Regan MacNeil
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Planning to watch Michigan later. Love Frank Nazar.
Running NCAA hockey thread
- Thread starter micropolitan guy
- Start date
micropolitan guy
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Because it's all about how much money the city making the bid offers, not about taking less money and putting it in a hockey-friendly environment. I'm not sure there's even a college program in Missouri or neighboring Illinois.
Cosmo
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For someone who has zero stakes in this tournament, that Western Michigan-Michigan State game was super compelling.
Lindenwood, also in the suburbs, is in maybe its second year of D-I hockey but has had women's for about a decade now.
The state of the regional tournaments has been a lengthy and ongoing debate, particularly in the western half of the game. The main problem is that the NCAA will not allow campus sites to host, and many of the 5-10,000 capacity buildings west of Detroit don't want to take a bath when they get a regional full of small or geographically-dispersed fanbases that won't fly on five days notice to a meh location with expensive tickets. This small arena was something of a hedge against that (and probably a dry run for administrators, as the 2025 Frozen Four is in the Blues' arena). There is another regional in Sioux Falls, but unfortunately for all involved, North Dakota blew it in the semifinals of its conference tournament and fell off the 1 seed line. The NCAA hockey tournament is selected and seeded much more objectively than basketball, and they weren't going to warp their bracket to give easy travel to the 2 seed, and so the way the cookie crumbled is that the small arena ended up with college hockey's most rabid (and another word that starts with 'ra') fanbase, plus two rival Big 10 schools.
Someone else mentioned Denver basically having to play a road game yesterday, and that's because of another NCAA wrinkle. You may know that in men's basketball, a host school can't host their team's own regional, but in men's hockey, the host school MUST play in its regional if it makes it (to goose attendance numbers), no matter what its seed. UMass, the Springfield Regional host, got the last spot in the objectively-determined 16-team field, and only because Denver won the NCHC tournament and by doing so, mathematically knocked out their biggest rival, Colorado College.
Starman
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Here's a story on the regional selection process:
https://www.sportico.com/leagues/ho...ey-tournament-venue-rink-size-1234773034/amp/
https://www.sportico.com/leagues/ho...ey-tournament-venue-rink-size-1234773034/amp/
micropolitan guy
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DU 2, Cornell 1. Pioneers to St. Paul.
Michael_ Gee
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Sorry, Ragu. BU beats Minnesota 6-3. They're off to St. Paul, too.
The Frozen Four is always sold out, but you're now looking at a lineup of BU, Denver (which is notorious in the NCHC for not traveling well), one of the Michigan schools and either BC or Quinnipiac.
Needless to say, the vibe will be very different without any Minnesota schools (Gophers were the only ones who made the field this year), Wisconsin or North Dakota.
Needless to say, the vibe will be very different without any Minnesota schools (Gophers were the only ones who made the field this year), Wisconsin or North Dakota.
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The Denver-Cornell game was surprisingly empty.
“Isn’t it obvious? For the chicks.”
Ralph Cox went to UNH. Also, the actor who played him in Miracle (and had several roles in Star Trek: Discovery), Kenneth Mitchell, died recently of ALS.
My knowledge of Eastern fanbases is light. I know Cornell's home, Lynah Rink, is one of the most celebrated venues in college hockey for its intensity, but perhaps the (checks Google Maps) four-hour drive to western Mass. was not to their taste. As mentioned before, both of the Colorado fanbases are somewhat infamous for not traveling well, but I suppose two time zones on five days notice is a tough ask.
The Big Ragu
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Yup. I watched some of it. Cornell lost to Denver that day, too.
Denver had way more skill, but Cornell hung in there trying to ugly up the game.I think BU is second-best team in the country after BC. I don't think Denver is going to be able to hang with them, but I'll be rooting for Denver.
I'm expecting a BC-BU final, which I think will be good for the tournament, but they play the actual games for a reason.
micropolitan guy
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DU 2, BC 0. One period left. Pios looking for NCAA title No. 10.
Michael_ Gee
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Denver wins the Beanpot this year.
Thank you, Jim Nantz.
micropolitan guy
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Davis just stood on his head tonight. Brilliant display of goaltending. Thought Denver was going to pull a 2023 Minnesota, go into a defensive shell way too early and enable BC to make a comeback.
The Boston Massacre, DU eliminated BU and BC. It would be fun to be on University Avenue tonight.
The Boston Massacre, DU eliminated BU and BC. It would be fun to be on University Avenue tonight.
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