John Scott, I will kick the bleep out of him...

CBS Chicago Image

Ah yes; the former MTU Huskies defenseman and former Wild pylon John Scott, the guy that is only redeeming quality is that he is really good at beating the crap out of someone, this is the same defenseman that has virtually no foot speed what-so-ever that ends up being a healthy scratch more times than not against the quicker teams in the NHL. Here at Goon's World we also know him as Mr. Anger Management, the former MTU Husky that threatened to beat the crap out of someone who accused him of running into their car, which he did. A real class act. Just for the record Scott has played so well this season that he hasn't been in the Blackhawks lineup since 3/20/2011.  s/t Rosies Hockey.

chicagobreakingsports.com --- Shawn Thornton received around 40 stitches above his eye Tuesday, accused the Chicago Blackhawks of razzing him from the bench and labeled the Hawks a team that will "chirp a lot," then reiterated Thursday on Boston radio that he and his Boston Bruins squad have a long memory.

Apparently, them's fighting words.

"He said that? That's fine. He can say what he wants," Hawks enforcer John Scott said Thursday of Thornton's team-of-chirpers assessment. "He's going after some of our littlest guys on our team to start a fight. He's trying to challenge (Fernando) Pisani to a fight. What's that say about him?

"He's Mr. Tough Guy and he's trying to challenge Pisani. If I'm in the lineup, he's more than welcome to come chirp at me. I'll kick the (bleep) out of him."

Early departures - the "silly season" is upon us

You can keep up with all of the early departures here. Here is one of the bigger early departures, Merrimack College lost their top sophomore forward Stephane Da Coasta as he he will forego his final two seasons of eligibility and signed a entry level deal with the hapless last place Ottawa Senators.

Warrior Rink Rat --- Merrimack sophomore Stephane Da Costa will forego his final two years of NCAA eligibility after signing a contract with the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, according to multiple sources.

The Parisian-born center scored 90 points in 67 games with Merrimack College from 2009-11.

Da Costa will become the first Merrimack player since Matt Foy in 2007-08 to play in the NHL.

Da Costa is expected to make his NHL debut on Saturday (7 p.m.) against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Ottawa.

The Denver Pioneers got some bad news of their own as they were informed that Sophomore defenseman Matt Donovan has signed an entry level deal with the New York Islanders.

NHL.COM ---- On Wednesday morning, the New York Islanders signed yet another one of their 2008 draft selections to an entry-level contract. Matt Donovan, who spent the last two seasons defending the blue-line at the University of Denver, inked his deal.

“I’m very, very excited,” Donovan said when reached by phone. “I hope that I can play the same game that I’ve played my whole life, continue to play solid defensively and hopefully contribute offensively as well.”

While his entry-level deal will not kick in until the 2011-12 season, Donovan will report to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers immediately, where he will play the remainder of the 2010-11 season with the Islanders American Hockey League affiliate on an Amateur Tryout Contract.

“Starting now will just help me get my feet wet in my professional hockey career,” Donovan said. “It will help me figure out where I am and where need to be (talent and endurance wise), which will really help me figure out how hard I need to work this summer to make it to the Island.”

Alexandria Blizzard win the Central division of the NAHL

The Alexandria Blizzard won the Central Division of the NAHL this past weekend and on the team from Alexandria are a few local players,  from Grand Forks, ND  -  Casey Purpur and Paul LaDue, from West Fargo, ND Tyler Swanson. Also, on the team from Williston, ND Jordan Nelson and Adam Knocknemus from Roseau, MN.

Calgary’s Matt Stajan scores, or does he? No goal...

I was watching this game last night and I thought from what I could see that puck appeared to be laying on Emery's inside the net, this should have been a goal in my opinion, I think the video review booth in this case blew it. I like the idea of having a chip in the puck then you would know for sure if the puck was in the net for not.

Globe and Mail --- The first blow was the goal that wasn’t. The Flames crowded Anaheim goalie Ray Emery and swiped away at the puck then began celebrating as if they had scored. Replays showed the puck was somewhere in Emery’s possession as he fell backwards into his net. Ducks’ captain Ryan Getzlaf reached in and pulled the puck away then, when asked about his handiwork during a second-period intermission, said he did nothing of the sort. “Wasn’t me,” he protested.

