Tournaments all set with now the real make or break games coming up after HE had it's play in round (the top seeds all won). We'll focus on the cut line as it could be a fun year for that with 2 for sure being autobids already
B10 with 3 autobids and OSU remaining
HE (all single elim)
#22 Uconn at #1 BC
#14 Providence at #15 Umass (true elimination game, love to see it)
#16 UNH at #7 Maine (UNH still with an outside shot at an autobid, but probably has to win 2 games to do so)
#19 NE at #2 BU (NE must win the tournament to get in)
NCHC (best of 3; really only 2 locks in UND and Denver)
Miami at UND
UMD at Denver
#13 WMU at #17 SCSU; WMU at 82% in per probability matrix, with SCSU probably needing some real funkiness to get in with anything other than winning it all. though a sweep here may give them an outside shot
#12 Omaha at #11 CC; both teams are highly likely to make the tournament as there's a good sized RPI gap between them and the 15th placed Umass team (with one of Umass or 14 Providence about to drop), but getting swept will make it sweaty hoping for chalk
ECAC (best of 3s this weekend; Quinnipiac is a lock, the rest must win it to get in)
Rennselaer (the 12 seed, beat Clarkson round 1) at Quinny
Union at Dartmouth
St Lawrence at Colgate
Harvard at Cornell
AHA and CCHA is what it is with the teams fighting for the chance to fight BC or BU/UND to open up the playoffs
Well deserved. Although it was tainted by Holy Cross, 2001-2002 through 2006-2007 was arguably the most consistent run of dominance for any program in the modern era. 6 consecutive years as a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament (or the equivalent since there was a different format in 2002). Since 2001-2002 only two other teams have even managed 3 consecutive years (Miami 2008-2010 and BC 2010-2012).
For postseason success, obviously it doesn’t match BC’s 3 championships in 5 years from 2008-2012, but BC also missed the tournament entirely in 2009.
I can’t help but think that era would be remembered very differently if Lucia won his championships at the end of that run instead of at the start. Unfortunately it feels like that period has become defined by Holy Cross as much as going back-to-back.
Well deserved. Although it was tainted by Holy Cross, 2001-2002 through 2006-2007 was arguably the most consistent run of dominance for any program in the modern era. 6 consecutive years as a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament (or the equivalent since there was a different format in 2002). Since 2001-2002 only two other teams have even managed 3 consecutive years (Miami 2008-2010 and BC 2010-2012).
For postseason success, obviously it doesn’t match BC’s 3 championships in 5 years from 2008-2012, but BC also missed the tournament entirely in 2009.
I can’t help but think that era would be remembered very differently if Lucia won his championships at the end of that run instead of at the start. Unfortunately it feels like that period has become defined by Holy Cross as much as going back-to-back.
eh I mean if a guy wins and rides off into the sunset, that’s one thing. But without those titles he wouldn’t have gotten as long a leash as he did at the end. He brought us some titles and for that he gets kudos, but there were also some really rough years in there. However getting to coach the Gophers for almost 2 decades means he did some damn good things and Bob will need to win a title to last that long even with how good the team has been (joys of high expectations).
Well deserved. Although it was tainted by Holy Cross, 2001-2002 through 2006-2007 was arguably the most consistent run of dominance for any program in the modern era. 6 consecutive years as a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament (or the equivalent since there was a different format in 2002). Since 2001-2002 only two other teams have even managed 3 consecutive years (Miami 2008-2010 and BC 2010-2012).
For postseason success, obviously it doesn’t match BC’s 3 championships in 5 years from 2008-2012, but BC also missed the tournament entirely in 2009.
I can’t help but think that era would be remembered very differently if Lucia won his championships at the end of that run instead of at the start. Unfortunately it feels like that period has become defined by Holy Cross as much as going back-to-back.
It was probably time for him to move on. I'm unsure how he got along with the players, but he had an impressive resume for over 20 years. He represented the university well, but it didn't bode well when we started seeing recruits like Ryan Flynn, Steve Johnson, Jack Glover, and Mike Hoeffel as the program's future.
I don't blame him for the Holy Cross loss. HC gave North Dakota all they could handle in the Regional final, and that Gopher team was vulnerable anyway--most notably its defense. I was at that game and only mildly surprised by the result.
