National Championship Game Preview and Hobey Baker Award Announced

So let's just pretend my predictions on Sunday never happened shall we? Anyways, I'm taking a mulligan on the national championship game.
(2) Boston College vs (4) Notre Dame


In two shocking results, BC and ND advanced to the championship game by dominating the two highest seeded teams remaining in the field. Even though the Notre Dame-Michigan game went into overtime, Notre Dame physically took it to the Wolverines and showed that while Michigan was the most talented team in the field, sometimes extreme effort is enough to overcome that talent gap.

The championship game should be extremely interesting. Boston College's forwards shredded the best defense in the country on Thursday, and it's expected they will do the same to Notre Dame. Irish goalie Jordan Pearce will be a huge key in this game. He probably needs to stand on his head in order to give the Irish a chance at victory. Offensively the Irish have somehow been getting some goal scoring in the NCAA tournament, but it's hard to see them putting up too crooked of a number against the Eagles, even though their defense isn't very good. While the main focus will be on how successful Notre Dame's defense is at bottling up the BC offense, to me the more important matchup will be at the other end of the rink. If Carl Sneep, Mike Brennan, Nick Petrecki and the rest of the BC defensemen can shut down the Irish it will be a long day for Notre Dame fans, but in the end I think Ryan Thang and company will squeak out just enough to give Notre Dame a 3-2 upset win and the national championship.

Porter Wins Hobey Baker Award

As expected, Michigan's Kevin Porter is the 2008 recipient of the Hobey Baker Award, given to the best player in college hockey. Porter currently is tied for first nationally in goals with BC's Nathan Gerbe, and he finished second in points. Seen as one of the favorites the whole year, Porter locked down the award by scoring 4 goals in their NCAA Tourney opening round game against Niagara. Even moreso, Porter helped lead the young Wolverines to the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament and even though they were upset in the Frozen Four semifinals, Porter was a huge reason they got that far. Porter previously had been named CCHA and national player of the year by Inside College Hockey.

Frozen Four Preview

Even though there's a decently big basketball game tomorrow night, my boss (Joe) thought it would be fitting to do a Frozen Four preview tonight.

(4) Notre Dame vs. (1) Michigan

This game features the first four seed to ever make the Frozen Four in the current 16 team format against the number 1 overall team in the tournament. The main story for the Irish is their lack of offense. They lost leading scorer Erik Condra to a lower body injury, so now Sophomore forward Ryan Thang (17-13--30) is the active leading scorer for the Irish. If Notre Dame is going to have a chance, their MVP, junior goalie Jordan Pearce is going to have to have a herculean effort. Pearce had 52 saves in the West regional, and one could expect him to have to make close to that amount on Thursday against the vaunted Wolverine offense.

That offense is led by Kevin Porter, the leading scorer in the country. Porter, who is also first in goals with 31, joins teammate Chad Kolarik on the front line. Porter and Kolarik will also be teammates at the next level, as both are owned by the Phoenix Coyotes. They both also bring it on special teams: Porter is tied for second nationally with 15 power play goals, and Kolarik is tied for third nationally with 4 shorthanded goals.

Prediction: Michigan just has too much offensively and if goalie Billy Sauer avoids having a complete meltdown I see Michigan moving on to the national title game.


(1) North Dakota vs (2) Boston College

These two have gotten to know each other very well, with this being the 3rd year in a row they will play in the national semifinals. This marks the first of these 3 meetings that the Sioux will be wearing the white jerseys.

Up front BC features the 2nd leading scorer in the country Nate Gerbe, a Hobey hat trick finalist, while North Dakota is led by Hobey finalist TJ Oshie (18-27--45). The Hockey East tournament champs have put up 150 goals this season, and in Gerbe they feature the most exciting player in the country. There have been some questions about his character (more on that in the Hobey preview) but there is no doubt that North Dakota will have to account for him whenever he is on the ice.

Defensively is where North Dakota has the huge edge. The Sioux are led by Senior goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, who leads the nation in GAA at 1.64. To contrast, BC goalie John Muse is 19th at 2.26. Lamoureux also leads the nation in save percentage at 93.6%. Shockingly, Lamoureux was not a Hobey Hat Trick finalist, nor was he the conference's first team goalie. North Dakota also features a deep defensive core, led by preseason All-American Taylor Chorney. BC's blueline was hit hard when Brett Motherwell left the team early in the season to pursue a professional career, and they will be susceptible to North Dakota's offense, which has been nothing if not opportunistic this season.

Prediction: North Dakota's overall depth plus Lamoureux's skill in goal will move North Dakota into the championship game.

I'll have a Hobey preview later this week, and since at least one of these predictions is bound to be horribly wrong, I'll have a national championship game preview on Friday.

NCAA Hockey Tourney Predictions

In my haste to get to the post yesterday I forgot to put in a little shameless plug for myself. I also do a little blogging over at Complete Sports, and you guys should check it out. Although you should check it out to read Jon's work and just skim mine. If you liked the preview yesterday, read on to see my picks for every NCAA tournament game.

East Region-Albany, New York

(1) Michigan over (4) Niagara
Niagara won't be a pushover. The CHA champs boast the third best scoring team in the entire country. The Purple Eagles also boast a 10-4-2 record in non-league play. But the Wolverines are the #1 overall seed for a reason. Led by senior Hobey candidate Kevin Porter, the Wolverines have probably the deepest team in the country. Porter and fellow linemate Chad Kolarik are tied for second in the country with 28 goals each. If Michigan's nine, yes nine, freshmen can get over the bright lights of their first NCAA tournament game, they should take care of the Purps.

(2) St. Cloud State over (3) Clarkson
In a rematch from last year, St. Cloud this year is without their outstanding goalie, Bobby Goepfert, but they have added Garrett Roe, who along with Andreas Nodl and Ryan Lasch have teamed up to have the three leading scorers in the WCHA. The Huskies split a series in New York with Clarkson earlier this year, and it really is anyone's guess how this one will turn out. As mentioned yesterday, St. Cloud has no NCAA tournament wins in 6 tries, so the monkey will be squarely on their backs. Probably the toughest game to call, I'm taking St. Cloud in a shootout.

