| Minnesota Whitecaps |
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| City |
Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota |
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| League |
Western Women's Hockey League |
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| Founded |
2004 (2004) |
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| Colors |
Blue, White and Yellow |
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| General manager |
Peg Thomas |
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| Head coach |
Jack Brodt |
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The Minnesota Whitecaps are a professional women's ice hockey team. The team play its home games in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area. The Whitecaps do not have a home rink, and so must reach out to Minnesota youth hockey programs that can either afford to buy ice time at rinks suitable for Whitecaps home games or have had that ice time donated to them. In exchange, the Whitecaps use part of that ice time to put on clinics for the youth players, who receive free tickets to the games and whose hockey associations receive 100 percent of the proceeds from ticket sales. Some programs have raised more than $1,500 in a single night from the arrangement.[1]
The team is currently independent, following the dissolution of the Western Women's Hockey League in the early 2010s. The team is playing games against teams in the National Women's Hockey League but is not an official member of that league.[2]
The Whitecaps have also 2 junior teams: U19 and U17.[3][4]
History
The Whitecaps had been part of the Western Women's Hockey League from the fall of 2004 until the summer of 2006. In July 2006 it was announced that team along with other WWHL teams would be joining the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) for the 2006-07 season. However, this was short lived as the NWHL and WWHL could not reach an agreement upon a playoff schedule. As a result, the merger was not consummated. With the collapse of the NWHL in the summer of 2007, the Western Women's Hockey League was a completely independent league.[5]
The Whitecaps takes gains 3 championships during the regulars seasons WWHL: 2008-09, 2009–10 and 2010-11.
During the qualifying WWHL rounds 2008-09, in March 7, 2009, Minnesota Whitecaps take gain the semi-final match 4-0 against Edmonton Chimos. The next day, the Whitecaps overcome Calgary Oval X-Treme by the score of 2-0 in the championship match in Calgary.
During the 2009 Clarkson Cup, Whitecaps surprises against Brampton Thunder and Calgary Oval X-Treme. Whitecaps goes then to finale match of the Clarkson Cup but are undone 3-1 by the Montreal Stars who take win the Clarkson Cup.[6]
The following season, 2009–10, the Whitecaps take gain again the WWHL Championship. The first match of the WWHL qualifying round takes place on Friday, February 5, 2010 in Minnesota Pagel Ice Arena and Whitecaps beats Strathmore Rockies by the score of 6-3.[7] During the second match, held on Saturday, February 6 the Victory Memorial Ice Arena, Whitecaps beats Strathmore in the account 4-1.[8] The third match held on Sunday, February 7, to the Graham Arena sees Strathmore winning just 4-3 on Whitecaps.[9] These two victories in three matches give to Whitecaps the championship of the league and the invaluable ticket for the 2010 Clarkson Cup tournament at Richmond Hill, Ontario, (March 26 to 28).[10] Whitecaps stands out from it big winners of the tournament and beat 4-0 Brampton Thunder in finale match ( March 28)[11] · .[12] It is the only conquest of the Clarkson Cup by Minnesota Whitecaps.[13]
The route of Whitecaps in the 2011 Clarkson Cup is more difficult. Every qualified team has to meet 3 other teams in a phase of group and both better are in confrontation in the match of finale on March 27, 2011. Now Whitecaps knows the defeat in each of their 3 matches of group and are eliminated[14] · [15] · .[16]
Season-by-season
-
| Year |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
Pts |
|---|
| 2004–05 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 23 | 40 |
| 2005–06 | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 79 | 65 | 27 |
| 2006–07 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 74 | 64 | 28 |
| 2007–08 | 24 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 70 | 50 | 33 |
| 2008–09 | 22 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 181 | 44 | 38 |
| 2009–10 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 24 | 20 |
| 2010–11 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 43 | 35 |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points,
Season standings
|
= Indicates First Place finish |
| Year |
League |
Reg. Season |
Playoffs |
|---|
| 2004-05 |
Western Women's Hockey League |
2nd |
Lost in First Round |
| 2005-06 |
Western Women's Hockey League |
3rd |
Lost Final |
| 2006-07 |
Western Women's Hockey League |
3rd |
Lost Final |
| 2007-08 |
Western Women's Hockey League |
2rd |
Lost Final |
| 2008-09 |
Western Women's Hockey League |
2nd |
WWHL Champions but lost the Clarkson Cup final game[17] |
| 2009-10 |
Western Women's Hockey League |
1st Overall |
WWHL Champions and Won Clarkson Cup[18] |
| 2010-11 |
Western Women's Hockey League |
1st Overall |
WWHL Champions but lost Clarkson Cup |
|
Notes
2008-09
- January 16: The Whitecaps participated in Hockey Day Minnesota. The team played the USA Selects Team.
