February 29, 2004
INCH Power Rankings

Last week we praised the teams at the top of our rankings, as the top eight had gone 14-0-2 the week before. This week? A much different story, as everybody but North Dakota in the top six suffered at least one loss, and as a group they went 4-8-0. It's as if, just before playoff time, we needed a little reminder – anything can happen.

Here's how the Inside College Hockey editors and staff rank the rest of the nation's top teams (along with movement since last week and a note). You can let us know what you think, including your name and hometown, and we'll share your thoughts below.

No.	Team		Of Note
1.	Boston College	–	Eagles loss, a day after clinching the Hockey East title, was predictable. Whether they can win the national title if Ben Eaves doesn't get healthy isn't.
26-4-4 (17-2-3 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: W vs. New Hampshire, 4-2; L at New Hampshire, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Maine, at Maine.
2.	North Dakota	–	Everyone knew the key to success for the Sioux was Jake Brandt's goaltending and Nick Fuher's offense, right?
24-6-3 (18-5-3 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W at Minnesota Duluth, 4-1; W at Minnesota Duluth, 2-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan Tech, vs. Michigan Tech.
3.	Maine	2	Black Bears can't win the Hockey East title next weekend, but they might shut out BC – they seem to blank an opponent about once a weekend.
24-7-3 (15-5-2 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: L at UMass Lowell, 3-2; W at UMass Lowell, 4-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Boston College, vs. Boston College.
4.	Wisconsin	3	Badgers have given up a total of seven goals over their last six games (5-0-1).
20-9-7 (14-6-6 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W at Alaska Anchorage, 3-0; W at Alaska Anchorage, 3-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota Duluth, vs. Minnesota Duluth.
5.	Minnesota Duluth	1	The nation's most anticipated series weekend turned sour early for the home fans, when the Bulldogs fell behind 57 seconds into Friday's game with North Dakota.
22-10-3 (18-7-1 WCHA). LAST WEEK: L vs. North Dakota, 4-1; L vs. North Dakota, 2-1. THIS WEEK: at Wisconsin, at Wisconsin.
6.	Denver	2	We like to think that Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" played at Magness Arena as the Pioners swept back into the home playoff picture.
21-10-5 (11-10-5 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota, 6-2; W vs. Minnesota, 6-3. THIS WEEK: at Colorado College, vs. Colorado College.
7.	Michigan	4	Ruden awakening: Wolverines backup goalie allows four goals on 15 shots in place of injured Al Montoya Saturday.
23-10-1 (18-7-1 CCHA). LAST WEEK: L at Notre Dame, 4-1; L at Notre Dame, 5-2. THIS WEEK: at Michigan State, vs. Michigan State (Joe Louis Arena).
8.	New Hampshire	1	When we named Steve Saviano a Preseason All-American, one coach said, "He'll make you look like prophets." Indeed, the nation's goal-scoring leader (26) has.
18-11-5 (10-7-5 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: L at Boston College, 4-2; W vs. Boston College, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Boston University, vs. Boston University.
9.	Minnesota	3	Kellen Briggs blamed his weekend struggles on the thin Colorado air – until someone reminded him he's from Colorado Springs.
20-13-3 (13-12-1 WCHA). LAST WEEK: L at Denver, 6-2; L at Denver, 6-3. THIS WEEK: vs. St. Cloud State, vs. St. Cloud State.
10.	Miami	2	Had Western Michigan's Pat Dwyer not scored with 55 seconds left in Friday's tie in Oxford, the RedHawks would be one point behind Michigan in the CCHA race.
19-11-4 (16-7-3 CCHA). LAST WEEK: T vs. Western Michigan, 2-2 ot; W vs. Western Michigan, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Ohio State, at Ohio State.
11.	Colgate	–	Sold-out Starr Rink saw Raiders win the Cleary Cup on Saturday.
19-10-5 (14-6-2 ECAC). LAST WEEK: L vs. Clarkson, 1-0; W vs. St. Lawrence, 3-2. THIS WEEK: Off.
12.	Colorado College	3	A dozen goals and a pair of wins in St. Cloud make for nice pre-Gold Pan momentum, but is the effort too late for the Tigers?
18-13-3 (11-13-2 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W at St. Cloud State, 7-1; W at St. Cloud State, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Denver, at Denver.
13.	Notre Dame	5	Dave Poulin remembers the last time the Irish swept Michigan at home. He captained that Notre Dame squad 22 years ago.
17-11-4 (13-10-3 CCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan, 4-1; W vs. Michigan, 5-2. THIS WEEK: at Lake Superior State, at Lake Superior State.
14.	Michigan State	1	The Spartans could use a couple quality wins as they chase an NCAA tournament berth. Of course, any win against Michigan is a quality win to the folks in East Lansing.
20-15-1 (16-9-1 CCHA). LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan, vs. Michigan (Joe Louis Arena).
15.	Ohio State	1	Speaking of quality wins, the Buckeyes could add to their total this weekend in a home-and-home series with Miami.
20-14-0 (15-11-0 CCHA). LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Miami, vs. Miami.
16.	St. Cloud State	6	Memo to the Huskies playoff planners: Frontier has two daily non-stops from MSP to Denver. Useful information if your team's current trend continues.
18-12-4 (12-10-4 WCHA). LAST WEEK: L vs. Colorado College, 7-1; L vs. Colorado College, 5-2. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota, at Minnesota.
17.	Cornell	–	Central New York travel partners finish atop the ECAC standings, as Big Red close the year with seven wins in eight games.
15-8-6 (13-6-3 ECAC). LAST WEEK: W vs. St. Lawrence, 4-1; W vs. Clarkson, 2-1. THIS WEEK: Off.
18.	Massachusetts	2	Don Cahoon (BU '72) can help his alma mater make the Hockey East playoffs with a win or two against Northeastern.
16-9-6 (12-7-3 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Northeastern, vs. Northeastern.
19.	Bemidji State	1	The Beavers host Niagara in a series that was supposed to determine the CHA regular season champion, but that was before Findlay swept the Purple Eagles at home.
18-11-3 (14-2-1 CHA). LAST WEEK: W at Air Force, 7-4; W at Air Force, 9-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Niagara, vs. Niagara.
20.	Providence	NR	Five Friar skaters have double-digits in goals, led by Peter Zingoni with a team-high 12.
15-11-7 (7-10-6 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: W vs. Merrimack, 5-1; T at Merrimack, 2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. UMass Lowell.

