2019 DI Mens Ice Hockey Championship

[Wilbur]

28 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

I've said it before, but with all the parity it's time to give 1 seeds an actual advantage.  Let them host.  If need be put a minimum attendance for an arena and then the school needs to have a plan in place ahead of time.  If a 1 can't host it goes either to that 2 seed or the highest 2 seed.

There needs to be a reward for being a top team. Other option is to finally go to 3 game series like baseball does.  

With the extra off weekend because of basketball I'm all for a 3 game regional 1-16 seeds (top 8 host) the first weekend, then a super regional the next weekend with the top four remaining ranked teams hosting the games.

Move the F4 semifinals to Friday, and have the National Championship on a Sunday afternoon.  

[MafiaMan]

13 hours ago, Smoggy said:

I've said it before, but with all the parity it's time to give 1 seeds an actual advantage.  Let them host.  If need be put a minimum attendance for an arena and then the school needs to have a plan in place ahead of time.  If a 1 can't host it goes either to that 2 seed or the highest 2 seed.

I've been saying this since 1998.  The reward for being a 1 seed was to go play Michigan in their own arena?  Stunning that Michigan won that game (not).  The same thing happened a year or two later when DU had a fantastic squad and was "upset" by the Wolverines at Yost.  If the top seed in the country is Lake Superior State, well, so be it.  #16 can enjoy a flight to Detroit or Milwaukee and a nice bus ride.  That's how it should work.  

[90siouxfan]

I could not agree more, #1 seeds host at home or an adequate size rink of their choosing.  Give them the option of deferring to a #2 seed if they don't have the ability to plan for such success.  Is the system and NCAA elite mandate?  Or can the athletic directors make the change?  

[iluvdebbies]

Not interested in a regional being played on an Olympic sized ice surface.

[HockeyFan31]

And all the multi-use arenas out there just keep open weekends during college hockey playoffs in case the team that plays home games there ends up hosting in the first round? I don't think so.....

[cberkas]

Nothing says that Mankato, St. Cloud, or Duluth of college hockey can’t host a regional in Minneapolis.

So, if you don’t want to host a regional don’t complain being in a regional that has a host that’s a lower seed. 

[Siouxperfan7]

Since 2006 when Holy Cross beat Minnesota, a 4 seed has beaten a 1 seed every year.  This year there were 2 (almost 3).  I think I read somewhere that since the tournament expanded to 16 teams, more 4 seeds have advanced to the Frozen 4 than 2 or 3 seeds combined!!  So what does this mean?  4 seeds are given an advantage over 1 seeds in the regionals that they should not deserve to have.  Mankato got rewarded for a season of success earning a 1 seed by playing #4 seed Providence in Providence.  The past 13 years when a 4 beat a 1, many of those games were played in less than half full arenas with a subdued crowd.  Not having to play in a hostile environment is an advantage for the 4 seeds and why they have had success these last 14 years.

Solution?  As suggested, #1 seeds should host the regionals.  They play 30+ games earning that #1 seed throughout the season.   No reason they have to go across the country to play in a half full arena or in an arena 20 miles from the 4 seeds campus.  Its easy.  If you are a school that plays in an arena or has access to a larger arena if your home rink is small, reserve that arena for the weekend of the regionals.  If you earn a 1 seed, then bam  you get to host.  If you are a school and you can't or don't want to reserve a viable venue for a regional, than the #2 seed has a chance to host.  

Will 4 seeds still win tournament games?  Of course.  But it will definitely not be as easy.  Which is the way it should be.

[90siouxfan]

it would be a simple addition to require the regional be on NHL sized ice. Sorry clowns, time to put the 80's behind you.

[HockeyFan31]

26 minutes ago, cberkas said:

Nothing says that Mankato, St. Cloud, or Duluth of college hockey can’t host a regional in Minneapolis.

So, if you don’t want to host a regional don’t complain being in a regional that has a host that’s a lower seed. 

Then you'd run into the Providence scenario that Mankato did this year. If any of those schools bid and hosted in Minneapolis, just just know the NC$$ would place the Gophers there (if they qualified, obviously) and then fans would be crying just like they are this year about Providence. Hell, it would even be considered an advantage if UND was placed in a Minneapolis regional in that situation.

[cberkas]

13 minutes ago, HockeyFan31 said:

Then you'd run into the Providence scenario that Mankato did this year. If any of those schools bid and hosted in Minneapolis, just just know the NC$$ would place the Gophers there (if they qualified, obviously) and then fans would be crying just like they are this year about Providence. Hell, it would even be considered an advantage if UND was placed in a Minneapolis regional in that situation.

Providence wasn’t a host and can play anywhere.

A 1 seed should beat a 4 seed. To be the best you have to beat the best no matter where the game is played. 

I don’t see UND making excuses when the are playing a lower seeded team from Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul. 

[MafiaMan]

20 minutes ago, cberkas said:

Providence wasn’t a host and can play anywhere.

A 1 seed should beat a 4 seed. To be the best you have to beat the best no matter where the game is played. 

I don’t see UND making excuses when the are playing a lower seeded team from Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul. 

Don't think for a second that Providence was going anywhere other an Providence, seedings be damned.  That's not exactly impartial seeding.  