(1) Michigan over (2) St. Cloud
The Husky magic runs out as Michigan's 2nd 3rd and 4th lines overmatch St. Cloud's. Michigan is a little thin on defense at the moment, but I'm guessing they'll have enough in the tank to stop St. Cloud, especially if the recent play of goalie Billy Sauer continues.

Northeast-Worcester, Massachusetts

(1) Miami over (4) Air Force
Miami is a team that I have been pumping up all year, and in this game they will show the country why. Goalie Jeff Zatkoff has a 1.67 GAA, and Miami gives up the second least goals in the country to go along with the nation's top penalty kill, which should let them play very aggressively against the Falcons. Air Force's really only chance is to defend the RedHawks by attacking them. If Eric Ehn, a Hobey Hat Trick finalist last year, comes back that could be a huge boost for Air Force, who needs all the help they can get.

(3) Minnesota over (2) Boston College
This will probably be the shocker of the tourney. BC is coming in hot, having won the Hockey East tournament, and they have unquestionably the nations most exciting player in Nate Gerbe. He is extremely skilled and extremely fast. Plus he can do stuff like this. But Minnesota has also been playing very well as of late. In a matchup of freshmen goalies, Minnesota clearly has the edge. Alex Kangas has a 1.92 GAA while BC freshman Jon Muse has been a bit shaky in between the pipes. And, as INCH columnist Jeff Howe has been saying all season, he isn't very good high glove side, and that is the type of thing a Minnesota team that struggles a bit to score could exploit. I look for Minnesota to punch one in early and then play tight defensive hockey to hold off the Eagles.

(1) Miami over (3) Minnesota
Tempted as I was to pick Minnesota, I just couldn't do it. Miami is too talented, perhaps the most talented team in the country. The Gophers are just a bit too young to give Miami too serious of a run, and Zatkoff should be able to match Kangas save for save and let his talented offense do the rest to carry Miami to Denver.

West-Colorado Springs, Colorado

(1) New Hampshire over (4) Notre Dame

New Hampshire is led by goalie Kevin Regan, who was the Hockey East player of the year for 2007-2008. Up front they feature a couple talented seniors in Matt Fornataro (46 pts) and Mike Radja (43 pts) and they also have the #2 overall pick of last years NHL draft in James vanRiemsdyk (31 pts). Notre Dame, on the other hand, simply struggles on offense. They are the second lowest scoring team in the field (and the lowest scoring team that deserved to be in there) and they lost leading scorer Erik Condra to injury. They play good defensively, but don't have a brick wall like David Brown in net this year.

(2) Colorado College over (3) Michigan St.

The defending national champs get a tough shake: having to face the WCHA regular season champs on their home ice. MSU goalie Jeff Lerg is renowned for his big game ability, but CC features the WCHA player of the year in goalie Richard Bachman. The Tigers have only lost 2 games at home all season, and this wont be their third.

(2) Colorado College over (1) New Hampshire
And the University of No Hardware moniker will live on another season. New Hampshire is perhaps the more talented team, but Colorado College isn't too far behind, featuring Chad Rau (42 pts) and Mike Testuwide, who has scored 20 points in the new year , along with one of my favorite players, Billy Sweatt. CC advances to the Frozen Four in their home state.

Midwest- Madison, Wisconsin

(1) North Dakota over (4) Princeton
The preseason number 1 team in the country meets the surprise ECAC champs. Individually, North Dakota has more talent than any team in the field, and they need Hobey finalist TJ Oshie to get 100% healthy to make a serious run at the title. Goalie Jean-Phillipe Lamoureux has been the Sioux's best player all season, and if he continues to play well the Sioux will be tough to beat. Princeton does have a decent goalie in Zane Kalemba and Lee Jubinville, who is Princeton's first ever Hobey finalist. But I don't think it will be enough.

(2) Denver over (3) Wisconsin
Unfortunately Wisconsin shouldn't have even been in the field. They do also have one extremely exciting player in Kyle Turris, but if Wisconsin loses their opening round game, the over under on hours until he signs with the NHL is 48. And I'll take the under. Goals don't come extremely easily for the Pioneers, but they have a legitimate #1 goalie in Peter Mannino, who won a title as a Freshman. Denver should blow Wisconsin out of their own building.

(2) Denver over (1) North Dakota
This game could go either way, but as much as it pains me to write it, I think Denver will move on to the Frozen Four. The two teams met this passed Friday in St. Paul at the WCHA Final Five, and Denver took that game. However, if Peter Mannino can't get it rolling in this game, North Dakota certainly has the offensive firepower to take advantage and could win the national title. The big losers in this game are the fans, who will have to settle for a DU-North Dakota regional final when these two are easily two of the top 4 teams in the field.

Frozen Four

(2) Denver over (1) Miami
Miami has won zero national titles, and this will continue. In my opinion they were the best team in the field two years ago and they faltered in the regional finals. The one knock against them is that they don't beat elite teams. Playing in the smaller NHL rink should help the gritty Pioneers advance to the title game.

(1) Michigan over (2) Colorado College
This was another tough game for me to pick. Colorado College benefits from playing in their home state, and they will certainly have the home crowd on their side, but to me it all goes back to their rink. The Tigers only lost 2 games on their Olympic sized ice sheet, but lost two in a row on the NHL rink at the Xcel Energy Center. Michigan will have enough firepower to get past Bachman and the Tigers.

(2) Denver over (1) Michigan
A matchup of skill and system pits the Wolverines and the Pioneers. Michigan likes to play free flowing hockey, while Denver has liked to bottle things up after the recent defection of leading scorer Brock Trotter to the NHL. In matchups of good offense vs. good defense I tend to side with the defense, and this is no different as I think Peter Mannino will be enough to keep the Wolverines at bay to win the Pioneers' 3rd national title of the decade and their 8th overall, which will surpass North Dakota for second most all time. Fun Fact: Everytime the Frozen Four has been in the same building as the Democratic National Convention Denver has walked away national champions. This year's Democratic National Convention locale? Denver.

