The greatest time of the year is finally here for college hockey fans, conference playoffs and the NCAAs. This year playoffs results, like past years, will have big implications in the Pairwise Rankings and NCAA playoffs seedings. Thankfully for Bulldogs fans UMD is a near lock to make the NCAAs.
The NCHC first round playoff matchups are very good and I think they will be some upsets. From top to bottom the conference is so close that any team could step up and make a run. I particularly like Colorado College and Nebraska Omaha as potential first round upsets. The Mavericks power play is so potent that if they get hot they could easily propel them for a trip to St. Paul. Like wise, the Tigers have developed some high ends players who if matched with some good defense and goal tending also have what it takes to get the upset. It should be some great hockey over St. Patrick's weekend in St. Paul.
Picks
#RV Western Michigan @ #8 Minnesota Duluth: The last time they played a couple weeks ago UMD won the two games with a combined score of 14-1. It will be different this weekend as the Broncos are healthier, but they won't be able to win two games at Amsoil. UMD wins in 3 games.
Miami @ #1 St. Cloud State: The Huskies have played like a #1 team recently and the Redhawks won't be able to change that, the Huskies sweep.
#13 Nebraska Omaha @ #14 North Dakota: Both the Fighting Hawks and the Mavericks are playing for an NCAA birth, winner likely goes and loser is done. I like the PP for the Mavericks to carry them to a playoff birth in three games even with their poor road record.
Colorado College @ #4 Denver: This years matchup is much closer than last years for these teams. My gut says the Tigers get the upset in three games, so I am going with it.
Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts
Friday, March 9, 2018
Friday, March 2, 2018
Final Weekend of the Regular Season
The NCHC 2017-2018 season has flown by once again as the Bulldogs are hosting Nebraska Omaha for the final weekend series. If UMD is able to get one point they will clinch the third place position in the NCHC regular season standings after last weekend securing home ice for the playoffs. The excellent play since Christmas has put this team as an almost sure thing for the NCAA tournament. In my opinion this is quite an accomplishment.
Coming into the season with UMD down 10 players from last years NCAA runner-up team there were so many question marks that my expectations were set low since the NCHC is such a strong conference. This year the Bulldogs have shown they can beat tough teams and can win a bunch of games in a row and steal some games that they probably should have lost which makes for new expectations of a team that can be a real factor in the NCAA tournament. The players that returned from last year know the pressure they will face hopefully will be able to show the youngsters how to handle this pressure.
There are several bright spots with this young team first with goal tending and the second with the defense. The biggest question mark coming in was who would be heir apparent to Hunter Miska which has been answered by Hunter Shepard who has six shutouts on the season to his credit and the season isn't done yet. On defense, returning one starter usually is enough to cause heart palpitations, but this group of youngsters have stepped up and played fantastic. So good in fact, that everyone hopes they will wear the UMD sweater for several seasons and not be done after one or two. The future looks good.
As for the final two games of the season, UMD is in a good spot. The Bulldogs seem to match up well with the Mavericks. Back in December they split with the Mavericks scoring 11 goals in the two games in Omaha but did give up 9 goals.
This shows that Mavericks are a good team that can score a lot of goals but have have struggled to score at times as well. The Mavericks have had scoring outputs of one game of 11 goals, two games with 7 goals and three games with 6 goals, but like the Bulldogs they have been shutout on six occasions this season as well. Staying out of the penalty box will be very important for UMD if they want to keep the scoring low for the Mavericks.
Picks
Nebraska Omaha @ Minnesota Duluth: I like the way UMD has played on defense the last few weeks and they will continue this and pull out a sweep.
St. Cloud @ North Dakota: The Fighting Hawks have struggled recently but should be helped by facing a rival that clinched the Julie and Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup. My gut say major let down by the Huskies but I can't say a sweep by the Fighting Hawks, so it will be a split.
Miami @ Denver: These team split early in the year, but Miami hasn't been great on the road this year. Denver sweep.
Western Michigan @ Colorado College: Two big games for these teams. If the Broncos play like last weekend they will have a long trip back to Kalamazoo. The Tigers will sweep.
