I've been attending consecutive NCAA Final (Frozen) Fours since 1976
(at Denver University Arena when Brown lost to Michigan Tech in double
overtime and Minnesota (Herb Brooks) outflanked B. U. in the semis) with my
first FF being at Meehan Auditorium in 1965 when Brown hosted and played in
a field with Boston College, Michigan Tech & North Dakota.  Michigan Tech
won the championship final, 8-2, against Boston College.

        Here are some hits & misses in the 1976-2001 timeframe that may stir
a few memories:

            Best arena for the FF:  Bradley Center, Milwaukee  (I haven't
seen the Xcel Center yet)

            Worst Arena for the FF:  Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

            Biggest Arena:  Joe Louis Arena, Detroit

            Smallest Arena:  D. U. Arena  (originally set for McNicols Arena
in downtown Denver but moved to D. U. Arena when disappointing ticket sales
forced a shift in order to produce capacity attendance in a smaller
building)

            Best host city/town:  Milwaukee, WI / Lake Placid, NY (tie)
            Runners Up:  Providence, RI; St. Paul, MN
            (As you can see, I prefer walkable cities/towns for FF sites)

            Worst host city/town:  Detroit  (although I got to know the
Renaissance Center REALLY well on 3 occasions - 1985, 1987 & 1990 )

            Best FF Weather:  Anaheim, CA (1999)

            Worst FF Weather:  Milwaukee, WI (1993)

            Most Balanced FF Field:  Rensselaer, Minnesota-Duluth,
Providence & Boston College at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit (1985).  Two
three-overtime semis and a 2-1 championship final with Rensselaer emerging
as national champion.

            Least Balanced FF Field:  North Dakota, Northeastern, Wisconsin
& New Hampshire at Providence Civic Center (1982).  6-2 and 5-0 semis and a
5-2 championship final with North Dakota gliding thru as national champion.
            Runner up: Wisconsin, Northern Michigan, Minnesota & Michigan
Tech at Duluth Arena (1981).  5-1 and 7-2 semis and a 6-3 championship final
with Wisconsin sailing thru as national champion.

            Best Semifinal Game:  Maine vs. Michigan (1995) at Providence
Civic Center.  Maine wins 4-3 in 3rd overtime.
            Runners-up:  Colorado College vs. Vermont (1996) Riverfront
Coliseum (Cincinnati).  Colorado College wins 4-3 in 2nd overtime; and
Providence College vs. Boston College (1985) at Joe Louis Arena (Detroit).
Providence College wins 4-3 in 3rd overtime.

             Worst Semifinal Game:  Lake Superior State vs. Boston
University (1993) at Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI.  LSSU wins 6-1.

            Personal Best/Worst Semifinal Game:  Brown vs. Michigan Tech
(1976) at D. U. Arena.  Michigan Tech wins 7-6 in 2nd overtime.
            Upside: Brown goes on to beat B. U. in the conso, 8-7.

            Best Championship Game:  Harvard vs. Minnesota (1989) at St.
Paul Civic Center.  Harvard wins 4-3 in overtime.
            Runners-up: Northern Michigan vs. Boston University (1991) at
St. Paul Civic Center.  Northern Michigan wins 8-7 in 3rd overtime; and
Bowling Green vs. Minnesota-Duluth (1984) at the Olympic Arena (Lake
Placid).  BGSU wins 5-4 in 4th overtime.

            Worst Championship Game:  Lake Superior State vs. Boston
University (1994) at St. Paul Civic Center.  LSSU wins 9-1.


    Any contrary opinions?


Bill Corrigan

LET'S GO BRUNO!