Bri wrote:
>I have to chime in here. I've heard this sort of implication
>made several times in the last few days and frankly I'm
>getting sick of it.
 
>Before they have to worry about BU, Lake St. has this minor
>detail called a game on Friday against this little, iddy-biddy
>team called Clarkson. I know it's *just a formality* to those
>all powerful western teams but Clarkson has been known to
>win a game occassionally.
 
As a fan of what is sometimes considered one of the "all-powerful western
teams," I agree with Bri.  I don't see as much of this happening in the two
3/6 games coming up on Friday as I see it in the two 4/5 games.  It seems
people get the opinion because of past history that whenever LSSU makes the
NCAA tournament, they're a "lock."  As I showed yesterday, Clarkson holds
the lead on LSSU in their NCAA tournament series 2-1, with the win AT Lake
Superior in the quarterfinals a few years back.  The little school from
upstate New York (no offense intended) may have a few surprises ready for
the mighty Soo Lakers.
 
Some of the same thing seems to be happening here in the West.  My wife (who
works in Ann Arbor) came home yesterday telling me that the Michigan Daily
(I know, John, I shouldn't read it) had an article about how tough it was
going to be for Michigan to take on Wisconsin on their home ice while
negleting to mention that Wisconsin has a game the night before against a
team whose name the people at the MD couldn't have forgotten that quickly.
 
I also saw a little bit of this (it may have been inadvertent on his part,
IMO) from Wisconsin coach Jeff Sauer (sp?) during the selection show on
Sunday.  Jeff basically said that they were going to have 2 good games at
home against two good teams.  No, Jeff, you have one good game at home against
one good team, which you have to win in order to be around for the second
one.  As someone who's watched a team at home in the tournament lose their
first-round game to a team they sort of neglected, I can assure Jeff that he
cannot look past MSU.  Most of the talk here in East Lansing has not focussed
on Michigan at all (in fact, thoughts of playing them are barely mentioned)
but is instead focussed on Wisconsin.  MSU sort of finds themselves in the
position that their opponent from last year, Mass Lowell, was in.  Pretty
much nothing to lose and not a lot of people cheering for you.  It should be
an interesting matchup.
 
G. M. Finniss
Michigan State University 17-7-3, 25-11-3
WVU '87, UTenn '92, MSU who the hell knows when?
 
Someone who thinks that the best first-round matchup may be the one that is
getting the least amount of attention here on H-L: New Hampshire vs. Denver.