Coming into the season with UMD down 10 players from last years NCAA runner-up team there were so many question marks that my expectations were set low since the NCHC is such a strong conference. This year the Bulldogs have shown they can beat tough teams and can win a bunch of games in a row and steal some games that they probably should have lost which makes for new expectations of a team that can be a real factor in the NCAA tournament. The players that returned from last year know the pressure they will face hopefully will be able to show the youngsters how to handle this pressure.
There are several bright spots with this young team first with goal tending and the second with the defense. The biggest question mark coming in was who would be heir apparent to Hunter Miska which has been answered by Hunter Shepard who has six shutouts on the season to his credit and the season isn't done yet. On defense, returning one starter usually is enough to cause heart palpitations, but this group of youngsters have stepped up and played fantastic. So good in fact, that everyone hopes they will wear the UMD sweater for several seasons and not be done after one or two. The future looks good.
As for the final two games of the season, UMD is in a good spot. The Bulldogs seem to match up well with the Mavericks. Back in December they split with the Mavericks scoring 11 goals in the two games in Omaha but did give up 9 goals.
This shows that Mavericks are a good team that can score a lot of goals but have have struggled to score at times as well. The Mavericks have had scoring outputs of one game of 11 goals, two games with 7 goals and three games with 6 goals, but like the Bulldogs they have been shutout on six occasions this season as well. Staying out of the penalty box will be very important for UMD if they want to keep the scoring low for the Mavericks.
Picks
Nebraska Omaha @ Minnesota Duluth: I like the way UMD has played on defense the last few weeks and they will continue this and pull out a sweep.
St. Cloud @ North Dakota: The Fighting Hawks have struggled recently but should be helped by facing a rival that clinched the Julie and Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup. My gut say major let down by the Huskies but I can't say a sweep by the Fighting Hawks, so it will be a split.
Miami @ Denver: These team split early in the year, but Miami hasn't been great on the road this year. Denver sweep.
Western Michigan @ Colorado College: Two big games for these teams. If the Broncos play like last weekend they will have a long trip back to Kalamazoo. The Tigers will sweep.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
NCHC Championship Saturday
By Andrew Fiskness @afiskness
The Saturday of the NCHC Championship is finally here and if you asked fans six months ago what teams will be playing in Minneapolis for Championship game you may have gotten a bunch of people who said Miami and Denver. If you asked those same people three weeks ago you probably wouldn't anybody have anybody suggesting such a match up.
Denver advanced despite not playing their best game yesterday. They were able to bounce back from some miscues and get a late third period goal from Ty Loney to beat the Broncos 4-3 to advance to the Championship. The shots were on the low side with the advantage going to the Broncos 27 to 23. The biggest surprise to me was the fact only three penalties were called the whole game, two on the Pioneers and one against the Broncos.
Miami continues to wear the glass skates as they are trying play their way into the NCAA tournament. The Redhawks were able to quiet the crowd that consisted mostly of fans of the North Dakota men's hockey team. They were able to do just that with an impressive 3-0 win. North Dakota slightly out shoot the Redhawks 32 to 28, but the Redhawks did great job controlling the tempo when it mattered. The Redhawks advance to the Championship as North Dakota will play the Broncos in the third place game. My guess the third place game will be the final game played by North Dakota this season.
Some observations and thoughts from all the college playoffs:
The Saturday of the NCHC Championship is finally here and if you asked fans six months ago what teams will be playing in Minneapolis for Championship game you may have gotten a bunch of people who said Miami and Denver. If you asked those same people three weeks ago you probably wouldn't anybody have anybody suggesting such a match up.
Denver advanced despite not playing their best game yesterday. They were able to bounce back from some miscues and get a late third period goal from Ty Loney to beat the Broncos 4-3 to advance to the Championship. The shots were on the low side with the advantage going to the Broncos 27 to 23. The biggest surprise to me was the fact only three penalties were called the whole game, two on the Pioneers and one against the Broncos.