The Other March Madness: NCAA Hockey Bracket Analysis

Hey everyone, stephen a back again. I suppose I could be called The Sports Flow's resident college hockey writer, with all of two posts under my belt. Last year I dropped a Frozen Four Preview as well as a prediction on who would win the Hobey Baker Award. I went 1 for 3 on the Frozen picks but I did get the Hobey right so I'll take it. This year my role has been expanded a touch and I'll be taking a general overview of the entire tournament to get everyone ready for the Frozen Four in three weeks. And as always, thanks to everyone at The Sports Flow for putting up with me. Here we go.

What: The NCAA hockey tournament
Who: The tournament champions of the six conferences (WCHA, CCHA, Hockey East, ECAC Hockey, Atlantic Hockey and the CHA) plus 10 at large teams
Where: Albany, NY; Worcester, Massachusetts; Madison, Wisconsin; Colorado Springs, Colorado
When: Either this Friday and Saturday, or Saturday and Sunday. Frozen Four is April 10th and 12th in Denver.

For the full bracket, go here.

Bracket Winners: Wisconsin, Michigan, WCHA. Wisconsin gets into the NCAA tournament with a sub .500 record, Michigan has probably the easiest road to Denver, and the WCHA got a record 6 teams into the NCAA Tournament.

Bracket Losers: New Hampshire, Minnesota State. New Hampshire has to travel across the entire country to play in Colorado Springs with the WCHA champs and defending national champs. Minnesota State would take that in a heartbeat, as they got left out of the field altogether in favor of Wisconsin, a team they finished two spots higher than in the WCHA standings.

NCAA Tourney by the Numbers: 0: The number of NCAA tournament games ever won by St. Cloud State. They get their second shot in as many years at Clarkson on Friday.

0: Number of times since the field expanded to 16 teams that all four 1 seeds have made the Frozen Four.

6: The number of WCHA teams in the field, a record.

9: The number of NCAA titles Michigan has won, the most of any team.

3: number of 3 seeds in last years Frozen Four. The 3 seeds this year are Wisconsin, Michigan State, Clarkson and Minnesota.

102: Points scored by North Dakota defensemen this season, tops in the country, they also lead the country in goals allowed per game.

That's all for today. I'll be back tomorrow with my picks for all of the tournament games, in case your basketball bracket is worthless you can maybe win a couple bucks back from a hockey one.

Bracketology gone College Hockey! (WCHA Conference Tourney)

I'm going to leave the college basketball pleasure to Stefan, however in keeping with the bracketology this week I'm going to give you my bracket for the NCAA D1 WCHA Conf. Tourney. I will be in attendance to all games help up in Grand Forks this weekend with UND taking on Mich Tech So I'm a little excited to say the least.

First Round
I see Colorado College having no problem with the Seawolves
I think the Gophers are going to find a way to keep their miserable season alive with a upset win in 3 games
St. Cloud beats the Badgers in 3
Denver wins in 3 against a feisty Duluth team
UND beat Tech in possibly 3 games depending on how the injury situation works out

Play-In
Huskies end the Gophers "dream season"

SEMIS
CC Stays red hot against the Huskies.
UND has DUs number as of late and I don't see that changing.

Championship
UND upsets CC on the back of J.P. Lamoureaux and TJ Oshie.

It's not like I've never been called a homer before so let me know what you honestly think of my picks. I know I'm a UND student so I'm biased but I really see UND continuing their unbeaten ways. It's been 16 games since we lost ya know....

Hockey and a Reunion on tap for the Weekend

This weekend TSF will be experiencing a reunion on the campus of the Universiy of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND. Here we will be celebrating a belated 1 year anniversary/birthday of the blog that you know and love.

Also, this weekend I will be spending considerable time at the Ralph Engelstadt Arena watching both the North Dakota State Hockey Tournament and my University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team riding the nation's longest unbeaten streak against the Bemidji State Beavers. The Sioux are ranked #2 in the nation (NCAA D1) and look to remain the hottest team in the land and extend their unbeaten streak from 11 games to 13 with a sweep this weekend. It's going to be a fun-filled hockey weekend.

here are some UND Fighting Sioux Hockey videos for you to feast your eyes on.

Evan Trupp Beats the Golden Chokers in OT (SC #1 Top Play)

Kyle Radke Kicked Some Ass Last Weekend

Littlest Big Hitter I've ever Seen...TJ Oshi

Buy or Sell: NCAA ban/regulations on live blogging

It's been a while since I posted on an issue where I could let readers buy or sell. I'm bringing it back tonight.

I'm sure many of you remember back in June when University of Louisville reporter Brian Bennett was evicted from the press box in the fifth inning of Louisville's 20-2 victory for live blogging during the game. More recently the NCAA has adjusted their policy a bit this year to include regulations for live blogging all sports. In all their ridiculosity, here they are:

Fall Sports

Soccer: Five times per half; one at halftime

Field Hockey: Five times per half; one at halftime

Volleyball: Three per Competition; one in between Competitions

Football: Three per quarter; one at halftime

Cross Country: Ten per day/session

Men's Water Polo: Three per quarter; one at the halftime

Winter Sports

Ice Hockey: Three per period - one in between (includes overtime)

Basketball: Five times per half; one at halftime; two times per overtime period

Wrestling: Ten per session

Indoor Track and Field: Ten per day/session

Swimming and Diving: Ten per day/session

Bowling: Ten per day/session

Gymnastics: Ten per session

So besides being a little pissed about the NCAA inhibiting my passion for liveblogging bowling and water polo, I find these new restrictions meticulous,and pointless. I'm definitely selling the NCAA's regulations on liveblogging.

I understand that the NCAA is trying to protect the reserved rights of those that are paying to broadcast these events. Where is the line drawn here? Is the NCAA going to have officials coming around to notify me that I only have one post left for my Wrestling live blog until the session ends? Even with blogger you can blog from your cell phone which poses an interested facet to the problem also.