The reward for being better than everyone else should not be going on the road for the playoffs.  The gap between #1 and #4 seeds has never been closer.  

[90siouxfan]

No matter where they put UND the fan base helps, of course closer to GF the bigger the help.  Is the current schematic entirely a knee jerk reaction to the Holy Cross moment of infamy?  I think it is,  I think it is not so much about giving a home rink advantage to #1 seeds as it is to keep opposing fan bases from having traction in the outcome, call it the gopher whiny rule....    disclaimer, feeling scrappy, must be the sunlight.

[The Sicatoka]

1 hour ago, cberkas said:

Nothing says that Mankato, St. Cloud, or Duluth of college hockey can’t host a regional in Minneapolis.

Consortiums. 

[HockeyFan31]

46 minutes ago, cberkas said:

Providence wasn’t a host and can play anywhere.

A 1 seed should beat a 4 seed. To be the best you have to beat the best no matter where the game is played. 

I don’t see UND making excuses when the are playing a lower seeded team from Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul. 

I understand that. The same could be said of Minnesota in the scenario you laid out. What I'm saying is other fans would complain about a "home game" for Minnesota exactly like they are about Providence this year. I like your idea of having Mankato, Duluth, or St Cloud hosting in Minneapolis, I'm just saying it's likely not without flaw.

UND is basically 50/50 with Gophers fans in past regionals I've seen at the X, for example. IMO UND isn't aren't a fair comparison for Minneapolis with the number of alumni that live in and around the Twin Cities. I think UND would be in the same discussion as Minnesota for a potential Minneapolis regional where other fanbases would cry about how unfair it would be to have UND get a "home game" even though they aren't the host.

[MafiaMan]

3 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Consortiums. 

The junta will let you know their decision on this by July 1st.  

[The Sicatoka]

9 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

The junta will let you know their decision on this by July 1st.  

That cabal won't decide that fast. 

[MafiaMan]

2 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

That cabal won't decide that fast. 

[siouxforcefans]

Flying out before dawn tomorrow (we always travel Wednesdays for FF's) and hoping to see UMass get their first title with all the former Fargo Force players on their roster. Expect to see a few of you in Buffalo!

[tnt]

Having the #1 seed hosting certainly would make for a lot of exciting hockey down the stretch when teams are close to that position.  Would certainly make the results for the entire year quite relevant.  I guess I don't like the mentality of just finishing top four in our league and just getting in the tournament as a means to winning it all, so a little more incentive to give yourself an advantage would seem appropriate.  Of course we would need to move "the process" along a lot faster to achieve that.  

[UNDColorado]

56 minutes ago, siouxforcefans said:

Flying out before dawn tomorrow (we always travel Wednesdays for FF's) and hoping to see UMass get their first title with all the former Fargo Force players on their roster. Expect to see a few of you in Buffalo!

#AnyonebutDenver

[Goon]

I like UMD to repeat. They play the game the right way, kind of reminds me of some of the former UND squads. Beat the hell out of the opposition with good, legal checks and play solid defense. Score of turnovers created by a solid forecheck. 

[jodcon]

10 minutes ago, Goon said:

I like UMD to repeat. They play the game the right way, kind of reminds me of some of the former UND squads. Beat the hell out of the opposition with good, legal checks and play solid defense. Score of turnovers created by a solid forecheck. 

By "like" do you mean you are thinking they'll win, or do you mean you will be kneeling in front of the TV clutching a Bulldogs beanie baby?

At least one of those scenarios disturbs me.

[skateshattrick]

12 minutes ago, Goon said:

I like UMD to repeat. They play the game the right way, kind of reminds me of some of the former UND squads. Beat the hell out of the opposition with good, legal checks and play solid defense. Score of turnovers created by a solid forecheck. 

I agree that they are the favorite and I think they will win, but I hope anyone but UMD wins (even more than DU). I don't agree that they have good, legal checks. They play on edge, and Nick Wolff is about as dirty as they come. Keep in mind that this is the same UMD team that coincidentally injured Jost, Boeser and Tucker Poolman in the same year, and Pionk tried to injure Cam Johnson. I intensely dislike UMD and its fan base. They are always douchebags, much like Ciskie and Drunk Hockey Guy. 

[hky]

7 minutes ago, skateshattrick said:

I agree that they are the favorite and I think they will win, but I hope anyone but UMD wins (even more than DU). I don't agree that they have good, legal checks. They play on edge, and Nick Wolff is about as dirty as they come. Keep in mind that this is the same UMD team that coincidentally injured Jost, Boeser and Tucker Poolman in the same year, and Pionk tried to injure Cam Johnson. I intensely dislike UMD and its fan base. They are always douchebags, much like Ciskie and Drunk Hockey Guy. 

I couldn't agree more.  I used to cheer for UMD/Sandelin because of his UND connections, but teams are a reflection of their coach, so those days are done.  

[runaroundsioux]

4 hours ago, siouxforcefans said:

Flying out before dawn tomorrow (we always travel Wednesdays for FF's) and hoping to see UMass get their first title with all the former Fargo Force players on their roster. Expect to see a few of you in Buffalo!

We shall be in attendance. Go UMass.