March 27, 2008
NCAA Tournament
Midwest Regional Preview | Madison, Wis.

NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL PREVIEW

Peter Mannino has big-game experience and has led his team to a National Championship. The Pioneers begin their journey toward another title this weekend in Madison.

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NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL Kohl Center Saturday, March 29 3 p.m. ET: No. 1 North Dakota vs. No. 4 Princeton 6:30 p.m. ET: No. 2 Denver vs. No. 3 Wisconsin Sunday, March 30 7 p.m. ET: Regional Final

By Mike Eidelbes

HOT TOPIC

Someday, we're all going to look back at this and laugh.

We'll chuckle as we rest in rocking chairs on the front porches of our rambling country estates, iced teas in one hand, handkerchiefs in the other, grandchildren seated quietly at our feet. Tilting the straw hats away from our foreheads, we'll wipe the sweat from our brows, pocket our hankies, clear our throats, and tell the kids a story.

"I remember the NCAA tournament of aught eight, when Wisconsin got in even though they didn't have a winning record …"

Sorry, folks, but as much as we'd like to steer clear of the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee decision to keep the Badgers in the field of 16 – the proper decision, according to the computer rankings – at the expense of a team such as Minnesota State, which appeared to be more deserving based on its overall record, league record, and head-to-head mark against Wisconsin, it's going to remain a hot button issue. That is, until the selection process is tweaked to prevent a similar situation from playing out in the future.

It's too bad, because this quarter of the bracket which, if one had grouped these same four teams three weeks ago, would have appeared to be a North Dakota walkover, overflows with intrigue, none of it having anything to do with Bucky's inclusion in the national playoffs.

For example, one team enters the regional with WCHA hardware in tow, and it's not the Fighting Sioux squad that reeled off a school-record, 18-game unbeaten streak during the second half of the season. The hottest goalie playing in the Kohl Center this weekend might not be a Hobey Baker Award candidate like NoDak's J-P Lamoureux, but he plays his home games in Hobey Baker Rink. And the team with the highest-scoring freshman isn't the host Badgers, who are paced by rookie Kyle Turris, the third overall selection in last year's NHL Entry Draft, but Denver, led by Tyler Bozak, an undrafted 22-year-old.

BACK STORY

Wayne Gretzky will not be at Kohl Center this weekend. But don't be surprised if The Great One casts a shadow over the Wisconsin Badgers.

It's widely anticipated that Kyle Turris will sign with Gretzky's Phoenix Coyotes, who drafted Turris in the first round of last summer's NHL Entry Draft, as soon as his collegiate season ends. The skilled Turris has had a terrific freshman season in Madison, leading the Badgers with 33 points in 34 games, despite a slowdown in production during the second half of the season (including 0-4—4 in his last nine games). Phoenix – which has seen other 2007 draft picks like Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner shine in the NHL this season – is eager to make him a part of its rebuilding efforts.

With a Wisconsin loss this weekend, it's entirely conceivable that Turris will be playing another home game – in a different shade of red and white – Thursday against the Dallas Stars.

ON A ROLL

Regardless of the outcome of last weekend's WCHA Final Five in St. Paul, won by Denver, North Dakota still must be considered the team to beat in the Midwest Regional. After all, the Fighting Sioux, who were 9-7-1 after splitting a non-conference series fellow NCAA Tournament no.-1 seed New Hampshire in Grand Forks just after Christmas, posted a 16-3-3 record thereafter. More impressive than what the team accomplished was how they did it.

Behind Hobey Baker Award finalist Lamoureux, who leads the nation with a 1.65 goals against average and ranks second to Miami's Jeff Zatkoff with a .934 save percentage, North Dakota gave up two or fewer goals in all but four of its 22 games after Jan. 1. Lamoureux and a talented defensive corps led by juniors Taylor Chorney and Joe Finley are primary reasons the Sioux enter the tournament as the country's leader in scoring defense, giving up an average of just 1.77 goals per game.

MR. CLUTCH

Only one player in this regional has previously been named Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player, and only one player has backstopped his team to two conference championships. That player is Denver goaltender Peter Mannino, one of four players remaining from DU's 2005 title team. As a freshman, Mannino allowed a total of five goals in five postseason starts as the Pioneers won the second of their back-to-back national championships. In four starts in the playoffs this season, he's given up a total of five goals.

Back in '05, Mannino had the luxury of playing behind elite scorers like Paul Stastny, Matt Carle, and Gabe Gauthier. The Pioneers don't have that kind of explosiveness this time around, which makes Mannino's big-game prowess that much more valuable.

SOMETHING TO PROVE

This honor is split between the other two WCHA schools in the Midwest Regional. All eyes are on Wisconsin, for reasons discussed at length here and elsewhere, to see if the Badgers can quiet the critics – this writer among them – who feel the team doesn't belong in the tournament field.

And forgive us if this is a bit of a reach considering the man enters the NCAA tournament with a career record of 104-55-15 and three trips to the Frozen Four in as many seasons, but North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol has precious little hardware – the 2006 Broadmoor Trophy for the WCHA playoff championship is it – to show for his team's success. Being one of the last four teams standing for three straight seasons is a significant achievement, but Dean Blais raised the bar for a program that had been beset by a decade of mediocrity by winning two national championships in a four-year span. North Dakota fans are arguably the most loyal in college hockey, but they also have the highest expectations – and for good reason. Anything short of a national title for the Fighting Sioux is a letdown.

ONES TO WATCH

Princeton's best (only?) chance at beating North Dakota rides on the shoulders of sophomore goalie Zane Kalemba. Don't think he can do it? Just ask Colgate. Kalemba almost single-handedly kept Princeton in the game last Friday in the ECAC Hockey semifinals with at least nine stops either from point-blank range, on odd-man rushes, or breakaways. He went on to garner Most Valuable Player honors as Princeton captured the ECAC Hockey title with a championship win over red-hot Harvard.

If you hadn't heard about Kalemba, you probably heard about Lee Jubinville. The junior forward from Calgary broke through this season and captured ECAC Hockey and Ivy League Player of the Year honors, and is a Hobey Baker Finalist. Even though he was held off the scoresheet in both games last weekend, he is Princeton's most dangerous offensive threat and has the talent to make defensemen look bad. Keep an eye on Jubinville. North Dakota certainly will.

SUNDAY STORYLINE

If the top seeds advance to Sunday's regional final, the stage will be set for another postseason battle between Denver and North Dakota. The Pioneers and Fighting Sioux have been involved in some epic playoff matches over the last decade – DU's stunning upset of the NoDak juggernaut in the 1999 WCHA Final Five championship game, the Pioneers' epic 1-0 win over the top-seeded Sioux in the 2004 NCAA West Regional title tilt, Matt Carle's jaw-dropping weave through a maze of green-and-white pylons to set up the insurance goal in the third period of the 2005 NCAA championship contest, and Anthony Maiani's game-winning backhander in last week's league semifinals. The moral of the story? If these two teams meet in Madison, start the TiVo because odds are favorable that we'll witness another instant classic.