NCAA Mens hockey bracket

[hampshirepuck 2]

The main reason UNH doesn't do well in they playoffs because they have Dick Umile behind the bench. Good game day coaches win titles. Umile is not a good game day coach and you need to be when the games get big. He does a good job getting a lot out of his players in the regular season, they play over their heads, raise expectations and they of course fall short. He does a good job recognizing talent and developing talent. But when things go south he just sits there and fumes while Niagara, RIT, Minnesota, and Maine run the score up on them in the NCAAs. No words of encouragement. No advice on what to fix. Just sitting there pouting like a baby. It's pretty amazing to see it happen every year.

But, I wouldn't say that is a "myth". Impossible to tell if there really is any truth to it but it is a reasonable hypothesis for a reason why the players actually struggle on the ice. The just reconfigured the corners at the Whit to help them out so maybe we'll see some better results this weekend. Anyone but Merrimack in that regional.

Minnesota guys... what is the word on Lucia since we're talking coaches?

Yeah we have coined the post season as the "Umiliation"... anyways met him a couple of times... quite a nonchalant character

Got tickets for the series in Manchester... UNH has beaten Miami-Ohio Before... Merrimack has a lot of heart so who knows

[gerbe3:16 19]

Like I said... My position on the Manchester bracket is "anyone but Merrimack"... funny how they had 12 fans 12 months ago and now they are bringing 6,000 fans all over the place. Not to mention their stupid overaged players from Canada (and France), their dirty play, bland style of trapping, and I'm sure I'm forgetting more.

Notre Dame doesn't bother me. UNH doesn't bother me. Miami bothers me a little but at least they play clean hockey. Either of those three making it through is fine by me.

I can't wait to see this thing kick off tomorrow. Should be interesting. Nothing would surprise me.

This is some great NCAA hockey talk, by the way. After this thing is done we need an NCAA thread for all of next season.

[hampshirepuck 2]

Like I said... My position on the Manchester bracket is "anyone but Merrimack"... funny how they had 12 fans 12 months ago and now they are bringing 6,000 fans all over the place. Not to mention their stupid overaged players from Canada (and France), their dirty play, bland style of trapping, and I'm sure I'm forgetting more.

Notre Dame doesn't bother me. UNH doesn't bother me. Miami bothers me a little but at least they play clean hockey. Either of those three making it through is fine by me.

I can't wait to see this thing kick off tomorrow. Should be interesting. Nothing would surprise me.

This is some great NCAA hockey talk, by the way. After this thing is done we need an NCAA thread for all of next season.

Merrimack is a D3 school playing in a D1 program kinda candyass, They went on the same run in the early 90's then sucked for 15 more years. Also merrimack always plays with three guys back... its so boring to watch.

Yeah great to talk college Hockey, I grew up with it from when I was a baby, my Father was the rink announcer at UNH for a few seasons in the early 90's and have had season tickets since the whitt first opened up

I have seen them in the good years and the bad years, played on the ice at the whitt ( which sucks) quite a few times, Joe Bertagna(the commissioner of Hockey East) is a friend of my Father's and Umilie is a mutual family friend

Between you and me I think UNH needs a coaching change, someone to fire up the program.

[mnpucker 33]

Bridgeport, CT

1. Yale vs. 16. Air Force

8. Union vs. 9. Minnesota-Duluth

YALE VS UMD

Manchester, NH

4. Miami vs. 13. New Hampshire

6. Merrimack vs. 11. Notre Dame

MIAMI vs NOTRE DAME

Green Bay, WI

2. North Dakota vs. 15. Rensselaer

7. Denver vs. 10. Western Michigan

NORTH DAKOTA Vs DENVER

St. Louis, MO

3. Boston College vs. 14. Colorado College

5. Michigan vs. 12. Nebraska-Omaha

BC Vs UNO

Frozen Four: St. Paul, MN

Denver vs. St. BC

Yale vs. Miami

DENVER CHAMPS

[mnpucker 33]

This is some great NCAA hockey talk, by the way. After this thing is done we need an NCAA thread for all of next season.

COULD NOT AGREE MORE! Great Idea. Too often the college threads are ran by student sections.

[epstud74 24]

Minnesota's biggest problem with Lucia and recruiting is that we've seemed have fallen into the trap that Woog did back in the late 90s.

Too many smaller, offensive defensemen and young forwards. There's no real balance on the team right now.

I guess I'm the only fan who appreciated what Stu Bickel brought to the table. Talk about a kid who improved dramatically over the course of the season.

Guys like Wehrs, Fairchild and Ness are nice, but they need to be paired with a strong, veteran stay-at-home sort of guy and that player does not exist on the MN roster. Alt and Helgeson could emerge into that sort of player, but bigger defensemen take longer to mature in most cases.

[psh 25]

UMD beats Union 2-0 in the first game of the NCAA regionals. Almost 20 penalties called by an all Hockey East squad of officials. Must have been a tough one to watch and play. Just based on a a summary of the game, sounds like the referees were as jacked up for the game as the players were. I hope the officials are less involved in the remaining games. One bad thing about the tournament every year is that it seems each region's officials call the games differently and many teams have a really hard time adjusting to, or even understanding, how the game is being called.

