Goon and Abby watching TV.I know it's like 8 day short of two months before the college hockey season begins but since I was at home from work today watching/parenting my new born daughter and being there was a break in the action I decided that now is good to get my pre-season WCHA poll out there.
While this poll might be out a little early I can already see the beginning of the change of seasons. Just around the corner is the North Dakota resident Duck hunting opener is only 5 weeks away. In anticipation of that historic opener the other night I went out with my buddy and his kid to scout for waterfowl and get the dog in the water. I can hardly wait. I am ready to put the golf clubs away for the winter, clean up the shot gun and cheer the Sioux to another run at an NCAA title. Well maybe not just yet but soon enough, I really like fall golf because the courses aren't as crowded.
1.) Sioux
2.) Gophers
3.) SCSU
4.) DU
5.) UW
6.) C.C.
7.) Tech
8.) MSU-M
9.) UMD
10.) UAA
The past three season the Sioux have pretty much proved that winning the league title is nice but is not as important as doing well when the playoffs start. I have watched a few UND teams win the league title only to get bounced in the NCAA tourney. Don't get me wrong, while league titles are nice to have, Frozen Fours and NCAA titles are what I believe is the key to success in any college hockey program. In Dave Hakstols first three seasons UND has finished secon, third and third respectively. Not too bad of a job for the young Fighting Sioux coach. I do however, expect that one of these years the Sioux will realize greatness again and win the NCAA title under Hak's watch.
Sioux the Favorites
While I believe that UND returns the most of all the teams in the WCHA winning the league title is not a given and if the Sioux finish a little lower it should not be a shock to anyone. The WCHA top to bottom is the toughest league in all of college hockey. The battle tested Sioux have the experience but seem they seem to do better when they are in second through fifth place. This season I would like to see the Sioux get off to a better start before the second half so they don't have to expend as much energy making a run at number 8.
Poll? What poll!? I thought you said there was a poll!
ReplyDeleteNow on to the debate:
"The WCHA top to bottom is the toughest league in all of college hockey"
I disagree.
Pure Parity.
There is so much parity between Hockey East, the WCHA and even the CCHA that, as we say in the east, it's not even funny. Let's look at the last 17 years of NCAA Champs and Runners Up...
2007 CCHA HE
2006 WCHA HE
2005 WCHA WCHA
2004 WCHA HE
2003 WCHA HE
2002 WCHA HE
2001 HE WCHA
2000 WCHA HE
1999 HE HE
1998 CCHA HE
1997 WCHA HE
1996 CCHA WCHA
1995 HE HE
1994 CCHA HE
1993 HE CCHA
1992 CCHA *WCHA
1991 CCHA HE
1990 WCHA ECAC
So, hey, where was the WCHA last year? They've only ever cornered the bracket once since '90 - yeah, yeah, let's not get into the 'bracket was biased' debate. And while the WCHA admittedly and obviously owned the top spot from 2002-2006, Hockey East was right there every step of the way.
Championships Since '90
WCHA - 8
CCHA - 6
HE - 4
These three conferences account for every NCAA Championship since '90 (ECAC's Harvard won in '89)
Championship Appearances Since '90
HE - 16 (Out of 18)
WCHA - 12
CCHA - 7 (watch out if a CCHA team makes it to the Championship Game!)
ECAC - 1 (ah, how cute! Colgate in '90)
Hockey East has twice been the ONLY league in attendance at the final game since '90 and the WCHA managed that feat once near the end of it's five year reign in 2005.
So.
While the WCHA has owned the top spot of late there is no one league that rules the roost but a triumvirate - Hockey East, the WCHA and the CCHA.
We could all stake a claim for being the top league but any honest, impartial observer would see that these three leagues are truly equals - not that there are any honest, impartial observers within a 500 miles of a college hockey rink! ;)
Go 'Cats!
Forgot to say...
ReplyDeleteHockey East Rules!
Go 'Cats!
BTW - I meant to say 'the last 18 years'...
ReplyDeleteGo 'Cats!
