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Frozen Four Championship Drops Tonight

Apr 10

Posted by Eddie in News | No Comments

Will Boston College or Wisconsin hold the trophy tonight? Tune to ESPN2 and watch the Frozen Four Championship

Will Boston College or Wisconsin hold the trophy tonight? Tune to ESPN2 and watch the Frozen Four Championship

The point of the year that players have been looking forward to since the beginning of the season is tonight as Boston College and Wisconsin face-off in the national championship game. The puck will drop at 7:00 at Ford Field in Detroit. Thursday was the semifinals and some surprising things happened while I was there.

1. The ice was in better shape than I thought. I’ve attended outdoor games and played outdoor hockey myself. Setting up the ice in a non-traditional hockey venue has a lot of challenges. One differences I did see between the Camp Randall Classic and the Frozen Four is that the ice didn’t have to be worked on as frequent as it did during the Wisconsin-Michigan outdoor game. If you recall, the net where Bryan Hogan had to defend for two periods caused a lot of stoppages to apply dry ice as it appeared to constantly break loose and crack. At the Frozen Four, I believed only one stoppage occurred to repair the ice and that was late in the Miami-Boston College game. Another fact, is the rink used in the NHL Winter Classic is the same one used at the Frozen Four as I seen the refrigeration truck in the loading dock outside Ford Field.

2. The letdown that was both semifinals. I had a hunch that RIT would be a little over matched against Wisconsin. Wisconsin didn’t let RIT in the game at all as they scored quickly and often. Wisconsin did what Denver didn’t do and that was come out scoring from the start. I was hoping Miami-Boston College would be a good game, but a span of 4 minutes between the end of the first and beginning of the second periods is what turned this game around. BC scored late in the first and twice more in the first three minutes of the second period to take a 3-0 lead. Desperate times called for desperate measures and Miami tried to attack and press on offense which backfired as BC scored three more times in a 1:35 span in the third period to take a 6-1 lead with 8 minutes left in the game.

The crowds at Ford Field was very exciting. It was cool to see college hockey jerseys from all over the country, as some of my favorites included Boston University and Maine.

The key for Boston College to win is for them to stay out of the penalty box. Wisconsin is a deadly team on the power play as they scored three power play goals in a nine minute span. Including two five-on-three goals as RIT took too many bad penalities including a game-misconduct for checking from behind.

The key for Wisconsin is to avoid the trap of Boston College’s scoring. The Eagles scored often against Miami but they were in bunches. The Badgers have to not get too down when the Eagles score because they can come right down the ice and score again. Wisconsin has to continue to use their defenseman to create scoring chances. They looked really good with traffic in front of the net and you never know what can happen with deflections of pucks in the slot.

This is a rematch of the 2006 championship, where the Badgers defeated the Eagles 2-1. That Frozen Four was played in their home state, only down the road from its home campus in Milwaukee. In this game, I like both teams. This should be an exciting game that could even go into overtime. I think I like Wisconsin a little more than I do Boston College.

In you cannot watch the game on ESPN2, be sure to follow Hockey World Blog on Twitter for live updates.

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And Then There Were Four

Apr 8

Posted by Eddie in News | No Comments

2010frozenfourThe Frozen Four is here and upon us. Fans will enter the gates of Ford Field this Thursday and Saturday for two semifinal and the national championship. I will be one of the 37,000+ fans in attendance for both games Friday and the championship Saturday. I’m hoping to see three exciting games between four deserving teams. Here’s a preview of each team and what to expect at Ford Field.

We saw Duke having their One Shining Moment on Monday when they won the men’s basketball Frozen Four. Which team will have theirs come Saturday night?

Miami Redhawks

Why they will win it: This team has been on a mission for the last 360+ days. What team wouldn’t after what transpired against Boston University.

Why they won’t win it: Just like how they could win it, they could simply try too hard and press too much if it’s less than 5 minutes and they are trailing by one.