After a six-minute delay, referee Gord Dwyer announced the puck didn’t completely cross the line. Flames’ fans quickly let their inner most feelings known.

“I’m telling you it was in. That’s all I can say,” said Calgary’s Matt Stajan, who was in on the action. “It’s too bad they got it wrong. We can’t blame the season on that. but it was a big momentum change.”

“Everybody was scrambling,” Getzlaf said afterwards. “They did a great job taking as long as they could to get (the call) right.”

Unknown Hawks player yaps at Bruins' Thornton as he leaves the ice

I am scratching my head on why the Blackhawks players would yap at Sean Thornton as he was leaving the ice with a huge gash in his face. Nothing but class there. Like I said in another post, "the Hawks players are lucky they were saved by the ref."

ESPN.COM ---- Referee Don Van Massenhoven assisted Thornton off the ice. As the two skated past the Blackhawks bench, a Chicago player shouted something at Thornton, and the Bruins’ pugilist took exception. He attempted to get past the ref and at the bench, but he was held back before exiting the ice.

“Something was said,” Thornton said. “Obviously I can’t swear when I talk to [the media]. There was some stuff said that I’m not happy about. I’m going to find out who it was and I will deal with it in my own way.”

Thornton said Van Massenhoven also was upset by the comments coming from the Chicago bench.

“He heard it,” Thornton said. “He didn’t know who it was either. He actually yelled at their bench. I appreciate it. Those guys on their team chirp a lot. I don’t know if it is right when someone’s face is half across the other side of their face, but it’s a tough game and people have to live with their actions. If you guys ever find out who it is, don’t be afraid to send me a Christmas card.”

Check out this video, Shaw Thornton gets cut

I was watching this game last night and I was kind of amazed by Shawn Thornton's tenacity and toughness. After being cut in the face by a skate blade most players would've just skated off the ice and down the tunnel to receive repairs. Someone on the Blackhawks bench said something and Thornton took issue with it and was ready to go toe to toe with one of the Blackhawks. Lucky for the Blackhawks player there was an official escorting Thornton to the Bruins' players bench. The cut required 40 stitches and Shawn Thornton will be OK.

Matt Frattin a Hobey Hat trick finalist

The Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist were announced today, they are; Boston College junior forward Cam Atkinson, University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux forward senior forward Matt Frattin, and Miami University senior forward Andy Miele.

fightingsioux.com ---- Matt Frattin, the 2010-11 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Player of the Year, leads the nation with 36 goals and ranks second nationally with 60 points. The Edmonton, Alberta, native was also named to the All-WCHA First Team after winning the WCHA scoring race with 40 points in 28 league games.

The first Fighting Sioux to score as many as 36 goals since 1990-91, Frattin enters the NCAA Frozen Four with five more goals than any other Division I player, and nine more than any other WCHA player. He has scored an NCAA-leading 22 goals in 22 games away from home, with 11 of those coming in the third period or overtime. Two weeks ago at the WCHA Final Five, he scored both game-winning goals in leading the Sioux to their second straight Broadmoor Trophy as WCHA playoff champions. In all, Frattin was in on nine of 14 game-deciding goals in February and March when UND went 13-0-1 and captured WCHA regular season and playoff championships.

Frattin brings a career-long 15-game point streak into the Frozen Four, having amassed 16 goals and 29 points during that stretch. He also put together two of the five longest goal-scoring streaks in UND history, scoring in nine straight games from Jan. 29 to March 26, and in eight straight games from Nov. 27 to Jan. 8.

Frattin's 40 points during league play were the most by a Sioux since Jeff Panzer (49 points) and Bryan Lundbohm (40) in 2000-01, enabling him to become UND's first WCHA scoring champion since Ryan Duncan in 2006-07. His 33 goals are the most by a Sioux since All-American Brandon Bochenski scored 35 in 2002-03, and he has scored 44 goals in his last 52 games.

A recreation and tourism studies major with a 3.0-plus grade point average, Frattin was named to his second All-WCHA Academic Team earlier this month. He was also named to UND's Athletics Director's Fall 2010 Honor Roll.

Frattin has been

Brett Hull blames T.J. Oshies teammates.

Sports Illustrated

I was reading this article in the stltoday.com tonight and I have to admit that I kind of agree with Brett Hull. You've thought that one of his teammates would've given him a call on his cell or stopped by the house to see if he is ok.

