I'd like to start out by congratulating all the teams that made
it this far.  This is one of the most exciting times of year to
be a hockey fan, but also one of the saddest.  Teams are going
home, done for the season, sad and frustrated at not being able
to do something - anything - to pull out that last win.
 
I thought of all the predictions that I've seen bandied about
here the last few days, the one that called the UW/MSU game
the closest matchup was certainly the most accurate.  This
was a great game to watch (at least if you are a Badger fan).
 
We don't have cable, so I was trying to find a bar in the area
that I could convince to watch hockey instead of pituitary ball.
Then my neighbor, whom I hooked on college hockey at this year's
Badger Hockey Showdown, offered to let me watch at his house.  The
catch?  He and his family were going to be out.  He left his
house unlocked so I and a friend could walk into his house and
see the game!  He did get back in time for most of the 3rd period
and watched the finish with us.  I have gained a convert!
 
I think that the way the Badgers buzzed the Spartans from the 2nd
period on puts to rest the claim made by some that the Badgers
play clutch-and-grab.  Not to say that style isn't appropriate
against some teams, but Wisconsin showed that they could turn
it on and keep it up.  MSU looked lost, frankly, for good
stretches of the 2nd and 3rd periods - frequently icing the
puck just to get a break from the pressure.
 
I wonder, though, how the game would have played at a neutral
site.  The crowd was loud and I'd be inclined to give a good
share of the Wisconsin comeback to their raucous support.
 
A word on the s**ve cheer - it's short and to the point.  Nuff said!
(Okay, that's more than *one* word.  Sue me.)
 
So it comes to Wisconsin and Michigan again.  Seems like this is
getting to be an almost annual event.  On paper you have to like
the Wolverines, but this young Badger team has learned how to
win over the course of the season.  They've showed this in the
WCHA tournament.  [ Yes Reed, they won.  Get over it. :) ]  And
they showed it last night.
 
I wonder what flakey play this UW/UMich tilt will hinge on.
There has always been one play in the prior playoff games between
these two that has tipped the balance one way or the other.  Like
the unforgettable time in '92 when Tamer from UM checked himself into
the UW bench, giving the Badgers a man-advantage in the attacking
zone which they capitilized on.
 
I think that *this* game could be the matchup of the tourney.  We'll
know tomorrow if I'm any better at predictions than those that called
Denver/RPI to be a close game.  (No slam on RPI intended.)
 
--
Steve Manning         Milwaukee, WI           [log in to unmask]
     "Life's a long song, but the tune ends too soon for us all." - I.A.