College Hockey Update:

NOTICE:  

1.  Picks are DUE THURSDAY, March 27, by 10:30AM Pacific Time ! ! ! !

2.  Each contestant may ONLY email in their own entry, not that of any other person.

3.  Any new entrant this year MUST provide a phone number with their entry, and then provide a brief 1-2 minute phone interview.

    The NCAA Tournament Begins on THURSDAY, MARCH 27 !!

PICKS ARE DUE TO ME WITHIN 42 HOURS OF THE TIME THE EMAILS GO OUT.

             Picks are DUE THURSDAY, March 27, by 10:30AM Pacific Time ! ! ! !

                                                     NO EXCEPTIONS.

          PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME BACK A COMPLETED BRACKET FORM.

                             THEY ARE VERY HARD TO DEAL WITH!!!! 

PLEASE FOLLOW DIRECTIONS AND THE EXAMPLES BELOW IN THIS POSTING AND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BRACKET.  THANK YOU.

NOW, FIRST:  IF YOU are going to the Frozen Four in St. Louis on April 10 and 12 (or if you know someone who will be going), please email me right away and let me know — thanks.

Ok, THIS IS IMPORTANT — I have emailed you your own 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket (my email list might not be as complete as the email list on the system — if you did not get an email from me with a bracket please contact me right away with your email address and I’ll send one to you; my email address appears below, just above the rankings table); please open the bracket document immediately, make your picks, and email your picks back to me in a single typed line as my picks are below, including the score of your final game. My picks are provided here as an example of how your picks should look when they are sent to me (note that the number before each pick is the number under the space where you would write the score for each game on the bracket; it’s a “game number.”):

EXAMPLE #1 — HORIZONTALLY (do it this way):

1. Boston University 2. Michigan State University 3. University of Connecticut 4. University of Maine 5. Western Michigan University 6. University of Minnesota 7. Boston College 8. Providence College 9. Boston University 10. University of Maine 11. Western Michigan 12. Boston College 13. Boston University 14. Boston College 15. Boston University, 3-2

EXAMPLE #2 — VERTICALLY (if your computer malfunctions and this is the only way you can):

1. Boston University
2. Michigan State University
3. University of Connecticut
4. University of Maine
5. Western Michigan University
6.  University of Minnesota
7. Boston College
8. Providence College
9. Boston University
10.  University of Maine
11. Western Michigan
12. Boston College
13. Boston University
14. Boston College
15. Boston University, 3-2

You don’t have to feel like you really know who is going to win, and remember — It costs nothing to play, and the winner gets a prize.  So do it now!  It only takes 3 minutes!

Atlantic Hockey:  Semifinals had already been played.  In the championship game Saturday, Bentley beat Holy Cross, and beat them good.  After two unanswered Holy Cross goals in the first, Bentley entered the second in a 0-2 hole, so they blasted through the second netting three unanswered goals, two at about the seven minute mark, and the third eleven minutes into the period, taking the 3-2 lead into the second break.  Holy Cross answered in the third at the seven minute point, then Bentley broke the tie two minutes later, and then added another six minutes later , making it 5-3.  With three minutes left they bagged an empty netter for the final score of 6-3  So Atlantic Hockey sends one team, it’s champion, Bentley, ranked #20 in the last regular season poll, on to the NCAA Tournament field of sixteen — first time ever for Bentley.

Big Ten:  Semifinals had already been played.  In the championship game Saturday, Michigan State beat Ohio State, and this one was pretty much a blood bath on each side. Michigan State capitalized on two power plays eight minutes in and twelve minutes into the first.  Ohio State responded with a goal six minutes later, ending the frame at 2-1, Michigan State.  The second was tense, and with a bit more defensive presence on each side it went scoreless for the same 2-1 score into the second break.  Michigan State scored at the one minute point of the third, extending their lead to 3-1.  They battled it out and with eight minutes left, Ohio State was still down two goals, but they were bending and not breaking.  With seven minutes left, Ohio State made it a 3-2 game, and with two minutes left the Buckeyes scored to tie it a three apiece, and the game went to OT.  In the fourth is was a good offensive pace pace on each side, eleven shots for Ohio State to nine for Michigan State, but a scoreless period.  In the fifth Michigan State stepped it up and their offense controlled the pace.  At the 95 minute mark it was still tied however, despite an eleven to four shots advantage for the Spartans.  Nine seconds later Dorwart win a face-off in the Ohio State zone at the left circle, back behind him to Isaac Howard, and again, just like a week ago, Howard sent in the winning goal from the circle.  So the Big Ten sends four teams to the NCAA Tournament field of sixteen:  #1 Michigan State; #5 Minnesota; #9 Ohio State, and #12 Pennsylvania State.

