College Hockey Update:  In opening round action of the NCAA Tournament in Fargo, N.D. yesterday, American International College started briskly, and seemed as though they were a team who believed they had a good chance, and they were playing like it.  But their world changed drastically at the nine minute point when Jasper Weatherby found a crack in the works, firing in a rebound from the boards, to give North Dakota the 1-0 lead.  Only three minutes later, Weatherby created a turnover at the blue line, which led to him scoring stick side, for the 2-0 lead, which would be the game winning goal.  That goal was his eleventh in the last twelve games.  North Dakota was smothering AIC, as only two minutes later Grant Mismash circled the zone and scored.  And only two minutes later Colin Adams drove in a hard top shelf shot to make it 4-0, North Dakota.  Four goals in under eight minutes.  Great sticking and great team play by North Dakota was just too much for AIC.

Badly out-shot 13-7 in the first, and down four goals, AIC came back and gave it their best in the second.  North Dakota was engaged in the period, but did themselves no favors with three penalties, giving AIC six minutes of man advantage.  But North Dakota held AIC off, and in fact only allowed them eight shots in the period, to seven for North Dakota.  The teams went into the second break with the score still 4-0, North Dakota.  The third saw more action that the second, but North Dakota seemed to have the it all figured out, and seemed to be on cruise. AIC found a crack in the works very late in the game when they scored on a power play with two minutes left, but North Dakota seemingly wanted that four goal margin, and Colin Adams received a pass up close and shot it in for the final score of 5-1, North Dakota.  North Dakota advanced to play Minnesota-Duluth (which advanced on Michigan’s withdrawal from the tournament), today at 3:30pm Pacific Time on ESPNU.  That game is just getting started as this posts goes live.

This result was not an upset in our pool, as fifty-one of fifty-two participants picked North Dakota to win this game.  There was one brave soul who picked AIC, and while his bracket has benefited from picking Bemidji over Wisconsin, it has also suffered from picking:  Michigan to win it all; and Lake Superior to beat Massachusetts.

Update on pool:  we have 52 contestants, not 51.  Lesson:  Don’t send me emails containing your picks with the subject line:  “What’s up?” at 9:42am the day the tournament starts at 10am. It might get overlooked.

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned, and go Terriers! (sort of)

— Tom