Dropped out: Brown

Bubble-licious: Rensselaer, Dartmouth, Holy Cross, Brown

Feedback

To be the best you have to beat the best and obviously UMD couldn't do it and now we know who the BEST team in the WCHA is. This coming weekend is going to be the best weekend for all SIOUX fans because the CUP is finally coming home where it belongs.

Ryan, Grand Forks

P.S. It won't be the only title this year for the SIOUX.

So, did anyone predict Bemidji State and Minnesota State to be the only two of the five Minnesota D1 schools to not get swept last weekend. Gophers, Bulldogs, and Huskies, what's going on? Your collapse was almost as impressive as Fargo South's in the 2004 ND State High School Hockey Tournament.

Jimmy, Salt Lake City, Utah

As a loyal Minnesota Gopher fan, I must unfortunately say that we picked the wrong time to have a problem in the nets! We have been swept two of the last three weekends (Minn Duluth & Denver) I know Coach Lucia will "try" the Knute Rockne speech, but I'm worried that this train has derailed and will be hard to get back on track.

Also, I was a big fan of Minnesota Duluth this past weekend vs North Dakota and what happens? They get swept as well!! All in all a very tough weekend for Minnesota teams... yup, that includes the St. Cloud State Huskies who were str8 waxed by Colorado College! I'm still looking forward to the NCAA's.... I'm just not nearly as confidant as I'd like to be about my squad.

