College Hockey Update:  Last Saturday’s and Sunday’s (March 26th and 27th) Second Round Recap

DENVER EARLY PRESSURE SURPASSES MINNESOTA-DULUTH

Minnesota-Duluth got on the board first, fifteen minutes into the first period, in the Western Region Final in Loveland, CO., on Saturday, March 26th, in a quarter in which Denver had the pressure on the Bulldogs, making it hard for them to get any traction offensively.  Denver responded with a flurry, and Cole Guttman scored to tie it at one apiece three minutes later, the score going into the first break.  It was a difficult period for Duluth, as they were outshot ten to two.  In the second period both teams were able to mount offensive stands, but the two skated to a scoreless stalemate, sending them to the third with the score still 1-1; both teams were able to get eleven shots on goal in the period.  In the third the pace continued, and both teams were effective at standing up to good offensive efforts.  It seemed thing might be destined for overtime Carter Savoie put Denver up for good with five minutes left in the game, and it ended Denver the winner, 2-1.  Denver advanced to play Michigan in the Frozen Four semifinal in Boston on Thursday, April 7 (today) at 2:00PM Pacific Time, on ESPN2.  The outcome of this game was not really an upset in our pool, as sixteen participants picked Denver to win this game, compared to fourteen who picked Minnesota-Duluth, and three who picked Michigan Technological University.

MCKAY AND MANKATO SHUT OUT NOTRE DAME

The Eastern Region Final in Albany, N.Y, on Saturday, March 26th, the game played out very similarly to the Denver/Duluth game in Colorado.  Both teams hung tough on every check, every pass, and every shot, and both determined to whatever it took to win.  But the difference proved to be the pace one team managed in the first period, particularly in this one.  With only sixteen ticks left in the first, Nathan Smith buried a shot that put Mankato up 1-0 in a quarter in which Mankato managed to put up more offense on the ice, outshooting Notre Dame thirteen to six.  Mankato State outshot Notre Dame thirteen to ten in the second, and while Notre Dame held tough against two Mankato power plays, they also did not manage to convert on their sole man-advantage opportunity, and the two skated to a scoreless stalemate.  In the third play was even, and both teams managed to slow down the other’s offense, as both teams fired off seven shots.  Notre Dame nearly netted one about fourteen minutes in on a hard shot that dinged off the pipe and might have been heard at the snack stands.  McKay and Mankato held Notre Dame off to the final second and took home the stingy 1-0 win.  Stingy on both sides.  I featured McKay today, as he earned his tenth shutout of this season, and he stopped all twenty-three Notre Dame shots.  But had Notre Dame won 1-0 or 2-1, I would have featured Notre Dame goalie Matthew Galajda, who stopped all but one of the thirty-three Mankato State shots in the game.  Mankato State advanced to play Minnesota in the Frozen Four semifinal in Boston on Thursday, April 7 (today) at 5:30PM Pacific Time, on ESPNU.  The outcome of this game was not an upset in our pool as twenty-four participants picked Mankato State to win, compared to four who picked Notre Dame, four who picked North Dakota, and one who picked Harvard University.

HUGLEN, MINNESOTA, WHIP WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS

In the Northeastern Region Final in Worcester, MA., on Sunday, March 27th, the opening period once again proved to provide a distinct advantage for one team over the other.  In this case, Minnesota had the momentum early on, outshooting Western Michigan nine to four, and took the lead at the ten minute mark on a goal by Matthew “California Kid” Knies, for the 1-0 lead they took into the first break.  In the second Western Michigan heard the wake-up call and came out swinging, out shooting Minnesota thirteen to nine, but the Gophers were ready, as were the Broncos, and both teams absorbed everything their opponent sent their way, as the two skated to a scoreless tie.  Play was at an even pace in the third, but a bit more defensive, as each time fired off eight shots.  Western Michigan just couldn’t convert, whereas Minnesota managed to net a power play goal just half a minute into the period, off of a Western Michigan slashing penalty that occurred pretty much off the face-off.  With the score 2-1, Minnesota continued to hold the Broncos off.  Minnesota’s Matt Staudacher was called for a hooking penalty just after the sixteen minute point, and with nothing having materialized yet in the game, Western Michigan added an extra attacker to skate a six-to-four advantage, but late in the penalty Minnesota’s Blake McLaughlin snagged the puck away and found the empty net to put the Gophers up 3-1 with two minutes left, the score at the end of the game.  Minnesota advanced to play Mankato State in the Frozen Four semifinal in Boston on Thursday, April 7 (today) at 5:30PM Pacific Time, on ESPN2.  The outcome of this game was not an upset in our pool, as twenty participants picked Minnesota to win, compared to seven who picked Western Michigan, five who picked Massachusetts, and one who picked Northeastern.