Miami continues to wear the glass skates as they are trying play their way into the NCAA tournament. The Redhawks were able to quiet the crowd that consisted mostly of fans of the North Dakota men's hockey team. They were able to do just that with an impressive 3-0 win. North Dakota slightly out shoot the Redhawks 32 to 28, but the Redhawks did great job controlling the tempo when it mattered. The Redhawks advance to the Championship as North Dakota will play the Broncos in the third place game. My guess the third place game will be the final game played by North Dakota this season.
Some observations and thoughts from all the college playoffs:
- There no longer is such a thing a good attendance and college hockey playoffs. It didn't matter which conference game I watched since this past Thursday when the playoffs started attendance is poor. My opinion for this is the distance between the Universities and the locations as the cause.
- There appears to be less fans of college hockey in general and more fans of their one team only.
- Living in Minnesota I always hear how great the Minnesota fans (and Gopher fans) are of hockey, how many Gopher fans will be at the Xcel today for the Bi6 Ten Championship game? My guess is you won't see many.
- The six conferences will mean more automatic bids so if you want to get into the NCAAs you better be in the top 10 of the pairwise while the conference playoffs are happening or you should win your tournament.
- Ohio State and Miami are both playing great hockey right now in the State of Hockey.
- Without a win in the third place game to North Dakota season is done and even with a win it looks like to me there season is over. They need all of the favorites and high ranked pairwise teams to win so they don't get bumped.
- Has anyone heard the body clock and different routine as the excuse for the loss by North Dakota? It must have been uttered yesterday.
NCHC Picks
Championship Game
Miami versus Denver: Denver managed to find a win despite some poor play to advance. I like their defense and of course Sam Brittain, I think the Pioneers have the advantage in this match up. Both teams are playing for another game after this one so it should be a good one. Miami probably has the scoring advantage right now, but will they be able to bounce back if they fall behind? My gut says Denver wins and plays in the NCAAs, maybe even playing the Gophers next week.
Third Place Game
Western Michigan versus North Dakota: I don't like third place games, maybe the only thing worse is deciding hockey games with a shoot out like in the Olympics. Will the Broncos take this last game of the season seriously as they have nothing more to play for this year? We know North Dakota will be trying to win. I like North Dakota more but wouldn't be too surprised to see a tie. No as I say that North Dakota would probably pull the goalie in overtime since a tie won't help them for the NCAAs. For this I will go with a North Dakota win.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
More Thoughts on Bi6 10 Conference
As had been said by many writers there are many questions that will have to be answered as the WCHA and the CCHA move forward. So much won't be known until the 2013-2014 season schedules are released. Here are a few of things the tarot card reader told me today and our thoughts:
Bi6 10 schools will schedule non-conference games with their traditional rivals.
We keep hearing that the Bi6 10 schools will work with making scheduling arrangements with the schools future non-conference, which is positive news for UMD, UND, and SCSU fans. However, with the need for UW and UMTC to play home games a real commitment to play road games with these schools is a must. Will they really make arrangements to play at BSU, MTU, UAA, DU, CC, UNO and even MSUM? Not very likely at all.
The new conference will be better for college hockey as the TV viewer audience will be larger with the Big Ten network.
The Bi6 10 folks keep saying this, but with the recent economic times that schools have gone through and some programs already facing tough financial times (MTU, Bowling Green, Western Michigan and Ferris State) it will be surprising if all the current programs will remain. Does adding say Univ. of Illinois improve college hockey if you lose a program such as MTU or Bowling Green, each of which have won NCAA championships?
The quality of play in the WCHA won't be affected.
This is probably true at least in the short term. The Bi6 10 TV network might bring more first round NHL 1-and-done recruits to the Bi6 10 schools, but chances to get a NCAA champion will keep the WCHA teams strong. Most of The schools of the WCHA have strong programs and if revenue is good the play should be good as recruiting efforts won't be reduced.
Bi6 10 schools will schedule non-conference games with their traditional rivals.
