Some clarity in an entire season’s worth of college hockey parity arrived with the NCAA’s highest-stakes postseason weekend. Who would have wanted to wager against no. 1-ranked Notre Dame on St. Patrick’s weekend?
- Wisconsin doesn’t deserve a tourney bid with a 19-18-4 record, but you’ve got to admire their moxy in defeating no. 4 St. Cloud State in OT Saturday in the WCHA consolation game. The Badgers scored the winning goal with just 9 seconds left. But three hours earlier, Head Coach Mike Eaves made one of the most shocking bench decisions of the season in yanking four-year stud, 2006 NCAA title-winning netminder Brian Elliot from the game 29 seconds in, after he’d surrendered the game’s opening goal. This was almost certainly Elliot’s last collegiate game, too. Unbelievable.
- St. Cloud — lodged solidly in the top 5 of the country most of 2007 — is chock full of doubts after suffering two defeats this weekend. Conventional wisdom had the Huskies as a lock no. 1 seed for next week, but how can they claim that now? And netminder Bobby Goepfert looks beat up, overworked, and most mortal.
- There is nothing fluky about Jeff Jackson and his no. 1-ranked Fighting Irish. They’ve taken on all comers, and beaten almost all of them. A 31-6-3 record in, at worst, college hockey’s second-best conference tells it all. Check out Jackson’s career record in post-season CCHA play: 28-4. Lordy.
- The drama — assuming it still existed — surrounding the Hobey Baker Trophy this season ended at Joe Louis Arena this weekend with Notre Dame goalie David Brown not only winning CCHA Goalie of the Year and Tournament MVP, but besting his prime rival, Michigan’s T.J. Hensick, in the tourney final. Brown surrendered a grand total of one goal in Detroit this weekend.
- One reason you’re not hearing much about teams from the East: their “Beast” is 11-loss Boston College, who bettered New Hampshire in the Hockey East Finals 5-2.
- An ND-ND final in St. Louis? If Notre Dame is the most confident team heading into next weekend, North Dakota may be the most dangerous. Jonathon Toews is playing the best hockey of his two-year collegiate career; Ryan Duncan is one of college hockey’s most prolific scoring forward (52 pts.); T.J. Oshie is a threat on every rush; there is finesse (Brian Lee) and ferocity (Joe Finley) on the blueline; and Philippe Lamoureux is emerging as a legit, go-to no. 1 netminder.
The sixteen teams selected for the single-elimination postseason beginning next weekend will be announced today at 2:30 on ESPN2.
Post a Comment