"It's a real question that we're being deprived our right to report within the first amendment from a public facility. Once a player hits a home run, that's a fact. It's on TV, everybody sees it. They (the NCAA) can't copyright that fact. The blog wasn't a simulcast or a recreation of the game. It was an analysis." - Jon Fleischaker, attorney for The Courier-Journal

So, what about fans in the stands mobile blogging with blackberries and cell phones? What about when I text my dad updates of UND hockey games from the Ralph Engelstad Arena? Where is the line drawn?

I understand the principle behind what the NCAA is trying to do. The NCAA claims ownership rights to any during-the-game information and that it can be distributed only through those outlets to which it has granted rights. They're trying to protect their assets. However, I think that the whole thing is insignificant and fruitless. What is the difference between constricting and inhibiting livebloggers at sporting events to those at home watching the game on ESPN? It's going to be virtually the same thing. And, regardless, how does the NCAA plan to enforce these regulations?

I definitely wouldn't put it past the NCAA to pick a fight with the media and the first amendment on this one because I, of course, can see first hand what happens when the NCAA wants to pick a fight. Also, maybe it's because I'm a blogger (though not a big live blogger), but I am going to sell the NCAA's new regulations on live blogging.

What are your feelings on the issue? Do you agree with me or disagree? Drop comments!

Take Your Pick: NDSU Athletics vs. UND Athletics

The Sports Flow has decided to add some local flavor to the blog. Here in North Dakota, the best rivalry in all of sports is NDSU (North Dakota State University) Bison vs. UND (University of North Dakota) Fighting Sioux.

Both schools hate each other with a passion! You could say it's like Duke-UNC (bball), Michigan-Ohio St. (football), or the Yankees-Red Sox... in a North Dakota sense.

But some of it has died down since NDSU's recent move to Division 1. And for the 2008-2009 season UND will begin their transition to Division 1 athletics.

The two schools will renew their rivalry as both will take each other on for the 2008 baseball season. Which could be the first step to the schools playing each other in all sports soon.

But we're not here to just simply talk about the old rivalry. We want to take a deeper look into both school's athletic departments. We'll take an inside look at two different opinions and we'll let you decide for yourself.

Who do you take? NDSU Athletics or UND Athletics?
Let the debating begin...

Ming01's take:
I may be biased towards NDSU. But I have to take NDSU athletics over UND. UND has some great programs, such as men's hockey, women's basketball, and football is decent. But NDSU has quite a few quality programs and really have adapted to Division 1 well.

Let's start off with NDSU Football. NDSU's football program alone speaks for itself. Personally, if you take the top 2 programs for each. UND Hockey vs NDSU Football. Football has the advantage.

First off, it generates more revenue yearly. NDSU football has it's advantages playing some well known teams in D-1AA and last season just started playing some D-1A teams (Minnesota and Ball St.). They had Minnesota on the ropes in their house (the Metrodome) and dominated the Gophers in every aspect of the game (except FG kicking). The Bison made it look like they were the Big Ten team playing an inferior D-1AA team. And come next year, I expect the same, with the Bison coming out on top.

They've had great success over the last few seasons topping some damn good teams and finished the D-1AA rankings ranked 5th.

Lastly, if you take away NDSU's football program, then you have no athletic department. You can't say the same for hockey.


NDSU's Mens Basketball program has come a long way in the last 4/5 years or so. And I mean a long ways. They own the state of Wisconsin. In 2005-2006 they upset 14th ranked Wisconsin 62-55 and this past season upset 8th ranked Marquette 64-60 at Marquette's home tournament. The one they were suppose to dominate. Holding Dominic James to 3 of 11 FG shooting and 8 points.

In the 2005-2006 season the Bison finished with a 16-12 record and this past season finished at 20-8. Next season they will enter the Mid-Continent Conference and won't be eligible for the NCAA Tournament until the 2008-2009 season; where they will have a legitimate chance of making the big dance with Ben Woodside, Mike Nelson, Luke Moorman, Brett Winklemann, and their whole bench returning. But next year they have a shot at making the NIT again. I thought they really should have this year, but at the end they had some disappointing losses.

The Bison Men's Basketball team has been impressive in their transition to Division 1 Basketball. They are now entering a conference and should continue to improve. From here on out, I expect this team to compete in the Mid-Con and fight for a NCAA Tournament bid year in and year out.

In my opinion, overall, UND can't top that. There's no comparison, really. NDSU takes it. Joe and I felt like we needed to do a post on NDSU/UND. Plus, we wanted to do something that could generate some great discussion. And lately, I've been in some intense arguments between the two schools with some of my peers.

NDSU is on the rise and have found their place in D-1 athletics. Other than Hockey, UND still needs to adapt when they get to the D-1 level. Just because NDSU has, doesn't mean they will. No one said it's easy. It's a tough transition, and the Bison have payed their dues. There's only one perfect phrase to describe Bison athletics right now, that is... 'Bring on the competition.'

grittysquirrels take:

So first and foremost I just want to put out there that Stefan is planning on going to NDSU next year and I am attending UND...readers beware this rivalry may take The Sports Flow by storm and this post may be incredibly biased....With that said here is my take...focusing on both school's main programs.