We keep hearing that the Bi6 10 schools will work with making scheduling arrangements with the schools future non-conference, which is positive news for UMD, UND, and SCSU fans. However, with the need for UW and UMTC to play home games a real commitment to play road games with these schools is a must. Will they really make arrangements to play at BSU, MTU, UAA, DU, CC, UNO and even MSUM? Not very likely at all.
The new conference will be better for college hockey as the TV viewer audience will be larger with the Big Ten network.
The Bi6 10 folks keep saying this, but with the recent economic times that schools have gone through and some programs already facing tough financial times (MTU, Bowling Green, Western Michigan and Ferris State) it will be surprising if all the current programs will remain. Does adding say Univ. of Illinois improve college hockey if you lose a program such as MTU or Bowling Green, each of which have won NCAA championships?
The quality of play in the WCHA won't be affected.
This is probably true at least in the short term. The Bi6 10 TV network might bring more first round NHL 1-and-done recruits to the Bi6 10 schools, but chances to get a NCAA champion will keep the WCHA teams strong. Most of The schools of the WCHA have strong programs and if revenue is good the play should be good as recruiting efforts won't be reduced.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
It's Not Time Yet
Alright, I have been persuaded, at least for now by the co-writer of the HighHorse, to not push the panic button. It is getting close both by the play on the ice and actions off the ice. As a side note, I wrote this piece and before publishing saw that Drew Akins Blog had the same cliché in his article for today.
The quality of play is still inconsistent, just like in the more successful days of late 2009. The exception is the scoring has really dried up. It is a drought. Not a severe drought, but it is getting close. UMD is still the only WCHA team to not be shut out this season, but it is of little solace in this 2-6-0 streak.
Watching the Friday night effort against the Sioux showed that UMD did control play in 5 on 5 situations for most of the game. UND’s goals were three on power play, one short handed and one open net goal. The observation of carrying even strength play likens back to a Vikings/Saints game in recent football memory where you can win every statistical department, but it doesn’t translate to the win column. Apologies to those I just ripped open a healing wound for. As I wrote last week, it is time to end the “well played game, but we didn’t get the goals” leading to a loss.
The telling tale of the psyche of this year’s Bulldog squad is what is happening of the ice. Fans know well the magical run that reaped the Broadmoor Cup and an NCAA berth. One of the feel good stories of the run was the head shaving some underwent to show their determination and last ditch mind frame. Well, they’re at it again. According to Rink & Run, the Bulldogs clipped hair again to try to regain the magic lost in this season. It didn’t work…yet? It really begs the question of what this team believes is the answer to ending the downward spiral in the WCHA standings and the PWR. Closed circuit to my friend and PhD in Sports Psychology, help me out on this superstition gone wrong predicament.
On The Shelf. Mike Connolly continues to miss practices due to a black eye and concussion from a late game hit from behind/elbow in the Saturday game. Mike is important to this team in the scoring spark department. Without him times may continue to be tough. The team members who stepped up earlier this year need to pick it up again and carry some of the scoring.
Saint Cloud State Continues. I have said all year that SCSU is overrated and they keep winning. I was wrong again this weekend on my prediction and I have to be honest, they are playing well. I still contend and will strongly argue that SCSU and UMD are very equal except for the confidence factor that leads to the scoring output of SCSU and not to UMD at this point in the season.
Rankings. It really isn’t worth looking at the rankings if you are a Bulldog player or fan. The team really needs to start winning and then worry about rankings. But as a side note, UMD has fallen in the PWR to a tie for 12th. Besides the losses, the main factor that is keeping UMD down in the PWR is their poor TUC (Teams Under Consideration) record. Remedy to that is more wins!
The quality of play is still inconsistent, just like in the more successful days of late 2009. The exception is the scoring has really dried up. It is a drought. Not a severe drought, but it is getting close. UMD is still the only WCHA team to not be shut out this season, but it is of little solace in this 2-6-0 streak.