Using NCAA titles as a measure for any Gopher coach would benefit only two. The program gets to the tournament more than others, but they don't have an enviable win-loss record in the big game. They tend to choke more often than not. I'd like to see Motzko get one as a head coach--he's way overdue.
Lucia’s “2nd wind” as I call it (aka the Rau years) were some of the funnest seasons I can remember as well.
That's when I was in high school and college and those are the teams that really made me a gopher hockey fan. Kyle Rau being one of my favorite players as you can see from my username. One of my most fun memories from college was a certain Thursday night in early April of 2014 being in a crowded Dinky Dome apartment and watching Holl and the Gophers beat the green team with 0.6 to go.
Lucia’s “2nd wind” as I call it (aka the Rau years) were some of the funnest seasons I can remember as well.
That's when I was in high school and college and those are the teams that really made me a gopher hockey fan. Kyle Rau being one of my favorite players as you can see from my username. One of my most fun memories from college was a certain Thursday night in early April of 2014 being in a crowded Dinky Dome apartment and watching Holl and the Gophers beat the green team with 0.6 to go.
remember a whole lot of smack talk watching that game at a bar in Duluth from the green pukes as well as the bulldogs in attendance and it was one of the best feelings watching them go dead silent followed by a brief period trying to deny and then bargain that it wasn’t in in time. The 5 stages of grief for them were very real and incredible to watch
Lucia’s “2nd wind” as I call it (aka the Rau years) were some of the funnest seasons I can remember as well.
That's when I was in high school and college and those are the teams that really made me a gopher hockey fan. Kyle Rau being one of my favorite players as you can see from my username. One of my most fun memories from college was a certain Thursday night in early April of 2014 being in a crowded Dinky Dome apartment and watching Holl and the Gophers beat the green team with 0.6 to go.
remember a whole lot of smack talk watching that game at a bar in Duluth from the green pukes as well as the bulldogs in attendance and it was one of the best feelings watching them go dead silent followed by a brief period trying to deny and then bargain that it wasn’t in in time. The 5 stages of grief for them were very real and incredible to watch
I wasn't close enough to any Green fans to enjoy that part, but the perspective of looking straight down from the front of the 2nd deck at the ref Sieving the goalie was close enough.
It was probably time for him to move on. I'm unsure how he got along with the players, but he had an impressive resume for over 20 years. He represented the university well, but it didn't bode well when we started seeing recruits like Ryan Flynn, Steve Johnson, Jack Glover, and Mike Hoeffel as the program's future.
I don't blame him for the Holy Cross loss. HC gave North Dakota all they could handle in the Regional final, and that Gopher team was vulnerable anyway--most notably its defense. I was at that game and only mildly surprised by the result.
Using NCAA titles as a measure for any Gopher coach would benefit only two. The program gets to the tournament more than others, but they don't have an enviable win-loss record in the big game. They tend to choke more often than not. I'd like to see Motzko get one as a head coach--he's way overdue.
First, to say you were only 'marginally surprised' by the outcome seems like revisionist memory. That made new all over the sports world for how big of an upset that was. Seemed like it was second only to USA 1980. In hindsight, it was the beginning of the current era where the NCAA tourney became way more unpredictable than it had been in the past (partly due, I believe, to the blue bloods being allowed to recruit younger kids with less certain trajectories and the non-blue bloods relying more on older junior recruits).
As for the bolded part, when evaluating our coaches success in the big game, we have to not only take into account the difficulty of one-and-done in hockey, but the fact the team they are coaching is representing MN sports, so there is the curse they also have to overcome. (Don't know how Herbie managed so well.)
Too lazy to look up, but isn't MN in top 2 or 3 for tourney appearances, wins, final fours and maybe Championship games? I feel like actually they aren't much below 25% based on Final Four, whereas most of the teams above them in number of championships have better than 25% success once making frozen four.
So I see St Cloud has played themselves out of the tourney?
Not if they win their conference tourney….
did anyone else see the overturned western goal due to the “hand pass”? What they kept showing on tv didn’t look like a hand pass - puck hit the kid, may have hit his glove but if fell to the ground and he played it. Just curious if anyone else saw something different there?
