NCAA Tourney Time!

[broodwich]

Go Ferris State! BC is a load of garbage! That whole team should be drafted by the Devils so they can continue their lame a$$ hockey skills. I hope Ferris State just rapes Milner.

[cbrooks]

I miss most of the game driving back from Bismarck yesterday. This is one of BC best teams. No shame in losing too those guys. Gophers have a young team and they will only be better next year even without Bjustad. Hopefully ferris St pulls a upset on sat. Go Ferris

[MNice]

Overall a great season, with a dissapointing finish. I think the gophs played pretty well until they just knew they cound't beat the goalie. Plus giving up like 4 goals on 14 shots won't win many games. Should be a good future.

[archerystud]

That is a very good BC team I just don't like the neutral zone trap they do. I didn't even watch the third. BC capitalized on their chances and Gophers did not.

I may have to root for BC in the title game. Seems like this playoff season the team I am pulling for is usually losing!!!

[Shorelunch]

Congrats Gopher fans for your team's success this year. Very solid season.

For the first time ever, could all of us be hoping the same team wins the next game? Let's go Ferris State University Bulldogs!

[Bear55]

Well I counted Ferris state out from the first game against Denver, maybe they can pull off a major upset. Air Force hung with BC by trapping so there is hope, I just don't know if they can score on BC.

[Bear55]

Hard to image everyone not pulling for Ferris State.

[cbrooks]

I hate BC but I got a lot of respect for there program. i can't even remember there last team that wasn't a contender. They put out good teams year in and year out. there last year team was one of the top 3 teams easily. There only player they lost from that year was that Cam ankinson(last years Hobey winner I think) and Brian Gibbons.

[PierBridge]

No I wasn't in Florida thank goodness. Arch and I have a friend "gopher fan" that lives in Tampa now.

We need a miracle for Ferris to beat these guys ...how in the world do you even score on them. It's tough enough to beat there D and then when you do the goalie just stymies everything you throw at him!

Lets face the facts here BC is the premier college hockey program in the country by a long shot. Gophers 2 and everybody is playing for 3rd ...

[Shorelunch]

I respect BC too, as they've ended my favorite squad's season a few times.

Ferris will have to play the same way Michigan did against UND last year to come even close.

[scsavre]

Any thoughts on the ice.....looked pretty bouncy out there.

lets keep the ff out of the south.

A few good bounces and the Gophs could have had a lead after 1.

It was a weird game, It seemed like they scored on every chance they had. the gophs either shot over the net or shot it right into the goalie.

The 2 factors we needed to win didnt happen, Pattersen was less then terrific and Bjugstedt was not even average.

Im still waiting to see what all is wrong with him. Sounds like he is really banged up, if thats the case he is not physically ready for the NHL next year.

Go ferris state and your weird looking cross eyed bulldog mascot.

[Bear55]

The good news is BC can't dominate forever right? RIGHT?

[yakfisher]

Kinda reminds me of the UND semifinal last year when everything was either wide or in Hunwick's gut. And the ice looked like garbage last night. Tough loss. Gophers didn't look too bad but BC got all the bounces it needed and then some. Gotta admit though that was a beautiful slash and uppercut by Matson.

[scsavre]

I did enjoy that spazz by Matson, didnt really looked provoked, beside loosing on the scoreboard as a senior I guess.

[PierBridge]

The good news is BC can't dominate forever right? RIGHT?

You mean like they have the last 15 years?

[Bear55]

You mean like they have the last 15 years?

They have to be getting near the end of this run, ok maybe 5 more years then it is over for sure. Someone has to step up and put them in their place.

The Mattson spaz was kind of funny, he just kind of lost it. Glad no one got hurt.

[yakfisher]

Oh sure, Mattson does it and it's funny, Blood does and he is a murderous felon in need of anger management

[quackersmacker]

For a second I thought mattson looked like he belonged on the No Dak squad, but then I realized he only had one outburst. To be on the No Dak squad it has to be every game! Yes Blood is a hack, no other way to put it! It's never funny when anyone does it, but comparing anyone on the gophers to that slug Blood is just plain wrong!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Does anyone else find it a bit odd the frozen four is played in Florida???

I understand they need neutral ice, but Florida? I don't know, is there much of a hockey fan base in Florida? When I was stationed in Pensacola (quite a long time ago), if I mentioned hockey to a local they looked at me like I grew a second head.

[cbrooks]

Alot of the fans travel for the frozen four. I don't know what the attendance was for the games Thursday. I know the regions(the games held last weekend)didn't have the best attendance with the exception of St Paul West region. I think NCAA need to address where to host those games. I mean some of those games didn't even break a 1000 in attendance.

[MUSKY18]

The tournament is always "hosted" by a college, or so they say. This years host college was the program in Alabama, so why they played it in Florida is beyond me. Stupid if you ask me. Even the commentators during the BC/Gophers game were commenting on how bad and sticky the ice was. I think it is just a way for the NCAA to get more money from cities willing to host and bring more exposure to college hockey. If I remember correctly, the next two Frozen Fours are being held in the college hockey mecca of Pennsylvania??? I would like to see them just hold it in one designated city like they do for the College Baseball World Series. Preferrably in a hockey state that will really cater to the tournament.

[cbrooks]

Preferrably in a hockey state that will really cater to the tournament.

Host it at the Xcel every year. i know it will never happen but think about how many college hockey players around the nation that are from Minnesota. The Twin Cities area is the college hockey mecca.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

I don't know, is there much of a hockey fan base in Florida?

You would be surprised how much hockey is being played in Florida these days... quite a lot actually. Particularly the youth levels.

They are trying to expand the sport to other markets so they don't have to listen to us P'n moan about Lacrosse preempting our NCAA hockey play-off games.

You can't have it at the X every year that's just not going to happen and is totally unfair.

Do we have paid attendance numbers yet for this years Frozen Four yet? I'm guessing 16,000 plus?

[solbes]

According to this site, 2011 total F4 attendance at the X was 38,361

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_NCAA_Division_I_Men's_Ice_Hockey_Tournament

According to this article, the total 2012 attendance in Tampa was 37,423.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/h...itle/54108702/1

Attendance numbers aside, I think they should host the F4 on a 4 year revolving basis. X for the West, Joe Louis or something similar in MI, and TD Garden or something similar in Boston area. The fourth year should allow for new sites to host like Tampa, Denver, Ohio, etc.

[Bear55]

Almost forgot about the pickem game. Congrats to Bran for edging out Dylan for the win. Bran also tied for 116th place out of 8K brackets so nice work Bran.

The person who won got 31 out of a possible 32 points, only missing the Cornell over Michigan game.

Bran 25

Dylan 24

mission 21

10K 18

Bear 12

Savre 11

Peir 11

tjbass 10

yak 8

cbrooks 7

matt 6

solbes 6