Watching the Friday night effort against the Sioux showed that UMD did control play in 5 on 5 situations for most of the game. UND’s goals were three on power play, one short handed and one open net goal. The observation of carrying even strength play likens back to a Vikings/Saints game in recent football memory where you can win every statistical department, but it doesn’t translate to the win column. Apologies to those I just ripped open a healing wound for. As I wrote last week, it is time to end the “well played game, but we didn’t get the goals” leading to a loss.
The telling tale of the psyche of this year’s Bulldog squad is what is happening of the ice. Fans know well the magical run that reaped the Broadmoor Cup and an NCAA berth. One of the feel good stories of the run was the head shaving some underwent to show their determination and last ditch mind frame. Well, they’re at it again. According to Rink & Run, the Bulldogs clipped hair again to try to regain the magic lost in this season. It didn’t work…yet? It really begs the question of what this team believes is the answer to ending the downward spiral in the WCHA standings and the PWR. Closed circuit to my friend and PhD in Sports Psychology, help me out on this superstition gone wrong predicament.
On The Shelf. Mike Connolly continues to miss practices due to a black eye and concussion from a late game hit from behind/elbow in the Saturday game. Mike is important to this team in the scoring spark department. Without him times may continue to be tough. The team members who stepped up earlier this year need to pick it up again and carry some of the scoring.
Saint Cloud State Continues. I have said all year that SCSU is overrated and they keep winning. I was wrong again this weekend on my prediction and I have to be honest, they are playing well. I still contend and will strongly argue that SCSU and UMD are very equal except for the confidence factor that leads to the scoring output of SCSU and not to UMD at this point in the season.
Rankings. It really isn’t worth looking at the rankings if you are a Bulldog player or fan. The team really needs to start winning and then worry about rankings. But as a side note, UMD has fallen in the PWR to a tie for 12th. Besides the losses, the main factor that is keeping UMD down in the PWR is their poor TUC (Teams Under Consideration) record. Remedy to that is more wins!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Another Season Done; Stalock and Oberg Leave
It is all over now and Boston University is king. I can brag about getting the Frozen Four picks correct, but it wasn’t brain surgery. It was a very straight forward set of events played out by teams that for some of the time seemed like they didn’t want to win the championship. Think about it,
Stalock Goes Pro. I was just getting ready to post this article only to check a fact about Oberg and found that Stalock too has gone on with eligibility remaining. I can't comment much on this right now except that this news is a HUGE buzz-kill and paired with the Oberg news will leave UMD in a big defensive hole. More to come when I can sort it all out.
Oberg the Cannuck. Well, he is from Canada and now he is the property of the Vancouver squad. Evan Oberg will forgo his last two seasons of eligibility to join the professional ranks. Big loss for the Dogs. Oberg was the second leading blueline scorer this past year and provided UMD with steady play and a big frame out on the ice. He will be sorely missed.
- A BSU player admitted in a USCHO article that they hung their heads and dragged their feet when Miami scored 60 seconds after BSU cut Miami’s lead in half, 2-1.
- In the BU – Vermont game there were three lead changes in a 5-4 game that ended with two BU goals for the win.
- BU needed 2 goals in the last minute of regulation against Miami in the championship to send it to OT where they won.
Playing with the lead may be harder than it looks! And I say again, what is the hardest lead to hold in hockey? That’s right, a 2 goal lead!
Stalock Goes Pro. I was just getting ready to post this article only to check a fact about Oberg and found that Stalock too has gone on with eligibility remaining. I can't comment much on this right now except that this news is a HUGE buzz-kill and paired with the Oberg news will leave UMD in a big defensive hole. More to come when I can sort it all out.
