By Jim Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
There is more than one Sweet Sixteen happening this weekend. Yes, I am talking about the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament, and I totally agree when my cousin, and loyal FFS reader, said "In my opinion, playoff hockey, college or pro, is the most exciting time of the year in all sports". As I sit down to right this, I need to keep reminding myself to be as unbiased as possible. To be honest, I have a huge routing interest in the tournament. I am an employee of the Agganis Arena at Boston University, home to the #1 ranked BU Terrier men's hockey team, and have watched them play over half of their games this season. With that being said, allow me to provide some analysis as I give you a tour through the four regionals being held in Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, Bridgeport and Manchester.
Minneapolis: Miami vs. Denver/Princeton vs. Minn.-Duluth
Regional final: Minnesota-Duluth vs. Denver
Winner: Denver
Grand Rapids: Bemidji State vs. Notre Dame/Cornell vs. Northeastern
Regional final: Notre Dame vs. Northeastern
Winner: Notre Dame
Bridgeport: Air Force vs. Michigan/Vermont vs. Yale
Regional final: Yale vs. Michigan
Manchester: Ohio State vs. Boston University/North Dakota vs. New Hampshire
Regional final: North Dakota vs. Boston University
Frozen Four: Michigan vs. Boston University/Denver Notre Dame
NCAA final: Notre Dame vs. Boston University
NCAA Champion: Please read on
The 2009 tournament is once again filled with great teams from around the company. 7 of the 10 Hobey Baker Finalists are a part of the NCAA Tournament, so there's a great chance the winner will already be in attendance when the award is announced the Saturday in between rounds. Just in case you didn't realize it, I do have all four #1 seeds advancing to the Frozen Four.
Even though UMD comes in a little hotter than Denver, it's my opinion they will not be able to handle the considerable firepower of Denver. Denver has 7 players with at least 10 goals. While I believe Northeastern will make it to the regional finals, they have not been playing well enough to handle Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have been a force all season. They have a phenomenal defense that should easily handle the Huskies. Northeastern has had trouble from behind all season long and will have serious trouble playing from behind. Air force has been playing fantastic, but have drawn Michigan in the opener. That is unfortunate for them, and should prove a much tougher game for the Wolverines than the regional final against Vermont or Yale.
The final region, and the most interesting to me should is in Manchester. Despite the fact that BU holds the #1 overall seed in the tournament, they reside in the toughest of the 4 regions. I have put my BU love aside for this one, and truly believe that. Ohio State is no slouch, as they now reside at #14 in the country. The Terriers do have a stacked team. The lead the nation in scoring, with 180 goals, have a solid defense, and have a freshman goalie that is 25-2-3 on the season. Not bad for the guy most people thought was the backup goalie to fellow freshman Grant Rollheiser.
The key to BU winning the NCAA this year is scoring early and establishing the lead. They have lost only 1 game when leading after the 1st period, and are undefeated when leading after 2. That is phenomenal! They don't have a bad record, 3-4-1, when they trail after the 2nd period so even if they're down, it doesn't mean they're out.
Well, I've tried to be as objective as possible, but my prediction still stands. The BU Terriers will win the 2009 NCAA Men's Hockey Championship.
Make sure to check back in two weeks for the preview leading up to the actual Frozen Four down in Washington DC!
