2020-21 WCHA Women's Season

This is the 2020-21 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Women's season. This is the league's 22nd season.
==Membership Changes==
*None for 2020-21
*On July 15, 2020 the St. Thomas Tommies women's ice hockey team was announced as joining the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's conference for the 2021-22 season by a unanimous vote as the conference's 8th member.https://www.uscho.com/2020/07/15/st-thomas-joining-wcha-womens-conference-with-2021-22-season-big-win-for-womens-hockey/
==Membership==
Team 	Location 	Arena 	Capacity
Bemidji State Beavers 	Bemidji, Minnesota 	Sanford Center 	4,700
Minnesota Golden Gophers 	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Ridder Arena 	3,400
Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 	Duluth, Minnesota 	AMSOIL Arena 	6,764
Minnesota State Mavericks 	Mankato, Minnesota 	Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center	1,000
Ohio State Buckeyes 	Columbus, Ohio 	OSU Ice Rink 	1,415
St. Cloud State Huskies 	St. Cloud, Minnesota 	Herb Brooks National Hockey Center 	5,763
St. Thomas Tommies (21-22)	St. Paul, Minnesota 	St. Thomas Ice Arena 	1,000
Wisconsin Badgers 	Madison, Wisconsin 	LaBahn Arena 	2,273
==Standings==
Teams are awarded 3 points for a regulation or overtime win and 1 point for an overtime tie. If the game is tied after the five minute overtime period the game goes to a three round shootout. The shoot out winning team is awarded an extra point in the standings. The NCAA considers games determined in a shootout as a tie.
Due to game cancellations and an unbalanced schedule points percentage was used to determine the standings for 2020-21 only.
Note: Due to an incorrect application of the shootout rules by game officials the results of a January 16th shoot out between Bemidji State and St. Cloud State were vacated as officials incorrectly stopped the shoot out after two rounds with Bemidji state leading 1-0, calling the shoot out a sudden death shoot out from the start with the teams being tied 0-0 after the first round and Bemidji State "winning" the shoot out 1-0 after the second round. NCAA rules mandate a 3 round shoot out and then the shoot out goes to sudden death. Each team was awarded 1.5 points in the conference standing and the game was deemed as a tie on January 20th.http://www.wcha.com/women/articles/2021/01/jan-16-bemidji-state-st-cloud-state-shootout-result-vacated.php
==Conference Tournament==
===Original Format===
All seven teams qualify for the conference tournament. The quarterfinals are best-of-three at the higher seeded team with the top seed receiving a bye to the semifinals. The semifinals and finals are single elimination known as the 2021 WCHA Final Face-Off. The tournament champion earns the conference's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament.
===Revised Format===
The top four teams qualify for the WCHA Final Face-Off. The tournament took place March 6-7, 2021 at the Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The tournament winner receives the conferences automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament.
===Semifinals===
* Wisconsin defeated Minnesota 5-3
* Ohio State defeated Minnesota-Duluth 7-2
===Final===
* Wisconsin defeated Ohio State 3-2 (ot)
==References==
Category:2021 in ice hockey
Category:Western Collegiate Hockey Association