NCAA Draw Puts UMD in the East

Union is the First Opponent for the Bulldogs

The next season, the season that UMD has waited for all year, will start this Friday. The Bulldogs drew Union for the first round of the NCAA Tournament in the East Regional.

The other game Friday in the East is #1 overall Yale versus Air Force.

There is plenty of time to digest and break down the Region, but at first glance, it looks like a favorable draw for UMD.

Now they are taking on the ECAC regular season champion Union in the first round with the likelihood of the winner facing the ECAC playoff champion Yale Bulldogs the next day. But look at the conference that these teams play in, the ECAC. The best news is that the games will not have ECAC referees who love to call EVERYTHING as evidenced in the UMD – Clarkson series earlier this year where power plays were 13 total in the first game and 17 in the second. The total penalty time in the series was 165 minutes. And these are not penalty magnet teams on average, it is just the way ECAC referees are known for calling games.

Now I know that many out there will say that these teams have earned their spots regardless of the conference that they play in and those people are correct. Win your games and let it shake out from there. And let us say that the flight out east will not be a downer for UMD.

If the Bulldogs of UMD are serious about making a run, this looks to be the best region to do that in. Here is the beginning of a return trip to Saint Paul and the X, but is time for a Frozen Four.

Full NCAA Bracket from CHN.