I've decided to do something I haven't done all season long: A Pick'em. Sioux7 and Goon have done it. Maybe even Whistler has. But I haven't... Until now.
Ready the pitchforks and torches!
Northeast Regional:
In my opinion, this is the toughest bracket out there. In the bracket is Maine, BC, Air Force, and Minnesota Duluth.
Maine vs. UMD:
Maine is better than most people think. The problem is: They're not flashy. They're not especially fast as a team. Kindof like Vanilla Ice Cream. They are just solid all around and have a very deadly powerplay (#1 in the Nation). They key player is Spencer Abbott. He got injured after he fell feet first (it almost looked like he was hooked or interfered with) into the boards and left the game (no call.. made me think of WCHA officials). If he can't play then Maine may not necessarily be as dynamic as they would like.
Minnesota Duluth is a team built on grit and a flashy high end. Their top line is as good as anyone's. They are the returning champions so they have the bullseye on their jerseys.
The keys to this game is going to be special teams and blueline scoring. O'Neil from Maine got 2 goals and an assist in the defeat of BU and seems to be quite the sniper. If UMD can stay out of the penalty box though, I think they'll prevail.
My prediction: tUMD
BC vs. Air Force:
Air Force can surprise people but... they won't surprise BC.
My prediction: BC. I'm not even sure it will be close.
Regional Final: BC vs. tUMD. This will be a good game... and BC will win it despite having questionable goaltending (no matter what the NBC Sports homers say).
West Regional:
The West and Midwest Regionals are about equal in difficulty. If there is an edge in difficulty, it would be the West that holds the edge.
Minnesota vs. BU:
BU could win this game. They played extremely well vs. Maine... for a period or so. Then they started getting penalties and left their gameplan behind. Milan will not steal any games for BU. But BU's edge is in speed and defense. Their weakness, imo, is in discipline and special teams.
Minnesota is hurting after getting embarrassed in front of the home crowd (60% anyways). They're not that bad and they are well balanced. Like typical Lucia teams, Minnesota gets destroyed when they are forced to abandon their game plan. Their Team D has improved dramatically under Guentzel but there are still holes.
Prediction: Minnesota edges BU. This one is a good bet for OT.
UND vs. WMU:
WMU.... they're nobodies right Miami? Right Michigan? The problem is, if UND has that attitude, WMU will destroy the Sioux. They are healthy for the most part. They are playing above expectations. Some might say that they've exceeded expectations by simply making the NCAAs and winning the CCHA tourney. If that's the case, then WMU is playing bonus hockey and they can play more loose than UND because they don't have the weight of tradition riding on their shoulders like UND does.
UND... they've played amazing games since being unable to dress 18 skaters. They do have issues with giving up the first goal in the game.... stat monkeys will point out that they are 1 game below .500 when giving up the first goal this season (9-10-?). They also have the haters waiting in the wings. If they should lose vs. WMU (or heck, not make the Frozen Four), I'm sure there will be a fair smattering of "Fire Hakstol" commentary... not just from Red Lake Falls.
For me, it's hard to tell how far UND will go with the adversity they've faced thus far this year. The best I can do is to take the homer approach and stick with them to the end.
My prediction: Admittedly homer: UND wins in a squeaker.
Regional Final Matchup: Minnesota vs. UND. I'm not certain that Minnesota will make the same mistakes that they did in the Final Five. I also think that the ride will finally come to an end. Prediction: Minnesota wins in a heartbreaker and there will be a race between Minny trolls and the Haters to post the most flames at UND.