• UND Hockey: is like nothing that NDSU has. Ralph Engelstad Arena in the nicest, most luxurious hockey facility(ies) in NCAA Hockey....maybe in all of Hockey (NHL included). They play at the D1A level...there is nothing higher. In my opinion there is just nothing that NDSU has that can compare, and if you've been to a game you know what I'm talking about. They play on the big stage (played on ESPN2 just a week ago) and are nearly a staple in postseason play and the upper tier of national rankings.
• NDSU Football: Sure ok, it's D1AA and grosses more revenue than the hockey team but if you are going to play that card then look...UND is having a bit of an exploratory year in D1AA next year and will be fullblown in '08. So with the whole revenue thing look, in 4-5 years UND will be where NDSU is right now and you can go ahead and add that revenue to what the hockey team does for the university too, so let's just go ahead and about make that a nonfactor.
• UND Football: is a relatively top-flight D2 program. They're consistently highly ranked and had a pretty decent recruiting class this last year. Last season they beat the NIU (Northern Iowa University) Panthers 35-31 in Iowa when the Panthers were the #3 ranked D1-AA team. So really, although the transition won't be easy I don't think it will be terribly hard. So, they've proved they can beat the higher competition and just because they are D2 doesn't mean they can be overlooked. NDSU, yes has a better football program, but UND doesn't lag as far behind as people think. Give them a 3-4 maybe 5 years and we'll have some great rivalry games going on each fall.
• NDSU Men's Bball: Is where NDSU gets their main advantage. Sure, they lost Tim Miles, but that might not hurt them too much. I've heard great things about some of the assistants he had over there. With basically all your key players back I think NDSU will have a real shot at making the NIT too....they were about 1 big win away this year.
• UND Women's Bball: is probably way too overlooked. They are another top-flight D2 program that should make a nice transition to D1 in coming years. They lost in the Elite 8 this year and are preseasonally ranked #5 for next season. It is worth noting that a lot of people don't even realize that they were 34-1 in the '05-'06.

THE FINAL TAKE
Look, I think that both of these programs collectively are very good and both on the rise. It is almost too close to call and that is why it makes such a good "Take Your Pick", however both out of pride and honesty opinions I'm taking UND.

NDSU's advantage in football is not as large as most think, and whatever advantage they have over UND in Men's Bball the UND Women's team negates, which makes hockey the catalyst here. I think the UND's Hockey program wins this for them (in my mind anyways). It's close and everyone is entitled to their opinion but the bottomline is that NDSU has nothing that compares to UND Hockey....period. You can draw parallels of the program to that of what basketball is to Kentucky or Duke. Top players (i.e. Duncan, Oshie, Chorney, Toews, the list could go on), top facilities (the Ralph is amazing), unbeatable environment (if you haven't been you're missing out), and competition at the highest level of play are just something that NDSU can't offer right now.

It's a tough take and everyone is entitled to their own opinion...so what is your take? Who do you want and why?

Oshie back for '08

The Bismarck Tribune provided me with easily the best news of my day yesterday. TJ Oshie will be returning to the University of North Dakota for his Junior season next year instead of signing a 3-year contract with the St. Louis Blues.

"It was hard turning down the money, but that's not the most important thing."
-TJ Oshie-

He didn't quite have as good of a sophomore year as his freshman year, having 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 pts. and a 3rd team all-WCHA selection. I couldn't be happier hearing this. Now I'm hoping that Duncan (having not been drafted) will come back too. I'm also optimistic that Toews will stay but I believe he will leave to the Chicago Blackhawks. I'm afraid he had just too good of a year. Regardless if Toews comes back, at least it'll be fun to watch Oshie play next year.

Now that Oshie is back I think, in my opinion, that it is safe to say that the Sioux can definately make it to the Frozen Four for a 4th straight year...even if Toews doesn't come back.

This Year's George Mason

Sure, this year's NCAA Basketball tournament was great and had some upsets. However, to me it was really missing the one thing that makes it truly great. It really was missing a great Cinderella story. It needed that team in the elite 8 or even maybe Final Four which was not, in any way, supposed to be there. Well have no fear and do not hang your head because the sports world has its Cinderella story for the year. This year, rather, it came from the Frozen Four- not the Final Four.

The Michigan State Spartans shocked the hockey world, myself included, by beating the Boston College Golden Eagles on Saturday night. As the number 3 seed MSU was only the 2nd 3 seed to make it to championship (BC last year was a 3), and now the first 3-seed to win it. I didn't get the opportunity to watch this whole game but from what I saw was a really great, hard-hitting, physical, and exciting hockey game. I looked for some videos of the great hitting but this is all i found. So, for those of you who missed the game I hope this will do for now

"We know we're not fancy and we know we're not picked by anybody to win anything. But you know what, what a great, great group of kids. They've wanted so badly to walk around with their heads high, and now they're going home with a national championship,"

--Michigan State Coach Rick Comley--

Who Will Win the Hobey?

The 2007 Hobey Baker Award will be announced on April 6th, the day before the National Championship Game. Maybe the winner will be playing the next day, maybe not. This year's Hobey Hat Trick finalists are an unheralded scrapper, a goalie with a legitimate shot to win, and the second leading scorer in the country.

The Candidate: Ryan Duncan, Sophomore Forward, North Dakota

The Stats: 31 goals, 26 assists, 17 power-play goals.

What to Like: Playing alongside two bigger names in T.J. Oshie and Johnathan Toews, it's Duncan, who hasn't been drafted, who has stood out. Duncan leads the WCHA in scoring, and was named the conference's player of the year. His 17 power play goals lead the country.

What Not to Like: Duncan's size certainly brings up some question marks, and you have to wonder how much he benefits from the attention that gets placed on his linemates. And, as we saw last year with Denver defenseman Matt Carle winning the Hobey, it usually goes to the best player and not just the best stats.

The Candidate: David Brown, Senior goaltender, Notre Dame

The Stats: 1.58 GAA, .931 Save Pct.

What to Like: Brown was a major factor in the Irish rising to the #1 ranking in the country this year, and them getting a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Without Brown in net, Notre Dame probably would have been upset by Alabama-Huntsville in the first round of the NCAA tournament. His 1.58 GAA and .931 Save Percentage are both top 5 in the country.

What Not to Like: Sure Brown has a 1.58 GAA, but Coach Jeff Jackson's style dictates that the goalie doesn't face many shots. In fact, Brown rarely faced over 20 shots a game. In a chance to really separate himself from the other elite goalies, John Curry of BU and Bobby Goepfert of St. Cloud State, Brown's Irish lost to CCHA rivals Michigan St. in the regional final.