Championships Since '90
ReplyDeleteWCHA - 8
CCHA - 6
HE - 4
This was a WCHA poll, I still stand by my statement of the WCHA being the best top to bottom, while your top teams are good in the HE, the bottom feeders in the HE aren't very good. I would take MSUM over Mass Lowell or Merrimack any day...
Beside you already made me point for you...
8 > 4
ReplyDeleteAs for the CCHA after Michigan and Michigan State I think there is some serious drop off. Just MHMO...
ReplyDeleteyeah, let's not get into the 'bracket was biased' debate. And while the WCHA admittedly and obviously owned the top spot from 2002-2006, Hockey East was right there every step of the way.
ReplyDeleteOne could make the argument and some have made the argument that the brackets punished the WCHA unfairly last fall. The WCHA top to bottom for most of the year had the 1-10 ranking for its teams as far as strenth of season went...
The Cat makes a good point. Nice numbers by the way.
ReplyDeleteHockey East is a good conference and has sent a lot of teams to the NCAA tourney's. Their teams are sort of like the WCHA and CCHA, you generally get the same ones year in and year out.
HE - BU, BC, Maine and others too.
WCHA - UND, UM, DU and others.
CCHA - MSU, UM and various others.
Which brings us back to the original question, who has the best league top to bottom?
One thing to look at would be non-conference records, ie, WCHA vs HE in regular season games. The only flaw with this is their isn't enough games to get a true analysis from it. You might get a quote "feel for it" but that isn't much more than an opinion.
2003-04
WCHA v HE - WCHA v CCHA - HE v CCH
7-6-3 21-9-2 7-7-2
2004-05
WCHA v HE - WCHA v CCHA - HE v CCH
15-5-2 15-10-2 5-7-1
2005-06
WCHA v HE - WCHA v CCHA - HE v CCH
10-9-1 18-13-2 6-6-1
I can't find the 2006-07 season numbers.
As the numbers show, HE and CCHA don't play more then about 12 games a year, call it 6-series, not a lot to go on... The other flaw is what teams played? Not to many people would watch or probably care if Alaska Anchorage was playing Merrimack, just a feeling, or if UND played them, I'd say that would "skew" the numbers, or vice-versa, like BC playing Alaska.
In the end, I think we all want the same thing. To see each of our leagues with good solid teams, no cup-cakes or cirling the "automatic wins" on the schedule.
Absolutely!
ReplyDeleteI just want everyone to know this is a pre-season poll. The goon's prediction on the national poll won't come out for a while...
ReplyDeleteIF my math is right the WCHA is 32-20-06 against the HE the last three season if Sioux_07's numbers are right...
Most WCHA fans are going to like their league the best...
I was merely commenting on the lack of a traditional 'poll' in which the 'people' vote...
ReplyDeleteI was coming to vote man!
Write-in...
The University of New Hampshire Wildcats!
Go 'Cats!
The Key is Silly Pontifications.
ReplyDeleteGoon of course you're ready for hockey and to put the golf clubs away....you have a baby to play with and you haven't been golfin' well ;)
ReplyDeleteHey Goon, congrats on the whole "proud pappa" thing. Looks like you have a real cutie on your hands. Safe to say it's a good thing she doesn't take after her father in the looks department. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy best bet for the upcoming year:
1. UND
2. UMtc
3. Tech
4. UW
5. DU
6. SCSU
7. UMD
8. CC
9. UAA
10. MSU
Come to think of it, there are a lot of positions up in the air this year. Tough to predict. Don't even get me started on the interleague stuff. The WCHA teams beat each other up so bad last year that they paid for it in NCAA tourny spots. It would actually be better for the WCHA if there was a definite upper and lower tier this year.
Congrats again on the daughter.
Who's this Kevin punk and why is he such a dumbass to put MSU,M last?!?! No way are the Mavs coming in last. I think your prediction of 8th is closer...but I'm going to be brave and say 6th or 7th. I think MSU,M is going to surprise a lot of people this year. They don't have "the guy" (i.e. Backes, Morin, Carter) this year, which I think will make them all step up and work harder together.
ReplyDeleteKevin is dumb. End of story:)