Division I hockey tournament field announced

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:00 pm

http://ncaasports.com/icehockey/mens/brackets/2007/DI

Notre Dame and Michigan State will be playing up the road in the Grand Rapids regional. Michigan has a tough draw in the Denver regional...would have to get through North Dakota and Minnesota just to get St. Louis. Kind of neat to see these non-traditional schools in the tourney like Air Force and Alabama-Huntsville.

Which one of you 314 trolls is going to the Frozen Four?

See You Next Wednesday · Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:53 pm

Alabama-Huntsville is in the Frozen Four? Alabama-Huntsville has a hockey program? Alabama-Huntsville, at 13-19-3 is in the tournament? I take it they won their conference tournament, but c'mon.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:00 pm

i'll be at the midwest regional. i know there isn't much they can do, but it really fucking sucks to have the first weekend the same same weekend as regional basketball EVERY FUCKING YEAR. jesus.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 2:46 am

Screw_Michigan wrote:i'll be at the midwest regional. i know there isn't much they can do, but it really fucking sucks to have the first weekend the same same weekend as regional basketball EVERY FUCKING YEAR. jesus.

That does suck. I can remember going to the regional at Van Andel a few years ago and they had the regional finals on the TVs near the concession stands as we were leaving. I can remember watching part of Arizona-Kansas after watching Michigan beat St. Cloud State featuring Duvie Westcott, Tyler Arnason, Mark Hartigan and Ryan Malone. I didn't realize how many decent NHLers were on that team. In the early game, I got to see Wisconsin with Dany Heatley play against Michigan State. I went with a buddy from GVSU...I definitely want to go the regionals again but I'd prefer to see Michigan.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:23 am

Shoalzie wrote:
Screw_Michigan wrote:i'll be at the midwest regional. i know there isn't much they can do, but it really fucking sucks to have the first weekend the same same weekend as regional basketball EVERY FUCKING YEAR. jesus.

That does suck. I can remember going to the regional at Van Andel a few years ago and they had the regional finals on the TVs near the concession stands as we were leaving. I can remember watching part of Arizona-Kansas after watching Michigan beat St. Cloud State featuring Duvie Westcott, Tyler Arnason, Mark Hartigan and Ryan Malone. I didn't realize how many decent NHLers were on that team. In the early game, I got to see Wisconsin with Dany Heatley play against Michigan State. I went with a buddy from GVSU...I definitely want to go the regionals again but I'd prefer to see Michigan.

jesus that was a long time ago. 2004 if i'm correct? i've been to every regional they've had at van andel, including the 97 regional and 01 regional. and yes, many times the crowds on the concourse watching the basketball tournament outnumbers the fans in the arena for whatever hockey game is going on. same thing is true for the various ccha tournaments i have been to, especially if msu bball is hot.

is junior lessard playing in the nhl? I remember him playing at the 05 regional when duluth made the frozen four and the kid was incredible. i believe he outplayed peter sejna for cc in that game, and obviously sejna is in the show.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:37 am

No, I went in 2000...my sophomore year.

Notables players/futre NHLers from that regional (courtesy of HockeyDB.com):
Michigan State--Ryan Miller, Adam Hall, Shawn Horcoff, John-Michael Liles, Brad Fast, Andrew Hutchinson, Mike Weaver
Wisconsin--Dany Heatley, Steven Reinprecht, Brad Winchester, Matt Hussey

St. Cloud State--Tyler Arnason, Mark Hartigan, Ryan Malone, Duvie Westcott, Joe Motzko
Michigan--Mike Comrie, Jeff Jillson, Andy Hilbert, Josh Langfeld, Mike Cammalleri, Jed Ortmeyer

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:23 am

i thought 01 was what you were talking about. gesus, the ccha has taken a nose dive lately, eh?

James Dean Bradfield · Tue Mar 20, 2007 2:56 pm

Go Boston University

Make the world a happy place . Punch a BC fan in the face .

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:50 pm

im there for frozen four bitches

still in Cbus, get to catch Blues play Cbus here sunday, fly back next sunday, then get to see 2 semis and final!

anyone in ohio? got a free blues-cbus ticket.! lowerbowl!

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:54 pm

tickets came in today(so i head from Buddies)

Muchigan,North Dakota, Minny got fucked

North Dakota comes i get to see Oshie, and wear my fighting sioux jersey!

Minny comes, i get to see EJ and their leading scorer, who blues traded for.

