1=1 | RD3-seed2=7 | RD3-team2=Minnesota | RD3-score2=2* | RD3-seed3=2 | RD3-team3=North Dakota | RD3-score3=1 | RD3-seed4=3 | RD3-team4=Denver | RD3-score4=3 March 22, 2008 | RD4-seed1=3 | RD4-team1=Denver | RD4-score1=2 | RD4-seed2=7 | RD4-team2=Minnesota | RD4-score2=1 | RD5-seed1=1 | RD5-team1=Colorado College | RD5-score1=2 | RD5-seed2=2 | RD5-team2=North Dakota | RD5-score2=4 Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

First round

(1) Colorado College vs. (10) Alaska-Anchorage

|1-1-1 = (Sweatt, Hillen) Mike Testwuide - 00:37 |1-1-2 = No Scoring |1-2-1 = (Hillen) Tyler Johnson - GW - 18:06 |1-2-2 = 02:15 - PP - Brad McCabe (Lunden, Lafranchise) |1-3-1 = (Johnson) Scott Thauwald - 02:47 (unassisted) Scott McCulloch - EN - 19:39 |goalie1-1 = ( 27 saves / 28 shots ) Richard Bachman |goalie1-2 = Jon Olthuis ( 16 saves / 19 shots ) |2-1-1 = No Scoring |2-1-2 = 06:05 - Kane Lafranchise (Parkinson, Lunden) |2-2-1 = (Testwuide, Kilpatrick) Bill Sweatt - 04:22 |2-2-2 = 16:37 - Josh Lunden (Crowder) |2-3-1 = (Rau, Prosser) Mike Testwuide - 05:54 |2-4-1 = (Sweatt, Hillen) Mike Testwuide - 02:58 |goalie2-1 = ( 18 saves / 20 shots ) Richard Bachman |goalie2-2 = Jon Olthuis ( 27 saves / 30 shots )

(2) North Dakota vs. (9) Michigan Tech

|1-1-1 = (Oshie, Genoway) Ryan Duncan - GW - 05:25 |1-2-1 = (Duncan, VandeVelde) T. J. Oshie - 08:21 (Marto, Genoway) Darcy Zajac - 09:10 |1-3-1 = (Miller, Martens) Andrew Kozek - 06:58 |goalie1-1 = ( 14 saves / 14 shots ) Jean-Philippe Lamoureux |goalie1-2 = Michael-Lee Teslak ( 27 saves / 31 shots ) |2-1-1 = (Frattin, Martens) Brad Miller - 04:19 |2-2-1 = (Miller) Matt Frattin - 16:58 |2-3-2 = 01:19 - PP - Jimmy Kerr (Kinrade, Kattelus) 19:54 - SH - Tyler Shelast (Kerr, Baker) |2-4-2 = 01:59 - GW PP - Tyler Shelast (Kinrade, Rouleau) |goalie2-1 = ( 23 saves / 26 shots ) Jean-Philippe Lamoureux |goalie2-2 = Michael-Lee Teslak ( 24 saves / 26 shots ) |3-1-1 = (Duncan, Genoway) T. J. Oshie - 14:09 |3-1-2 = 11:27 - Tyler Shelast (Gagne) |3-2-1 = (Bina, Chorney)T. J. Oshie - 00:19 |goalie3-1 = ( 10 saves / 11 shots ) Jean-Philippe Lamoureux |goalie3-2 = Michael-Lee Teslak ( 22 saves / 24 shots )

(3) Denver vs. (8) Minnesota–Duluth

|1-1-1 = (Vossberg, Thomas) Dustin Jackson - 02:15 (May, Testwuide) Dustin Jackson - 04:58 |1-2-1 = (Jackson) Matt Glasser - 09:29 (Ostrow) Tyler Bozak - GW PP - 13:39 |1-2-2 = 08:23 - PP - Andrew Carroll (Curry, Akins)

14:24 - Mike Curry (Bordson, Greer) |1-3-1 = (Testwuide) Tyler Bozak - 00:23

(unassisted) Cody Brookwell - 07:50 |1-3-2 = 05:55 - PP - Josh Meyers (Bordson, McKnight) |goalie1-1 = ( 24 saves / 27 shots ) Peter Mannino |goalie1-2 = Alex Stalock ( 22 saves / 28 shots ) |2-1-1 = No Scoring |2-2-1 = (unassisted) Anthony Maiani - GW - 07:44 |goalie2-1 = ( 25 saves / 25 shots ) Peter Mannino |goalie2-2 = Alex Stalock ( 14 saves / 15 shots )

(4) Minnesota State vs. (7) Minnesota

|1-1-1 = No Scoring |1-4-1 = (Kalinski) Trevor Bruess - 17:36 |goalie1-1 = ( 34 saves / 34 shots ) Mike Zacharias |goalie1-2 = Alex Kangas ( 44 saves / 45 shots ) |2-1-1 = No Scoring |2-1-2 = 06:07 - Justin Bostrom (Pohl, Wehrs) |2-3-1 = (Irwin, Hanson) Andrew Sackrison - 11:09 |2-4-2 = 07:33 - Mike Carman (Peltier) |goalie2-1 = ( 35 saves / 37 shots ) Mike Zacharias |goalie2-2 = Alex Kangas ( 27 saves / 28 shots ) |3-1-1 = (Davis, Irwin) Mick Berge - 08:38 |3-1-2 = 18:12 - Jay Barriball (Wheeler, Gordon) |3-2-2 = 13:51 - Patrick White (Howe, Lucia) |3-3-1 = (Bruess, Youds) Kael Mouillierat - 03:20 |3-4-2 = 16:59 - Tony Lucia (Kaufmann, Flynn) |goalie3-1 = ( 47 saves / 50 shots ) Mike Zacharias |goalie3-2 = Alex Kangas ( 44 saves / 46 shots )