CCHA: Semifinals had already been played.  In the championship game Friday, Mankato State beat St. Thomas.  After the two got past their scoreless first, St. Thomas potted one seven minutes into the second for the 1-0 lead, then Mankato State scored at the eleven and thirteen minute marks, only to see St. Thomas find the net with a minute left, sending the two tied again at the second break, this time 2-2.  taking the 3-1 lead into the first break.  Mankato scored midway through the third for a 3-2 lead, and with only a minute left found an empty net to make the final 4-2, Mankato State.  Here’s a good one — Mankato did not need to win to advance to the NCAA Tournament.  Because of the timing of St. Thomas switching from D3 to D1, it is currently ineligible for the NCAA Tournament — Mankato was going either way.  So the CCHA sends one team, it’s champion, #14 Mankato State, to the NCAA Tournament field of sixteen.

ECAC:  Friday night Cornell surprised and beat Quinnipiac with a very stingy defense in one semifinal, with Cornell scoring in the first, Quinnipiac in the second and third, and Cornell scoring with only two minutes left in the third for the 2-2 tie in regulation.  Cornell scored with five minutes left in the 4th pd/1st OT to take the 3-2 win.  In another largely defensive battle, Clarkson scored two in the second for a 2-0 lead, and then early in the third for the 3-0 lead over Dartmouth.  Dartmouth scored with five minutes left to narrow it to 3-1, and Clarkson found an empty net with two minutes to go to make the final 4-1; Clarkson scored its four goals on only fifteen shots.  In the championship game Cornell scored two early first period goals, and Clarkson didn’t score until there were seven minutes left in the second, to narrow it to 2-1.  Cornell managed a stingy third period with Clarkson only able to get seven shots off, and Cornell only took six, eventually finding an empty net with two minutes to go to make the final 3-1.  So the ECAC sends two teams to the NCAA Tournament field of sixteen, #11 Quinnipiac, and its tournament champion, #16 Cornell.

Hockey East:  In the first semifinal on Thursday, Connecticut pasted Boston University to the tune of 5-2 and it wasn’t that close; details aren’t really necessary here.  Suffice it to say that BU scored midway in the first, held Connecticut off well but didn’t manage many shots, and then totally collapsed in the second and third as Connecticut scored three times in the first nine minutes of the second, again five minutes into the third for a 4-1 lead, and found an empty net with four minutes left for the 5-1 lead.  BU snuck one in with ten ticks left on the clock for the 5-2 score.  In the other semifinal Maine scored with six minutes left in the first, and again two minutes into the second, for a 2-0 lead.  But Northeastern (which had knocked off then #1 Boston College in the Hockey East quarterfinal) scored two minutes later, and then again with a minute left in the second, to make it 2-2 going into the second break.  Northeastern scored again four minutes into the third to take a 3-2 lead, which held until Maine scored with seven minutes left to make it 3-3, the score at the end of regulation.  The fourth was scoreless, and in the fifth, Maine scored with nine minutes left in the frame to take the 4-3 win; Maine fired off 61 shots in the game.  In the championship game against Connecticut, it was Maine scoring twice in the first and once late in the second for a 3-0 lead into the second break.  Connecticut scored three minutes into the third to make it 3-1, but Maine scored six minutes later to make it 4-1.  Connecticut scored again with five minutes left for the 4-2 score but with two minutes left Maine found an empty net to make the final 5-2.  So Hockey East sends six teams to the NCAA Tournament field of sixteen:  #2 Boston College; #4 Maine; #7 Connecticut (first time ever for Connecticut); #8 Boston University; #10 Providence; and #13 Massachusetts.