- March 8: The Whitecaps defeated the Calgary Oval X-Treme on March 8 in the WWHL Championship game shutting out Calgary by a score of 2-0. The Minnesota Whitecaps also won the semi-final game on March 7 against the Edmonton Chimos by a score of 4-0.
- March 21: The Whitecaps participated in the inaugural Clarkson Cup. The final game pitted the Montreal Stars, the top team from the Canadian Women's Hockey League, against the Minnesota Whitecaps, the top team from the WWHL.[19] Montreal won the Cup by a score of 3-1. Sanya Sandahl was selected as Minnesota's player of the game.
2009-10
- November 16: Chisago Lakes was host to the first scrimmage of the season between the Whitecaps and the USA National team.
- December 21: Jenny Potter, Angela Ruggiero, Julie Chu, Natalie Darwitz, Caitlin Cahow, Molly Engstrom, Lisa Chesson, Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej and Karen Thatcher all former Minnesota Whitecaps will be playing in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games on February 12–28.[20]
- On February 8, 2010, the Whitecaps clinched the WWHL Championship. The first game of the series on Friday February 5, was held at Minnetonka’s Pagel Ice Arena hosted by Minnetonka Youth Hockey Association. The Whitecaps beat Strathmore by a score of 6-3. Game two of the series was hosted by the NOVAS Girls High School Hockey team on Saturday, February 6, at Victory Memorial Ice Arena. The Whitecaps will look forward to competing in the Clarkson Cup Championship in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada from March 26–28.
- March 28: The Whitecaps defeat the Brampton Thunder by a score of 4-0 to win the Clarkson Cup.[21][22]
2010-11
Exhibition
| Date | Opponent | Location | Score | Goal scorers |
| Fri Oct 1 | Minnesota Duluth | Duluth, MN | 3-4 (Shootout) | Jenny Potter, Iya Gavrilova, Saara Tuominen[23] |
| Fri, Oct 08 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | Ridder Arena | 2-3 | Allie Thunstrom, Saara Tuominen[24] |
| Fri Oct 22 | Bemidji State Beavers | Eveleth, MN | 3-1 | Allie Thunstrom, Iya Gavrilova, Jenny Potter[25] |
| Sat Oct 23 | Bemidji State Beavers | Eveleth, MN | 1-5 | Jessica Koizumi[26] |
Edmonton Chimos
- December 3 to 5: The Whitecaps hosted the Edmonton Chimos, the longest run senior women's hockey team in North America. The first game was held at Andover Ice Arena and goals were scored by several Olympians including Gigi Marvin and Allie Thunstrom (Minnesota) and Meaghan Mikkelson (Edmonton), respectively. The following day, both teams faced off at Minnetonka's Pagel Arena. In a closely fought game, Meaghan Pezon scored the game-winning goal as the Whitecaps won by a 4-3 tally. The final game had a charitable tone as donations for the local Chaska area food shelf and Toys-For-Tots were accepted before game time. Despite a 2-2 score after the first period, the Whitecaps opened the game with three unanswered goal to grab a 5-2 win. After the game the players from both teams signed autographs.
Manitoba Maple Leafs
- January 15: The Whitecaps took on the Manitoba Maple Leafs in a battle of the border game. The Whitecaps worked with St. Luke’s Orthopedics & Sports Medicine training to instruct young players on how to exercise using proper techniques. Amy Stech scored first for the Minnesota Whitecaps while Briana Jentner scored the second goal of the game. Manitoba replied with a goal in the first minute of play with an unassisted goal from Crystal Sager. Allie Thunstrom scored to give the Whitecaps a 3-1 lead. Maple Leafs skater Chantal Larocque scored twice to tie the game. In the third period, Amy Stech opened the scoring for Minnesota. Allie Sanchez would provide the Whitecaps with a 5-3 lead. Allie Thunstrom and Meaghan Pezon put the puck behind Manitoba goalie Melissa Kanzelman to increase the lead. Manitoba skater Crystal Sager made it 7-4 Minnesota, but Thunstrom scored to extend the lead to four goals. Briana Jentner would score again, and Thunstrom would get the hat trick for a 10-4 lead. Manitoba’s Melissa Jacques made it 10 –5 Whitecaps as that would be the final tally.