The Redhawks are a team that’s been on my radar all season. I’ve watched them play in the CCHA semifinal and consolation game and they looked like two different teams. The defeat against Michigan only a few miles away from Ford Field was one of their worse performances all season. But it was the Redhawks who won the more important game against the Wolverines at the Midwest Regional in Fort Wayne, Ind. They are a strong team with plenty of solid players on both sides of the puck. And in goal, they have two equally competent goalies who each had what it takes to win the championship. On offense they don’t have one go-to player or line, but a corps of players who each can light the lamp. The only problem is if they end up in a bind, who can you count on to create scoring opportunities?

Boston College Eagles

Why they will win it: They led hockey East in team defense. They can slow it down and have a low scoring game or rev it up and have a high scoring shootout.

Why they won’t win it:The high scoring shootouts isn’t what you want in the national semifinal and national championship. If Miami has a two or more goal lead after two periods Thursday night, I don’t know if a team that allowed six to Miami and seven to Yale in postseason play can come back from that.

The Eagles have not experienced a loss since February 19. During that stretch, they have gone 10-0-1. In addition, they have trailed for a grand total of 55 seconds. Coach Jerry York is one of the legends of the college game, and he has been to the Frozen Four in four of the last five seasons. He will have his troops ready and prepared for Miami come 8:00 Thursday night. Similar to Wisconsin this year, the Eagles should adjust to the massive environment of Ford Field faster than RIT and Miami, as they played at Fenway Park in January.Look for Boston College to play a puck movement style of hockey, as York doesn’t like to see the puck on a players stick for too long. Keeping the puck moving and looking for the open man is what will be key to lighting the lamp.

Wisconsin Badgers

Why they will win it:Experienced team of mostly upperclassmen. They are also a team with a powerful offense from the forwards and defensemen and the team has lots of tournament experience.

Why they won’t win it:They don’t have the solid goaltending you’d like to have this late in the season. RIT had no problem standing up and punching a WCHA opponent, like what they did to Denver in the regional.

The 2006 and 2010 seasons have very similar comparisons for the Wisconsin Badgers. 2006 was the last time they won a national championship and they are two wins away from the same feat this weekend. 2006 was also when the Badgers played in a football stadium and they did so in February. Coach Mike Eaves has to take a K.I.S.S. approach with his team and that is to keep it simple and do what they have done all season up to this point. At this point in the season, coaches have to be careful and not over coach on the bench. The players know the systems and assignments and they have stick to the game plan and make adjustments only when necessary. The Badgers have to focus on things they can control, such as having a strong presence in the slot on both sides of the ice. For Wisconsin to advance and move on, goalie Scott Gudmanson needs to have a solid game and knock away any loose pucks near the net.

Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers

Why they will win it: They have nothing to lose. No one outside their dressing room thought they would be here. They proved they can play with the big boys after upsets of Denver and New Hampshire.

Why they won’t win it: They are a #4 seed and would have to defeat three #1 seeds in four games up capture the championship. That’s a tough task for any team.

RIT is the team that was supposed to be playing golf this weekend instead of strapping the pads at Ford Field. Now that they are here, they have to focus on the task at hand and not get too happy just by being here. You’ll see this with Cinderella teams that advance in the NCAA hockey or basketball tournaments: a team that was still on such a high when winning the regional that by the time the Final/Frozen Four rolls around they aren’t ready to play because they “were just happy to be here”. When doing my research, this same topic was covered when RIT coach Wayne Wilson sought advice from Bemidji State bench boss Tom Serratore about “the small school dealing with big time distractions that come with advancing to the Frozen Four”. Serratore sent Wilson an email that said  “By the time we got to D.C., the game might have been secondary from the experience we had from winning [the regionals] .” Wilson posted that warning in the RIT locker room last week, and that’s enough bulletin board material to drive it home to his players.

