Dave Berger

That's the strange thing about this list.. There are definitely tiers: Tier 1: the one-title teams: Bowling Green, Harvard, Minnesota-Duluth. Northern Michigan, Union, Yale Tier 2: the middle grounders: Colorado College, Cornell, Lake Superior State, Maine, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Rensselaer Tier 3: the elite: Boston College, Boston University, Denver, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin And to think, we used to have four of those elite teams in one conference.... *sigh* Dave

I hear what you're saying, and it's very well stated. What I said above is that Yale has had 67 seasons (1948-2014) in the NCAA Division I era to amass those victories and accomplishments, while Union has had 23 seasons (1991-2014). That factored into the equation for me. Should it have? I'm not sure. But I didn't mean to say that Union's accomplishments outweighed Yale's "in a vacuum". I ranked them ahead of Yale because they've done it in one third of the time. Others will point to Yale's history and tradition as more important, and that's the fun of it. When I made my list, it was very close, and if I do this next year, they might flip back again. With that being said, the whole point of these lists is for us to discuss (and disagree) and learn more about this great sport in the process. Dave

Aw, you stole my thunder! That was going to take us through May... Dave

I've added Hobey Baker winners and notable former players for each of the five teams in today's article. Hobey Baker finalists and All-Americans might take a bit more digging, but I'll see what I can do. Or if someone else wants to crunch those numbers for the 20 teams under consideration, that would be alright, too. Dave

What I'm going for with these rankings is some balance between historical accomplishments and current state of the program. When it came down to Yale vs. Union, I just felt like Union's accomplishments in 23 seasons at the Division I level outweigh what the Yale Bulldogs have been able to do since 1895. Yale was an independent until 1961, but they have been competing for NCAA championships since the trophy was first awarded in 1948. As I said in today's article, Yale only had two seasons of note (1951-52 and 1997-98) before this recent stretch. History and longevity mean something, but I give the slight edge to Union since they've been to two Frozen Fours in the past three seasons, while Yale's only other appearance came in 1952. Dave

Great idea, I'll go back in and edit the list later today. Special section for Hobey winners, plus other notable alums. Dave

Since Union became the 20th men's team in the history of NCAA Division I ice hockey to win a national title, I thought I would go back and look at all twenty teams to hang the ultimate banner. I've ranked them all, and we begin today with #20 through #16... 20 Storied Programs: #20 through #16 Discuss. Dave

Got this tweet this afternoon: The NCHC ‏@TheNCHC 8h @DBergerHockey @Fenton_JC This week we'll announce the conference schedule! Dave

It's been more than 40 years.... December 14th and 15th, 1973. North Dakota sweeps by scores of 7-3 and 7-2. And considering we only won ten games that season (10-23-1), that's pretty impressive. And those are the only two games between Lake Superior State and UND in the history of the programs. Dave

IIRC, the coaches/teams wanted more freedom for out-of-conference games and holiday tournaments. Playing everyone in the NCHC four times meant only room for six non-league games; this way gives the programs ten. I'm not saying I necessarily agree, but that's the way they went. Dave

Does he have listed which are home and which are away? Dave

Does anyone remember which non-conference opponents are on the list for 2014-15? Dave

It'll be interesting to keep tabs on the rotating schedule. This past season (2013-14), we played everyone at home except Denver and everyone on the road except Colorado College. This upcoming season (2014-15), we already know that we're not playing in Duluth. I wonder which NCHC team isn't coming to the Ralph. Dave

Didn't see this topic anywhere else on the forums, and I thought it could use its own thread. The composite NCHC schedule for 2014-15 is supposed to come out this week. Per the Duluth News Tribune, UND won't travel to face the Bulldogs this upcoming season but will host Minnesota-Duluth on January 9-10, 2015. Please share any information about non-conference opponents or schedule leaks here. Thanks! Dave

They used to be called the Flying Dutchmen. Not sure if that's better or worse... Dave

That's a very good question. There are definitely conflicting reports (on the same college hockey recruiting website, no less) about his situation. This current year would have been his junior year of high school (at Woodbury), and he's on this list despite being so young and having another year of junior eligibility. I'll do some more checking and update the article when I get a definitive answer. Dave

I put an article up to try and help. But I hear ya, brother. Dave

I'm surprised, too, but he's on this list for 2014-15. Dave

2014-15 UND Hockey: A Six Pack Of Recruits Discuss. Dave

2014-15 UND Hockey: A Six Pack Of Recruits Discuss. Dave

This Rocco Grimaldi tweet from January might make us rethink comparing him to Rau and Gaudreau.: "Comparing (yourself) to others is dangerous. (You) risk becoming discouraged that (you're) not where they are, or prideful that they aren't where (you) are." Dave

I agree. I would be shocked if Rocco left (I've got it at under 10%). Dave

I just hope that those who have the ability to purchase regional tickets actually buy them with the intention of attending the games rather than reselling/gouging. It will definitely be a sellers' market. Dave

And what he might still be someday. Grimaldi has played in 86 college games (including the four during his first freshman season). Here are the numbers for Grimaldi, Rau, and Gaudreau in their first 86: Rocco Grimaldi: 31 goals, 46 assists, 77 points (.8953 pts./game) Kyle Rau: 34 goals, 57 assists, 91 points (1.0581 pts./game) Johhny Gaudreau: 48 goals, 59 assists, 109 points (1.2674 pts./game) Johnny Hockey didn't really start playing on another planet until this season (his junior year). He was at 1.2151 pts./game over his first two campaigns, and collected 80 points in 40 games this year. Rau and Gaudreau will be seniors next season, while Grimaldi will be a junior (if they stay). Dave

These two thoughts go hand in hand. I would think that Schmaltz and Grimaldi (the only two legitimate flight risks, in my opinion) would be more likely to come back given the way the season ended. Dave