Thanks to everyone who posted whatever they knew on the games last night, I
have had no time to even send out scores.  Official boxes, etc. will be sent
out tonight or tomorrow when I have the time, but here are some words.
 
Attendance was a disappointing 5,327, about 40% of capacity.  Ice was brutal.
And all 5327 weren't in the rink at the same time; some left after the first
game and some arrived only for the second game.
 
Michigan State DID look that bad.  MSU-BU was not a very exciting game to
watch for a neutral observer, contrary to Wis-UNH.  Off their performance
last night, the only way I see MSU beating Maine is if Maine comes out with
pillows and blankets.
 
BU came out slow and very lackluster after the layoff, and MSU didn't look
much better.  Gilmore saved them a few times - he may have been the difference,
as Cashman inexplicably refused to challenge Norris on the game's biggest
goal that broke a 2-2 tie at 7:25 of the third.  Joby Messier was my star
of the game for the Spartans, he had a great game on defense and sprang a
few teammates loose for good scoring chances.
 
UNH took the play to Wisconsin early on in a physical game, but the Badgers
hung tough and were tied 1-1 after one.  There was a lot of up-and-down action
and solid hitting, a real playoff game.  Two big goals halfway through the
second gave Wisconsin a 3-1 lead and two factors made UNH's chances look
dim.  One was that Jeff Sauer must have watched the Maine-UNH HE Championship
Game tape dozens of times, because his team was bottling up the UNH forwards
in a similar fashion.  The other was that Derksen was playing superbly.
 
But freshman Jason Dexter fought off a defenseman to go in and beat Derksen
late in the period to pull UNH within one at 3-2 after two, and the Wildcats
still had a chance.  In the third, the Badger D and Derksen took center stage
and denied the Wildcats' bid to even it up, with Doug MacDonald adding the
ENG with 10 seconds remaining.  My #1 star goes to Derksen.  Watch out for
the Badgers, they'll be tough if they can stay out of the box.
 
Saturday, Wisconsin plays SLU at 5:00, and MSU plays Maine at 8:30.
 
Sorry for these, but Jon Barkan of College Hockey Magazine and myself
conferred to come up with the best nicknames of the night.  It's just
coincidence that they're all from UNH or Wisconsin.  MSU and BU really have
no good names.
 
10. Doug "Old" MacDonald, Wis
9. Scott "Bone" Morrow, UNH
8. Glenn "Beef" Stewart, UNH
7. Jason Francisco "Rinaldi", Wis
6. Brett "Cain and" Abel, UNH
5. Chris "Tick" Tok, Wis
4. Jason "Poin" Dexter, UNH
3. Kelly "Lady" Fairchild, Wis
2. Domenic "I'm on-a Mexican" Amodeo, UNH
   (honorable mention: Domenic "Rock Me" Amodeo)
1. Frank "Funky Cold" Messina, UNH
 
 
- mike