(5) St. Cloud State vs. (6) Wisconsin

|1-1-1 = (Nödl, Roe) John Swanson - GW PP - 19:29 |1-2-1 = (Borgen) Ryan Lasch - 17:42 |1-3-1 = (Dey, Roe) Andreas Nödl - 10:03 |goalie1-1 = ( 24 saves / 24 shots ) Jase Weslosky |goalie1-2 = Shane Connelly ( 28 saves / 31 shots ) |2-1-1 = (Lasch, Swanson) Aaron Brocklehurst - 00:26

(Brocklehurst, Marvin) Matt Stephenson - GW - 17:17 |2-1-2 = 05:24 - Blake Geoffrion (Turris, Davies) |2-2-1 =

(Roe, Nödl) John Swanson - PP - 14:58 |2-2-2 = 00:51 - Davis Drewiske (Klubertanz, Geoffrion) 06:02 - Aaron Bendickson (McBain, Turris) |2-4-1 = (Raboin) Ryan Lasch - GW - 03:57 |goalie2-1 = ( 46 saves / 47 shots ) Jake Weslosky |goalie2-2 = Shane Connelly ( 7 saves / 9 shots ) / Scott Gudmandson ( 10 saves / 12 shots )

Quarterfinal

(5) St. Cloud State vs. (7) Minnesota

|1-1-1 = (Lasch, Brocklehurst) Garrett Raboin - PP - 07:33 |1-1-2 = 00:25 - Tony Lucia (Kaufmann, Peltier) |1-2-2 = 04:35 - PP - Evan Kaufmann (Wheeler, Fairchild) |1-3-1 = (Peltier, Fischer) Mike Howe - GW - 19:47 |1-3-2 = 15:34 - Tony Mosey (Lasch, Raboin) |goalie1-1 = ( 26 saves / 29 shots ) Jase Weslosky |goalie1-2 = Alex Kangas ( 25 saves / 27 shots )}}

Semifinals

(1) Colorado College vs. (7) Minnesota

|1-1-1 = No Scoring |1-2-1 = (Hillen, Prosser) Andreas Vlassopoulos - 00:39 |1-2-2 = 01:38 - Mike Hoeffel (Barriball) |1-4-2 = 04:47 - Mike Hoeffel (Carman, Wehrs) |goalie1-1 = ( 33 saves / 35 shots ) Richard Bachman |goalie1-2 = Alex Kangas ( 37 saves / 38 shots )}}

(2) North Dakota vs. (3) Denver

|1-1-1 = No Scoring |1-2-2 = 05:58 - PP - Rhett Rakhshani (Mullen, Bozak) |1-3-1 = (Zajac, Marto) Taylor Chorney - 06:16 |1-3-2 = 18:40 - GW - Anthony Maiani (unassisted) 19:54 - EN - Matt Glasser (Ruegsegger) |goalie1-1 = ( 29 saves / 35 shots ) Bobby Goepfert |goalie1-2 = Philippe Lamoureux ( 25 saves / 27 shots )}}

Third Place

(1) Colorado College vs. (2) North Dakota

|1-1-1 = (Testwuide) Chad Rau - 07:56 |1-1-2 = 19:20 - PP - T. J. Oshie (Chorney, VandeVelde) |1-2-1 =

(Connelly, Lowery) Jimmy Kilpatrick - PP - 16:36 |1-2-2 = 05:01 - PP - Chris VandeVelde (Chorney, Oshie) 10:27 - GW PP - Chay Genoway (Marto, Malone) |1-3-2 = 10:02 - Darcy Zajac (Radke, Marto) |goalie1-1 = ( 31 saves / 35 shots ) Richard Bachman |goalie1-2 = Jean-Philippe Lamoureux ( 33 saves / 25 shots )}}

Championship

(3) Denver vs. (7) Minnesota

|1-1-1 = No Scoring |1-2-1 = (Rakhshani) Tyler Bozak - 09:10 (Maiani, Martin) Tom May - GW - 19:34 |1-2-2 = 05:39 - Ryan Flynn (Bickel, Fairchild) |goalie1-1 = ( 34 saves / 35 shots ) Peter Mannino |goalie1-2 = Alex Kangas ( 32 saves / 34 shots )}}

Tournament awards

[[List of WCHA All-Tournament Team|All-Tournament Team]]

• F Mike Hoeffel (Minnesota)
• F Tom May (Denver)
• F T. J. Oshie (North Dakota)
• D Chris Butler (Denver)
• D Taylor Chorney (North Dakota)
• G Peter Mannino (Denver)

[[WCHA Most Valuable Player in Tournament|MVP]]

Alex Kangas, (Minnesota)

References

;General ;Specific

References

1. (2008-03-10). "First Round WCHA Playoffs Set for March 14-16; Colorado College Reigns as 2007-08 WCHA Champion". WCHA}} {{Dead link.
2. (2007-03-07). "Minnesota Earns Back-to-Back WCHA Championships as Golden Gophers Down MTU". WCHA.
3. "Minnesota State Mavericks: 2007-2008 Men's Hockey Schedule/Results". USCHO.
4. "2009-10 WCHA Yearbook 129-144". WCHA.