COLLEGE HOCKEY UPDATE:  Western Michigan ran into a buzz saw called Mankato State in the early game of the NCAA Tournament in Fargo, N.D. on Thursday.  After a scoreless first period, Western Michigan carried over most all of a power play to start the second, and converted on it a minute into the period for the 1-0 lead on a shot from the left circle by Liam Valente.  The remaining nineteen minutes were scoreless, just like the first twenty.  In the third a goal by Kaden Bohlsen tied it at one apiece for Mankato, just two minutes into the period, and then it went scoreless for the next eighteen minutes.

Regulation ended with shots spread pretty evenly across  the three periods, with a Western Michigan advantage of 29-21.  Very stingy defensive stuff.  And it continued as the first twenty minutes of OT went scoreless despite Western Michigan have more momentum and out-shooting Mankato 9-4.  With eighty minutes of hockey completed, the second OT got underway, and a goal by Grant Slukynsky, assisted by Liam Valente, seven minutes into the period, gave Western Michigan the 2-1 win, and sent advanced them to play the winner of Thursday’s Minnesota/Massachusetts game, that second round game to be played Saturday, March 29th, at 3:30pm on ESPNU.

[That second round game of Western Michigan vs Massachusetts just finished as I am writing this.  Want to know the winner?  Stay tuned.]

The results of Thursday’s opening round game between Western Michigan and Mankato were not an upset in our pool, as thirty-two of the thirty-nine entrants picked Western Michigan to win, whereas only seven of the thirty-nine picked Mankato State to win it.

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned, and go Terriers!

— Tom