Did I see Michigan got swept and the mighty Boston College Eagles split...... Hmmmmmmmm

Mike, Lakeville, MN

First off, congrats to the Souix on their sweep, and thanks for the very exciting hockey this weekend (Saturday more so than Friday). You dominated Friday, but Saturday was a very close back and forth game, good stuff.

That being out of the way, on to the polls. Tell me how Wisconsin moved up 3 spots for sweeping a pretty poor Alaska-Anchorage, and move one spot of UMD. Yes UMD got swept, but they got swept by one of the top 2 teams in the nation (#1 in PairWise, and #2 in most polls), and outplayed them on Saturday (even the Souix fans have to admit it, though it didn't show on the scoreboard).

Again, congrats to the Souix, the Cup is yours to loose (I don't think that they will get swept by Michigan Tech in Grand Forks). And thanks for giving UMD a major gut check, I think they needed it badly.

Mike, Duluth, Minnesota

You cant be serious! Boston College and North Dakota are seemingly equal teams going into last weekend, BC has a home and home series and splits, ND goes into Duluth, the hottest team in the country and sweeps,and you leave BC number one? If you need to bring in some outside help with your power rankings feel free to do it. And this isnt just because I am from North Dakota, it is just common sense.

Marlin, Grand Forks, ND

DU goalie Adam B. is heating up at the right time again. DU will give the fighting SUE all they can handle in the WCHA tourney if they can survive the blood bath with CC this weekend. Since the NCCA is not rigged to favor the Gophers or Michigan this year watch for the real talent to get to the frozen 4 for the first time in a long time.

Ron, Aptos, CA

Notre Dame is just as deserving of a NCAA tournament birth as Boston College. Has anybody else beaten 4 of the top 7 teams this season?

Go Irish Go

Joe, South Bend, IN

Ryan. You haven't won anything yet. While I agree it is higly likely that the Sioux will win the McNaughton, the other hardware is still completely up for grabs. Your bragging reflects poorly on Sioux fans. Go Dogs!! Win the Broadmoor!!

Stew, Minneapolis

Badgers move from #7 up to #4, well-deserved after the tough trip to Alaska. Can’t wait for the Badger/Bulldog series this weekend! It should be one of the best of the year. (hopefully we can give them the same reception the Sioux got a couple weeks ago). How can it be explained that in your 4 x 4 seeding prediction Wisconsin was a #2 before this weekend and they are now a #3 ??? I agree with all the #1 seeds except Michigan – move them out and get the Badgers into a #1 where they belong.

Keith and Adam, Wausau, Wisconsin

To Ryan in Grand Forks: UND still hasn't beaten Wisconsin this year, so the Sioux can't be called the best because they haven't beaten the best. Wait until after the WCHA's. Won't it be nice to have a WCHA Final Five without the Golden Ground Squirrels? They're not called the "Golden Chokers" for nothing.

Go MSU! Bruckler for MVP.

Jerry Noel, Madison, WI

In reply to the post from Jimmy from Salt Lake City, Utah:

"Oooh! That's downright COLD! ...But you're right..."

DK, Washington, DC

Hey, has anyone noticed that in the USA Today College Hockey poll there are 7 WCHA teams out of the 15 total, UND on top of coarse. 7 out of 15. that's almost half.

Hey Don, from St. Paul. I didn't catch the scores for the games this weekend. How did the Bulldogs fair against that weaker, overestimated UND team? Just wondering, cause I saw that the Sioux were on top of the WCHA, I was wondering how that could happen?

Jeff, Ardoch, ND

So Ryan, i was just wondering, is the season over??? because last time i checked, it's not, before you go preaching about winning the WCHA, you have to beat Michigan Tech. Granted they are not the best team, actually the worst in the WCHA, but just telling ya to not get too cocky too soon, especially if Nodak walks in there ahead of themselves and Michigan Tech. takes advantage of it. Oh, by the way, i'm not a Michigan Tech. fan, just thought you'd like to know.

