Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

[ARM]

What four teams will win Saturday and be playing in Erie on the 18th?

[Watson Rink]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

What about the 17th permutation, that granddaddyscout wins a last-minute change of heart from the NCAA committee which then issues a fiat cancelling the quarterfinals (and thereby saving even more $$$$), pitting Minny and UMD in a Frozen Three semi and awarding Wisco a bye?

[granddaddyscout]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

What about the 17th permutation, that granddaddyscout wins a last-minute change of heart from the NCAA committee which then issues a fiat cancelling the quarterfinals (and thereby saving even more $$$$), pitting Minny and UMD in a Frozen Three semi and awarding Wisco a bye?

Well I am willing to bet one of those three teams wins it all, how confident are you that one of the other 5 will. This may be the strongest WCHA field ever and it seems clear something was done to guard against a WCHA Championship match up. So how much are you willing to wager :-)

[Watson Rink]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

Well I am willing to bet one of those three teams wins it all, how confident are you that one of the other 5 will. This may be the strongest WCHA field ever and it seems clear something was done to guard against a WCHA Championship match up. So how much are you willing to wager :-)

M'sieur Granddaddyscout, I am shocked, shocked, to see that gambling is going on in your establishment!

[PTS34]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

The tightest match here is definitely going to be Hurst vs. BU. I think the others are a lot easier to predict (though there is a good chance that each of them could be upset). I'm just surprised that Wisconsin, Mercyhurst, Minnesota, and Cornell has so many more votes than Wisconsin, BU, Minnesota, and Cornell.

[ARM]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

Out of 56 voters, the vote totals are:

Wisconsin - 51 = 91%
UMD - 5 = 9%

Cornell - 49 = 88%
Dartmouth - 7 = 12%

BU - 16 = 29%
Mercyhurst - 40 = 71%

BC - 9 = 16%
Minnesota - 47 = 84%

I don't anticipate any of these being as one-sided as the vote totals. E.g., Mercyhurst is usually good for a one-goal game if not OT.

[brookyone]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

Just one WCHA team going to Erie. Best chance for wrestling the crown from the iron grip of the WCHA? Could be...we'll see what happens.

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

RIT, Gustavas, Middlebury and Norwich.

It will likely be hosted in Rochester.

[brookyone]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

Congrats to the one forum visionary.

Wisconsin, Cornell, BU, BC
1 1.79%

1. WFR

[OnMAA]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

Cornell - 49 = 88%
Dartmouth - 7 = 12%

Exact same ratio as the final score. Looks like we have some vision as a group.

On the other side of the equation many had little faith in the Beantown teams.

After all the moaning and groaning about the seeding, at the end of the day the NCAA Seeding Committee batted 100%, while we as a group only batted 1.79%. Maybe that is why we are fans and not on the comittee. .

[Eaglefan06]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

Out of 56 voters, the vote totals are:

Wisconsin - 51 = 91%
UMD - 5 = 9%

Cornell - 49 = 88%
Dartmouth - 7 = 12%

BU - 16 = 29%
Mercyhurst - 40 = 71%

BC - 9 = 16%
Minnesota - 47 = 84%

I don't anticipate any of these being as one-sided as the vote totals. E.g., Mercyhurst is usually good for a one-goal game if not OT.

Woops.

[Radar3535]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

Hell must have frozen over! Only one team from the best conference in the world and three teams from the East make the Frozen Four. The final three for the Kaz has only one from the country that invented hockey , none from the state that invented it in the US and the favorite is from the East ( who played that awful prep school hockey )

[dave1381]

Exact same ratio as the final score. Looks like we have some vision as a group.

On the other side of the equation many had little faith in the Beantown teams.

After all the moaning and groaning about the seeding, at the end of the day the NCAA Seeding Committee batted 100%, while we as a group only batted 1.79%. Maybe that is why we are fans and not on the comittee. .

Oh please.

The committee confers home ice and easier matchups for Cornell and BU, and home ice for BC, and because these teams all won with these advantages we say the process worked great?

It's frustrating as hearing someone say the bcs works great when season happens to end with two undefeated teams from big conferences.

The biggest problem is UMD could've had a shot at the Frozen Four had they played anyone other than Wisconsin.

All we can conclude from Saturday's results is that Minnesota underperformed. Everyone but the criteria considered them to have had the third-best regular season in the country. It doesn't imply that the criteria was somehow wiser than the human poll voters and the krach and rutter rankings.

[ARM]

Re: Predict the Frozen Four Field in Erie, PA (Collegiate, D-I, not D-III)

All we can conclude from Saturday's results is that Minnesota underperformed. Everyone but the criteria considered them to have had the third-best regular season in the country. It doesn't imply that the criteria was somehow wiser than the human poll voters and the krach and rutter rankings.

I'd say that through most of the season, once it became apparent that Wisconsin and Boston College had bounced back from subpar seasons, everyone recognized that there were 7 top teams with a drop to the 8th team. Exactly where the subgroupings were in those 7 seemed to change during the course of the season, and we are still trying to figure that out exactly. The results of three games yesterday seem to support that view; the one outlier is a BC/Minnesota game that wasn't as close as the score. Partly, I think the computers were a little kind to Minnesota, and they really belonged toward the bottom of the 7, not the middle. Yes, they could play with Wisconsin at times, but partly that's because Wisconsin tends to be a little inconsistent themselves, but the Gophers overall were probably closer to North Dakota than they were to the Badgers.

Minnesota of 2011 reminds me a lot of their 2003 team. Both relied heavily on rookies for offense. Both had sophomore goalies that had somewhat disappointing results in their first two NCAA campaigns. Both suffered a key injury that hampered their season. And both fell totally flat on the NCAA stage. I think the 2003 debacle provided added inspiration in the seasons to follow. It will be interesting to see what results from yesterday's meltdown.

[dave1381]

The 2003 comparison is a good one.

And in terms of what I'm arguing, I don't think one can say "losing 6-1 to Harvard proved they shouldn't have been a 3 seed." Minnesota earned that seed by beating Harvard and UMD once in the2003 regular season, just as most people (including polls, not just stats) believed Minnesota deserved better than #5 this season even if this team had flaws. I agree they were closer to UND than the Badgers but that's true for everyone but Cornell.