Championship

[Siouxman]

Yale may have squeaked into the NCAA tournament, but they were a better team than that. They lost five games in a row in February when the goalie (Malcolm) was injured. That lowered their regular season record and PWR score below a level at which their full team could play. Two of those five losses were to QU. Yale earned it and deserves respect. Yes, they got a lucky bounce for their first goal against the Sioux, but sometimes that is all it takes to light the momentum.

[Wilbur]

I'll agree with Yale was a better team than UND. If Clark Saunders doesn't play one of his better games of the year Yale wins that game 6-1.

Had UND held on for 8 more minutes who knows....I don't think there is such thing as an underdog anymore in college hockey. No more Holy Cross type stories.

[Frozen4sioux]

Quite frankly, I don't think this year's UND team could've beaten the Yale, Lowell, or Quinnipiac teams I saw in the this tourney on a regular basis.

This is true. And thats not a knock on any aspect of the team the coach or the effort it's just the reality.

[MafiaMan]

....I don't think there is such thing as an underdog anymore in college hockey. No more Holy Cross type stories.

Agree 100%. I pointed out somewhere else recently that 9 teams that had never been to the Frozen Four have made their first appearance there since 2008. I've seen enough Bemidji State, RIT, Ferris State, Union, UMass-Lowell, Quinnipiac, and St Cloud stories in recent years to believe that despite BC title domination, anyone can make the Frozen Four and have a chance to win it.

[Wilbur]

Watching this Wild game is boring compared to the Yale-QU game. Even in OT.....four on four.....just no pace. Lose the puck in the offensive end then start playing defense.....

[MafiaMan]

BTW, congratulations also should go out to a great Quinnipiac team. Everyone laughed at the prospect of the Bobcats being the number one team in the tournament but they proved themselves worthy. I can only imagine how crushed that team is right now...

[watchmaker49]

Something interesting I found on Yale's website.

http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/m-hockey/Recruiting_Form_men-s_hockey

[Irish]

Congrats to Yale. The only thing that was proven was you don't have to have the best players in the nation on your team. Come tourney time all you need is some luck and bury your chances and you can do some damage. UND had zero luck and we didn't bury most of our chances and this is no knock on Yale.

Anyone else still blaming bad luck?

[Wilbur]

Something interesting I found on Yale's website.

http://www.yalebulld...rm_men-s_hockey

Unique. Usually you'll see that at like a DIII school or NJCAA school. I know that Williston State, MSU-Bottineau, and I believe Minot State have something similar to this on their websites.

UND obviously needs to put something like this up at fightingsioux.com.

[watchmaker49]

Unique. Usually you'll see that at like a DIII school or NJCAA school. I know that Williston State, MSU-Bottineau, and I believe Minot State have something similar to this on their websites.

UND obviously needs to put something like this up at fightingsioux.com.

I wonder how many Yale players would make the WCHA All-Academic Team?

[runaroundsioux]

All of them? Of course everyone knows smart kids can't play hockey.

[Big A HG]

Something interesting I found on Yale's website.

http://www.yalebulld...rm_men-s_hockey

Much more common than you might think...

Denver

http://college.jumpf...=383&sportid=40

Boston College

https://secureq.scou...ckey/u28h1.html

Minnesota (though theirs is via email for men's hockey)

http://www.gopherspo...tionnaires.html

Those are just a few, and are big time programs, the farther down the list of D1 programs you go, the more common it becomes.

[Speed_Kills]

The way Yale played in this tournament, they beat this year's UND team 7 outta 10. Yale beat the #2 overall seed and WCHA champ Gophers, our team, the #3 overall seed and Hockey East champ Lowell, and the #1 overall seed and ECAC champ Quinnipiac- they were the best team in the country when it counted.

Quite frankly, I don't think this year's UND team could've beaten the Yale, Lowell, or Quinnipiac teams I saw in the this tourney on a regular basis.

Yale played to their full potential at the end of the year - there is no doubt about that. I respect their effort more than anything and I do not mind the fact that it was a banner year for a school that has never won it. The way they played, they absolutely deserved the National Championship. The only reason I say the Sioux let a golden opportunity slip away is because I think UND's full potential was better than Yale's full potential.

It should be. North Dakota is able recruit more talented players and can give athletic scholarships. This year's team was frustrating (all year long) due to their inconsistency and what I often felt was a lack of effort/intensity. However, If this year's team played with the passion and/or work ethic that Yale played with during the tournament I cannot see how anyone can say Yale would beat UND 7/10 times...

[MafiaMan]

However, If this year's team played with the passion and/or work ethic that Yale played with during the tournament I cannot see how anyone can say Yale would beat UND 7/10 times...

'If' being the key word there. Yale doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. They're 2007 Michigan State...only better.

[BeazSioux]

Andrew Miller: "We deserve some respect."

Yes, Andrew, you do. You earned mine. Congratulations to the Yale Bulldogs...2013 national champions. Unbelievable run.

Yes sir. Mine too.

[KBH2010]

Much more common than you might think...

