March
22, 2007
NCAA Tournament
West Regional Preview | Denver
By Mike Eidelbes
HOT TOPIC
The West Regional, like the other three being
played this coming weekend, is comprised of four teams.
The vast majority of the buzz surrounding the games at Denver's
Pepsi Center, however, revolves around the possibility of
Minnesota and North Dakota reprising last week's WCHA championship
game in Sunday's regional final.
No disrespect to Air Force and Michigan, but
who can blame fans for salivating over yet another Gophers-Fighting
Sioux tilt? The subplots are juicier than "Desperate
Housewives" episode. To wit:
· These two teams, and the two
fan bases, hate each other. It's more than college rivalry
hate. Think bile-inducing, Rosie O'Donnell-Donald Trump
vitriol.
· There's more talent on these
rosters than the cast of "The
Godfather." (Throw in Michigan's blue-chippers, and
one could
assemble a 2008 NHL YoungStars team from this regional.)
· North Dakota rebounded from
a middling first half of the season with a strong second
half, sparked by a back-to-back pants-ankling of Minnesota
at Mariucci Arena in January.
· We'll know for certain sometime
this weekend, but the Gophers may
have but behind them their mediocre second half of the
season — Minnesota entered the WCHA Final Five with
an 9-8-0 mark between Jan. 12-March 11 — with a
thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the Fighting Sioux
in front of a sellout crowd in St. Paul in the league
title match last Saturday.
· Speaking of the Final Five,
Gopher coach Don Lucia bristled at media members who treated
the third-seed Fighting Sioux as the tournament favorite.
"I know we don't have a chance, that's the consensus,"
the Minnesota bench boss testily said to reporters following
his team's semifinal win against Wisconsin. Will a rematch
stir up similar emotions?
BACK STORY
If the Gopher-Sioux chronicles aren't enough
for you, there are more intricacies out west. For example,
how much pressure is on Minnesota, memorably ousted by Atlantic
Hockey champion Holy Cross in the first round of last year's
West Regional in Grand Forks, to not just beat, but demolish,
Atlantic Hockey representative Air Force this year in a
game that will be played in front of more than a few Sioux
fans?
Michigan's got revenge issues also –
the Wolverines were throttled by North Dakota in last year's
first round. Then there's Air Force, which thanks to the
late-season swoons that befell Colorado College and Denver,
finds itself in the unlikely position of the de facto home
team at the Pepsi Center.
ON A ROLL
Apologies to the regional's three Hobey Baker
Award finalists – North Dakota's Ryan Duncan, Eric
Ehn of Air Force, and Michigan's T.J. Hensick – but
the best player in the nation over the second half of the
season has been North Dakota's Jonathan Toews. In 18 games
since returning to the Sioux after helping Canada to a gold
medal at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship, the sophomore
forward has scored 12 goals and 18 assists and the team's
"DOT" Line of Duncan, T.J. Oshie, and Toews has
been virtually unstoppable.
MR. CLUTCH
Eric Ehn garners most of the publicity with
regard to Air Force hockey (and rightfully so) but with
47 and 43 points, respectively, linemates Andrew Ramsey
and Mike Phillipich aren't exactly slouches. Ramsey, specifically,
has displayed a flair for the dramatic this season with
six game-winning goals, which means the senior wing gets
the deciding tally in about one of every three Falcon wins.
In 101 career games prior to this season, the Noblesville,
Ind., native had one game-winner to his credit.
SOMETHING TO PROVE
Besides Minnesota, whose albatross we discussed
earlier, the one player who must take a giant step forward
in order for his team to succeed is Michigan goaltender
Billy Sauer. The sophomore makes his first NCAA appearance
this weekend – he was benched in favor of the now-graduated
Noah Ruden last year – has shown flashes of above-average-ness,
but they've often been countered by similar fits of, well,
below-average-ness.
Sauer's made more saves than any goaltender
in the country other than Lake Superior State's Jeff Jakaitis,
but Sauer allowed 33 more goals. Among the 74 Division I
goaltenders eligible to appear in the national statistical
rankings, Sauer ranks 45th with a .900 save percentage,
and he's 46th with a 2.93 goals against average. With offensive
juggernauts North Dakota and possibly Minnesota looming
ahead, those aren't encouraging numbers for Michigan fans.
ONE TO WATCH
Just one? Picking one player to watch in this
regional is like eating one chicken wing. Keeping in line
with that wholly arbitrary limit, we suggest you cast an
extra glance toward Michigan forward Kevin Porter. The junior,
a Phoenix Coyotes draft choice, shares the team lead in
goals with 23 and ranks second on the Wolverines with 56
points. He's not as flashy as Hensick, his linemate, but
he's more versatile. Porter is a top-notch defensive forward,
an excellent penalty-killer, and does it all without clutching
or stickwork, as evidenced by the 16 penalty minutes he's
been assessed this season.
SUNDAY STORYLINE
Did we just go in a big circle? Here we are
talking about a potential Minnesota-North Dakota rematch
again. While Michigan is certainly capable of advancing,
and the Gophers feel pressure to not do what they did in
the first round of last year's tournament, a Minnesota-North
Dakota redux almost feels as if it's preordained. If Gophers-Sioux
IV comes to fruition, the stakes for two teams who've already
battled on a big stage three times this season are raised
infinitely in a game that has the potential to be among
the best college hockey fans have seen in some time.
Send this page to a friend
Send This Page to a Friend | About
Us | Advertising
Info | Site Map | Privacy
Policy | © 2007, Inside College Hockey, Inc., All Rights Reserved