Strathmore Rockies
- January 31 to February 2, 2011: The Whitecaps travelled to Strathmore, Alberta to play the Strathmore Rockies in a three-game series. Game one and two were held at the Strathmore Family Arena. The final game was at the Edge School Ice Arena. In the first game, the final score was 8-3 as the Whitecaps fired fifty shots against Rockies goaltender Amanda Squire. The following day, the Whitecaps took advantage of four Rockies penalties in the first period to jump to a 2-0 lead. Gigi Marvin would score two goals as the Whitecaps bested the Rockies by a 6-3 tally. On February 2, the Whitecaps and Rockies faced off at 8:30 am. Strathmore opened the scoring but quickly fell behind by a 2-1 score. Gigi Marvin had a hat trick as the Whitecaps won 9-3 and swept the series.
2011-12
The Canadian Women's Hockey League announced on April 19, 2011, that it would merge with the Western Women's Hockey League for the 2011-12 season. The merger would feature one team based in Edmonton and Calgary and would be combination of the former WWHL franchises the Edmonton Chimos and Strathmore Rockies. The team would play their games in various locations around Alberta.[27]
The Minnesota Whitecaps and the Manitoba Maple Leafs continue to be active teams and are playing a number of exhibition games as the league expands to include several new teams.
In 2012, the relations between the LCHF and the WWHL are tightened: The Director-manager of the Minnesota Whitecaps accusing the Canadian Women's Hockey League of closing deliberately a possible participation of Whitecaps in the tournament of the next Clarkson Cup.[28] The WWHL, as for her, plans an expansion towards Toronto for the season 2012-13.[29]
Current Roster 2011-12
| Forwards |
|---|
| Number |
|
Player |
Former Team |
Hometown |
| 77 |
 |
Amy Stech |
Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey |
Duluth, Minnesota |
| 29 |
|
Christina Lee |
Minnesota State Mavericks women's ice hockey |
Maple Plain, Minnesota |
| 27 |
|
Maggie Fisher |
Minnesota State Mavericks women's ice hockey |
South St. Paul, Minnesota |
| 25 |
 |
Iya Gavrilova |
Russia women's national ice hockey team |
Krasnoyarsk, Russia |
| 22 |
|
Megan McCarthy |
St. Cloud State Huskies women's ice hockey |
Eden Prairie, Minnesota |
| 19 |
|
Erin Keys |
Ohio State Buckeyes women's ice hockey |
St. Paul, Minnesota |
| 16 |
|
Jenny Schmidgall-Potter |
United States women's national ice hockey team |
Edina, Minnesota |
| 15 |
|
Allie Thunstrom |
United States women's national ice hockey team |
Maplewood, Minnesota |
| 11 |
|
Krissy Wendell-Pohl |
Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey |
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota |
| 10 |
|
Brooke White-Lancette |
United States women's national ice hockey team |
Berkeley, California |
| 9 |
|
Gisele Marvin |
Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey |
Warroad, Minnesota |
| 8 |
|
Meaghan Pezon |
St. Cloud State Huskies women's ice hockey |
Eden Prairie, Minnesota |
| 6 |
|
Kelli Blankenship |
Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey |
Miami, Florida |
| 2 |
|
Sammy Nixon |
St. Cloud State Huskies women's ice hockey |
Blaine, Minnesota |
|
Reference[30]
Coaching Staff 2011-12
- Whitecaps Owned: Jack Brodt
- General Manager: Peg Thomas
- Head Coach: Jack Brodt
- Assistant Coach: Dwayne Schmidgall
- Assistant Coach: Justin Brown
- Assistant Coach: Jim Minkoff
- Director of Marketing: Kristie Minkoff
- Team Physician: Dr. Howard Fidler
- Athletic Trainer: Dr. Andy Masis
Reference[31]
Awards and honors
Notable former players
| Player |
Hometown |
Present situation |
| , Caitlin Cahow (Defender) |
New Haven, Connecticut |
Plays maintaining for Boston Blades and United States women's national ice hockey team |
| , Lisa Chesson (defender) |
Plainfield, Illinois |
Retreat |
| Julie Chu (Forward) |
Bridgeport, Connecticut |
Plays maintaining for Montreal Stars and United States women's national ice hockey team |
| , Natalie Darwitz (Forward) |
Eagan, Minnesota |
Retreat |
| , Molly Engstrom (defender) |
Siren, Wisconsin |
Plays maintaining for Brampton Thunder and United States women's national ice hockey team |
 , Manon Rhéaume (Goalie) |
Beauport, Québec |
Retreat |
| , Angela Ruggiero (Defender) |
Simi Valley, California |
Retreat |
| , Karen Thatcher (Forward) |
Brynn Mawr, Pennsylvania |
Retreat and Assistant-Coach of Providence College Friars (NCAA) |
| , Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej (Forward) |
Eagle River, Wisconsin |
Retreat |
See also
References
- ↑ Andrew Baker, Whitecaps have talent but lack cash, http://www.mndaily.com/2010/10/12/whitecaps-talent-exceeds-cash, Mndaily.com, october 12 2010.
