March
13,
2008
Simple Math: Five Is Greater Than Seven
By
Jess Myers
If a supercomputer in an undisclosed location
says that seven WCHA teams are worthy of invites to the
NCAA tournament, then what's the point of having a postseason
playoff called the Final Five?
WCHA REGULAR-SEASON
RECAP
PLAYOFF PREVIEW
Colorado College nay-sayers were curious who would
play goal for the Tigers and how that unproven commodity
would hold up in the toughest league in the nation.
Richard Bachmann answered all questions.
Perhaps it's to determine whether it's more
impressive to play well for four games, as opposed to playing
well for 28 games. That topic has been a source of some
debate at INCH and elsewhere, as the importance of winning
a regular season league title has been questioned. By contrast,
the more immediate confidence and momentum gained by winning
the league's playoff title are widely coveted.
In a world of baseball-style split seasons,
where there are first-half and second-half champions crowned,
we'd be having a playoff to decide whether Denver or North
Dakota is the true league champs. The Pioneers were 16-4-0
before Jan. 1, and have been mediocre since. As a kind of
photo negative, the Fighting Sioux compiled an impressive
array of splits early on and were 9-8-1 on Jan. 4. They
haven't lost a game since then, although a trio of ties
kept them from sharing the league title.
And then there is the WCHA's version of slow
and steady that won the race, although one glance at Colorado
College and you'll find nothing slow about the Tigers. Championship
seasons are often borne of a unifying road trip, and for
coach Scott Owens and company, this campaign was no exception.
The Tigers were swept at New Hampshire in late October,
letting a pair of games slip away in the final 20 minutes.
The following Friday, when they were humbled 6-2 at North
Dakota, the Tigers were under .500 for the first and only
time all season.
They won the next night in Grand Forks, and
proceeded to win 13 of their next 15 league games, along
with the WCHA crown on the final weekend of the season,
scoring an impressive sweep of their rivals from Denver,
and signaling that they'll be playing a lot more hockey
in Colorado yet this season.
Of course, there is that tricky matter of
the WCHA playoffs to get through first, and that's been
an unkind road for teams from the Front Range lately. Both
Denver and Colorado College were home teams in the 2006
and 2007 playoffs, but neither has been to the Xcel Energy
Center since they met for the league's playoff title (a
1-0 Pioneers win) in 2005. The Tigers were upset by St.
Cloud State in 2006 and Michigan Tech in 2007, while the
Pioneers lost home series to Minnesota Duluth and Wisconsin
in those same seasons.
With both Colorado-based WCHA teams looking
like solid locks for the NCAA tournament, what happens this
weekend is much more important for the likes of Minnesota
and Minnesota Duluth. Those teams, according to that spooky-sounding
computer program, are on the bubble and probably have to
win this weekend in order to get a NCAA invitation.
So this Final Five thing serves a purpose
other than giving hockey fans a great weekend in a great
venue. What better way than to gather the five surviving
WCHA teams, play five games, sell nearly 100,000 tickets,
and determine who belongs among the nation's final 16?
THE FAVORITE
Here's what we wrote one year ago: Picked
by many to win the league title in the preseason, North
Dakota struggled through injuries and inconsistency and
was a humble crew when the Fighting Sioux headed east for
a holiday tournament. Since that sojourn to New Hampshire
in late December, the Sioux are 12-2-4…
Here's the 2008 update: Picked by many to
win the league title in the preseason, North Dakota struggled
through injuries and inconsistency and was a humble crew
when the Fighting Sioux headed southeast for a series with
St. Cloud State. Since a Friday night loss versus the Huskies
on Jan. 4, the Sioux are 14-0-3, and head into the playoffs
with things to prove both in St. Paul and in Denver if they
can make a fourth straight trip to the Frozen Four. In contrast
to Herb Brooks' harsh assessment of his 1980 Olympic team,
the Sioux do have enough talent to win on talent alone.
THE GATE CRASHER
It's a tiny bit strange to pick the league's
regular season champions as potential gate-crashers, but
there is clearly lots of catching up to do for Colorado
College when the postseason begins. For all of their recent
regular season glory, the Tigers are a different animal
between St. Patrick's Day and Easter, having last won an
outright WCHA playoff crown, well, never (they shared the
league's playoff title with Wisconsin in 1978). It's been
more than 50 years since the Tigers last won the national
title (in 1957) – a season when the Frozen Four was
contested in Colorado. With the West Regional and the Frozen
being played within an easy drive of their campus, the Tigers
are aiming to make a strong showing in St. Paul a step on
the road to a more recent crown.
WCHA First Round Matchups
No.