This afternoon, Hull said that he didn't want to speculate on why Blues forward T.J. Oshie missed Monday's practice, but the Hall of Famer does know where he would point the finger.

"I don't know what the reason is, why he missed," Hull said. "But to me, I put less blame on him and blame his teammates. When we played together ... (Kelly Chase), (Adam Oates) and (Brendan Shanahan) ... we took care of each other. That never would have happened. Someone would have been at his house getting him up and getting him to practice.

"So to me, I would blame more the teammates than I would him. You've got to take care of each other, especially that team. They're so young. They've got such an opportunity to bond together and be a great team. There's so much talent there. They've got to take care of each other in those situations off the ice."

So you want tickets? Be prepared to pay.

Stub Hub Frozen Four Tickets

I have a bunch of people asking me about tickets, I know no one with tickets that are trying to sell theirs but here is a good place to go if your interested in going to the Frozen Four, it's going to cost you a lot of money though. I am sitting this one out but I am watching the Frozen Four in my brother-in-laws basement where we watched the UND Fighting Sioux go 2-0 this past weekend. [Check out this link for Stub Hub], [Tennessee Ticket Company]

UND Head Coach Dave Hakstol a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award

2011 AHCA Men’s Ice Hockey Spencer Penrose Award Candidates

Red Berenson, Michigan— NCAA Semifinalist*
Dean Blais, Nebraska Omaha—WCHA Coach of the Year*
Dave Hakstol, North Dakota— NCAA Semifinalist
Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame—CCHA Coach of the Year and NCAA Semifinalist*
Nate Leaman, Union—ECAC Coach of the Year
Paul Pearl, Holy Cross—AHA Coach of the Year
Scott Sandelin, Minnesota Duluth— NCAA Semifinalist*
Jerry York, Boston College—HE Coach of the Year*
* Past Spencer Penrose Award Winner

Compare and contrast - What's the difference?

I know I am going to take some flak from fellow Sioux fans but watch the DU coach and what he says during the press conference. Seriously, say what you want about George Gwozdecky but I believe the man is a class act, to start the press conference he gives credit to his opponent… This seems to be a reoccurring theme. I had a chance to see him speak at two press conferences during the Final Five and in both instances coach Gwozdecky gave credit and kudos to the opposing team that his own team just played, Coach Hakstol did as well in both cases. Check out what Coach Hakstol had to say after Yale beat UND last year in the regional. [click to watch]

Now watch this press conference. Do you hear the coach from Yale give the UMD Bulldogs any credit? When I was in college one of my old football coaches said you win with class and you lose with class, you give your opponent credit as well. Yale didn't lose because of the officiating, they lost because UMD was the better team.

EDIT: Todd Bertuzzi elbows Ryan Johnson

The right call was made in this situation (5 minute major and game misconduct) as the Redwing's Todd Bertuzzi elbows former Fighting Sioux forward and current Chicago Blackhawk Ryan Johnson. I don't think that a suspension is coming from the NHL, but who knows with the NHL. Bertuzzi is a repeat offender so the league might take that into consideration.

Bertuzzi will not be suspended for his hit on Ryan Johnson. [detroitnews.com]

Monday Links...

There are some nice stories out there that are worth looking at on this Monday evening after an awesome weekend of hockey. Go Fighting Sioux…

Julie Robenhymer from Hockey Buzz has a great blog post on the NCAA tourney. Breaking Down the Brackets - How The Frozen Four Got There...[Click to view]

Looks like Merrimack College forward Stephane Da Costa will not be returning to college in the fall. [Click to view] That's a huge loss for Merrimack College.

Tim Boger from the Dakota Student has a blog post about the Sioux being half way to pay dirt. Good stuff there... [Click to view]

Kevin Pates has an article about the UMD and Yale game. College hockey: Penalty proved key for UMD's run to the Frozen Four [Click to view]

Without a Peer refered to UND as a runway truck... [Click to view]

Our Favorite USCHO writer Brian Sullivan has an article on Yale’s misfortune during the Regional; Yale pays the penalty and sees its season end. This article sounds more like sour grapes to me. From my perspective the hit was a penalty and the ref made the correct call, lets also be real, UMD out played Yale. Got to like how there is no credit given to UMD for their victory, that unacceptable in my opinion. Also, sounds like major league whining to me. [Click to view Article]

