I wonder if Greg's tabulations say anything about Hockey-L. Each ECAC
series has a minimum of 6 "votes" cast and a maximum of nine. The
MAXIMUM offered opinions on the WCHA is three and on the CCHA just ONE.
I was ready to jump to an eastern bias or dominance but then there are
only two returns from HE. Nevertheless, for those of us westerners who
don't give a flying rip about eastern politics and hockey, maybe we
should form our own seperate discussion group so Spartans can say nasty
things about Wolverines, Sioux can dump on Gophers, Huskies can growl at
Bulldogs, and Lakers can toot their horn over Broncos -- all without
wading through the flaunting of alma maters, Drury vs Krog comparisons,
and repeated cannonization of Parker and villification of Walsh.
 
No one has done it yet, so I nominate myself to make predictions of the
WCHA first round playoff series:
1. North Dakota over Mankato State in two. This series will not be worth
the paper the programs are printed on.
2. Wisconsin over Alaska Anchorage in three. The games will be 1-0, 1-0,
and 1-0. It will be that close.
3. Denver over Colorado College in three. Despite being one of the
hottest teams in the country, having the smartest coach in the league,
and possessing tons of playoff experience, Colorado College's World
Arena curse legend will continue to grow. The rebound machines which
pose as goalies for the Tigers will allow Denver's big, strong forwards
to cash in regularly.
4. St. Cloud State and Michigan Tech -- the Huskies will win. The ones
with arguable the best goalie in the nation, the ones whose leading
scorer is ranked 19th in the league, the ones who beat the other ones
four out of four so far this year. SCSU in two.
5. UM-Duluth vs UM-Twin Cities. Got a coin? Both are burning hot
entering the playoffs. The Bulldogs have the defensive advantage,
particularly Nicklin over DeBus; whereas the Gophers have the scoring
advantage, particularly considering Spehar returns home and Smith is
from just up the road. Defense wins championships, so Bulldogs in three.
 
Okay, I've been wrong before (fish are animals, and maybe they don't
sell beer at NCAA finals), so why change now?
 
Nathan Eric Hampton
 
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