So I see St Cloud has played themselves out of the tourney?
Not if they win their conference tourney….
did anyone else see the overturned western goal due to the “hand pass”? What they kept showing on tv didn’t look like a hand pass - puck hit the kid, may have hit his glove but if fell to the ground and he played it. Just curious if anyone else saw something different there?
They eventually showed a replay that was prior to the original replay they were showing. The WMU player played the puck with his hand in front of the net and batted it right to another WMU player. It was a hand pass and the coverage just wasn’t showing the right replay.
The original replay didn’t make any sense because even if the player played it with his hand, he clearly played it with his stick right after which would negate the touching of it with his hand. Really not sure how Geno or Jim didn’t make that connection right away.
I enjoy watching the St. Cloud coverage for the nonsense that those two talk about multiple times a game. It’s good giggles listening to the trainwreck that it is half the time.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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My interest has been Piqued... pulled up the game just in time to see 3-2, 4:19 left on a Major PP for JBSU... and an EAB for an abduction... then back from that to be 4-2 JBSU on a fresh goal
The was one of the most egregious and stupid boarding penalties I’ve ever seen by WMU. You’re down by 1 just under 6 minutes left in an postseason game and you take a totally unnecessary major? As his coach I’d hope he didn’t get another game suspension on top of it just so I could healthy scratch him.
My interest has been Piqued... pulled up the game just in time to see 3-2, 4:19 left on a Major PP for JBSU... and an EAB for an abduction... then back from that to be 4-2 JBSU on a fresh goal
Any comments on the major?
he deserved it. And should feel shame for ruining his team’s chances as they had the momentum.
My interest has been Piqued... pulled up the game just in time to see 3-2, 4:19 left on a Major PP for JBSU... and an EAB for an abduction... then back from that to be 4-2 JBSU on a fresh goal
Any comments on the major?
he deserved it. And should feel shame for ruining his team’s chances as they had the momentum.
And, if WMU had some momentum, this sounds like he definitely cost them big.
A win in playoff OT when it's 5x5 counts the same as a regulation win.
EDIT: That 5x5 is the base level... if someone is on a PP, or somehow you have multiple penalties on both teams pulling it down to 3x3 with multiple people int he box, that still counts as "5x5" for PWR purposes. The thing that matters would be... what is "full strength for both teams. If it's 5x5, it's a full win for PWR"
CC wins on a deflected goal. Arguably directed off the skate, but, couldn't tell for sure on the camera. I'd need to see it slower on the right camera angle to tell, so, I'm good with going with the call on the ice of a goal.
Holy crap the shot attempts according to the CHN live scoreboard are 80-27 CC
Sorry, yes. UNO challenged. Reviewed, and call on the ice stands. I personally have questions, but, unless I had access to the raw footage to run frame-by-frame, I couldn't possibly disagree with the review by the refs. It looked to me like it MIGHT have been directed in with a skate, but, it might have been off the stick as well. Which led me to the "I'd have to have the right angle and slower than the feed gave" answer... with what I saw, whatever the on-ice call was would stand, and the on-ice call was a goal.
My interest has been Piqued... pulled up the game just in time to see 3-2, 4:19 left on a Major PP for JBSU... and an EAB for an abduction... then back from that to be 4-2 JBSU on a fresh goal
Any comments on the major?
he deserved it. And should feel shame for ruining his team’s chances as they had the momentum.
And, if WMU had some momentum, this sounds like he definitely cost them big.
They did have mo but Jan scored twice on the major so his team wasn’t able to bail him out from that nonsense. The player he hit (22) went head first into the boards and (not milking it) spent a couple minutes on the ice before going to the locker room. I’d be surprised if he plays the rest of the weekend. And this was behind the play for no advantage gained whatsoever. Just dumb.
That made new all over the sports world for how big of an upset that was. Seemed like it was second only to USA 1980. In hindsight, it was the beginning of the current era where the NCAA tourney became way more unpredictable than it had been in the past (partly due, I believe, to the blue bloods being allowed to recruit younger kids with less certain trajectories and the non-blue bloods relying more on older junior recruits).