Oberg the Cannuck. Well, he is from Canada and now he is the property of the Vancouver squad. Evan Oberg will forgo his last two seasons of eligibility to join the professional ranks. Big loss for the Dogs. Oberg was the second leading blueline scorer this past year and provided UMD with steady play and a big frame out on the ice. He will be sorely missed.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
NCAA Regional: Postmortem
It has taken a while to get this “last” blog for the season out. Yes, it is partly due to the season ending “hangover” (there is that time after the season ends that I cannot remember what I did on weekends prior to UMD hockey) and it also includes that I am on Spring Break from my real job and that I have a broken thumb. (See future article on why a hockey player should not be playing basketball even if it is for charity!) Let’s again not mince words, Saturday’s game was heartbreaking. But why? Look over the stats and standings and we should be thankful for the spot for UMD to be in the tourney, right? It all comes down to if you think that the 08-09 Dogs were an overachieving or underachieving team. I for one look at the players, talent, and numbers accrued and say that we should have received more. UMD, I firmly believe, had the pairings that they wanted in the regional they wanted and yet we want for more. I am left with “that little voice in my head” (Thomas Magnum) asking why such late season heroics were needed to get to where UMD ended. The final word from me on Sandelin for 08-09 will be to guard against a huge let down after the last NCAA appearance in 03-04. It truly was a great season, lest I forget, and assuming that early departures are not reaped, next year should look good too. Look for the season wrap-up and HighHorse (1st ever) awards coming soon!
Who Are These Guys? I don’t rail on referees often and hardly ever in print, but here I go. Those guys were terrible Saturday night. I won’t name them, but it isn’t hard to find who they are and that they came to us from Hockey East. I feel justified taking my stand because I would have felt the same way if UMD had won or lost, honest. Consistency is a word that these two should acquaint themselves with and also what constitutes a check and then what checking from behind looks like. Lastly, when are we going to get rid of the putting obstruction in front of penalties? Isn’t the definition of interference, obstruction? So why obstruction interference?!?!?!
I Can Be Wrong AND Admit It! I was wrong on the Beavers chances in the NCAA Playoffs so far. But I will defend my position that they should not even be there if they were in another conference (see March 26 post). So let’s look at the four who are now frozen. They are dominated by lower seeds, but this is hockey in a one game playoff system, so anything can happen. What’s more interesting that 3 of the 4 teams did not play the weekend before the NCAA Tourney. BSU had their tournament early and Vermont and Miami were knocked out in best of three early round action. Rest = Wins? Maybe this year, but who would ever try that on purpose?
So Who Is Going to Win It? Short and simple…I see BU over Miami.
Time to get off my HighHorse and get out the rake.
Who Are These Guys? I don’t rail on referees often and hardly ever in print, but here I go. Those guys were terrible Saturday night. I won’t name them, but it isn’t hard to find who they are and that they came to us from Hockey East. I feel justified taking my stand because I would have felt the same way if UMD had won or lost, honest. Consistency is a word that these two should acquaint themselves with and also what constitutes a check and then what checking from behind looks like. Lastly, when are we going to get rid of the putting obstruction in front of penalties? Isn’t the definition of interference, obstruction? So why obstruction interference?!?!?!
I Can Be Wrong AND Admit It! I was wrong on the Beavers chances in the NCAA Playoffs so far. But I will defend my position that they should not even be there if they were in another conference (see March 26 post). So let’s look at the four who are now frozen. They are dominated by lower seeds, but this is hockey in a one game playoff system, so anything can happen. What’s more interesting that 3 of the 4 teams did not play the weekend before the NCAA Tourney. BSU had their tournament early and Vermont and Miami were knocked out in best of three early round action. Rest = Wins? Maybe this year, but who would ever try that on purpose?
So Who Is Going to Win It? Short and simple…I see BU over Miami.
Time to get off my HighHorse and get out the rake.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
"I have seen this game before."
Nothing can beat the heart stopping events of last night’s game. One of the fellow followers I watched the game with jumped from his seat so quickly on the game-tying goal that he dropped to the floor from too little blood in the head. With all that said, I was not at the game, but watched every minute with fellow fans. Those fans and others I have shared Bulldog Hockey with in the past can attest to one statement I have made a few times over the years and for very different reasons, “I have seen this game before.” I did utter this phrase a few times last night again. So what do I mean when using this statement banked in my mind? It swings from bad to great as did the game last night as summarized here:
- In the near 70 UMD games I have attended live, I have seen Bulldog teams come out and just look flat, horrible…a mailing-it-in type of style. No hustle, no drive when down on the scoreboard. That was the case last night on my first utterance when UMD went down 3-1.