10 Alaska Anchorage at
No. 1 Colorado College CC:
26-9-1 (21-6-1 WCHA) UAA: 9-19-8
(3-19-6 WCHA) Season Series: CC
leads 4-0-0 Seawolf Fact: This
is the third consecutive 10th-place finish for Alaska
Anchorage. The last club to finish in sole possession
of last place three seasons in a row was CC, finishing
in the cellar of the WCHA (then a six-team league) in
1982, '83 and '84. Tiger Fact:
CC has won nine WCHA regular season titles in its 70
years of hockey, and six of them have come in the past
15 seasons. How UAA Wins: Facing
the league champs, the Seawolves have a talent deficiency
at every position. So play physical hockey and keep
your opponents off the board as long as possible. How CC Wins: The key for the Tigers
is not to get rattled. The visitors will come out intent
on hitting and slowing the game down. If the home club
can take an early lead, and score a decisive win in
game one, it sends a strong message.
No. 9 Michigan Tech
at
No. 2 North Dakota UND:
23-8-4 (18-7-3 WCHA) MTU: 13-18-5
(9-15-4 WCHA) Season Series: UND
leads 3-1-0 Husky Fact: Michigan
Tech has faced North Dakota in the WCHA playoffs more
often than any other team. They've played 20 times in
the postseason heading into this series. Fighting
Sioux Fact: This is the 12th time in the last
13 seasons that North Dakota has hosted a WCHA playoff
series. In their only playoff road trip in that stretch,
in 2002, they lost twice at Minnesota. How
MTU Wins: The wins the Huskies have had this
season have come via outstanding goaltending and stingy
defense. Versus a high-powered offense (that may have
a few parts missing) this is no time to change the blueprint. How UND Wins: Shoot the puck every
time you get a chance, and don't get frustrated if the
early shots don't go in. This is a team that hasn't
lost in more than two months, so if there's early trouble,
relax and keep shooting.
No.
8 Minnesota Duluth at
No. 3 Denver DU: 22-13-1
(16-11-1 WCHA) UMD: 13-15-6 (9-14-5
WCHA) Season Series: Tied 1-1-0 Bulldog Fact: The Bulldogs are 7-4-0
in their last 11 games at Magness Arena, including an
upset of the Pioneers there in the 2006 playoffs. Pioneer Fact: This is the fifth consecutive
season in which the Pioneers have hosted a first round
playoff series, although they were upset in 2004, 2006
and 2007. How UMD Wins: Out-scoring
opponents is tough when you're as offensively challenged
as the Bulldogs, so sit back and do what you do best
– play defense. Oh, and despite his puck-handling
leanings, Alex Stalock does his best work inside the
crease. How DU Wins: Get the swagger
back, and play like that October-thru-December team
that was 17-4-0, not like the shaky one that's gone
5-9-1 since then. Oh, and some clutch play from Peter
Mannino between the pipes would help too.
No. 7 Minnesota
at
No. 4 Minnesota State MSU:
18-14-4 (12-12-4 WCHA) UM: 15-14-9
(9-12-7 WCHA) Season Series: Minnesota
leads 2-0 Golden Gopher Fact: This
is Minnesota's second playoff road trip in the nine
seasons that Don Lucia has been the coach. Lucia is
2-0 on the road in WCHA first round games with the Gophers,
having won a pair at Colorado College in 2000. Maverick
Fact: With this weekend's games sure to be
sellouts at the Alltel Center, Minnesota State will
eclipse its per-game home attendance record by a wide
margin. The Mavs' average home crowds have numbered
4,231 this season. The previous season mark was 3,860
set in 2003-004. How UM wins: The
Gophers have owned their Southern Minnesota rivals,
so get on the bus and heed the advice that Crash Davis
gave Nuke LaLoosh in "Bull Durham" —
play with fear and arrogance. How MSU Wins:
Minnesota's coach said his team likes the large contingent
of Gopher fans that always show up in Mankato. The Mavericks
need to get the first goal and firmly establish the
home-ice and home-crowd advantage.
No.
6 Wisconsin at
No. 5 St. Cloud State SCSU:
17-14-5 (12-12-4 WCHA) UW: 15-14-7
(11-12-5 WCHA) Season Series: Wisconsin
leads 2-1-1 Badger Fact: In 37
trips to the WCHA playoffs, this is just the sixth time
that the Badgers have gone on the road for the first
round, but the second year in a row that they've been
playoff visitors. Husky Fact: Ryan
Lasch's 17 goals and 17 assists in WCHA play make him
the first Husky to claim the league's scoring title
since Mark Hartigan did it in 2002. How
UW Wins: The Badgers have a great combination
of guys who can shoot from the point, so the key versus
their opponent's huge goaltenders is to get traffic
in front, take away their eyes, and fire away. How
SCSU Wins: When there's a red sweater or two
in the penalty box, it's time for the Huskies to make
hay. The power play scheme Bob Motzko has devised is
amazing to watch, with Nodl, Lasch and Roe moving the
puck at blazing speeds.
