Julie Robenhymer on the NCAA Hockey Tourney.

Check out what Julie Robenhymer had to say on the NCAA hockey tourney. In case you are wondering who Julie Robenhymer is? Jules was named Miss New Jersey 2005, but she also does a pretty good job covering hockey...

The Midwest – Madison, WI
First Round
Princeton 1 North Dakota 5
TJ Oshie, 2007 Hobey Baker Winner Ryan Duncan, Taylor Chorney and Joe Finley - otherwise known as the team leaders of the Fighting Sioux - decided not to follow former teammate Jonathan Towes to the NHL figuring if enough of them decided to stay, this year could be special. ECAC Champions, the Princeton Tigers sounded like Academy Award nominees – we’re just happy to be here, blah, blah, blah. North Dakota in a roll right? Well yes, but not really…They might have won by four goals, but don’t let that lopsided score fool you – two of them were empty netters and the other three were on the man advantage. Princeton took it to the Fighting Sioux going step for step, playing physical and getting offensive opportunities the entire game, they just couldn’t solve NoDak’s goalie Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux.

Sidenote – Duncan , who scored his first career hat trick during this game, is an undrafted free-agent, but did participate in the Blues Prospect camp this past summer…will he jump to the NHL after this season?
Sidenote #2 – Ivy League athletes literally blow my mind…Princeton’s captain, Landis Stankievech, studies mechanical and areospace engineering and was named ECAC Student Athlete of the Year. I dated an engineer once and he practically lived at the lab…this guy’s ability to play D-I hockey and study what he does – at Princeton, no less – and be good at both, shows his commitment to success. He’s a rockstar in my book!

Make that 2-24-0 after this game.

Second Round
Wisconsin 2 North Dakota 3 OT
This was the last game of the weekend and what a game it was! The Badgers fed of their home crowd and absolutely dominated the first period peppering Lamoureux with 17 shots after one and 30 after two. It was fast paced and physical and the larger ice surface allowed the guys to use the open spaces and get the transition game going creating end to end rushes. Wisconsin led after two with North Dakota holding a 1-24-0 record in such situations, but North Dakota’s leaders stepped up as Kaip, their captain scores from the slot on a hard fought goal and Duncan ties it up from a ridiculous drop pass from Oshie a minute later. The highlight reel move completely sucked the energy out of the building and silenced the sea of red 18,000 strong who stood for most of the game in anxious anticipation. The Badgers nearly pulled off the upset, but Andrew Kozek scored as he was knocked off his skates less than two minutes into the extra session to send the Fighting Sioux to the Frozen Four for the fourth straight year.