Well, the most exciting weekend of this nearly-finished season just
took place, and what made it even more special was the fact that most
people got to watch lots of it on TV (or live, if they were that
fortunate).
 
Unfortunately, here in Minneapolis, almost none of the ECAC
tournament was shown. The Friday night game between Princeton and
Clarkson was on SATURDAY night, after the Hockey East championship
game, on Prime.
 
Since I already knew the outcome, and I knew it was a low scoring
affair, I had it on as filler as I made my dinner. Didn't see much of
the game--add another to the many voices who think the ECAC is doing
a rotten job promoting their product.
 
But I got to see most everything else from the other tournaments,
even if a lot of it was switching back and forth from MSC to Prime to
catch the latest exciting play. I missed the Maine-Lowell blowout
that may have been Bullock's last college hockey game--somehow, I
don't feel that great a loss.
 
I have to say that I thought it was a FANTASTIC set of tournaments!
There were five overtime games, eight games decided by one goal, and
a whole slew of upsets that brought fear, surprise, and delight to
even the most cold hearted of fans.
 
Here is a quick run down of the various games (in order of my
viewing):
 
Wisconsin 5, Denver 4--Friday afternoon
 
Part of what made this game so exciting was the number of momentum
shifts. Either team could have won the game, as it was clear that
Denver, no Wisconsin, no Denver, no Wisconsin had the edge. I thought
certain the Badgers were bound to lose when Denver went up 4-3.
 
But lots of credit to the boys in Cardinal and White--they did a nice
job.
 
 
Providence 7, Maine 3--Friday afternoon
 
What words can properly convey the shock when Providence was up by 2,
3, 4, 5 goals!?! It was good to see a team that had struggled early
in the year put on a late season run against the top ranked teams.
 
 
The most interesting moment in the game, I thought, came not during
play, but between the second and third periods. Dawn Mitchell was
interviewing Maine's captain. The team had, for the first time all
season, given up five straight goals, and was in serious danger of
not going on to the championship game. He looked like a beaten, lost,
husk of a man. She then proceeded to ask him something along the
lines of: "With your team uncharacteristically losing, I am sure your
coach Walsh will have some inspiring words to get your team motivated
to play hard in the third period. What do you suppose he is telling
everyone in the locker room now?"
 
He fired her a look of despair and said, "I don't know." His unsaid
statement was, "I wish I were there to hear it, instead of doing this
stupid interview." I felt awfully sorry for him.
 
 
Boston University 4, UMass-Lowell 2--Friday evening
 
BU had to play some hard, tough hockey to avoid becoming another
victim of tournament upset fever. It looked like Lowell was going to
make a game of it, before they wilted in the third.
 
Once again, it seemed to me that Lowell is missing leadership,
especially in the form of Dwayne Roloson. I hope Coach Crowder can
remedy that situation for next year, especially if Bullock is not
around. I really can't help but feel the team may be better off
without him, even if he does score a lot of goals.
 
Colorado College 5, Minnesota 4 in OT--Friday evening
 
Colorado College, despite all their talent and offensive prowess,
showed their postseason inexperience in the first period of this
game. Minnesota roared out of the gate to take a 3-0 lead in the
first.
 
CC started to get their legs back under them in the second, as they
traded goals to make it 4-3.
 
Then a five minute defensive collapse by Minnesota let CC back into
the game, as it had earlier in the year. A tough game for Minnesota
fans.
 
The overtime looked like it would be decided when a penalty was
called on CC, giving Minnesota a clear advantage. But the backbreaker
was a goal that was scored yet disallowed. While there was still lots
of hockey to be played, with some great chance by both teams, the
heart had been taken out of the Minnesota players, and it felt like
it was only a matter of time until CC scored.
 
It was, but the whole game was as exciting a display of hockey as I
have seen all year.
 
 
Lake Superior State 5, Michigan 4/OT--Saturday afternoon.
 
Who could have scripted a better game? Michigan cruising to a 2-0
lead on a set of power play goals, and it looks like the Lakers are
in for a trip home to Sault St. Marie. But the 19-1 (at the time, now
21-1) playoff Lakers show up, and we have a game that can go either
way!
 
A feeling of destiny was in the air when LSSU went up 4-3 late in the
third, and Michigan felt their chance of repeating as tournament
champions making a hasty retreat. But Knuble, on a questionable play,
scores the game tying goal with 0.4 seconds left!!
 
 
But the Lake State playoff machine in not to be denied, as they go on
to score an OT goal that was also somewhat questionable, but clearly
exciting.
 
Minnesota 5, Denver 4/OT--Saturday afternoon
 
I have to admit, as a Gopher fan, I was not looking forward to this
game, and was questioning the point of having the consolation game at
all. After playing a tough game Thursday on bad ice, then a four
period heartbreaker that eliminated all incentive for the Gophers, I
was left dreading a fresher Denver team that beat us three of four
times throughout the year, including both of the home ice games in
December.
 
All that changed when the Gophers skated to a 4-0 lead early in the
first. Who was it playing for a NCAA berth, and who was already
secured a spot? Who was it that played seven periods of hockey to the
other's three? It sure wasn't clear in the first period.
 
But it became clear as the game went on, and the toll of all the
previous games, and three key injuries to the home town team, as well
as some exciting and impressive play from the Denver forwards caught
up with the beleaguered Gophers. In a virtual replay from the night
before, Minnesota gave up a sizable early lead, and suddenly we had
the third straight 4-4 tie in as many tournament games (CC-Minn.,
LSSU-Mich.). Another one goal game in the WCHA final five.
 
