sagard

Exactly. If the Sioux defensive core remains mostly intact, they will still be the team to beat next year. The rest of the team may not be content with playing the oppenent to a draw and waiting for Zach and BB to beat them.

I don't think the abuse played a major role in Zach's decision. The guys has NHL talent and will now get to play for the Stanley Cup. He had an amature career that would rival ANYONE and it was time for him to move on.

This is the reason Lou Nanne gave for all highly drafted underclassmen to leave. He mentioned/assumed Parise, Vanek and Ballard as leaving three months ago. NJ is quickly becoming my favorite NHL team. Even though I still kind of hate them for perfecting the neutral zone trap and leading the NHL to where it is today. Funny though, during last years cup run, they didn't seem to trap as much.

I don't completely agree with you here. Many years the last #1 seed is at stake in that Final game. Had the Gophers no beaten CC at the X last year, they would have likely had to face them again the following week at Mariucci. I'd really like to see if someday they can get back to a balanced schedule. With ten teams that would mean playing everyone three times. I think they could pull it off, if they wanted to. It just might mean some Friday/Sunday games, and potentially being creative with AA scheduling. It didn't help SCSU much last year, but that may be due to Dahl as much as anything. Giving two weeks to most WCHA coaches to prepare, I think will help that team more often than not. I think we will get a better handle on this after a few more years.

Zach has no holes in his game and will probably never see minor league action unless a lockout occurs. It was time for him to move on. It is hard to justify coming back to try to win a NCAA title when there is SO much luck involved in a single knock out tourney.

Hey, I said that earlier on this thread.

We will see if it was a freak occurance this year or if missing the conference tourney really is a blessing. I think it will happen more frequently with the larger draw. UW took Maine to the limit and seriously outplayed them for large portions of the game. BC got their act together, got healthy and outlasted Michigan. And DU. I know the Gophs played far and away their best hockey of the season at the X, just wish it could have been this weekend.

I hope your team has the bar raised a little higher than you. The team with the last word will be the team left standing on April 10th.

I said it on USCHO, but I'll say it here as well. UND was great long before Zach came to town, they will still be great upon his departure. The only way I see UND falling out of the top two in league play next year is if two or three defensemen leave. As the Gophers proved this year, they are a lot harder to replace.

I really hope Duluth pulls it off, or maybe Maine. No DU, no BC, no Michigan. UMD needs to pull it off this year, because the three WCHA heavyweights are all paying attention now and it will be very difficult for other WCHA teams to be great year in year out.

Trust me I know the most about a teams who's fans quickly forgot how difficult it is to win a National Title. The Gophers undoing was what plagued them all year. Impatience with the young defense, and inability for Briggs to match the goalie at the other end. He certainly didn't play badly, but where he was close to stopping two of the three goals, Reichmuth stopped them. Oh well, it was a hell of a run. You all have seen the last of G. Potulny, T. Riddle, M. Koalska, J. Waibel, not sure about you, but I'll miss them.

You think your barfing now. Here is a better description of the Vanek winner. "Vanek turns it over at the blue line, a quick pass ahead and it's a Notre Dame breakaway, he shoots, Briggs with the save! Ballard carries down the left side, flips it to the middle, Notre Dame players collide and Vanek scores!" Gophs take a 3-2 lead and don't look back. Gophs will need a FAR superior effort tomorrow to advance. I'm confident they will provide it though.

I'm starting to believe more and more that big ice is not the right surface for college players.

I'd say it is pretty likely.

1996 was a terrible year.

Ah WPos, we got plenty of stats supporting the Gophs in my house... This group just isn't the group to share 'em with. I'm safely in with the 7% picking the eventual champ.

Not sure how many are interested, but I was. So here are links to the two previous seasons KRACH based probabilities. 2002 Odds 2003 Odds 2004 Odds The Gophers were not the favorite either year, but they had MUCH easier routes to the Frozen Four. I have hope.

And if you look REALLY closely, you can see just before BB shoots it in, he takes off his glove, turns and flips Ballard the bird, then snaps it home.

So I was asking myself. What are the current actual likelyhood of my team winning the tourney. Well using the siouxsports.com KRACH, here is what I came up with. UND is a STRONG favorite, as they should be. They have had the largest margin between the #1 Krach team and #2 Krach team that I can remember. The most powerful number to me is that the Sioux have nearly a 50% chance of playing in the final. Also, no matter how great your team is, chances of winning the NCAA's aren't that great.

My WCHA loyalty extends only to the west. So in a word, NO.

If the Sioux win this year, you'll have plenty of fans you aren't to proud of. Who am I kidding, it's well worth it. Seriously though, POI was a lot more like this sight until 04/06/02.

WPoS must have missed the Mariucci Classic. MU has no chance. I'll take UND by three if they matchup.

It might not be so easy....

For first round games, the Sioux are the only team I'd absolutely say has no chance of losing. Parise, Bochenski, Greene, Fuher and Smaby could get thrown out after the puck dropped and UND would still win. For BC I'd say about 90%, but UNH didn't like their last meeting with Niagara. For Maine I'd say about 80%, Harvard seems to be playing well at the right time. For the Gophs, I'd say about 70%. I really don't think Miami will pose a problem for either DU or UND. Maybe I just can't get over how bad they looked against UNH and Princeton when they came to Mariucci.

I'm guessing the Sioux will far more fan support this weekend than anyone else at that regional. The Sioux fans travel, and DU fans do not. I work daily with people in Denver and they were oblivious to the Pioneers in '02, let alone this year. Similar to Gophers fans cheering for Ferris last year, I'm guessing many CC fans will openly cheer against DU.