The Candidate: Eric Ehn, Junior forward, Air Force

The Stats: 24 goals, 40 assists

What to Like: Ehn, the first Hobey Hat Trick finalist from either of college hockey's "mid major" conferences, College Hockey America and Atlantic Hockey, (Ehn's Falcons play in Atlantic Hockey) is second in the nation in scoring at 1.60 points per game. His Falcons nearly upset the #1 overall seed Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

What Not to Like: Playing in Atlantic Hockey, Ehn doesn't face as stiff of competition as he would if he played in a stronger conference (think playing Canisius and Army vs. playing Minnesota and Wisconsin). Also, as outlined with Ryan Duncan, the best stats don't always win the Hobey.

The Winner: The only player that stood out in the NCAA tournament, and the only player still playing, Ryan Duncan will be the 2007 Hobey Baker Award winner, just the second ever from North Dakota.

Frozen Four Preview

Hey everyone. I just wanted to thank The Sports Flow for letting me come on and give you guys a Frozen Four preview. Before I get started let me toss in a quick plug for the other site I write for, http://www.thebaseballnation.com/ If you guys are big baseball fans like me you can come on and read articles by authors for every major league team. I write articles for the Twins, so if you're a Twins fan e-mail me at stephenfetch@thebaseballnation.com with any compliments, complaints, or things you want me to write about for my next article. Or,depending on who you're a fan of, you can even write articles. Contact bobbyglover@thebaseballnation.com for more. And please join our forum to talk some baseball. Ok with that being said, let's get to the hockey.

Semifinal One: Maine Black Bears (23-14-2, 14-12-1 Hockey East)
vs. Michigan State Spartans (24-13-3, 15-10-3 CCHA)

Overview: A rematch of an NCAA tournament game last year, in which Maine defeated the Spartans 5-4 in the East Regional Final. This year, Maine defeated St. Cloud State and Massachusetts in the East Regional, while Michigan St. defeated Boston University and Notre Dame to win the Midwest Regional

Forwards: Bryan Lerg, a junior left wing who originally committed to Michigan, leads the nation with 8 game winning goals. The Spartan forwards are an experienced bunch, starting just one senior but also just one freshman. However, their big concern is their depth. After Lerg's 23 the Spartans don't have another 20 goal scorer on their team.

Maine also isn't blessed with much depth, but they have two excellent forwards. Michel Léveillé (pronounced Me-shell Lev-e-yay) is their senior captain and unquestioned leader. Léveillé was an early Hobey Baker finalist in the early going, as he finished 19-25--44. Teddy Purcell is one of the best freshmen in the country, and won Inside College Hockey's freshman of the year award. When watching Purcell play the first think you notice are his soft hands. He is a great stick-handler and when passing he can put the puck wherever he wants to. Purcell (16-27--43) is one of the key's to the game, and is poised for future greatness, as Inside College Hockey writer Jeff Howe has predicted that as long as Purcell stays in school he will win at least one Hobey.

Advantage: Maine's top two lines will make a huge difference in this matchup.

Defense: Spartan defenseman Tyler Howells is a quick skater, and he is 7th on the team in scoring with 25 points. The Spartans will likely dress 7 defensemen for this Frozen Four, with their extra one being Mike Ratchuk. All in all, the Spartans D just isn't very good.

Maine Senior Mike Lundin has 20 points in 39 games, and although he isn't the most accomplished defensman, he can get it done both in his own zone and at neutral ice. Lundin leads the Black Bears in career games played, and he is a very cerebral player, using all the angles to his advantage.

Advantage: Maine has both the top end talent and overall depth to win this matchup.

Goaltending: Michigan St. goalie Jeff Lerg started every game for the Spartans this season, and went 27-13-3. With a 2.46 GAA and a .911 save percentage, Lerg can stop enough shots to let his offense win a game, and maybe for his cousin Bryan to pop in another game winning goal. Maine netminder Ben Bishop was hurt for much of the end of the 2006-2007 season. But when the 6'7" Sophomore has been healthy he has been good, with a 2.08 GAA and a .925 sve percentage. Bishop's size means he has to use his angles a lot less than Lerg, and gives him a natural advantage-but only if he works hard enough to use it.

Advantage: Now that Bishop is back, Maine has the clear advantage in this one, although they can still be succeptable to some blow-ups in net.

Who Will Win: As you could probably tell by the preview, Maine just brings too much to the table and will defeat the Spartans to advance to the title game.

Semifinal Two: North Dakota Fighting Sioux (24-13-5, 13-10-5 WCHA)

vs. Boston College Eagles (28-11-1, 18-8-1 Hockey East)

Overview: Another rematch, this game pits two semifinalists from last year, when BC defeated North Dakota to advance to the title game. This year, BC defeated St. Lawrence and New Hampshire to win the Northeast Regional, while North Dakota defeated Michigan and archrival Minnesota to win the West Regional. Boston College is the only automatic qualifier in the Frozen Four field, as the Hockey East Tournament champions.

Forwards: This is a classic matchup of depth vs. top-end talent. North Dakota's top line of Johnathan Toews, T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan is the best line in the country. However, other than those three, only Chris Porter, who had the game winner against Minnesota, and Brad Miller have over 20 points.

Boston College, on the other hand, has six forwards that can really put the puck in the net. Their high scoring forward is Benn Ferriero who has 23 goals and 23 assists. It seems like a different forward steps up for them in each game. Lately it has been Ben Smith, who centers the top line. In 6 postseason games since he moved up to the top line, Smith has 3 goals and 5 assists.

Advantage: While North Dakota has the edge in talent, it's Boston College that can run more quality lines on the ice.

Defense: Yet another matchup of top-end talent vs. depth, only in reverse. Two weeks ago, Boston College's star forward Brian Boyle (18-33--51) moved back to the blue line, where he will probably play in the NHL. However, Boyle still takes faceoffs and still likes to go to the net, as he did for his goal against St. Lawrence in the NCAA Tournament. BC's other top defenseman is Sophomore Brett Motherwell, who scored a goal against North Dakota in the Frozen Four last year.
North Dakota's top 6 defensemen may be the best 6 in the country top to bottom. They don't have the type of star power like Brian Boyle, but they do have Brian Lee, who was a top 10 pick in the NHL draft and Taylor Chorney, who captained this years U.S. National Junior Team. Robbie Bina leads the defensemen in scoring, and perhaps you remember back to his 80+ foot goal against the Gophers in Minneapolis.