Maine makes it, get to see local kid Bishop, very good goalie, big and athletic.

rack frozen muther fukin 4

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:17 pm

minne didn't get fucked, they finished as the 2 seed overall and got a "tougher" bracket than the midwest, as they should. nd got the 1 seed so they got huntsville and the winner of the battle of attrition between michigan state and boston u.

michigan's goalie is pathetic so they aren't really that potent. but i guarantee you this: if minnesota doesn't make the frozen four, all we'll hear is bitching and complaining about how hard the wcha is.

it's ND's to lose.

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:41 am

i have 2 frozen 4 tickets for sale!!!! for all 3 games!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:49 am

Screw_Michigan wrote:it's ND's to lose.

Hard to pick against the team with the best goalie. Postseason hockey pretty much rests on who has the best goaltending. Michigan should be one or two-and-done because of Sauer.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 2:17 am

Shoalzie wrote:
Screw_Michigan wrote:it's ND's to lose.
Hard to pick against the team with the best goalie. Postseason hockey pretty much rests on who has the best goaltending. Michigan should be one or two-and-done because of Sauer.

i'm no fan of the drunken micks, but i know legitimate contender when i see one, and ND is the real deal. brown has been money his whole career, but once jackson became coach, he's really come into his own. a lot of it has to do with not having a revolving door defense like the irish did under poulin, but jackson has always been great with his goaltenders, which makes perfect sense because he was a goalie at msu before getting blasted in the left eye in his first varsity appearance and never playing again.

and if anybody else was coaching ND other than jeff jackson, the winningest active coach in college hockey, i'd still be skeptical. jackson won around 70% (or more) while at lake state and he has done the same at ND. the guy is a winner to say the least, and when ND hired him in 05, the entire league said "oh shit" all at the same time. no more easy W's against an underachieving ND squad.

this year's ND team reminds me a lot of the ron mason style teams he used to have back in the day: outstanding defense, outstanding goaltending, smart players with good puck management who might not light up the scoreboard, but can score timely and important goals. of course, mason's teams were known for never being able to make the frozen four or win the national title, but jackson's squad looks very similar to a squad mason would have.

another reason why i think ND is the team to beat is not that they have something to prove, as all the teams do, but this current group of seniors knows what rock bottom is like. after the 03-04 season when ND made the tournament for hte first time and started making some real progress, the 04-05 team goes out and wins five games all season. dave poulin is finally canned after years of underachieving and ND brings in college hockey's premier coach. amazing what a change in culture can do for a hockey program.

now only if the brass at western were paying attention.

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 10:53 am

North Dakota is the team to beat.

which is why NCAA put them in a tough bracket, a FU to them suing the NCAA and getting an injunction. winner of west might be so worn from the high level of play, that they will be fodder.

No line is rolling like the toews,Ohsie, Dincan

Only ND looking at a title is UND.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:25 pm

Adelpiero wrote:North Dakota is the team to beat.

which is why NCAA put them in a tough bracket, a FU to them suing the NCAA and getting an injunction. winner of west might be so worn from the high level of play, that they will be fodder.

No line is rolling like the toews,Ohsie, Dincan

Only ND looking at a title is UND.

NoDak got put in a tough bracket because they finished the first half of the season .500. this isn't the sioux' year anyway.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 6:35 am

nice to see notre dame almost go holy cross and have to beat huntsville in 2 ots, and late in that. yeah, i know it's a ron mason looking team, but please.

state looked awesome against boston u, totally different team after ending the 1st intermission down 1-0. boston looked on fire in the first period, then like a bunch of soft ass hockey east bitches after the first period, not a surprise actually.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 11:18 am

Looks like the #1s had a rough day yesterday. The Irish escape in double-OT but Clarkson wasn't so lucky, losing 1-0 to UMass in OT. A very big surprise that Huntsville gave Notre Dame such tough game...Michigan trounced them early in the season 8-1 and they had just a single win over a tournament-bound team...beating UMass in a holiday tournament just before New Year's.

Michigan-North Dakota square off tonight in Denver. mgoblue.com says the game will be shown on tape delay later tonight on ESPNU which I unfortunately don't have. If Hensick wants to leave a legacy similar to that of other highly decorated Wolverines like Brendan Morrison...he'll help carry the Wolverines to another national title. He does get to play in an arena he'll be calling home very soon being a draft pick of the Avalanche. He goes against a fellow Hobey Baker finalist in Ryan Duncan. Michigan hasn't beaten the Sioux since the '98 West Regional played in Yost. You'd think a team with 4 guys in the top 20 nationally in scoring wouldn't be considered an underdog but when your goalie isn't anywhere near the top 20 in any major statistical category...that's why. Sauer will need to pull a few games out of his ass if they want to get through this meat-grinder of a regional.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 9:47 pm

another no. 1 falls in new hampshire against miami, and is it to early to say: the ccha is on fire, 3-0 through five games so far. didn't see that coming.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 9:58 pm

Wow! Air Force is giving the Gophers fits right now too. Damn, I wish I had ESPNU to watch some of these games. The game tracker on NCAASports.com is pretty sweet though.