- ↑ http://www.mnwhitecaps.com/news_article/show/561081?referrer_id=643054
- ↑ http://www.minnesotawhitecaps.com/jr-whitecaps/jr-whitecaps-blue-u-19/
- ↑ http://www.minnesotawhitecaps.com/jr-whitecaps/jr-whitecaps-silver-u17/
- ↑ Pat Borzi, Women Pay for a Chance to Play, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/26/sports/hockey/26ice.html?_r=1, NY Times in January 26, 2007
- ↑ Montreal wins first Clarkson Cup
- ↑ Minnesota Whitecaps clinch WWHL Championship Minnesota Whitecaps clinch WWHL Championship
- ↑ Minnesota Whitecaps clinch WWHL Championship Minnesota Whitecaps clinch WWHL Championship
- ↑ Minnesota Whitecaps clinch WWHL Championship Minnesota Whitecaps clinch WWHL Championship
- ↑ Minnesota Whitecaps clinch WWHL Championship Minnesota Whitecaps clinch WWHL Championship
- ↑ Minnesota wins Clarkson Cup
- ↑ Dan Robson, CBC-sport.ca, Minnesota Whitecaps capture Clarkson Cup
- ↑ Minnesota Whitecaps: Clarkson Cup Champions
- ↑ Montreal opens Clarkson Cup with win
- ↑ Locals chase Cup dream
- ↑ Kirk powers Brampton past Minnesota at Clarkson Cup
- ↑ Montreal wins first Clarkson Cup, http://www.iihf.com/channels0809/ww/news/news-singleview/article/montreal-wins-first-clarkson-cup.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2068&cHash=9e147782a4
- ↑ Minnesota wins Clarkson Cup, http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/article/clarkson-cup-goes-to-us.html?tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1267398000&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2674799&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=187&cHash=93d3bd2c57
- ↑ http://www.minnesotawhitecaps.com/news/2008-2009/
- ↑ http://www.minnesotawhitecaps.com/news/2009-2010/
- ↑ IIHF, Minnesota wins Clarkson Cup, http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/article/clarkson-cup-goes-to-us.html?tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1267398000&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2674799&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=187&cHash=93d3bd2c57 , 28 march 2010
- ↑ Randy Starkman, Whitecaps swamp Thunder to win Clarkson Cup,http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/786856--whitecaps-swamp-thunder-to-win-clarkson-cup , the star.com , March 29, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.umdbulldogs.com/teams-womens-hockey.php?id=5229&page=news
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38867&SPID=3323&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=205008955
- ↑ http://www.bsubeavers.com/media/2010-11/women%27s%20hockey/game01.htm
- ↑ http://www.bsubeavers.com/media/2010-11/women%27s%20hockey/game08.htm
- ↑ Chimos Part of Merger With CWHL
- ↑ Minnesota Whitecaps cry foul on exclusion from Canadian Women's Hockey League
- ↑ Minnesota Whitecaps cry foul on exclusion from Canadian Women's Hockey League
- ↑ Team Roster for Minnesota Whitecaps
- ↑ Team Personnel
- ↑ http://eastonhockey.com/natalie-darwitz.html
- ↑ http://www.minnesotawhitecaps.com/news/2007-2008/
- ↑ Dan Robson, Minnesota Whitecaps capture Clarkson Cup, http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2010/03/28/sp-clarkson-cup-final.html, CBC-sport.ca, March 28, 2010.
External links
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