Cornell '70, RPI '85, Maine '93--I saw all of these play.  All three won
the NCAA championship with very few or no losses or ties.  All three
played fast and clean but checked hard.  The got behind, they were
in close games, they went to over time but they always found the
little extra to pull it off.  These teams could hang on when things
were not going right for them or they could not force the other team
to play their style of play.  They seemed to take the game to another
level and had season long consistency.
 
There were other teams that came together and peaked for the
championship and others that came close and only fell  short when
key injuries weakened them.  There may be some western teams
over this time period that were as good but either I did not see them
enough to form an opinion (Minnesota '79??) or perhaps I did not
like their style of play (hey, hey, hey--old time hockey).
 
 
 
Steven Rockey