It sounds like Michigan junior defenseman Brandon Burlon will be returning for the Frozen Four for the Ugly Helmets Michgian Wolverines [Click to view]

The College Hockey blog has the Frozen Four by the Numbers. [Click to view]

More whining and lack of class from the Yale Daily. Hopes dashed in Bridgeport...[Click to view]

USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll

USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[March 28, 2010]
1 North Dakota (34) 32-8-3 510 1
2 Michigan 28-10-4 462 6
3 Minnesota Duluth 24-10-6 418 12
4 Notre Dame 25-13-5 394 9
5 Boston College 30-8-1 378 2
6 Yale 28-7-1 330 3
7 Denver 25-12-5 302 5
8 Miami (Ohio) 23-10-6 282 4
9 New Hamsphire 22-11-6 230 11
10 Merrimack 25-10-4 200 7
11 Colorado College 23-19-3 186 13
12 Union 26-10-4 134 8
13 Western Michigan 19-13-10 128 10
14 Nebraska Omaha 21-16-2 94 14
15 Rensselaer 20-13-5 16 15
Others receiving votes: Dartmouth 10; Boston University 4; Rochester Institute of Technology 1; Air Force 1.

Blood Check on Zucker

Here's a video of Big Ben Blood taking out Jason Zucker with a textbook body check.



Ben Blood is leading the country in plus minus. His 36 is far better than the next guy on the list, Notre Dame's Sean Lorenz who is at 29.

Matt Frattin is #3 at 28.

Blood has been a rock for us on defense, but he hasn't gotten the national attention that he's deserved.

Goon's in studio on 1310 KNOX - Tuesday from 4:30 – 5:00 PM

Listen to the Goon live at 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm on 1310 AM KNOX on Tuesday March 29th, 2011. R.J. and the Goon will be talking about last weekend NCAA Regional tourney... If you live out of town you can listen live by clicking on this web link... [Click to Listen]

Call in 701-775-5559, 1-866-KNOX-1310, email: Live@KNOXRADIO.com

Fire Hakstol… err wait a minute. Sioux 6 DU 1...

I was told by a friend tonight in an email that I should get the "Fire Hak!" thread going again. I laughed pretty hard when I read that email. Just think after losing to the UNO Mavericks 8-4 that there were fans that wanted the head coach of the Fighting Sioux fired for not winning that game and thought that if the Sioux didn't win the Frozen Four that would also be ground for Hakstol's termination. I would bet any money that those same fans that were calling for Mr. Hakstol's head are now firmly on board the Hakstol bandwagon at this very moment as the Sioux are once again going to the Frozen Four. But I digress... Not many coaches in the WCHA can claim to have the success that Dave Hakstol does.

The Fighting Sioux with the victory last night against the Denver Pioneers are making their fifth trip in seven seasons to the Frozen Four. Not a bad coaching job for Dave Hakstol and his staff. There were a lot of doubters in the Fighting Sioux fan base, but I never doubted this coach or this group of hockey players.

Good goaltending

There were people that questioned the goaltender Aaron Dell and said that he wasn’t very good. Those people were proven dead wrong as Aaron Dell took the reins from two year starter Brad Eidsness and won his 30th game of the season (30-6-2, 1.81 GAA and .924 sv%) with the win last night surpassed former NHL All Star and Fighting Sioux goalie Eddie “the Eagle” Belfour… Nationally, Dell is tied for first in the nation with 6 shutouts, number one in winning percentage, eight in save percentage, number one in goals against average. So I ask the doubters, how they can say that Aaron Dell isn’t very good goaltender?” Me personally, I would rather have Dell than any other goalie in the WCHA right now. Where would this team be if the Fighting Sioux didn’t have Aaron Dell, Brad Eidsness is a shell of his former self and couldn’t stop a beach ball earlier this season?

Balanced scoring

The Fighting Sioux were the second highest scoring team in the nation, second only to the EZAC team Yale, who was number one. You know how I feel about that stat so we will leave it at that, it is what it is, Yale racked up points playing a less than impressive schedule (44th SOS) the Fighting Sioux picked up their points playing the seventh toughest schedule. Breaking down the Sioux stats sheet, there are fifteen players on the Sioux roster with ten or more points, three players with twenty or more points, six players with thirty or more points, five players with forty or more points and one player with sixty points. That is some pretty good scoring dept.

