College Hockey NCAAT - Saturday Other Games Open Thread
Looking forward to several hours of college hockey!
Did Samoskevich return to the game last night? Is he a go for tonight?
He kept playing I believe - he was on the ice later in the game from what I heard on the radio stream.
Our game is tomorrow night, 6:30 PM ET on ESPN2.
He did. He was on the ice late.
IIRC he only missed a shift or two. I was surprised. I figured he’d just sit but maybe he was fueled by vengeance haha
Cornell vs BU seems like a 3 to 2 type of game.
MN vs St Cloud seems like a 6 to 2 type of game!
would have been better to put OSU on the other side and PSU into OSU’s spot, could have had an all Big Ten Frozen Four!
I think it will be 3/4 Big Ten teams!
Good chance that Michigan's path to the national title looks similar to a Big Ten Tournament path.
When Michigan is an underdog, I like the idea of playing conference teams. Even teams that have been better over the season, you know that the underdog is capable of winning occasionally. The teams know each other, know weaknesses to exploit, etc. In 2001 and 2011 we were on the opposite side of the FF from potential conference opponents and I liked our chances if we made it to the game together, though they never did (2001 was the Ryan Miller year, and MSU kind of had our number... but I still liked the idea of facing them again).
When Michigan is a favorite, I *don't* like the idea, for the same reason. Michigan has been better than PSU this year, but we know what they're capable of and we know we are very capable of losing to them, even if it will happen less than 50% of the time. It's only one game.
I do not like the idea of playing Minnesota in the final for the largely superstitious belief that since we played well and won last time we played things will probably flip to them. Mostly, not entirely superstition; there is a small amount of mathematical "reversion to the mean" calculation going on in that belief, but only a small amount. It's mostly just feelingsball.
Also we've beaten MN the last two BTT CGs at their place, so they've got extra motivation.
Hnngh, well, there's no greater motivation than playing for the national championship. For me, it's more practical. First, they've seen and have on film what we did well, so they can counter it. Second, the modestly random nature of hockey given the small margins and random events could suggest a mathematical reversion in 50-50 events that you assume were at least somewhat favorable in the previous game.
But who knows.The championship game was the first time Michigan looked like the *better* team. The previous Minneapolis series was impressive for Michigan because they looked competent, but the first game they lost a lead late but Minnesota had the better of the run of play, and the second game was a deserved OT win but Michigan was not "clearly better" on the ice. The series in Ann Arbor was...
Well, I looked at the line chart, and I forgot how much that illness had wiped us out. We were *barely* able to put a team on the ice and had no one to play center.
Think you are overthinking this. We don’t want to play Minnesota because they are the best team in college hockey. Playing Penn state in a friendly environment because they host the regional is just the dumbest shit in the world. I’m pretty pessimistic about that game tomorrow, feels like a 50/50 game despite being the clearly better team
I fully accept that my reasoning is irrational and overthought. College hockey specializes in such things.
March 26th, 2023 at 12:09 PM ^
I don't think it's totally dumb given that it's the closest regional to Michigan who as a 1-seed deserves that. As posters have said in other threads, the issue is more about why UM doesn't host in Detroit or a college in another midwestern city. I know cities in Ohio have hosted a few times but that wouldn't exactly be a friendly environment either.
Puck drop @ 4:02. Weird time.
Starting on ESPNews.
I confess that I don't watch as much NCAA tournament hockey as I used to. Back in the early oughts I watched as many college hockey games on tv as I could and would run two tvs to watch NCAA tournament games that were simultaneous.
The problem is twofold: 1. I don't have the spare time and mindspace I had when I was inj my early 20s; 2. Decades of college hockey watching have developed, in me, abiding resentments of most other college hockey teams for various reasons. College sports runs on spite, and in almost all cases I find that I am unhappy with every team that sees some kind of success that isn't Michigan. Even the "cool story" underdog events that I used to find charming are less enchanting than they used to be. I can't be happy for, say, Providence winning a national title, because how can that be just given how many times Michigan has been denied?
Needless to say I've found national title games hard to enjoy for ~25 years.