- When the Dogs pulled to 3-2 I was hopeful, but then the crushing shorthanded goal at 9:21 of the 3rd pushed me to say the words again. A UMD team that had its chances and couldn’t get on the right side of the next goal. The team had come too far to go down to Princeton on that Friday night. But hope dwindled.
- I could have made my statement again at 19:20 of the 3rd when Jack Connelly made it 4-3. The old too little too late, but I couldn’t bring myself to say or believe those words. I should have known that I have seen that game, but in a much different light than I have discussed thus far.
- On the edge of my seat seeing the one shot left for Evan Oberg, I have to admit, honestly, that this was a good shot amongst the craziness in front of the net. Just as that thought banged in my mind, the puck banged in the net…roofed…water-bottle shot. Then I could say with a very positive attitude, “I have seen this game before” and that is a huge feeling. The game I speak of is keep in many readers’ minds and on a scratchy VHS tape by Andy, my co-contributor. The game I speak of is the game 3, first round WCHA playoff win over UMTC March 15, 1998 at the DECC. UMD down 4-0 with 10 minutes left in the third…yada, yada, yada….Bulldogs win 5-4 in OT.
So, I have seen this game before! But no two games are alike just as not two college teams from year to year are alike. I am just left to soak in the great emotional rush of the “Miracle at Mariucci” as some national sites have dubbed it. And I have to secure tickets for tonight!
HERE’S YOUR UMD SCORING!
PS: If I were a hockey coach I would want my goalie to drop that puck every time to keep the clock running and keep the Bulldogs scrambling. I do not agree with the big guy on TV!
Wow
Last night was one for the ages. For a full game description check out USCHO or Inside College Hockey. UMD's comeback is available on Youtube. I saw it live and was amazed; on video it is just as amazing.
Now for tonight. The #4 seeded Redhawks of Miami are up against the Bulldogs. I plan to be at the game cheering on UMD. Just keep winning!
Now for tonight. The #4 seeded Redhawks of Miami are up against the Bulldogs. I plan to be at the game cheering on UMD. Just keep winning!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
March Towards Washington Continues
I have a hard time being impartial, but I see good things happening for the Bulldogs this weekend at Mariucci. I think they match up well against the other teams and that they will win the first for sure and win a hard fought Region Championship game.
Key to Success at the Rink. The UMTC players bemoaned the fact that they had to play UMD on the smaller rink at the Xcel rather than the huge olympic ice sheet like at Mariucci. The players noted that on the bigger ice sheet Stalock can be made to move more side to side and scoring opportunities ensue. I got thinking about that sentiment and reminisced to the game I witness at Mariucci when UMD lost 5-3. It did seem that Stalock was aggressive and out of position more than other games I watched him play. Was it the ice sheet, the defense, or a bad night? Let’s look at the Dog’s play on olympic sized (200x100) ice at UMTC, SCSU and CC and the near olympic sized ice (200x97) at Wisconsin. The results are pretty grim looking at UMTC, SCSU, and Wisconsin with a combined 1-4-1 record. The bright spot is at Colorado College where the Dogs sported a 3-0-1 record this year. Conclusions? No clear trend can be made, but it is an interesting question. What is known is that the defense needs to come to play and Stalock needs to keep playing like he can and has been.
Key to Success at the Rink II. On the flip side, the national writers have been buzzing about how Denver’s speed will be well suited for the olympic rink. But when their numbers are looked at, you find that they are 2-3-1 against the same teams listed above. Taking out Wisconsin and their close-to-an-olympic rink, the Pioneers are 0-3-1. Let the games be played, but again, interesting numbers.
Soak It All In, Beavers. This will likely be the last time for a while that Bemidji State sees the NCAA Tournament now that the CHA is defunct. Playing 10 games against 5 WCHA teams and getting 3 wins this year is pretty good. Making the NCAA Tournamnt with an RPI of 37, now that is priceless!