MICHIGAN HANDLES QUINNIPIAC IN AN ALMOST CLOSE ONE

In the Midwestern Region Final Game in Allentown, PA., on Sunday, March 27th, Michigan and Quinnipiac played at similar paces in the first period, knotted in shots at fourteen apiece, but Nolan Moyle scored for Michigan nearly off of the face-off half a minute in for the 1-0 Wolverine lead.  And Jimmy Lambert “cracked the code” and scored with five minutes left in the frame, which sent the teams into the first break with Michigan leading 2-0.  The second played more defensively, with Michigan managing more offense, outshooting Quinnipiac 9-6. Thomas Bordeleau scored on a power play and put Michigan up 3-0 six minutes in to the period.  Then Nick Blankenburg snagged the puck when with Qunnipiac had the man-advantage, zipped it to an open Garrett Van Wyhe, who was coming from behind the Quinnipiac goalie, and Van Wyhe slipped it under the goalie to score, to make it 4-0 Michigan with only a minute left in the period, the score at the second break.  Ok, what now?  A 9-0 final score?  Would Quinnipiac send out the white flag after the break?  Admittedly Michigan had not played strongly in the third period in their first game of the tournament against AIC, but in this case, Quinnipiac came out on fire and just took control, outshooting Michigan fourteen to seven in the third period.  Quinnipiac first struck four minutes into the period, again five minutes later, and again two minutes later. Eleven minutes into the third Quinnipiac had made this into an entirely new hockey game, with the score now 4-3, Michigan.  Over the next five minutes Michigan held Quinnipiac off, although the momentum seemed to remain on the side of the Bobcats.  With about four minutes remaining, Quinnipiac added the extra attacker. Impatience? Quinnipiac did not execute as well with the extra attacker as they had done at even strength. Cross-zone passes too shallow in the zone were picked off, and Michigan scored two short handed goals, one right away at the sixteen minute point by Michael Pastujov, and one with a minute left in the period by Nolan Moyle.  Those seemed to zap the life out of Quinnipiac. Brendan Brisson scored late in the game on an even strength goal to make it 7-3, Michigan. With time running out Zach Metsa scored for Quinnipiac to make the the final 7-4 Michigan. Michigan advanced to play Denver in the Frozen Four semifinal in Boston on Thursday, April 7 (today) at 2:00PM Pacific Time, on ESPN2.  This game was not an upset in our pool as twenty-four picked Michigan to win, compared to two who picked Quinnipiac, and seven who picked St. Cloud State.

TOURNAMENT SUMMARY AND POOL STANDINGS

What a tournament!  I don’t know that I recall one quite like this.  First, how many one goal wins were the out of twelve games?  Eight!  Eight out of twelve?!!  And where have the upsets been?  Particularly in our pool?  Normally we have a number of folks who took some upsets, and they hit them, and the field narrows down as to who might win.  But this year where in the world are the upsets?  We have only had two upsets in our pool, Notre Dame beating North Dakota, and Quinnipiac beating St. Cloud State.  But these were not significant upsets, because so few people had picked any of these four teams to go all the way.  So what does all of this mean?  We have a massive traffic jam at the intersection of “final results,” and “who won this thing?”  The best I can do, and the only thing I am allowed to do, is give you the standings of the thirty-three entrants at this time, after twelve games, with a maximum number of correct picks being twelve.

POOL STANDINGS

IF YOU DISAGREE WITH MY SCORING FOR YOU, EMAIL ME RIGHT AWAY.

(I’ve kept all the emailed entries).

I DID DOUBLE CHECK, BUT MISTAKES ARE POSSIBLE.

12    Huberty   (12?!! Are you kidding me?  I really don’t recall anyone ever having twelve)

11     Latif, Hawekotte, Pastor, Ryan, Smith (five with 11?!!)

10     DMattson, Rarden, GSchreader, JSchreader (nearly 1/3 of entries have ten or more??!!)

9       Kramer, McLean, Reichel, Schwictenberg, Sell, DShymanski