Issue 4 Volume 5 April 2012

1

The 2012 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five tournament proved to be a competitive one! The Final Five contest featured five of the top six teams in the League, three Minnesota teams and the current Broadmoor Trophy winners.

The favored hometown Gopher team was not able to grab a victory against their border battle University of North Dakota, who went on to win the Broadmoor Trophy for the third consecutive time.

The University of North Dakota fought their way to the finals playing in front of 16,838 fans at the Xcel Energy Center against Denver University (DU) during the championship game. DU was outshot 29-22 and was unable to get past goalie, Aaron Dell. Besides the victory over DU on Saturday, UND beat St. Cloud State University 4-1 on Thursday, and the University of Minnesota on Friday 6-3. This is also the first year in which both finalists were playing for the third time in three days.

UND Claims the Broadmoor Trophy for a Third Consecutive Time!

Minnesota-Duluth pulledoff the win in 2009 andUND in 2010.

Tournament attendancetotaled 73,002 fans whichis the eighth highest inthe 20 year history of theRed Baron™ WCHA FinalFive.

To read more on the 2012Red Baron™ WCHA FinalFive click here.

2

2

During the 2012 Red Baron™ WCHA games on March 16th and 17th fans

celebrated the Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five with live music, interactive

games, food & beverages and more! Performances by cheerleaders,

mascots and visiting pep bands were held right inside gate 4 at the Microsoft

Store WCHA Fan Fest.

The Microsoft Store WCHA Fan Fest proved to be the hangout spot for

college fans to enjoy the live music, an ice cold beer or to hangout with the

FOX Sports North Girls!

3

Throughout the season, cities across Minnesota have competed against each other in hopes of becoming the TRIA Orthopeadic CenterCapital of the State of Hockey. This year, Eveleth took the title, out voting South St. Paul in the finals by nearly double.

The TRIA Orthopeadic Center’s Capital of the State of Hockey champion, Eveleth, was recognized at the Wild’s last game of the season onApril 7th. City council member, Bradley Hadrava, Principal of Eveleth-Gilbert Senior High, Jan Messich and City employee, Cynthia Hadravaaccepted the jersey from TRIA Orthopeadic Center Surgeon, Dr. Joel Boyd and Minnesota Wild Chief Operating Officer, Matt Majka duringthe second intermission presentation.

The city of Eveleth resides in Saint Louis County, about 60 miles north of Duluth, Minnesota and 178 miles from the Xcel Energy Center.Eveleth is home to over 3,600 residents, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, the world’s largest free standing hockey stick, and sixmembers of the US Olympic Hockey Teams have called Eveleth their home.

Eveleth now has the honor of calling themselves the TRIA Orthopeadic Center Capital State of Hockey for the next year. For moreinformation regarding this year’s bracket and winning city, click here.

TRIA Orthopaedic Center Capital of the State of Hockey

4

Mission Statement:River Valley Riders (RVR) provides horse related activities including therapeutic riding and driving for children and adultsby addressing needs in the areas of physical, sensory, neurological, and/or mental health.

RVR was founded in 1999 by volunteers who saw the positive therapeutic effects of horseback riding and carriage driving for people with disabilities.As a result, RVR has provided new opportunities for 133 children and adults during their twelve year history. Currently, RVR provides weeklytherapeutic riding and driving lessons for 45 participants from April to October. The 38 acres in Afton, Minnesota serves as a therapeutic riding anddriving lesson area, an outdoor arena and driveway and parking area. RVR hopes to increase rider participation, partnerships in the community andrevenue to enable the building and maintaining of the indoor arena, barn and classrooms.

The purpose of RVR is to improve the quality of life for their clients by providing physical, cognitive and emotional benefits through interaction withthe horses. In addition, the Board strives to offer quality services to an increased population in need of these activities. importance of RVR is that it isestimated that one in five families with children in Minnesota has a child with special healthcare needs.

Charity of the Month – River Valley Riders

However, space is limited. RVR has received over 200 requeststo provide services, which exceeds their current capacity of 45participants per week. RVR serves children and adults withconditions including Autism Spectrum Disorder, CerebralPalsy, Down Syndrome, Developmental delay, visualimpairments, emotional challenges, as well as other types ofdisabilities. Their clients are challenged with physical, socialand psychological limitations including motor skill difficulties,underdeveloped social skills, communication barriers, andlimited sensory abilities.

Click here to learn more about River ValleyRiders.

5

• April 21st and 28th Minnesota Swarm Games•

• May 19th Van Halen Concert•

• June 3rd Roger Waters •

• July 11th Neil Diamond •

• August 10th-11th Coldplay •

• September 13th-16th Batman Live •

• November 3rd and 4th Madonna Concert •

See the full schedule of events here.

2012 Corporate Partner Summit

It’s that time of the year again! What would you like to hear about

at this year’s Partner Summit? Click here to give your feedback

or email Mackenzie Ludowese at Mludowese@WILD.com .

Quote of the Month The Western Collegiate Hockey Associationis thrilled to again announce a continuationof our long-standing and successfultelevision partnership for the 2012 RedBaron WCHA Final Five with Fox SportsNorth, the Minnesota Wild and Xcel EnergyCenter.

-WCHA Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod stated in response to the successful 2012 Red Baron WCHA tournament. Read the full article here.

Thank you Fans and Sponsors!As a thank you to our fans,the Wild hosted three FanCelebration Nights on March31st, April 5th, and April 7th.Fans were given theopportunity to win variousWild merchandise andautographed items includingteam autographed Wildhockey jerseys, hockey sticks,15% off Hockey lodgecoupons, scarves, hats,mittens, trading card sets,Becoming Wild DVD’s, areplica jersey, and more.

Fans could also register to win great prizes from our sponsors,specifically Treasure Island Resort and Casino, Kwik Trip, Target,Innovative Office Solutions, Troy Burne Golf Club and Kincaid’s.A special thanks to all corporate sponsors that donated to the FanCelebration Nights!