As a Badger alum (BS '84)(and ever since :)) this is hard to admit, but the
only team I see between BU and the trophy is Michigan...and I hate Michigan
almost as much as Minnesota (paid political announcement).
  Of late, Michigan hasn't looked too good; they even had a tough time with
Western Mich in the CCHA semi's.  But I saw the CCHA championship.  WOW!
That looks like the Michigan that shaved ice with the rest of the CCHA for the
better part of the year.  Another game like that and they're back on top.
  The first game in Albany looks good on paper.  UW and WMU are both very
physical teams, and both tend to take penalties in bunches (that I've observed
this year, remember, being at Miami I've also seen a few WMU games).  I forsee
a tough game decided by at most 2 goals (eng), or (worse) an OT game.  BU
will just have to not self-destruct and mop up what's left of the blood the
other team didn't already let flow.
  Can Minnesota stop BU? (assuming they get that far... >50% IMHO)  Well, I
remember a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Michigan earlier this year and a
sweeping by Anchorage @ Mariucci, so I don't know.  Minnesota seems too up-and-
down.  As posted, BU is a steady kind of team, like that New York Life commer-
cial - few ups and downs, just steady growth.  I think that game is BUs to
lose too, though Carol will probably tell me exactly where I'm wrong ;).
  All-in-all, the first round games look like exciting hockey (on paper).
This may be the second year (out of ?? 10?) that the top 2 seeds advance in
each region, if only because the top seeds will be facing survivors (the fact
that they are all very good teams in their own right helps too ;)).
 
Steve G