Patrick, Austin, Minnesota

This has more to do with the 4X4 tourney projections then power rankings... Wisconsin at the #4 in the power rankings seems very fair, justifiable, and correct. BUT, to have them as a 3 seed in the tourney, Come on! There is only one series left (against duluth), and to say we would drop that much, even in the worst case scenario (sweep) is pretty ridiculous. Take a look at our wins (sweep of dakota, wins against michigan, st. cloud, minnesota, etc, etc.)and you shall see we deserve a 2 seed , at worst! and a 1 seed with a sweep this weekend.

Jed, madison, WI

B.C certainly has the edge heading into the Hockey East Tournament with or without Ben Eaves, Their D is great, Stingy and physical, My sleeper team who can mess things up is Massachusetts, They do have the talent as we saw last year in the Hockey East Tournament,I think a revenge factor will be in all of their heads.

Paul, Hudson, MA

I would have to agree. It will be tough to beat B.C. in the HE tourney, but its certainly not out of the question. UNH and Northeastern are both teams that gave BC a reality check, and if Maine comes out and gives them a tough time as well, it could level the playing field a little more come tourney time. I'm not taking anything away from the Eagles, but its amazing what can happen when you get cought in a mental game. This weekend's series (Maine/BC) will set the tone for the tounament. Both these teams are the two front runners to get to the HE finals, so I'm sure this matchup will be a good indicator of whats gonna happen during the tournament.

Eric Orono, ME

Keith and Adam, and Jed, to explain a little on the 4X4 that is just their predictions. The seeding for the NCAA is determined pretty much solely on the PairWise rankings, then some other factors like interconference play and host cities for attendance. In the PairWise I belive Wisconsin is #7(not quite sure, but somewhere in that neighborhood). So basically, this weekend series with UMD is very important to both teams. A split probably wouldn't change anything, but a sweep for either team could change a lot up (UMD sweep more likely to get a #1 seed in the NCAA, and WI would be #3 or #4, Wisconsin sweep probably would move them to a #2 or #3, and keep UMD at #2 or possibly a #3).

And to Ryan in ND. After reading an article on this website the Souix can have the McNaughton Cup. The reason being that the last team to win the Cup and the NCAA was a team that is no longer in the WCHA, Northern Michigan Wildcats in 1991. Just keep that in mind next time you start getting cocky about the Souix.

Mike, Duluth, Minnesota

Oh boy, It's getting thick out there!! In response to Ryan in California, You've been surfin' too much! The NCAA doesn't "RIG" anything, it's a matter of who has the nicest areana's for $$$ purposes as well as the best fan base to generate the revenue and aura at the games.. besides anybody can put in a bid to host these games, California would be a fun place to go for them, I just doubt you could get enough Colorado transplants to fill the arena. That leaves me with one question... who is the "real talent" that you were referring to?? CC, Denver?? C'mon DUDE!

In regards to Jerry in Mad Town: The BADgers play a boring defensive neutral zone trap that is like watching paint dry!! They don't have the overall balance to go all the way in the NCAA's... they need more offensive skill players... oh and you called my Gophers the "Golden Chokers" .... were you really thinking that the past two years when they were winning back to back national championships or did you just come out of your self inflicted drug overdose?

Wheres the love? here it is... ND looks great, UMD looks great, BC looks great and Maine is flying under the radar!! Watch out for da Bad news bears...

Mike, Lakeville, MN

Marlin..you need to get your ND head out of whereever you've stuck it and open your eyes. Hockey East is where the action really is. ND isnt anywhere near BC, in fact, If anyone in the country is in the same class as BC it would have to be Maine. Hottest team in the country...I would think that two unbeaten streaks one for 12 and one for 14 would have to be classified as the hottest team in the country. Wait till the Frozen Four, im sure I'll be cheering on at least Maine and BC, possibly even UMASS and UNH as well, I take that back because as a Maine Grad, you cant root for UNH! Go Hockey East!

Chris, Bridgewater MA

To Jerry in Wisconsin...

