Clearing up a few things.

During Bemidji’s amazing run to the Frozen Four I have heard a few things that need clearing up or addressing. First off there is one more year to the hockey Conference College Hockey America. The only issue remaining is whether the NCAA is going to grant them an auto bid next season. So the person that wrote to me an email to inform me that BSU doesn’t have a conference. Wrong!

Not deserving of an Auto-Bid

To the people that said Bemidji didn’t deserve to be in the NCAA tourney and took an at large bid away from a more deserving team. I believe that is a straw man’s argument. Evidence is the way BSU took down a number one seed in Notre Dame and beat a tough defensive three seed Cornell to advance to the Frozen Four. While Traditional powers like Michigan, North Dakota and Denver couldn’t get out of their regionals. That is hardly a fluke or an enigma in my opinion. Notre Dame was ranked number one or two for a good part of the college hockey season and was the number two over all seed in the NCAA hockey tourney. BSU has already done what MSU-M and SCSU have ever been able to accomplish advance to the Frozen Four and they have been a Division one hockey team for a shorter period of time that either of the fore mentioned teams.

BSU to the WCHA or not?

There seems to be a lot of emotions on both ends of the argument on whether BSU should be admitted to the WCHA or not. I think Bemidji State University has made a strong case to gain membership to the WCHA. I keep reading where people say just let Bemidji State and University of Alabama Huntsville wither and die on the vine or show apathy towards these two teams.

Like Donna from RWD’s said from a previous blog post that there will be people that will cry whine and complain if the WCHA lets BSU into the league because they won’t get their traditional rivalries like Wisconsin, DU, C.C. or Minnesota. I will buy that argument; however, my next question is what is worse? No match up with your favorite hockey team or missing the NCAA tourney because your favorite league was short sighted? I am going to take not playing a common opponent for one season because I would rather see my team go to the NCAA hockey tourney and possibly to the Frozen Four than being left at home because of stuborness.

I am going to take this argument one further. Imagine your favorite college has a strong season just missed winning their conference tourney, now off to the NCAA tourney. Not so fast. Imagine that favorite college hockey team being eligible under the current PWR and 16 team NCAA hockey tourney, you make your plans to attend a regional and watch your team play. Not going to happen. Due to a number teams folding and not being picked up by one of the five division one hockey conferences the NCAA has decided to drop the NCAA hockey tourney from sixteen to twelve bids. Your favorite hockey team’s season is over and there is no NCAA tourney for you. Do you see what I am getting at? The NCAA is going to pull at large bids if anymore hockey teams decide to fold. Now tell me who does UAH and BSU look. How about adding a few Canadian CIS teams? The University of British Columbia looking pretty good right now.

My Pick for the NCAA championship

I think that the Boston University Terriers are the most complete and balanced team in this season NCAA field and it would be only fitting that they win the NCAA tourney. While Miami trip to the Frozen Four is a nice story I don't think they are going to be able to slow down the Terriers tonight. Also, the final game is going to feature refs from the WCHA according to Fiona Quick on a recent twitter post. Note to the Redhawks expect the refs from the WCHA to make their presence know by calling a bunch of ticky tacky penalties. Also don’t expect the rash of penalties to have much of an effect on the Boston University Terriers who were one of the top penalized teams in the NCAA this season.