INCH'S ALL-WCHA TEAM
G – Richard Bachman, Colorado
College
How do you win the MacNaughton Cup with a rookie between
the pipes? It's easier if said rookie wins a league-best
78% of his games, stops a league-best 93% of the shots he
faces, and has four shutouts. We'd like to think that researchers
at CC are working hard to find a vaccine that prevents the
sophomore jinx.
D – Jamie McBain, Wisconsin
On one of the top-scoring defensive units in the nation,
McBain's puck-moving skills and shot have made him the key
to the Badgers' outside game. The sophomore USNTDP product
is doing some of his best work heading into the playoffs,
with a pair of multi-assist outings in his last four games
played.
D – Robbie Bina, North Dakota
After a scary injury in the 2005 playoffs that might have
ended his hockey career, the townie from Grand Forks sat
out the next season, and has come back with a vengeance.
His senior season has been a powerful farewell tour, finishing
among the top four scorers on a team known for offense.
F – Chad Rau, Colorado College
The latest member of the Tigers' exclusive Century Club
(with 100 or more career points), Rau did his best work
with pride on the line, recording 19 of his career points
in a dozen games versus Denver. His nation-leading six shorties
are just a bonus.
F – T.J. Oshie, North Dakota
Save for a few off-ice troubles and the Hobey might be taking
up residence in Grand Forks for a second consecutive summer.
Instead he was content to lead the Sioux in points and use
his highlight-reel stick work to play a big role in their
push for a fourth straight trip to the Frozen.
F – Ryan Lasch, St. Cloud State
There's nothing that makes the Huskies' alpha dog happier
than seeing an opponent headed for the penalty box, as evidenced
by the fact that 13 of Lasch's 23 goals this season came
on the power play.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Troy Jutting, Minnesota State.
The Mavericks' skipper cruised the back row of the Xcel
Energy Center pressbox during the WCHA Final Five as a spectator
last season, having just signed a contract extension that
many called unlikely, and speaking like a man grateful that
his bosses believed in what he was doing in Mankato. After
a slow start this season (an unfortunate hallmark of Jutting's
tenure coaching his alma mater), he's put aside notions
that his sophomore-laden team is “one year away”
and led the Mavs on a 15-8-3 run that has them wearing the
those sharp white sweaters in the playoffs. Perhaps as important
as all of that is recent commitments to Minnesota State
by some of the region's best high school talent have given
the growing base of college hockey fans in Southern Minnesota
hope that there may be more home playoff games to come.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Richard Bachman, Colorado
College freshman goaltender. There were preseason raves
about the Tigers' returning experience on offense and defense,
but those predications of glory were haunted by a recurring
refrain: "what about goaltending?" Then this freshman
from the south suburbs of Denver showed up in C-Springs
with a knack for stopping pucks and winning games. We spent
the season waiting for Bachman — and in turn, his
team — to hit a wall and run out of gas, like many
rookie goalies have done before. Instead he seemed to get
better and better, winning national rookie of the month
honors twice and allowing one goal or fewer in more than
half of his starts. Bachman reminds us a little of the last
freshman to be named the league's best player – a
goalie from Wisconsin who went by the nickname "CuJo."
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Garrett Roe, St. Cloud State
forward. The newcomer from suburban D.C. won the league's
rookie scoring title with 28 points, and led the nation
in freshman scoring with 41 points, but numbers tell only
part of the story. What you can't see on in a boxscore is
an undersized forward who seems to play angry on every shift,
unafraid to run an opponent hard into the boards even if
the other guy is a foot taller. And as a member of the team's
top power play unit, Roe has teamed with Ryan Lasch and
Andreas Nodl to make taking penalties verusus the Huskies
a bad, bad idea. With at least two more games left on the
Huskies' schedule, Roe now needs just six points to become
the school's all-time leader in points by a freshman –
a mark that Nodl set just one season ago. For those of us
missing the Ken Linseman-style player, Roe is a reminder
that 2008 is the Year of the Rat.
BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER
Jack Hillen, Colorado College
senior defenseman. If it's true that valuable players do
their best work in the biggest games of the season, the
final months of his final campaign have been a revelation
for Hillen, who had 18 points in the Tigers' final 14 games
as they scratched and clawed their way to the WCHA's regular
season title. Perhaps most importantly for his team has
been Hillen's consistency, in more than tripling his assist
output from last season while leading the league in assists,
and leading the nation in helpers by a blueliner. He sent
a loud message to the arch-rivals, and the rest of the league
last Friday at Denver, scoring just 20 seconds into the
series opener, as if to say they were there to win, and
are aiming toward playing one or two more games in the Mile
High city later this season.
A variety of sources were utilized in
the compilation of this report. Jess Myers can be reached
at inchwcha@gmail.com.