NCHC:  In the first semi-final Friday, Denver scored very early and very late in the first to take a 2-0 lead over Arizona State into the first break.  But Arizona did pretty much the same thing in the second, and it was tied at two apiece going into the second break.  Denver scored midway through the third, and found an empty net late, to make the final 4-2.  In the second semi-final, it was a more tight neck-and-neck game, as Western Michigan scored with seven minutes left in the first, and North Dakota scored five minutes later to make it 1-1 going into the first break.  Despite a pretty full on assault by Western Michigan in the second, the period was scoreless.  But a less active third period saw Western Michigan break the tie with thirteen minutes left to play, and then extend the lead to 3-1 with an empty netter with two minutes left.  North Dakota continued with an extra attacker and converted with a minute to go, making it 3-2, and then Western potted one into an empty net with twenty-four ticks left, to make the final 4-2, Western Michigan.  So the NCHC sends two teams to the NCAA Tournament field of sixteen, #3 Western Michigan, and #6 Denver.

COLLEGE HOCKEY UPDATE FEATURED PLAYER

Boston College sophomore forward Ryan Leonard, of Amherst, Mass., is first on his team (and is first in the nation) in goals scored, with twenty-nine, and ranks third on his team in assists, with eighteen.  As a freshman he was second on the team in goals, with thirty-one, and was tied for fourth in assists, with twenty-nine.  He was selected by the Washington Capitals with the eighth pick in the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.  He and his teammates my have some extra motivation to excel in this year’s tournament after losing in the final championship game last year to Denver.  Boston College, 26-7-2, and ranked #2, opens play in the Northeastern Region of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 28th at 11am Pacific Time in Manchester, N.H. — broadcast on ESPNU.

TOURNAMENT OPENING ROUND/BROADCAST INFORMATION

This year the top fourteen ranked teams, plus two teams ranked #16 and #20, comprise the sixteen team field for the NCAA Tournament.  This provides this year’s NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Tournament Contestants, Regional Assignments, and broacast schedule:

• Thursday, March 27th, in Toledo, Ohio, #8 Boston University faces #9 Ohio State University at 11:00am Pacific time on ESPNU, and #1 Michigan State Unversity faces #16 Cornell University at 2:30pm Pacific Time on ESPN+.  Winners play Saturday, March 29th, at either 1:00pm or 3:30pm Pacific Time on ESPNU.
• Also Thursday, March 27th, in Fargo, North Dakota, #3 Western Michigan University faces #14 Mankato State at 2:00pm Pacific Time on ESPNU, and #5 University of Minnesota faces #13 University of Massachusetts at 5:30pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.   Winners play Saturday, March 29th, at either 1:00pm or 3:30pm Pacific Time on ESPNU.
• Friday, March 28th, in Manchester, New Hampshire, #2 Boston College faces #20 Bentley University at 11:00am Pacific Time on ESPU, and #6 University of Denver faces #10 Providence College at 2:30pm Pacific Time on ESPN+.  Winners play Sunday, March 30th, at either 1:30pm or 4:00pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.
• Also Friday, March 28th, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, #7 University of Connecticut faces #11 Quinnipiac University at 2:00pm Pacific Time on ESPNU, and #4 University of Maine faces #12 Pennsylvania State University at 5:30pm Pacific Time on ESPNU.  Winners play Sunday, March 30th, at either 1:30pm or 4:00pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.

So here we go!  Your bracket has been emailed to you.  IMPORTANT:  DO NOT SEND ME BACK A COPY OF A COMPLETED BRACKET — THEY ARE VERY HARD TO DEAL WITH.  Each game has a number under the line where you would write the game winner.  Once you have made your picks, send them to me in a typed line, in game number order, listing the winner.  THIS CAN BE DONE HORIZONTALLY OR VERTICALLY — PLEASE SEE THE TWO EXAMPLES AT THE TOP OF THIS POSTING.  Remember, it costs nothing to play, and the winner gets a prize.

REMEMBER THE WIENBAR-RAMSEY RULE: if you pick the eventual winner, you get TWO additional points for choosing that eventual winner to win, for a total of three points.  Therefore if you tie in number of correct picks with someone who did not pick the winner, your extra points would make you the winner between the two of you.

ALL PICKS MUST BE SENT TO ME BY THURSDAY MORNING, March 27, by 10:30AM Pacific Time — THAT IS ABOUT 36 HOURS FROM THE TIME OF THIS POSTING.  If you did not receive a bracket email me for one at:  [email protected]

DO YOUR PICKS AND SEND THEM NOW ! ! !  It only takes 3 minutes ! ! !

This provides the top twenty teams, rankings, and records in Monday’s Poll: