03-19-2007, 03:19 PM
Quote:PS Munk, how did Hockey East get five bids?? The WCHA got screwed . I'd take Denver or Wisconsin (with the way its playing now...) over Maine in a heartbeat.
Truthfully? An ugly bias of tradition. Pardon if I'm treading some water you already know, but during the last ten years or so it's been BU, BC, Maine, and UNH invited to the NCAA national tourney. There's a few interlopers every so often, but Hockey East has leveled out since its birth from the ECAC, and all four teams are pretty well cemented as the top dogs. The drafting classes tend towards them, and only players seeking a Cinderella story go elsewhere. The result is when a Cinderella team does come along, like UMass Amherst, they don't like to bounce any of the top 4.
In all honesty, I question whether either of them (Maine or UMass) should be in the tourney at all. I've watched both of them play at least twice first hand, and I gotta say the level of hockey out in UMass isn't anything to write home about. It's true that their sophomore goalie, Quick, is a legitimate player. But other than him, it's a pretty big land of mediocre out on the ice. They ended up with a good record, and a good showing, in large part due to a very inconsistent year in Hockey East.
Maine is a decent team, but they are suffering from the same inconsistency problem. UNH, Maine and BU won their tough games, and proceeded to get beat badly by some absolutely terrible teams. And not once, multiple times, and to the worst teams. It's been a really up and down year, even for college hockey.
Ultimately, I'm only comfortable saying UNH, BU, and BC deserve the bids without question.
Quote:PPS Notre Dame is a fraud, along with the entire CCHA, and will be exposed as such shortly.
Agreed. Notre Dame really surprised me by their #1 ranking early in the season, which I thought would deflate over time. But it didn't. I gave a call out to a buddy of mine who goes to Notre Dame and played some good hockey in high school, he even admitted they are overrated. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any games so I'm going off second hand information about their actual gamestyle.
If BU can pull off a win against Michigan State, it'll be an interesting one against Notre Dame. What makes me incredibly angry is the Alabama Hunstville team? Are you effing serious? A 13-19-3 team from Alabama in the national Tourney? Granted I don't know much about them, but could you pat Notre Dame on the ass anymore than serving them up that? Minnesota has to face Air Force, who at the very least has a winning record and knows how to skate around a rink and put the puck in the net.
In general, the bracket this year feels lopsided. It's unfair to group so many good teams in the Midwest and West side of the bracket, vs. the comparatively weak East and Northeast. Not knocking teams like Clarkson, but UMass, UMaine, Alabama-Hunstville? I don't know much about St. Cloud State or Michigan State this year, but they don't appear to be top teams.
As a BU fan, all I can hope for is a little consistency on our part, and a lucky break in the East (a UMass/Maine upset against Clarkson). If BU comes to play - which they have on the road all season - it'll be a good Northeast bracket.
As a UNH fan (I know, I know, but I did grow up in NH and started my college hockey fandom in the Whit center rooting for the Wildcats), it's going to be a wild time in Manchester. I'm going to have to scrounge up some cash for those games. I am praying for BC to go down. Both Boyle and Gerbe are the two dirtiest players in Hockey East (Gerbe had 4 penalties in one game against us), and unfortunately also some of the best shooters.
Cheers,
Munk