Total Domination

Tonight after the first period I thought the Sioux did to the Pioneers what they did to the RPI Engineers, they beat them with their dept, the Pioneers were basically playing three lines to the Sioux rolling four lines and in the end the Sioux took the Pioneers to the wood shed.

An unnamed radio personality was complaining on twitter tonight about the Fighting Sioux still having their top players out on the power play at the end of the game. Like one of my old football coaches said, if you don’t want to get scored on play better defense, the time in the game is relevant. What the hell is the Fighting Sioux coaching staff supposed to do? UND isn’t a one line wonder like some teams and they are deep through the forward lines and the Pioneers were hacking away at the Sioux at the end of the game so I don’t blame Hakstol and co for putting the better guys out on the power play at the end of the game. The best cure for getting a team to stop taking penalties is to score on them on the power play. Just for the record Brett Hextall and Jason Gregoire are second line players. Yeah I know, they would be first line players on other teams in the WCHA.

Goon's three stars of the game
1.) Chay Genoway (0g-3a-3pts)
2.) Aaron Dell 1 GAA
3.) Brad Malone (1g-1a-2pts)

[Box Score]

Regionals Wrap Up (Redwing77)

It turns out I didn't do too badly after all.

I batted .500 on the Frozen Four lineup. I hit with UMD and UND and missed with Michigan and Notre Dame. For the record, I had UMD, UND, BC, and Miami.

UND vs. DU:

I was very nervous for this game because I believe that very few coaches know how to unravel UND's game plan. Gwozdecky and Blais do. York of BC have had luck in this as well. So, as you probably can guess, UNO, DU, and BC aren't teams I wanted UND to face off in the playoffs. And, from what I've read, I think UND still shouldn't have had to.

I agree with Michigan's blogger (link missing) who stated that DU and Michigan should have swapped regionals. Of course, then it would be UND vs. DU in the Frozen Four but oh well.

I was very impressed in this game with UND.

As for the Resch Center: They're only slightly better than Ford Field and that arena in Indiana. I think I've noticed ponds in rural Minnesota that had better quality ice. Actually, if I went to North Central Nebraska, I might find a few ponds in December that would rival the Resch Center.

My three stars:

First Star: Aaron Dell
Second Star: Brad Malone
Third Star: Chay Genoway

My All Regional Team:

Matt Frattin - UND
Jason Zucker - DU
Brad Malone - UND
Chay Genoway - UND
Matt Donovan - DU
Aaron Dell - UND

Tourney MVP: Aaron Dell - UND

Update: I can't find the actual All Tourney Team, but I now know that Genoway, Malone, Dell, and Trupp represented UND with Dell winning MVP.

Commentators for the Midwest Regional:

I don't know what to take of Paradise and whatshisface. During the RPI game they spent almost the entire first period apologizing for RPI and acted as if almost consoling RPI fans to prepare for the worst like UND is a big bad bully about to steal their milk money and give them a wedgie. Then UND starts scoring and suddenly their alter ego takes over and they're all chipper and happy about the goals.

DU/UND they spent almost the entire game blathering about whatever. They actually tuned out the Brock Nelson goal entirely. At least the cameraman paid attention. Look, I know what a 6-1 game looks like but every goal in this matchup mattered. It would have been nice if the commentators understood that.

CC vs. Michigan:

Michigan and CC both looked slow, but Michigan looked better and that's all that was needed to beat CC. CC was on borrowed time and made it much further than I originally thought they would. That being said, only UNH can match CC in terms of lethality among #4 seeds.

UNH vs. Notre Dame:

This game was boring... if you like offense. UNH tried to bring a fast game to the ice and Notre Dame kept slowing it down. Mike Johnson (goaltender, Notre Dame) played an awesome game and was named Player of the Game for it. I wouldn't be surprised if he was also the tourney MVP for that regional.

The Frozen Four matchup:

UND vs. Michigan:

Michigan is no slouch. They aren't great, but they're no slouch. Shawn Hunwick (UM goaltender) has played great... a lot better than I thought he would. Michigan does have some scoring but I think their offense is much like DU in that they really don't have any dynamic scoring. They're pretty balanced overall, but pretty easy to outmuscle. If UND plays a fast but physical game, much like they did today against DU, keeps the front of the net clear, and takes care of rebounds both on offense and defense, I think UND wins.