The Gophers haven't choked anything off yet. First off, where has Wisconsin been the last 10 plus seasons?? And a little reminder...the Gophers are 2-1-1 this year versus your squad. And although they haven't faired as well against North Dakota, did earn a split with them the series before they swept your Badgers. Although they may be struggling a bit right now, they still have the talent to compete and beat any team in the country (except maybe UMD). One more reminder...they are the 2-time defending National Champs in case your memory doesn't go back further than November 14th-15th.

Tony, St. Paul, MN

Ahhhhh, the smell of victory is so much sweeter than the stench of defeat....nice work Sioux!

Now a few things to get out of the way:

1: Jimmy in Utah, astute observations on the college front but absolutely classless on the high school front Rubbing in a state runner-up finish to a group of kids who were 41 seconds away from being state champs (only to give up 2 goals 12 seconds apart for a stunning 3-2 loss) less than 24 hours after it happens is low. As they live and play in UND's backyard and literally their barn for the state tourney I'm sure a few of them read these posts keeping up with their team. Way to degrade what they accomplished in a national format as I'm sure it wasn't hard enough for the average 16-18 yr. old anyway.

2: Ron in Cali, what are you smoking? You've gone 0-3-1 against UND this year which included getting spanked by a 14-2 AT HOME in November (8-1 loss, 6-1 loss), being beat 6-1 at UND and managing a 1-1 tie at UND in January when UND went into it's mini-slide. That means you've been outscored 21-4 and you want the "SUE" to take you seriously? Please.

3: The only WCHA team that UND needs to be questioned about is Wisconsin. The Sioux gave away the Friday game in the 3rd period and couldn't buy a goal on Saturday night....what did UND have, like 40+ shots at the net???? They also had some very dubious decisions made by both their goaltenders that led to Wisconsin scores, whereas the Wisconsin goalie backstopped that team to the win on Saturday night hands down. Having said that, Wisconsin is a good team this year, but not the one I'd pick night in/night out to take the WCHA to the promised land. The series between UMD/Wisconsin should be outstanding this weekend and a good gut check.

Go Sioux!!

Mike, Grand Forks, ND

Mike in Duluth, it seems to me some one is a little bitter about getting swept by the SIOUX. You failed to mention that Northern Michigan not only won the Regular season title but they also won the FINAL FIVE TITLE. It also seems to me that the lil PUPS from Duluth have not won much of any title in a long time. This year does not look good for them winning any title either because they are just not as talented team as teams like BC, Maine, UNH, ND and the always dangerous Gophers.

Ryan, Grand Forks

P.S. you shouldn't get to cocky yourself either, "You caught us in a funk once, don't expect it to happen a second time." I believe that is what you said a couple of weeks ago.

To Mike in Grand Forks,
You should know something about me, I'm definitely no fan of any Grand Forks High School Hockey team, and I'm assuming you're a disgruntled Red River patron. So In defense of myself, and to reply to your harsh remarks, I was at pretty much the whole state tourney, having a little break from the slopes of Utah. I observed every game in championship round, and know what happened in every game. I know who deserved to win, and who didn't, but as was certainly displayed in this tourney, not every team that deserves to win does (if you were there, you know what games I'm talking about). To any Fargo South players, I didn't mean to offend you or bring you down, the game was yours, you outplayed Central (as did RR), and played better as a team, but to reiterate what I said earlier, and you can't argue facts, FS did collapse after the pp goal. A miraculous finish...

So Mike, lets get one thing straight. My analogy was not meant to belittle any 16-18 year olds, I'm sorry that it came off that way. Also, there were 47 seconds left after the power play goal, not 41, I looked at the clock, I was there. Get it right, if you want to argue. I also know, as you should, who choked, and who got lucky, twice. Let's just agree that North Dakota College hockey had a better weekend than Minnesota colleges, which was my point to begin with, and that simply throwing the puck on net as you dump it in never played such a big roll in a State Tourney as it did in 2004.

Jimmy, now Fargo, ND

To Mike in Lakeville, MN. As a DU grad I have absolutely no love for CC and they haven't had any talent since they choked in the finals years ago. As far as the tourneys go I agree with you that the fan base and overall hockey knowledge in Denver is bad compared to the Real hockey states. Thanks to the Av's the fans are getting better.