Advantage: North Dakota's depth will help them frusterate Boston College's top lines.

Goaltending: Perhaps the biggest mismatch of the two semifinals, Boston College's Cory Schneider (21-11-1) has a 2.1 GAA and a .927 save percentage, and is a first round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks. Phillipe Lamoreux on the other hand, won't be working in the NHL unless it's as a janitor. He has been playing well as of late, but he can't afford the five goal hiccup he had against Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Schneider was perhaps a little peeved that rival goalie John Curry of Boston University was named Hockey East Player of the Year, so all Schneider has done is win Regional Most Outstanding Player.

Advantage: Big, big advantage for Boston College, who has a goalie that can pitch a shutout every game.

Who Will Win: In a game better fit for Saturday night, viewers will get a high-flying, exciting game. But in the end I think the goaltending advantage means Boston College will move on to make it an all Hockey East championship game

Thanks for reading, I'll be back Tomorrow with a look at who will win the Hobey Baker award for the best player in the country. Until then, please leave any comments, questions, or general disagreements.

March Madness Rolls/Skates On

As March Madness rolls on there's been a lot of great action on both the ice and the hardwood this weekend. And as we speak arguably the greatest month in all of sports is coming to a climax. Let's regroup...

Ohio St. and UCLA punched their tickets to the Final Four Saturday. Also Michigan St. and Maine booked theirs to the Frozen Four. A few things really either surprised me or stuck out to me here:

• I was really surprised that Ohio St. was not only able to win but to really run away with it at the end. I mean, they really made this score look ugly
  
• The talented Jayhawks club being so unable to respond. I picked UCLA to win, but I figured that the Jayhawks wouldn't just die like that. Watch out now...because Bill Self is quickly becoming into that coach with lots of talent who "Can't win the Big-game". Actually thus far he can't even get there...
  
• Maine was the first team to punch a ticket to the Frozen Four in St. Louis...This came as a bit of a surprise to me and definitely not in my predictions.


• Thus far the Frozen Four tournament has seemingly had more upsets than the Bball tourney.....who'da thunk it!


• Oden really stepped it up after a horrible game in the sweet sixteen against Tenn...I'm guessing he felt he had something to prove.


• So, with Notre Dame losing to Michigan State that means that 3 of the 4 #1 seeds are out of the Frozen Four Tourney after just 2 days of play..once again my predictions never foresaw such an abundance in upsets! But you still gotta love it.
  
• The UND Fighting Sioux beat Michigan, as predicted, 8-5. Yea I thought they'd win, and as the highest-scoring team in the country I knew Michigan could light it up but I never imagined 13 goals! A lot of people are going to try to pin some "bad goaltending" on Lamoureux but I'm putting it on the Defense. If it weren't for some tough saves on Lamoureux's part you may have seen Michigan hit double-digits.
  
• Afflalo played quite a bit better for UCLA than did most of the more-talented Kansas starters (in my opinion). Afflalo is a great college player and may win a championship this year, but I think there are a lot of guys on the Kansas starting 5 who will make better pro's. Any thoughts?
  
• I will be out of town until late tuesday so Stefan will be in charge for the next few days. You can expect to hear from me on Wed.

Alright, as a Sioux fan I have to do a quick plug. The UND Fighting Sioux will face-off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers tomorrow in what looks to be the game of the tournament (in my opinion anyways). The puck drops at 5 o'clock. You should all tune in because this one is a dandy.

I feel like this game really could go either way. They both play each other really tough and have exchanged blows all year long. But I think the Sioux can win this one, not because I'm biased or will be screaming my lungs out in support or anything. But rather because I was surprised at Minnesota's near 1st round meltdown to Air Force. It had me thinking Holy Cross all over again! And because the Sioux have been really excited about getting a rematch after the tough loss just last week in the WCHA championship and they're ready to stick it to em'. Regardless of who wins this game I think either team would have a cakewalk to the championship.

So, the moral of the story is:

Give College Hockey a chance
Watch the rest of the Elite 8 games tomorrow
Enjoy March because it is amazing
annnnnnnnnd..........GO SIOUX!

NCAA Frozen Four Predictions

Here are my predictions for the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament beginning Friday.





I really think that Notre Dame is a great team, and obviously worthy of a #1 seed, however they are no match for the Golden Gophers and are possibly a bit overrated (in my eyes at least). If the Gophers can get by UND I think they can make a straight-shot to the title game. If UND and Minn. meet in the 2nd round it should be pure eye-candy. As previously stated, when these two teams have met this year it has been nearly a coin-flip and have featured finishes with a flair for high scoring, overtime, and the dramatic. Overall I think the WCHA is just far superior to the rest of college hockey and will definitely leave its mark on the tourney. I feel like you can look for upsets from Mich St. over Boston U. (first round), BC over UNH, and St. Cloud over Clarkson (2nd Round). But like I said I just don't see any teams with a better shot at winning the tournament than the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and I think they take down the Irish for the crown.


Now, It's time for my Ideal Frozen Four Outcome:

Above is how I predict the tournament to go down, but this is what I'm really rooting for. I do feel like this, although mere fantasy, isn't that incredibly far fetched. Having picked Minnesota as my Champion I feel like if UND can beat Michigan (which I truly feel they can and will) and then beat Minnesota in a tough game; then the hardest part is truly behind them. If the Fighting Sioux can beat the Gophers then I think they can roll into the championship with a full head of steam and take down the Irish in a dandy....Ok, so I know that I'm just purely fantasizing on a computer screen right now but hey, it could happen....couldn't it?

Do you think it could? What are your predictions? Do they look like mine?

