nodakvindy

I disagree, the big ice is makes it easier to bog down the game. The 2004 regional is perfect evidence of that. About the only offense created is via special teams. Look at the teams that feast on the power play, St. Cloud, Minnesota and CC. That's no coincidence. You can spread things out more and really take advantage. That's why, with the inconsistency of the Sioux power play, I was really hoping to go east to avoid the Olympic rinks.

What a joke, UND-Princeton should have been in Worcester and Miami-Air Force should have been in Madison. What a terrible job by the committee! The pairings were looking good after two regions.

With the trouble caused by Wisconsin getting in and the whole potential Notre Dame tie debacle, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if the committee finds a way to "reevaluate" the teams and puts in Mankato and leaves out the Badgers. The under .500 record is certainly a wart on the system and I think the NCAA always likes to show they can be arbitrary. The current process has been perhaps too transparent. I don't think it will happen, but I'm beginning to think that it could.

I can't see them sending New Hampshire to the Springs, that's why I predicted what I did. Attendance is still a factor and it will be awful in the east without UNH.

Here's my prediction with what I think will happen the rest of tonight (Michigan, BC, Denver and Harvard winning) This bracket would be very balanced spreading out the WCHA and CCHA teams about as well as possible and still have pretty strong attendance. It would be a very interesting region for the Sioux. Madison 1 Michigan 16 Air Force 8 St. Cloud State 9 Michigan State Colorado Springs 2 Miami 15 Niagara 5 Colorado College 12 Harvard Worcester 3 North Dakota 13 Notre Dame 6 Boston College 11 Minnesota Albany 4 New Hampshire 14 Minnesota State 7 Denver 10 Clarkson

It's no coincidence that when you take away the horrible WCHA refs, the games open up and skill flourishes. It's amazing that you can see 8-5 or 6-5 shootouts against the likes of Michigan and Boston College, but games against Tech and UMD, etc. end up 2-1 or 1-0.

Genoway

While I don't believe that 8 teams will make it in, I'm not sure why everyone thinks that all the bubble teams will fall out. Sure, if UMD is swept by Minnesota and then swept in the playoffs they won't make it, but if they can split with the Gophers and take a playoff series to 3 games, I don't think it is impossible for them to make it. The teams on the wrong side of the bubble are going to have to lose games as well, unless they win out and then they would get the autobid anyway. Notre Dame is hurt by being a #4 seed. They will have a tough matchup in the 2nd round and could easily be knocked out. The same holds true for Princeton. The WCHA teams all just keep helping each others' RPI and TUC records. Michigan Tech's TUC status will likely be a big factor for the lower tier WCHA bubble teams. The other big threat are upsets in Hockey East and the ECAC especially. Clarkson is likely in, even if they get swept in the first round. That's this fan's take.

Hawaii has struggled to fill its schedule in recent years. That would be a nice reward, especially for a game around Thanksgiving or the first week of December. I just can't see getting another decent home game. If you can get another FCS team great, but I think it makes more sense to take another road game as the first half of a home and home to and then have a real solid schedule for '09. The other option that I would be OK with is the second game against USD.

I think evening games are fine early in the season, but later on you run the risk of conflicting with hockey, and there are a lot of people that like to go to both. That's not an insignificant consideration in a market the size of Grand Forks.

great win for the Sioux, tough loss for the Dogs. Now just need to get a little help from the Pios to get at least a piece of the MacNaughton.

Damn, Forgot to come back in and make my pick. Good luck to all!

That's exactly it. CC lost to a TUC, so it hurt their TUC record. So at least for PWR, its better to lose to a bad team than a good one. Although losing to a bad team hurts your RPI more. Michigan had such a big RPI lead, that the Ferris loss didn't hurt them as much. CC's RPI drop after the loss allow UND to flip the comparison for now. In other news, UND is now #1 in KRACH.

Yep, UND moved into a tie for 2nd with UNH and CC fell to 4th. Mankato moved up to 11 and has a little cushion (for now) over the Minnesota, Duluth and Wisconsin.

Nice. Way to go Mavs. Never give up.

You can add the 1962-63 and 1981-82 North Dakota clubs to this list. They were regular season champs, but didn't win the MacNaughton Cup because from 62-65 the Cup went to the playoff champ and the 1982 championship occurred during the Cups dark time in the CCHA.

UMass gets an empty netter to go up 5-1 after Jack Parker had pulled one from the Blais playback and pulled the goalie with 6 to go and on a power play. About 2 minutes left now. Maine still up on Vermont 2-0 with 15 left in the 3rd. If that holds Maine will still trail UMass by 2 points for the final playoff spot in Hockey East. If Maine can get to 8th, I have a feeling they will give UNH all they want in that 1st Round series. The Vermont and BU losses will help the WCHA bubble teams.

Merrimack still up 1-0 on UNH after 2. UMass with a shorty to go up 4-1 on BU.

UMass up on BU 3-1 after 2, it's available webcast free at www.cn8.tv Maine now up 2-0 on Vermont.

Some scores from out east Merrimack 1 UNH 0 Maine 2 Vermont 0 15 to go in the 2nd Umass 3 BU 1 late 2nd (this one is on free webcast at www.cn8.tv) Providence 2 BC 2 in the 2nd

The current PWR could realistically provide the following brackets Colorado Springs 1 Colorado College 16 Bemidji St. 8 Clarkson 9 Minnesota St. Albany 4 North Dakota 13 Army 5 Miami 12 Minnesota-Duluth Worcester 3 New Hampshire 14 Minnesota 6 Denver 11 Boston College Madison 2 Michigan 15 St. Cloud State 7 Michigan St. 10 Wisconsin Very few changes necessary from the actual rankings. Army and St. Cloud switch to avoid a first round matchup between UND and St. Cloud and BC and Mankato Switch to avoid a Denver Mankato matchup. These pairings would result in pretty strong attendance as well. The only thing I don't like is having the only two hockey east teams together. Ideally I would switch BC and Clarkson in this situation, even though technically Clarkson is a 2 seed and BC is a 3. You could also switch St. Cloud and the Gophers if you wanted a Big 10 regional in Madison.

With Notre Dame's loss, and Wisconsin's win, the current PWR would place EIGHT WCHA teams in the tourney barring tourney upsets. That is unbelievable, half the damn tourney field.

The amazing thing is that the Gophers and Bulldogs are currently separated by 1 ten-thousandth of a point in RPI. UND's win over Bemidji was enough to flip the comparison back to the UM-D. That's how volatile things are with PWR.

After coughing up a 4-1 lead, Maine wins in overtime over UMass. That knocks UMass from TUC status and puts Minnesota on the happy side of the Pairwise Mendoza line, while UMD is now on the outside looking in.

2 more pp goals and unh up 5-1. 8 to go. I believe a win would clinch the hockey east title.