EDIT--Minnesota prevails 4-3.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 3:26 am

Screw, so much for the Irish...nice win by the Sparties, 2-1. MSU-Maine in one of half of the Frozen Four in the STL. BC-Miami and Minnesota-North Dakota tomorrow to determine the last two spots.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 3:52 am

the irish took a page from the 98 spartans tonight: complete ineptitude offensively. game should have been 3-1 but nd's first goal was taken away. the ncaa is fucking retarded (on many, many levels) but they 1) didn't announce that the goal was taken away, the ref just pointed towards the end zone for the faceoff. regular hockey fans might not have caught that and 2) they didn't announce why.

yeah, i know the ncaa's hockey tournament isn't run by a bunch of mensas, but jesus christ. thankfully, i didn't pay $35 for today's ticket, which was fucking absurd. the ncaa wonders why they have attendance issues at the regionals. well, here's one: $35 for one single quarterfinal game? outfuckingrageous.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 3:54 am

oh, and the next negative trend i've noticed over the past few regionals: NO TVS SHOWING BBALL ON THE CONCOURSE. none, all closed circuit tv, aka ncaa propaganda. if state was in the sweet 16, there would have been a riot, even with the few thousand less fans there who would have stayed home.

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 3:09 pm

blues fan loivng this

we get to see Ben Bishop(goalie for maine) grew up and played hs hockey in stl

and we either get to see Oshie or EJ and MInny points leader, who blues got in SJ trade.

maine and mich st winning is huge for the 2 tickets im selling online. if ND can make it, i think the prices continue to go up. sioux fans travel very well.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 7:01 pm

alright adel, nd is the shit. although playing against a swiss cheese scu-m defense will make anyone look high-powered.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:07 pm

That actually is a talented defense at Michigan...it's Sauer that makes them look worse though. An average goalie will save his guys' bacon every once in a while after a defensive lapse or when he's constantly facing power plays. If you go in untouched against Sauer, it's just a matter of time before the red light goes on and he's digging the puck out of his net.

Red has never been accused of being a defensive genius, he's just been able to recruit the best talent and make runs to the Frozen Four without much effort. When his goaltending is bad, he doesn't have the type of forwards that play both ends of the ice...they're a bunch of a danglers. Michigan has been putting mostly undersized one-dimensional forwards into the NHL. You'll get the odd duck like Ortmeyer or Madden that can actually play defensive hockey but guys like Morrison, Comrie and Cammalleri litter the NHL landscape.

It makes me really miss the days of Shields and Turco. They had two record-breaking goalies back-to-back and then it's been mediocre to bad goalies since then. I give State credit...their goaltending hasn't dropped off as much since Miller left for the Sabres. Lerg isn't flashy but he's effective. I am happy to see a future Red Wing Justin Abdelkader contributing. He'll be up at training camp in Traverse City in the next year or two competing for a roster spot.

In progress...BC looking to be on their way to another Frozen Four; up 4-0 on the Redhawks. The Gophers and Sioux should be underway soon.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:10 pm

Just saw on a message board, Johnson is leaving Michigan and he'll likely join the Kings next week...

http://media.www.michigandaily.com/medi ... 0116.shtml

Hunwick is a senior and a Bruins prospect...I wonder if he'll be joining that team now. Mitera is a high pick of the Ducks but he needs another year in college. Summers should be around for at least another year or two as well.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 11:01 pm

shoalz, that is a very accurate assessment of the wolverines. montoya was probably the best u-m goaltender since turco was in town. sauer even makes josh blackburn look good.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 11:32 pm

Screw_Michigan wrote:shoalz, that is a very accurate assessment of the wolverines. montoya was probably the best u-m goaltender since turco was in town. sauer even makes josh blackburn look good.

Shit, forgot about Montoya...probably would've remembered him more if he had some postseason success with the Wolverines. Obviously, his crowning achievement was backstopping Team USA to that WJC a few years ago. With the way Lundqvist is playing, Al will probably never get a chance to be 'the man' with the Rangers.