Good luck to all entrants and may this Bulldog team play their game. This will be another exciting weekend of hockey, that is for sure!
HERE’S YOUR UMD SCORING!
Key to Success at the Rink. The UMTC players bemoaned the fact that they had to play UMD on the smaller rink at the Xcel rather than the huge olympic ice sheet like at Mariucci. The players noted that on the bigger ice sheet Stalock can be made to move more side to side and scoring opportunities ensue. I got thinking about that sentiment and reminisced to the game I witness at Mariucci when UMD lost 5-3. It did seem that Stalock was aggressive and out of position more than other games I watched him play. Was it the ice sheet, the defense, or a bad night? Let’s look at the Dog’s play on olympic sized (200x100) ice at UMTC, SCSU and CC and the near olympic sized ice (200x97) at Wisconsin. The results are pretty grim looking at UMTC, SCSU, and Wisconsin with a combined 1-4-1 record. The bright spot is at Colorado College where the Dogs sported a 3-0-1 record this year. Conclusions? No clear trend can be made, but it is an interesting question. What is known is that the defense needs to come to play and Stalock needs to keep playing like he can and has been.
Key to Success at the Rink II. On the flip side, the national writers have been buzzing about how Denver’s speed will be well suited for the olympic rink. But when their numbers are looked at, you find that they are 2-3-1 against the same teams listed above. Taking out Wisconsin and their close-to-an-olympic rink, the Pioneers are 0-3-1. Let the games be played, but again, interesting numbers.
Soak It All In, Beavers. This will likely be the last time for a while that Bemidji State sees the NCAA Tournament now that the CHA is defunct. Playing 10 games against 5 WCHA teams and getting 3 wins this year is pretty good. Making the NCAA Tournamnt with an RPI of 37, now that is priceless!
Good luck to all entrants and may this Bulldog team play their game. This will be another exciting weekend of hockey, that is for sure!
HERE’S YOUR UMD SCORING!
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Intensity Only Increases
To all ecstatic Bulldog fans like me out there: What a Weekend!!! Record making hockey was witnessed by many this past weekend. UMD became the first team to:
- Be the Play-in winner and win the Broadmoor Trophy,
- Beat UMTC in the Play-in game (they were 4-0 all time),
- Beat Denver for first loss ever at the Xcel in the Final Five (7-0 previous), and
- Record shutouts in the semi-final and final games.
Maybe more importantly, the wins not only propelled the Bulldogs into the NCAA Tourney, but it landed them a #2 seed in the West Regional in Minneapolis. The placement in Minnesota lends to a larger fan base and less travel, both of which should bode well for the Dogs.
Talk of the Town. Stalock was the talk of the Final Five and the whole country as noted on USCHO, “…while third-seeded Princeton will be matched against possibly college hockey’s hottest team, Minnesota-Duluth. The Bulldogs won the WCHA Championship on Saturday after winning three straight games at the Final Five riding the back of goaltender Alex Stalock, who allowed just one goal in the three wins.” Click here for full article. This team seems to live and die by defense and goaltending. It also seems to help when the team is the underdog as demonstrated by UMD being the only WCHA team with a winning record against NoDak this year and their dismal 0-5-1 against Anchorage. Stalock is most deserving of the MVP award. As I say to my defense when I coach football, “If they don’t score, we don’t lose.” But that could lead to a really long game now without ties. So where is this going? This time of year you need scoring too, and MacGregor Sharp was that guy. While Stalock shut out the opponent, Sharp provided the spark to make it count on the scoreboard. UMD needs to keep on scoring and spread it around as much as possible. I am sure that all teams are looking at film and plotting ways to keep Sharp tied up and holes in the Stalock wall.
Talk of the Town II. I know that they will be crossing the river from Saint Paul to Minneapolis this weekend, but as said earlier, being in Minnesota for the NCAA Regional is a big advantage. So get your tickets early…or wait until game time and buy them from some Gopher fans who jumped the gun, and get out to cheer on our Bulldogs!
HERE’S YOUR UMD SCORING!
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