Minnesota finally won the game. Did they want it more? I don't think
so. Were they the better team? They played pretty equally, especially
during the overtime session. I think, as in any overtime game, the
winner is as much luck, a bouncing of the puck, as talent or skill
form the teams involved. Both teams showed poise and tenacity, and
played a great game.
 
I'm glad Minnesota won, though. ;-)
 
Surprisingly, the best moment of this game was also not in the play
of either team, but in a break in the action during the second
period.
 
Play had stopped, and the announcers were trying to figure out what
had happened, when they noticed a problem with some peeling
advertisement that a ref was quickly trying to patch up. "Which ad is
it?" they were both asking frantically, as the flamboyant Denver
goaltender Sinuhe Wallenheimo joined in the repair job.
 
"It's ours!" Tim Reid shouted, as it became clear that it was an MSC
ad that was being fixed. Wallenheimo, at that moment, turned around
and helped put the finishing touches on the ad with
his...um...posterior. I was laughing so hard, along with the
announcers (and, as I heard later, the radio announcers as well) that
I could barely breathe.
 
 
Michigan State 4, Bowling Green 3/OT, Saturday afternoon
 
In the fourth straight overtime game, it was becoming clear that the
top teams are all pretty evenly matched. Hopefully that will make for
some very exciting hockey next weekend as well.
 
This game had an strange similarity to the Minnesota games--Michigan
State came out strong, looked real good, and then let Bowling Green
back in the game.
 
The overtime was a close back and forth affair, and it looked like
Bowling Green had all the momentum. I was thinking about another
LSSU-Bowling Green match up when Michigan State got the game winner.
Very exciting.
 
Boston University 3, Providence 2--Saturday evening
 
In yet another one goal game, BU had to take great pains to avoid
facing the same fate that Maine met on the previous afternoon. It was
a very close first period, and Bob Norton again said that the close
game (1-1) at the end of one, despite the dominance by the higher
seeded team, was a very good sign for the Friars.
 
But as a good championship team needs to do, BU played the Friars
like they had to. They stuck with their game plan for the entire
sixty minutes, and came out with the win. Jackie Parker has to be
happy with his boys.
 
And while it could be seen in a disappointing light for Providence,
it is really a testament that a #6 (of 9) team got all the way to the
championship game, against a clearly better skilled BU team. Nice
job. I can't help but think it will do wonders for the health of
their program.
 
And the officiating was AWFUL!!! :-) Just kidding folks, put the
flame throwers down! I thought the refs did a fine job.
 
 
Wisconsin 4, Colorado College 3/OT--Saturday evening
 
Wow! What a super way to top off the Final Five! A splendid game
between two tough teams. I thought CC would be able to out-power the
Badgers, but with some very physical play, they stayed right with the
Tigers.
 
Again, I have to wonder how much playoff inexperience hurt the
Tigers, and if it will be a factor next weekend when they play the
winner of RPI/Minnesota.
 
But it was a close, see-sawing game that went back and forth between
the two teams. Both were clearly strong teams, and anybody has to be
afraid of facing either of them in the tournament.
 
But in the end, the playoff experience of Jeff Sauer paid off. He
knows how to win this time of year, and his comment about the name on
the front of the uniform being more important than the name on the
back seems to be a lesson that could be learned by a lot of teams
these days.
 
 
Lake Superior State 5, Michigan State 3--Sunday afternoon
 
In another close game, I was sure that Michigan State was going to
battle back and tie up the game at four.
 
Michigan State scored early again, and looked to be in control. It
was the same pattern as the previous days games, for both Mich. St.
and for Lake St.
 
But once the Lakers got the edge, they were not about to give the
Spartans a chance to get back in it. They clamped down, and with the
empty net goal, ruined the chance for a FOURTH 4-4 tie, and FIFTH 5-4
final score in the various tournaments.
 
Too bad...it might have made the game more exciting. But it was
exciting enough that the Lakers, after being declared DOA after a
pair of losses to Michigan early in '95, had completed yet another
late season run to put themselves in the NCAA tournament.
 
 
Can they make a serious attempt to maintain their title? The path
leads through Boston University, no doubt to the delight of Laker
fans, and the dread of Terrier supporters nationwide. The Lakers, I
am sure, would be more than happy to give BU a third straight
embarrassing finish in the NCAA tournament, and send the Terriers
home with their tail between their legs.
 
 
But luckily for Boston fans, the upstart Lakers have to get by
Clarkson, an unpredictable ECAC team that hopes to put the Laker's
anchor out to sea. But most have to admit, they smell the fine scent
of destiny in the air...
 
The coming weekend's games should prove exciting, if the conference
tournaments were any indication. I would have to say it has been the
most exciting tournament sequence in recent memory.
 
Final kudos go to MSC, not only for their great job of covering the
entire WCHA final five, but to their sequence at the end of the
CC-Wisconsin barnburner. It was a magnificent collage of hits, saves,
and goals from all five games of the tournament, set to some
wonderful background music. Quite possibly the best thing of that
nature I have ever seen. Just marvelous. Good going guys! I hope most
people got to see it!
 
                                                Lee-nerd
                                                [log in to unmask]
 
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent." --Isaac Asimov