Golden Gophers Win WCHA Title and a #1 seed

Much to my dismay the Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the UND Fighting Sioux last night in Overtime. It was a really great game and Blake Wheeler's game-winning goal was a really great goal. Here is the game-winning goal from Saturday Night. I can't bear to watch...but you should!



With the victory the Golden Gophers solidified a #1 seed in the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament, and the Fighting Sioux a 3-seed in the same region. Although my picks for the tournament don't come out until Tuesday I can tell you right now that there will most likely be a rematch, and it should be a dandy. Every time these two teams have played this year it has been a spectacular game and nearly a coin-flip. Look for the same. It really is a shame that they are in the same region, because it would be so much fun to see these two teams play in the Frozen Four or even in the Championship!

The NCAA Frozen Four Tournament starts on 3/23.
Stay tuned for my picks on 3/20. and.........GO SIOUX

So Close...Yet So Far + WCHA Championship Tonight!

As the Xavier vs. Ohio St. game progressed I couldn't help but find myself rooting for the Muskateers. Even though I have Ohio St. picked to the Elite 8 or Final 4 in basically all of my brackets I was so drawn to the upset and was nearly certain that it was going to happen.

Ohio St. made a huge statement by winning this game. They showed their extreme balance and resilience by making this comeback. When they were down 59-50 they looked essentially dead in the water. Especially once Oden fouled out. However, they showed that they have multiple weapons -3 or 4 guys- who can hit that big shot and that's what it takes to win a National Championship.

I found a touch of controversy in this game however, as I thought that Greg Oden's 5th foul was intentional. I don't blame the refs for allowing them to finish the game on the court but now looking back on it, when hindsight is 20/20, I think that it would have made all the difference in the game. If Oden throwing the Xavier player to the ground is called intentional I think Xavier holds on and wins.

However weak as the Buckeyes looked today, right now I would absolutely not want to play them. I think the winner of the Tenn/Virginia game is in big trouble because today we learned a lot about Ohio St. today and they learned a lot about themselves as a team. They learned that they can get it done without Oden and that they have a couple guards, one a freshman and one a senior, who can literally take over a game(or overtime) and make that one shot to save the season. Ohio St. just received a slap in the face and is officially awake. Right now I think Ohio St. might be the most balanced team in the tournament, and they are certainly a team that I would not want to play.

**SIDE NOTE**

The WCHA Championship will be decided tonight at 7:07 (Central). The UND Fighting Sioux take on the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. Look for this to be a really great game and if you are a fan of hockey or college hockey in particular I strongly encourage you to tune in to this one.

UND come in really hot, having lost only 1 game in the last 18. Personally I think the matchup of UND vs. Minn favors UND. That's why I'm really glad that Minnesota beat Wisconsin last night because I think that Wisconsin's physical gameplay would really favor them in a matchup with UND. However, with UND vs. Minnesota I think that UND's speed and outstanding puckhandling gives them an advantage in this one. Not to mention that when they last played in Minneapolis the Sioux came out with a sweep of the then #1 ranked Golden Gophers.

GO SIOUX!

WCHA Men's College Hockey: The Plot Thickens

I know this may not be an incredibly popular topic, but to each his own. Here on The Sports Flow we intend to try to talk a little about everything...so here we go. Oh yea, and because my UND Fighting Sioux just came off a HUGE sweep of the #1 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is packed full of well above-average teams this season. But this is nothing unusual. If you follow college hockey much you can probably remember back just a few years ago when the Frozen Four was made up entirely of WCHA teams. This truly an amazing feat if you think about it. Imagine if the Final Four was comprised of USC, Stanford, Oregon, and Arizona (All Pac-10 teams)? This should be considered just as amazing.

This year the WCHA features a very highly contested race to the WCHA tournament.

Here are how the up-to-date standings look:

1. Minnesota- 29 pts, 13-4-3, .725 win %

2. St. Cloud State - 26 pts, 11-5-4, .650 win %

3. Denver- 24 pts, 11-7-2, .600 win %

4. Colorado College- 21 pts, 10-7-1, .583 win %

5. North Dakota- 20 pts, 9-9-2, .500 win %

6.(tie) Wisconsin- 17 pts, 8-9-1, .471 win %

6.(tie) Michigan Tech- 17 pts, 7-10-3, .425 win %

8.(tie) Alaska Anchorage- 15 pts, 7-12-1, .375 win %

8.(tie) Minnesota State- 15 pts, 6-11-3, .375 win %

10. Minnesota Duluth- 12 pts, 5-13-2, .300 win %

Now, with such a highly contested race featuring such good teams the parody in this league is incredible. For instance, Wisconsin is coming off a year when they won the National Championship last year and they can be found in the middle of the pack. You have a talent-packed North Dakota team that struggled mightily early on (1-7-0 in the month of November) who just completed a sweep of the #1 team in the land in Minneapolis (the first UND sweep of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 26 years!). This leaves a young and talented UND team poised to make a run for a repeat WCHA Championship. With Jonathan Toews (featured right), TJ Oshie, and Ryan Duncan (all super Sophs) the Sioux sport arguably the best first line in the nation. All three of these guys can score at will and you can count on seeing all 3 of these guys' names being announced at next year's NHL Draft (unfortunately).

Also don't forget, after this weekends action you have a St. Cloud State team that is only 3 pts. out of the conference lead. Stay tuned folks! Because you are in for one wild ride as we come down the stretch in WCHA conference play. And please don't be surprised to see at least 2 of these teams in the Frozen Four. Because as good as East Coast collegiate hockey is, I think that the top 6 teams in the WCHA can skate with the best from the East. Come tourney time it should be interesting.

Other WCHA Scores from this weekend:

N. Michigan 2 at. Minn- Duluth 4

North Dakota 5 at Minnesota 3

North Dakota 7 at Minnesota 3

Minn. State 3 at Wisconsin 1

Minn. State 1 at Wisconsin 4

St. Cloud State 3 at Denver 2

St. Cloud State 0 at Denver 2

Oh yea, and GO SIOUX!