Denver

http://college.jumpf...=383&sportid=40

Boston College

https://secureq.scou...ckey/u28h1.html

Minnesota (though theirs is via email for men's hockey)

http://www.gopherspo...tionnaires.html

Those are just a few, and are big time programs, the farther down the list of D1 programs you go, the more common it becomes.

UND has it for football

link

[Oxbow6]

The team playing the best at the end of the year wins the Natty EVERY year. It's not complicated yet UND has no idea how to get to that point. Sparty, BU, BC, UMD and now Yale. I watched Yale's last 4 games...no puck luck was needed. They just outworked each opponent and maximized their talent in all 4 games. Again... not complicated.

[yzerman19]

Yale played to their full potential at the end of the year - there is no doubt about that. I respect their effort more than anything and I do not mind the fact that it was a banner year for a school that has never won it. The way they played, they absolutely deserved the National Championship. The only reason I say the Sioux let a golden opportunity slip away is because I think UND's full potential was better than Yale's full potential.

It should be. North Dakota is able recruit more talented players and can give athletic scholarships. This year's team was frustrating (all year long) due to their inconsistency and what I often felt was a lack of effort/intensity. However, If this year's team played with the passion and/or work ethic that Yale played with during the tournament I cannot see how anyone can say Yale would beat UND 7/10 times...

I never saw this year's UND team demonstrate that they could compete like that...in fact, Agostino and Miller looked ever bit as capable as Kristo and Knight. In terms of straight up ability, I thought that big horse Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Matthew Pecca- both of Quinnipiac looked like two of the best players that i have seen play all year-

I thought the Miller-Agostino line was phenomenal- PERFECT hockey in the tourney

I thought Johnny Geadreau was the most individually offensively skilled kid I saw play all year- followed by Pecca and Kristo

Nick Bjugstad, Anders Lee, and Jordan Samuels-Thomas were NHL men playing in the NCAA- physically dominant with some paws, I can't imagine a line made up of those guys

Stephen Johns and Danny Dekeyser make my all NCAA shut-down pairing- again, men playing NCAA

NIck Jensen and Jacob Trouba were the best all-around d-men in my opinion

[ScottM]

Anyone else still blaming bad luck?

Hot goalie, bad ice, rotten officials, sun was in our eyes, etc.

Yale played very well throughout the tourney and elevated their game when they needed it most. I'd like to think Hak & co. might take a few lessons from Yale.

[yzerman19]

interesting to look at drafts in retrospect...in the 2009 entry-draft, Seth Helgeson was selected before?

A. Corban Knight

B. Jordan Samuels-Thomas

C. Erik Haula

D. NIck Jensen

E. Anders Lee

F. Nic Dowd

G. All of the Above

Answer...G

[SiouxScore]

Much more common than you might think...

Denver

http://college.jumpf...=383&sportid=40

Boston College

https://secureq.scou...ckey/u28h1.html

Minnesota (though theirs is via email for men's hockey)

http://www.gopherspo...tionnaires.html

Those are just a few, and are big time programs, the farther down the list of D1 programs you go, the more common it becomes.

A lot of times coaches will have guys they are actively recruiting fill this out so they can just store all their information from it easily, although anyone can really fill these out most of the time coaches only look at this for guys they have told to fill it out and guys they have been scouting before.

[Wilbur]

The team playing the best at the end of the year wins the Natty EVERY year. It's not complicated yet UND has no idea how to get to that point. Sparty, BU, BC, UMD and now Yale. I watched Yale's last 4 games...no puck luck was needed. They just outworked each opponent and maximized their talent in all 4 games. Again... not complicated.

Five guys with the philosophy of not allowing time or space when they don't have the puck. When they have the puck get it to the net as much as possible, and carry the puck into the zone as much as possible, even when they didn't have numbers.

Last night in the third period Yale was forced to dump it by three QU players back after a change. It was a 2 on 3 rush, and whomever had the puck for Yale played a PERFECT lob dump into the corner where Miller could get it on his stick right away. It was like a flag pattern in football that Miller and his linemate played to perfection. Yale then kept the puck in the zone for about an entire shift and created two or three good chances from not giving away possession.

[jimdahl]

The crazy thing is, remember that Yale barely made the tournament. If either BU or Michigan had won their conference championship game, Yale wouldn't have even been in.

[yzerman19]

The crazy thing is, remember that Yale barely made the tournament. If either BU or Michigan had won their conference championship game, Yale wouldn't have even been in.

Weren't they a two seed going into the conference tournament though too? Or at least towards the end of the regular season?

[MafiaMan]

Weren't they a two seed going into the conference tournament though too? Or at least towards the end of the regular season?

Yale was the ECAC #3 seed for the tournament. The RPI Engineers were the #2 seed.

So much for the theory about going into the NCAA tournament 'on a roll' too. Yale didn't score a goal in its two ECAC playoff losses - Union beat the Bulldogs 5-0 and Quinnipiac beat them 3-0 in the 3rd place game. Four game later, they're NCAA champions. Simply...wow.