T1B

Don't look now but here come those damn Wolverines again. Just when it looked for sure like the tourney streak was going to die a slow death...they rattle off 8 straight wins. Even Sparty isn't going down without a fight against the Redhawks. Very well could have a team well back in the Pairwise will screw a more deserving team out of an at-large. Michigan always wins these CCHA tourneys when you don't expect them do. Steve Racine isn't exactly Shawn Hunwick but I'll take it.

One more time...Michigan-Notre Dame for CCHA title. Michigan with a big 2nd period to win yesterday over the Redhawks.

Western getting squeezed out of the Pairwise with Cainius winning the Atlantic tourney yesterday...Michigan winning today would squeeze out Yale. Cainius finished the season losing 5 straight and then runs the runs the table in their conference tourney to get in. Notre Dame is safely in either way.

Early bracket projections would have Michigan staying here in Grand Rapids to play future B1G foe Minnesota. Could be a really good regional potentially North Dakota and Niagara. Michigan would be the weakest of the four but would easily be the hottest team...a win today would finish their season with 10-straight.

The streak is over...props to the Irish. An ugly season that was almost salvaged by a great run in the conference tournament.

So, how the fukk does an 8 mile stretch of my crappy little state become the center of the college hockey universe? Is it because all the real hockey talent is playing in the canadian junior leagues by the time they get their drivers licenses?

Well, rack Yale, I suppose. Would rather have seen quinnipiac win just because pretty much everybody would say who? where the fukk is that?

The big, rich programs (i.e. Wisky) can't hoard talent anymore. If you make the tournament, you can win it all. Even formerly pathetic programs like Yale and Quinnipiac. Shit I remember when QU was actually WORSE than Kalamazoo Tech about 10 years ago before QU moved to the ECAC, and there weren't many programs worse than WMU a decade ago.

Even more proof: scU-M missed the tournament for the first time in 22 years this season. It will be interesting to see how this trend continues with the dissolution of the CCHA and the creation of the Big 11 and NCHC.