[gerbe3:16 19]

Shocking, just shocking that the inept Hockey East refs tried to ruin a good game. How do they assign the worst ref in the league to work the NCAAs? Bennedetto ruined a BC-BU game this year and BC still won despite killing off penalties all game long.

UNO was all over Michigan early on and now Michigan is all over UNO. Tied at 2 now midway through.

I love this freakin tournament. This is like Christmas morning for me.

[hampshirepuck 2]

Shocking, just shocking that the inept Hockey East refs tried to ruin a good game. How do they assign the worst ref in the league to work the NCAAs? Bennedetto ruined a BC-BU game this year and BC still won despite killing off penalties all game long.

UNO was all over Michigan early on and now Michigan is all over UNO. Tied at 2 now midway through.

I love this freakin tournament. This is like Christmas morning for me.

c'mon man, you know hockey east has some of the worst refs in NCAA hockey, Gravelese, Bennedetto and Bunyan, Gravelese especially, only call he knows is interference and hand pass

[goblue9280 33]

Thought for sure they were going to screw Michigan two years in a row with a no-goal call in OT. Well done by the refs to take the time to make sure they got the call right.

[J22 0]

Thought for sure they were going to screw Michigan two years in a row with a no-goal call in OT. Well done by the refs to take the time to make sure they got the call right.

While i am still not sure if i think that puck was in or not, the refs clearly did not get that call right.

[-venom- 0]

While i am still not sure if i think that puck was in or not, the refs clearly did not get that call right.

You mean the immediate "no goal" call, or the post-review?

Tough replay to tell, but I mean, it took ten minutes+.... the guys in the booth were looking at different/more camera angles than we had at home, right?

[J22 0]

You mean the immediate "no goal" call, or the post-review?

Tough replay to tell, but I mean, it took ten minutes+.... the guys in the booth were looking at different/more camera angles than we had at home, right?

I think if there was an angle that showed it was clearly a goal ESPN would have shown it by now. Like i said, i am still not sure if i think it was a goal or not, but the one thing i do know is that i never saw a replay that showed it was definately a goal. Before you lose sight of the puck, it is clearly not in the net, when you regain sight of the puck it is clearly not in the net.

[maxamillion 3]

BC getting smoked, love it!

[zachary 2]

BC getting smoked, love it!

This game is just insane! That Schwartz kid is pretty sick. Gotta love college hockey, playin to get that contract!

[maxamillion 3]

I tuned in at 4-2, then bang bang bang. CC's goalie is absolutely playing a supernatural game.

[epstud74 24]

Really sloppy game IMO between CC and BC

[gerbe3:16 19]

Well now, I had a bad feeling all week but didn't see that coming.

Thank you sir, may I have another.

Also, the goal for Michigan was obviously a goal and they got the call right. What took so freaking long?

http://s3.postimage.org/9wz0dzp07/UMGoal.jpg

[jjmills22 0]

Well now, I had a bad feeling all week but didn't see that coming.

Thank you sir, may I have another.

Also, the goal for Michigan was obviously a goal and they got the call right. What took so freaking long?

http://s3.postimage.org/9wz0dzp07/UMGoal.jpg

Your telling me you would be willing to call that pixelated image conclusive evidence to end uno's season? You can see white between the puck and the goal line?

Awful way to an end amazing season by UNO

[gerbe3:16 19]

Your telling me you would be willing to call that pixelated image conclusive evidence to end uno's season? You can see white between the puck and the goal line?

Awful way to an end amazing season by UNO

Looks pretty clear to me. I saw two replays while watching the broadcast that convinced me it was over the line conclusively.

UNO lost, the puck was definitely in, I don't see why there is so much contraversy.

[goblue9280 33]

Your telling me you would be willing to call that pixelated image conclusive evidence to end uno's season? You can see white between the puck and the goal line?

Awful way to an end amazing season by UNO

Season ending on a video replay definitely sucks, but I thought the overhead view was conclusive when slowed down frame by frame. But I admit, I'm biased.

[goblue9280 33]

Here's a good write up on the goal... with what I consider conclusive evidence (pictures/video).

http://mgoblog.com/content/zapruder-goal

[epstud74 24]

Seems like the brackets are much more loaded out west..like usual

There always seems to be a WCHA team facing another WCHA team in the regional, regardless of bracket

[ice365 0]

My ND To meet ND in the final with ND to win is still a chance!!

[epstud74 24]

UND and Denver are better than most other teams in the tourney IMO

UMD is just playing well right now

Michigan is pretty good

I feel like the tournament should be bigger with more teams.

Teams that didnt make the tourney like Wisconsin, Maine, BU or Minnesota would routinely beat teams like Merrimack, Union, Yale, RPI etc.

I dont think Yale would even finish in the top 5 in the WCHA. They're slow as hell. Not sure if the poor ice surface played a part though

My biggest beef with the tourney is the contrasting officiating styles. Some call it way too tight IMO.. This is hockey, not ice dancing or basketball.