University of St. Thomas Athletics
2027 WCHA Final Faceoff to Return to St. Thomas
7/8/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey, Lee & Penny Anderson Arena
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association has announced that the 2027 WCHA Final Faceoff will once again be hosted by the University of St. Thomas and held at the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena on March 4-6, 2027.
"The WCHA is thrilled that our premier conference event will be back at the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena at St. Thomas," said WCHA Commissioner Michelle McAteer. "We heard from student-athletes, coaches, fans, and media that last year's event was top-notch. The St. Thomas staff worked tirelessly, and the arena is one of the most impressive in college hockey. We are confident that it will only be better in year two."
The 2027 WCHA postseason begins on February 26th with four best-of-three WCHA First Round series. The four winners of the best-of-three first-round series will advance to the premier conference tournament in women's collegiate ice hockey at the 2027 WCHA Final Faceoff. The winner of the 2027 WCHA Final Faceoff receives the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship.
"We are thrilled to once again host the 2027 WCHA Final Faceoff at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena", said Vice President, Director of Athletics Phil Esten. "Hosting the championship for the first time in 2026 was a tremendous experience, and we are excited to welcome the conference back to St. Paul. The Final Faceoff showcases the very best of women's college hockey, and we look forward to providing a first-class championship experience for the student-athletes, coaches, and fans of the WCHA."
The annual event will be hosted by the University of St. Thomas for the second consecutive season and the second time in league history. The first WCHA Playoff Championship was held March 2-4, 2000, at the Bloomington (Minn.) Ice Gardens. Since that inaugural event, the tournament has been held in Rochester, Minn. (2001), Blaine, Minn. (2002), Grand Forks, N.D. (2003, 2015), Minneapolis, Minn. (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024), Duluth, Minn. (2008, 2012, 2025) and Bemidji, Minn. (2014).
Ohio State claimed last year's Final Faceoff title, marking their third in program history after winning the tournament in 2020 and 2022. Wisconsin leads all WCHA programs with 11 postseason titles (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2024, 2025), followed by Minnesota with eight (2002, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2023), Minnesota Duluth with five (2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2010), and Ohio State with three.
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league on X and Instagram @WCHA_WHockey, and online at wcha.com.