I know Minnesotans will fill a barn for a weekend pee-wee tourney and a keg of Old Style but in the past other teams like DU have been ripped off having to be the home team at Yost against the homers in Blue and Maze. As a native of Halifax I have to uphold my undying love for the game and stir the pot. It is our duty! But the real talent is in the WCHA. The shine of the silver spoon for Hockey East and the ECAC has tarnished only having one hope for the Frozen Four which, will choke in round one. That's just what they do. But being ranked in the top 8 doesn't happen without talent DU is a sleeper starting to wake up.

To Mike in Grand Forks, ND. Plain and simple your team is awesome but, I just love to hate the SUE! Yes you have thumped us this year, and believe me no one has forgotten. You know as well as I do that this time of year you can wipe the slate clean. For what it means, I'm sorry that you live in a frozen waste-land and that GF makes Yellow Knife look like a Club-Med. We will continue to keep all the KGB to ourselves and send you the nasty Shwag which you so willingly pay top dollar for. In the mean time I am going to go into my backyard and pick a couple of lemons, maybe a lime, put it in my cocktail and walk down to the beach to watch the sunset. After I surf in the morning at sun up I am going to hop in the car drive up to Bear Valley and tear up some of the 2 new feet of snow that fell over the weekend. Cheers!

Ron Aptos, CA

Ahh much better Ryan!! That helped me understand you and where you were coming from a bit better. Denver could be coming to life at the right time, only time will tell!

And my friend (Joe) from St. Cloud who makes postings here was in agreeance with you on the Michigan teams always getting home ice.... but as much as WE don't like this, it will continue to happen if they play great in the regular season and earn a top seed.... thats the reward..... Home Ice basically...
Go Minnesota!! The Badgers are done!! and the SUE... well I don't like them but this year I fear them and all of their Minnesota players!!

Mike (Lakeville, MN)

Ron in Cali, That sand must really be getting to your head because Cali itself is no HOCKEY STATE either. I am sure they have never even heard of skates. Also I would take our neighbors (minnesota) Pee Wee team over any type of hockey out there.

You need to wake up and realize that DU is no sleeper they just arn't as good as everyone else. The real sleeper team in the league is the Gophers. So what if you swept them, I don't think you would want to meet them in the playoffs because they are always dangerous then. Any WCHA fan would agree with me on that. In the mean time I am going to go in my back yard and skate around on my homemade ice rink and drink hot chocolate. After that I might head down to paradise tanning and catch some rays, DUDE!

Ryan, Grand Forks, ND

To all those who think the Badgers are a joke, listen up. Mike Eaves has taken a group of freshmen and beaten the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Denver, Colorado College, St. Cloud State, A SWEEP OF NORTH DAKOTA, and Minnesota. I don't care what your rodents have done in the past, those two national championships dont mean anything as far as this year is concerned. The Badgers are a young team, and they deserve all the credit they have gotten in the polls. They are a force to dealt with. Whether they are fun to watch or not, they get the job done and win. They are incredibly mature for their youth and that deserves everybodys respect, especially being 3rd in the hardest conference in college hockey. UMD, North Dakota, and Minnesota are very good but don't knock my Badgers.
Bernd Bruckler is hands down the MVP of the league.
Go Badgers, sweep the Dogs.

Andy, Madison, WI

Boy are the punches flying. Its fun to read everyone's responses to each other, actually it is quite humorous. But the fact is no one can say they are the best team in hockey. I am a huge Sioux fan, but let me tell you all that every team in the WCHA, and the nation for that matter, is a challenge. Any team can beat any other team on any given weekend. That is one of the main reasons why this years tournament is going to be so much fun to watch. You can throw ND, UMD, Minnesota, Wisconsin, CC, DU, St Cloud, BC, UNH, Maine, and even the Michigan schools into a hat, and pull out this years winner.
As far as last weekends series against UMD the Sioux played just well enough to come out with a sweep. But, let me tell you I do not want to play the Bulldogs again. Its hard enough to beat a team 5 times in a season, especially when they are one of the top 5 teams in the nation. Eventually you are going to loose one, and I am just hoping its not in the tournament.
I hope we all can agree that it has been an exciting regular season for college hockey, (which is quite refreshing to see since the NHL is on a decline), and that the tournament will be even better.