The rink setup at Ford Field for the Frozen Four

The rink setup at Ford Field for the Frozen Four

The Picks

RIT vs. Wisconsin:

The first semifinal could be the more interesting match up. RIT has nothing to lose while Wisconsin is a favorite to win it all. The Tigers could be dangerous for the Badgers simply because they have defeated top teams just two weekends ago. Similar to Butler in the NCAA basketball tournament, the small school knows how to play with the big boys and they aren’t afraid to crash the party. The Tigers have won 12 straight games and have allowed 14 goals in its last 11 games. College hockey media guides normally list the NHL teams that have draft rights to its players. RIT’s media guide list players favorite teams because none are draft picks of NHL franchises. Compare that to 11 picks of the Badgers including Hobey Baker Award finalist Blake Geoffrion could be too much for the Tigers to tame. I like RIT to keep it close till midway through the third period before Wisconsin scores a couple goals to advance to the championship.

My Pick: Wisconsin

Boston College vs. Miami: 8 p.m.

This could be the best game of the weekend. Boston College and Miami are two teams who know how to get to this point in the season and how to play in pressure situations. Like I have said all season, Miami is a team on a mission ever since they walked off the ice at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. last April. Compare that with the tragic death of manager Brendan Burke, Miami has a few things on their mind to play this championship for. Boston College could be the team that can spoil the party but don’t expect that to happen. If the Redhawks don’t come out and get a 2-3 goal lead after 40 minutes then they could be in trouble. I don’t foresee another performance like they had in regulation against Michigan, but rather a team that’s on a mission and nothing will derail that.

My Pick: Miami

Check back before Saturday’s game for recaps and photos of the action at Ford Field, as well as a preview and picks of Saturday’s national championship.

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NCAA Tournament Preview and Picks Part 2

Mar 27

Posted by Eddie in News | No Comments

ncaaYesterday I didn’t do so hot with the picks. I went 1-4, with only Wisconsin coming through and beating Vermont. Let’s hope I do a little better today as today’s picks will feature the Northeast and Midwest Regions. Yesterday’s picks featured the East and West Regions.

Note: Seeded teams are overall tournament seeded teams.

Northeast Regional- Worcester, Mass.

(4) Boston College vs Alaska: Saturday 1:30 p.m.

Boston College got here because they won the Hockey East. The Eagles have been peaking at the right moment, as they have been unbeaten in over six weeks. The Eagles has had solid goaltending between John Muse and Parker Milner. It was Muse who backstopped the Eagles to the national championship two seasons ago. What could scare the Eagles was his performance last weekend in the conference title game against Maine when he allowed six goals.

Alaska is closer to the North Star than the rest of us in the lower 48, and they should be thanking their lucky stars as they earned the fourth CCHA bid despite getting bounced in the quarterfinal round against Northern Michigan. The Nanooks have played very polarizing hockey this season. They would get hot and play stingy defense, then they would get cold and not put the puck in the net. Another question of note is where will the offense come from? Only three players have over 10 goals this season, which can help because BC won’t know which player to shut down. I like Boston College to win this match up.

North Dakota vs Yale: 5 p.m.

North Dakota got here  because they pulled off the difficult task of running through the gauntlet that is the WCHA Final Five and won three games in three days. Not to mention they played 6 games in 9 days dating back to the first round of the WCHA playoffs. They are on a hot streak in the last two weeks, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be successful in a one-and-done format. Whats made this North Dakota so unique is they are very young and don’t have that one go-to player, but several players playing really good hockey this time of the year.

Yale on the other hand, is a team that’s had a season quite different than most teams in the tournament. Some teams such as Cornell was low scoring but had solid goaltending. The Bulldogs led the nation in scoring as they averaged over four goals per game. But their goaltending is what’s let them down as they were eighth in goal differential. They can succeed in one of two ways: have the defense step up or simply make the game into a track meet and put up 5-6 goals per game on the scoreboard. With those two factors in mind, I think North Dakota has the opportunity to stop Yale’s offense and put up a few goals of their own. Expect the Fighting Sioux to fight another day in the regional final.