On paper, UND wins. In reality? Still a toss up.

My prediction: UND wins. No percentage on this one. I'm a Sioux fan. No one should expect any different in this category.

End Thought:

Don't know if I should be happy that Notre Dame won or sad that UNH lost. With Notre Dame in the tourney, you have ZERO Eastern teams. That's a good thing. With Notre Dame in there, you have two big schools (Michigan and Notre Dame) and two little schools comparatively (UND and UMD). I wonder how the coverage will work. Will they pull the Eastern Team Red Carpet act on Notre Dame and Michigan and poo-poo UND and UMD or will they play it equal or what?

Yeah!!! Blame the Sioux.

You've got to be kidding me??? I can't believe he would even say this, what a buffoon for even writing it. This is the beat writer that asks DU Head Coach George Gwozdecky what time RIT is playing at the press conference after his team has just beat C.C. in the WCHA Final Five. Surprisingly it was legit eh?

GREEN BAY, Wis. — After defeating Western Michigan 3-2 in double OT Saturday and faced with a relatively short rest period before this afternoon’s regional championship game against top-ranked North Dakota, the Denver Pioneers had trouble sleeping. They awoke twice at the Aloft Green Bay Hotel because of fire alarms, at about 7 and 8:30 a.m., according to DU radio guy Jay Stickney.

Yeah, your first reaction is to blame the over-indulged Sioux fan, and there are lots of them here, but apparently it was legit. Stickney said he checked with the front desk people and they said there were problems in the kitchen. Nobody had to evacuate the hotel, just exit their rooms and hang out in the hallway for short periods.

Something to ponder on Sunday morning; ECAC Hockey...

So after Union, Yale and RPI went an impressive 1-3 in the NCAA tourney this past weekend, can we now again call the ECAC the EZAC again? All season long we heard how tough the ECAC was top to bottom. The ECAC fans were upset with the rest of the college hockey world for rolling our eyes at this suggestion. We had seen this drill before. After watching Yale rack up wins against a list of unimpressive teams, we were lectured by the “Eastern college hockey pundits” that Yale was one of the best college teams in the country and they’re going to be punching their ticket to the Frozen Four in March. #epicfail #notwinning

I ask you, has anything actually changed? But I digress. After watching Yale play two games, I don’t think that Yale was even the best team in their conference. I had the opportunity to watch Union play three or four times this season, I believe that Union was best team in the ECAC. The Dutchmen gave UMD more of a fight that Yale did. Before someone jumps down my throat I saw the O’Neill hit on Jake Hendrickson that was a penalty and worthy of a major penalty and the refs made the right call in that situation.

Let’s think about this, Duluth (the fourth place team in the WCHA) rolled through Yale like a hot knife through butter. Almost true to form; and right on script, the ECAC teams were all gone by the end of the NCAA regionals. That right, the ECAC went 1-3 in their four NCAA games played. So I ask you college hockey fans, has anything really changed? NCAA titles are won and lost in March and April, there is no trophy for being number one in the pairwise during regular season nor is a there a trophy for having the most wins in January and February.

I had a debate recently with a person that had said top to bottom that the ECAC was most balanced league in all of college hockey. I immediately took issue with what this man had said; I told his argument was highly flawed and flat out wrong. Of course the man was perplexed that I would even question his logic.

Going forward I think my argument has been proven to be right with the results of this post season. All you have to do is look at what the WCHA has done this post season and what has transpired, the 10th place team in the WCHA took out the third place team and the fourth place team in the WCHA playoffs.

I honestly think after watching the tourney to this point that the WCHA has proved to be the toughest league top to bottom; think about this, how often does the 6th place team in any league take out the defending NCAA champion in the NCAA tourney? That doesn’t happen very often. Think about this, when the regular season ended the C.C. Tigers finished in 6th place in the WCHA standings and had to go to a third game against the Wisconsin Badgers to make the WCHA Final Five. The Tigers were also a bubble team and were one of the last teams in.

The Eagles were no cupcake and the Tiger took them down and hung an 8 spot on their team. Their goaltender had gone an impressive 8-0-0 in the NCAA tourney. That’s no small accomplishment in my opinion; the Eagles were the team that had won NCAA titles in two out the last three NCAA’s. The next night the Tigers played tough against Michigan. UMD took two of the anointed best teams that the ECAC had to offer and chewed them up and spit them out.