Dan, Cincinnati, Ohio

Ryan in GF...

How can you say the Gophers have more talent than UMD? Did you watch any hockey this season? UMD beat UM 4 TIMES!!!!! 4-3, 4-2, 6-1, 4-1. We have a legitimate Hobey candidate (Lessard), great 2-way D men, and a hot goaltender. What else do you really need. Minnesota has extremely questionable goaltending, soft D, and no heart. That spells disaster for the Maroon and Gold this postseason. There will be no threepeat!

Stew, Minneapolis

Great Job keep up the good work!

Strength of Schedule: North Dakota 1 Boston College 11 Any more Questions?

Todd, Grand Forks, ND

What a great site, and it just keeps getting better and better as the regional/Frozen Four approaches.

Quickly to Jimmy (now of Fargo), nice note back...that was all class and upfront. Nicely done/put. I'm not a Grand Forks or Fargo alum so the teams made no difference, just the example used. You've explained it and all is good...not that I ever expected a true grass-roots hockey fan to be trashing the next generation.

To Ron in sunny CA, life sounds good but the Canadian half of my heritage just shakes it's head that you gave up on the homeland and went soft in the sun. Couldn't you at least have gone to Vancouver if you were going to switch coasts (still golf/snowboard year around, and Whistler rules the North American mountains). Making fun of the tundra is also kinda funny coming from a former Newfie, but that has nothing to do with hockey or the rankings so I'll move on.

Sioux taking WCHA regular season, Sioux/Bulldogs/Gophers taking Final Five, WCHA representative taking Frozen Four (going with UND/Bulldogs depending on brackets with Sioux odds on favorite). I think the Gophers have hit a wall and Wisconsin is a year away, and BC the real talent coming out of the east will have to hope they don't hit a hot goalie from UND or UMD if they make it to Frozen Four as Sioux and Bulldogs have to much firepower on offense if their goalies are hot. IF Wisconsin sneaks in I predict it will be due to their goalie playing out of his mind as he did against the Sioux in the Saturday night game a few weeks ago. Baring injuries I think that the WCHA absolutely has the competitive edge this year and Hockey East will be touting past achievements for another season as the NCAA Championship Banner is raised yet again in a WCHA barn in 2004.

Go Sioux!!

Mike, Grand Forks, ND

As I was walking to the Ralph, that's the UND hockey arena for those of you who don't know, I picked up a few pieces of ice to put in my cocktail to go along with my lemons and limes that I didn't pick in my back yard because after all, it is Grand Forks. Being as the Games start at 7:00 here I can't enjoy a wonderful sun set which gets me down. But then I get to thinking, what does any of this have to do with college hockey? Plain and simple, absolutely nothing! One might compare Grand Forks, or all of North Dakota, as the armpit of America. When talking about hockey, there is no place greater. And thought I commend you, Ron of CA, for your success out of college, which allows you to get such fresh produce for your beverages, I am sure that your hockey team at DU could really care less. GO SIOUX!

Tom, Grand Forks ND

Now we got something going... good banter and good sports when your team is slammed. I would just like to reply to a few of you gents..... Ryan in Grand Forks: Your Funny, don't burn in the booth! Andy in Madtown: sorry for not giving the badgers enough credit, they have come a long way in a short time, Bruckler has been superb but as far as the league MVP goes.... I'd say it comes down to this weekend match up against UMD and there canidate in Isaac Reichmuth... whomever has a better series between those two would get my vote! Without the stellar play of those two, neither team is where they are currently in the polls. Stew in Mpls: I hope your wrong. Mike in Grand Forks: You must have went to school in Minnesota because I agree with your assesment 100%... unfortunately.