Regional Final: 5:30 p.m. Sunday

Advancing to the Frozen Four: Boston College

Midwest Regional- Fort Wayne, Ind.

(1) Miami vs Alabama-Huntsville: Saturday 4:00 p.m.

Miami is the overall top seed in the tournament. The Redhawks have played stellar hockey all season, with the exception being the drubbing they received from Michigan in the CCHA semifinals. This team is really deep, talented, and they are on a mission with the final 75 seconds of regulation in the national championship last season. This season, they have a little bit of everything: powerful offense, a vacuum defense, and solid special teams. What could bite them in the regional final is simply trying too hard to get back to the Frozen Four.

Alabama-Huntsville was one of the bracket-busters as they won the CHA tournament despite having a losing record. The CHA was supposed to be a one-bid league (Bemidji State) but earned themselves two. Whats working in their favor is some players do have NCAA tournament experience with a double overtime loss to Notre Dame in 2007. Whats also working in their favor is three of Miami’s seven losses this season came against CHA teams. UAH will have to play a perfect game and have a few bounces go their way if they want to beat Miami. As we saw yesterday with RIT beating Denver, anything can happen.

We’ve seen this situation before. Holy Cross over Minnesota in 2006. Bemidji State over Notre Dame in 2009. Those are the only 1-16 or 2-15 upsets in the modern 16-team NCAA tournament. Can lightning strike three times in five years? I don’t think so. Expect Miami to win by at least three goals.

Michigan vs Bemidji State: 7:30 p.m.

I knew this would happen. Michigan was sitting at 4-7 on November 20. Things in Ann Arbor wasn’t very good. The streak of 19 straight tournament births would be in doubt. But something happened. The Wolverines were able to turn things around and got hot at the right time as they are 8-1 since February 20. What they have been riding nearly since then is a third year walk-on goalie in Shawn Hunwick as he’s posted a 7-2 record in relief of the injured Bryan Hogan. Not bad for someone that’s seen less ice time than it takes to drive to the grocery store before stepping between the pipes.

Bemidji State is in gut-check mode. After running through the CHA regular season and playing solid hockey, they puked on themselves in the conference tournament with a loss to Niagara and a tie against Robert Morris. They have had two weeks to think about what didn’t go right in the CHA tournament. That combined with them not being able to sneak up against opponents this time around could spell trouble for the Beavers.

The Wolverines caught a favorable match up in the NCAA tournament. They have the potential to reach the Frozen Four and if they do, it can turn Ford Field into Michigan Stadium East. But first things first, expect them to beat Bemidji State before setting up a rematch of the CCHA semi’s with Miami for a chance to reach the Frozen Four.

Midwest Regional Final: Sunday, 8:00 p.m.

Advancing to the Frozen Four: Miami

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NCAA Tournament Preview and Picks Part 1

Mar 26

Posted by Eddie in News | No Comments

The road to the Frozen Four starts tonight

The road to the Frozen Four starts tonight.

Well ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the point where every team wanted to be at the beginning of the college hockey season. Beginning tomorrow and ending Sunday afternoon, we will wind our way down from 16 teams to the Frozen Four. So enough with the cliches and metaphors and let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this blog and get down with regional breakdowns and picks. Today’s picks will feature the East and West Regions. The Northeast and Midwest Regions will be featured tomorrow.

Note: Seeded teams are overall tournament seeded teams.

East Regional- Albany, N.Y.

(2)Denver vs RIT: 3:00 p.m Friday

Denver qualified for the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid out of the WCHA. Denver was thought of as not only the WCHA tournament champion but also as one of the contenders to win the national championship. The Pioneers had not lost consecutive games all season until losing two games at the WCHA Final Five last weekend. Not a good sign if you’d think teams want to be playing peak hockey going into the NCAA tournament.