Anyway, I might watch a bit, but I enjoy it less than I used to. Except when Michigan wins.
It’s tough to care when nobody else does. College hockey is just such a niche sport, there’s nobody to talk games with when Michigan isn’t involved
Announcer: "We have a Big Ten crew here, good crew."
Ok so we know the announcer is wrong, but is it because he has no clue what he's talking about, or because he's lying?
How does a Big Ten crew determine whether or not to assess a dubious 5 min major if neither team is Michigan?
There's always the ol' coin flip.
They don't need to call them without Michigan in the mix
Tripping on Cornell @ 15:41
Roughing on BU @ 17:40
Cornell 0, BU 0, after one.
Not able to watch at the moment (refuse to pat for ESPN+), but listening to the BU stream... the Boston accent on these announcers is strong. Feel like I'm listening to an episode of CarTalk without the insightful humor.
March 25th, 2023 at 11:34 PM ^
Me to.
That's why I use onhockey.tv
Ha, clip of Cornell player going in for a check and getting both the ref and a BU player.
2nd period under way.
BU scores, 1-0. Left alone in front of the net.
Crosschecking on Cornell @ 4:12.
Too Many Men on BU @ 6:37
Just after the penalty was over, Cornell hit the crossbar. Whoa, it was after a deflection off a BU player.
Cornell turnover at the blue line, BU break, hit the post.
1-0 BU after two. I feel like Cornell needs a lucky bounce.
Not sure what to root for from here on out.
I usually root rather consistently against the Big Ten in tournaments and bowls. But all the taunting in recent years from NCHC, HE, and ECAC w/r/t Big Ten quality (incredulity, even, that the Big Ten were good or that anyone might have thought so) made rooting against the Big Ten somewhat harder for me. At least in college hockey--Not hard enough to root differently, granted, but maybe yesterday changed that.
The whole 36-4 differential made those some same NCHC, HE, and ECAC fans alternately seethe and show their tails between their legs. Yet, it’s clear they’ll revert to a squawk if the Big Ten’s next step is to stumble (e.g., “only” one in the Frozen Four, or to end up without an NC). They would exhibit such irritating glee to resume saying that we underperform and are overhyped at comic expense ($$$).
And yet, my top line interest is Michigan’s success, often through the easiest path. And I feel sick at the mere notion of the Gophers, Nits, or Nuts winning it all, at our expense.
It’s basically impossible to root for them without knowing we’ll hold the trophy to break their hearts anyway.
I like the respect the big ten is getting but ultimately I just want Michigan to win. So go St Cloud. OSU winning a title would be a gut punch since most of their history is mired in mediocrity and Michigans on a 25 yr draughy
Probably my default, too.
It’s just far harder than normal to see all my rooting interests harmonize.
For today, are you rooting for SCSU *and* BU (the latter would keep Minnesota’s theoretical path hardest) or just the first?
So far, I’m still nonpartisan on this 4pm-er.
See my problem is that I'm against SCSU and BU as well. I don't want either of them winning a title.
Watching this game and still trying to process the Big Ten slaughter of the opening round. Like M and OSU just slaughtered the #2 and #5 ECAC teams. Not beat 4-1. But treated them like they were Lindenwood in their transition season
is the league that good from beating each other up all winter? Bc we sure as hell werent winning non-con games 10-0 all November
like, obviously anyone can lose and BU is good. But theyre in a fight with the #3 ECAC team here. I don’t feel impressed
BU scores, 2-0.
Initially saved, but BU shooter gets his rebound. 2-0 seems insurmountable for Cornell.
Holding on BU @ 8:56
PK'd
Interference on Cornell @ 14:55
Cornell scores with extra attacker, 2-1 BU, 28.4 sec left.
Challenge for high stick. Don't see one. Good goal.
BU wins, 2-1.
Listening to SCSU stream now... moving from the hard Boston accent to upper Minnesota is amusing.
St Cloud St & MN game on.
Go Clouds!
Tripping on St. Cloud St @ 4:16.
St. Cloud SH chance is saved.