Mike, Lakeville, MN

Stew in Minneapolis, at what point did I say the Gophers have more talent then UMD? Thats because I never said that at all. I know UMD has beaten the Gophers 4 times this year and since I am a huge SIOUX fan it's hard for me to say this but I wouldn't want to play the Gophers in the post season when they are on a hot streak. With players like Vanek, Potulny, Ballard, and Briggs (whenever he is playing good) how could you not fear them. Yes, granted there won't be a threepeat but you can't count the Gophers out of anything. Especially when the FINAL FIVE is in Minneapolis.

Ryan, Grand Forks, ND

P.S. UMD's goaltender(s) is not on a hotstreak anymore after letting in 6 goals last weekend!

I've only got one thing to say, and that is 'amen to Tom'. Who cares about the weather and the landscape? This is a college hockey site, enough said.

Bo Knows - 2004 Hobey Baker Award

Ty, Grafton, ND

Some valid points here; some silly comments from blind-faith fans...

My thoughts:

Pay the refs more. Hold them accountable. I'm sick and tired of them ruining the objectivity of the contest.

North Dakota IS the best team in the league. They are very consistent against quality teams. Despite an ABOMINABLE power-play (16.8%), these guys score a lot. They also have pretty stingy defense--tough combo. Brandon Bochenski should be the Hobey winner; Zach Parise could be if he were a senior.

The Gophers COULD easily BE the best team in the league. They essentially retained their entire Championship roster from last year. (Good-riddens to Matt DeMarchi.) Tons of talent and unmatched depth. However, they have no consistency... (freshman goalie, shaky D-men, losing Paul Martin) Right now, I'd say they're a 7 or 8.

Denver? An up-and-down season, but they're on a roll lately (7-0-2). Momentum is priceless. I don't believe they can win it all. But, I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the 'quarters' or even the 'semis.'

Duluth? Talk about "home-ice advantage"... A 10-foot short neutral zone is NOT ok! BUILD A NEW RINK!! These guys are pretty good though--Sandelin has done a great job with them. I think they're really about a 6.

Wisconsin? Also, a bit inconsistent. Probably a top-5 team, but I bet they choke in the first or second round of the playoffs.

Michigan? Probably has the easiest schedule of anybody. Somehow....SOMEHOW, they dropped 2 games to Notre Dame by 3 goals apiece, just last weekend!! They certainly have some talented players, but...--well, we can't count them out entirely.

Eastern Teams? Generally lacking in depth---not to say they can't get the job done. (But most of them can't.)

Boston College? Securely a top-5 team. But, seriously...Alabama? Vermont? Merrimack? Who else? Sisters of the Poor? Salvation Army? Now they've hit a two-game slide... not looking good.

Maine--number 2? A little shaky throughout the season, but they usually come around. They handled BC 3-zip Friday night... Let's see what they can do tonight.

UNH? Got some players. Saviano is tearin' up the charts, but Ayers isn't quite stacking up to expectations @ .898% saves. The split with BC last weekend shows they're a contender.

...and, one more time: We need some serious quality control in the reff'ing department!

Alright, I'm out, hoping I got everything in...

Hans, Minneapolis, MN

Until the Gophers are out of the NCAA playoffs they are the FAVORITES!

Jerry, North Branch, MN

Well, I think Maine has proven themselves as the number 2 team, and a very serious contender this year for the championship after this weekend's series against B.C. They were a little shaky mid-season, with their losses to ND and Ohio State, but you still can't deny the rather decisive victories over Minnesota and Wisconsin early on, and the late season sweeps of B.C., UNH, and Providence. Arguably the best goaltending duo in the country, excellent penalty killing and just an insane defense overall. The biggest weakness I can see is the power play, and I think thats due to a lack of a big time scoring threat like an Eaves or a Saviano. If they can put a few more goals in the net on the power play, they will be hard to beat.

Eric, Orono, Me.

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