You would think Denver has a favorable match up in the first round, but they should be on upset alert as they go up against RIT. RIT won the Atlantic Hockey Conference tournament and is third in the nation in wins with 26. Only Denver and Miami have more than the Tigers at 27. They dominated the competition last weekend as they outscored their opponents 10-1. The Tigers are making their first appearance in the tournament and could shock the entire tournament if they upset the Pioneers. What could work in their favor is defense and goaltending as they are third in the nation as they allowed 2.08 goals per game.

While I would love to take RIT because the numbers don’t lie and they also feature Detroit native and longtime personal friend Cameron Burt, I like the Pioneers in this game.

Cornell vs New Hampshire: 6:30 p.m.

Things must be going pretty good over in the Cornell athletic department. The Big Red hoops team won two games in the basketball tournament and is in the Sweet 16. The hockey team won the ECAC tournament and is playing not far from home in the NCAA tournament in Albany. Ben Scrivens is one of the hottest goalies in the country as he is riding a three-game shutout streak. The Big Red doesn’t score in bunches but their forecheck is so strong that by the time the opponent has to dump-and-change.

New Hampshire has to play a near perfect game if they want to advance in the tournament. It’ll be a tremendous feat to make it all the way to the Frozen Four because if they get past Cornell, they will have another stellar goalie between the pipes in Denver’s Marc Cheverie. They will have to possess a strong forecheck against Cornell and try to keep the turnovers to a minimum. They will also have to keep Cornell to under one, maybe two goals and hope the game will come down to overtime where anything can happen.

I like Cornell in this match up because of their stingy defense and the ability to keep the opposition out of its zone.

East Regional Final: Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

Advancing to the Frozen Four: Denver

West Regional- St. Paul, Minn.

St. Cloud State vs Northern Michigan: 5:00 p.m.

In a regional where we are guaranteed to have an at-large team reach the Frozen Four, this match up features teams playing in the NCAA tournament for the ninth time. The difference is that the Huskies of the WCHA are 0-8 while the Wildcats of the CCHA are 10-9 in the tournament. The Huskies will have the “home ice” advantage as the crowd will be pro-St. Cloud State, but I have seen Northern Michigan and they could have the opportunity to travel especially since it is a drivable distance from Marquette to St. Paul.

St. Cloud State has to keep this game low scoring for them to have a chance. When I saw Northern Michigan against Ferris State in the CCHA semi’s last weekend, Northern can fire a lot of shots and as what we saw in the 63 second span in the second period, score quickly and in bunches. Northern Michigan is the team that’s playing better as of late, but what Wildcats team will show up: the team that can score two goals and win, or the team that can score four goals and lose?

If you think a three-over-two seed is an upset, then you will see it here. I’m going with Northern Michigan advancing to keep the tournament losing streak going for St. Cloud State.

(3) Wisconsin vs Vermont:

The Badgers is a team I had the opportunity to watch at the Camp Randall Classic in February. While they are the third seed nationally in the tournament, this team can scare me in this region. Wisconsin does have the offense and the power play (as demonstrated in the Camp Randall Classic) to win the national championship. But what can keep the Badgers away from Ford Field is goaltending. If they run into a hot goaltender during this weekend, I don’t believe Wisconsin’s own backstop Scott Gudmanson can be as equal.

Vermont is the team looking for the upset special in this match up. They reached the Frozen Four last season but they will be on everyone’s radar this time around. They even needed help to even reach the field when Boston College defeated Maine in the Hockey East title game. At 17-14-7, did they even belong in the tournament as a 21-13-6 Ferris State team stayed home? I guess you can thank their “quality of victories” over Denver, Boston College and two victories over New Hampshire in the conference tournament. The Catamounts struggled this year as they finished eighth in league play and have struggled to light the lamp.

The Badgers are the better team on paper, but the Catamounts did post several quality victories over top ranked teams this season. In one game tournament, the cream rises to the top and that cream just happened to be colored red. Wisconsin over Vermont in this regional semifinal.

West Regional Final: Saturday, 9:00 p.m.

Advancing to the Frozen Four: Wisconsin

Check back Saturday for previews and picks of the Northeast and Midwest Regions.

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