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**broomball** · 03-24-2011, 09:11 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Where will all the Miami fans be sitting this weekend? I'm still looking around for tickets and want to find something reasonably close to the Miami camp.

**WildShawn** · 03-24-2011, 09:20 AM

Originally posted by GoUNH View Post

Oh boy. He plays a cowbell and dances like a school boy and now he's a hockey expert. Air Force beating Miami would be an upset. UNH beating BC in the tournament would be an upset. UNH beating Miami on Saturday would probably surprise a lot of people outside of the Hockey East circle but it wouldn't exactly be an upset. Have you ever played any type of organized hockey?

Who gives a rat's butt what cbg does, why take a personal shot especially when he is correct? It would absolutly be an upset if unh beat miami Saturday. Look at the predictions, and use the eye test. Since you're the apparent expert. One team just won a championship and is on a huge roll. The other has won 4 of 11 and hasn't beaten a good team since November.
Guess which is which. Miami vaulted up the rankings to a 1 seed, unh went from a 1 seed to the bubble in a little over a month. While it wouldn't be a Holy Cross over Minnesota type upset, all indications lead to it being an upset.

**Darius** · 03-24-2011, 09:27 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Originally posted by GoUNH View Post

Oh boy. He plays a cowbell and dances like a school boy and now he's a hockey expert. Air Force beating Miami would be an upset. UNH beating BC in the tournament would be an upset. UNH beating Miami on Saturday would probably surprise a lot of people outside of the Hockey East circle but it wouldn't exactly be an upset. Have you ever played any type of organized hockey?

Gotta agree with CBG here, not on UNH winning, but on the upset. I've seen most of their 2011 games in person, some on TV and UNH has not been playing well. I haven't seen nearly as much of Miami, but they played with talent, grit and desire in the CCHA championship. The rankings and seedings are obvious.

From today's Union Leader:

Dot Sheehan, senior associate athletic director at UNH... said about three-quarters of the tickets for the two-day event are already sold, a pace that is ahead of the 2006 and 2009 tournaments when the four-team fields included either Boston College or Boston University.

"Merrimack is the difference," Sheehan said. "They're certainly bringing a lot of fans."

Arena general manager Tim Bechert said Merrimack rented the arena's two open suites. The college will have upwards of five buses to carry students and fans to the games and could have a turnout similar to the one that took over Boston Garden for the team's run to the championship game of the Hockey East tournament last week.

"What happened with the team in Boston will hopefully carry over up here," Bechert said.

Sheehan is not expecting large crowds following Notre Dame or Miami, but there are enough people joining the Notre Dame team and its band at the Best Western that some were booked at an affiliate hotel in Bedford.

Kathy Standish, one of the owners of the nearby J.W. Hills Sports Bar and Grill on Elm Street, is bracing for large crowds throughout the tournament. She said she's already had request of parties of over 100 people from Miami and Notre Dame fans.

"People have been calling all week," Standish said. "This has always been big, but there is so much more energy this time."

Sheehan and Bechert said the price of ticket packages, which range from $75 to $55, are lower than 2009, which is a concession to the economic times and a move that has helped boost sales.

"The economic climate is different and it did have an impact," Bechert said. "We lowered ticket prices and it seems to be working."

Complete article: http://www.theunionleader.com/articl...b-1e5dea588a9b

This will be a fun hockey weekend. "Anything can happen" is my UNH/Miami mantra. Digi could stand on his head, Moses could score 4 goals, the top line could revert to December form, Miami could lay an egg. Go 'cats!

**Nick Papagiorgio** · 03-24-2011, 09:33 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Originally posted by Snively65 View Post

If UNH beats Miami this weekend, it will be a bigger upset than when UNH ambushed Nodak two years ago. UNH is a fourth seed, and many fans did not expect them to be in the NCAAs at all this season. Few fans have any expectations for UNH winning even one game this weekend.

Maybe on paper but I actually would think that win over ND was more of an upset than a potential win over Miami this weekend.

Just my opinion though. I'm convinced BU would have met their demise the next night if UNH didn't come back to win that game.

**WildShawn** · 03-24-2011, 09:38 AM

Originally posted by Nick Papagiorgio View Post

Maybe on paper but I actually would think that win over ND was more of an upset than a potential win over Miami this weekend.

Just my opinion though. I'm convinced BU would have met their demise the next night if UNH didn't come back to win that game.

.
I think that unh team was better top to bottom than they are now and they sure left all of their effort on the ice that weekend. If this team puts forth that type of effort, they have a shot, but we have only seen it in small stretches since december. I also think you're basing it on your general feeling towards Miami, and I think that's short sighted. They are loaded compared to unh and on paper and on the ice they should win Saturday.

I'd love to see a third first round upset in 3 years for unh, it can happen.

**unhpuckfan2001** · 03-24-2011, 10:08 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Originally posted by GoUNH View Post

Oh boy. He plays a cowbell and dances like a school boy and now he's a hockey expert. Air Force beating Miami would be an upset. UNH beating BC in the tournament would be an upset. UNH beating Miami on Saturday would probably surprise a lot of people outside of the Hockey East circle but it wouldn't exactly be an upset. Have you ever played any type of organized hockey?

Somebody calls you out for being wrong, and you take a personal shot at them? There's a reason your little dots are all read. Comments like that are totally unneccessary. And more importantly, he's right.

10-0-3 in their last 13 games (or something like that) and a #1 seed, playing UNH as a #4 seed, means that a UNH Victory, by definition, is an upset. Just like when a #3 beats a #2.

**WildShawn** · 03-24-2011, 11:12 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

I don't necessarily agree that you go straight by the numbers either to determine an upset. If you look at the Hockey East tourney, you had UNH (2) play Merrimack (4), if those same two teams play Sunday, it'll be Merrimack (2) against UNH (4). Anyone who knew the two teams knew that Merrimack was/is a better team than UNH and it certainly wasn't an upset when they won last Friday. It may have surprised a lot of people who know nothing about college hockey and more specifically how this season had shaken down (I heard a lot of that on Monday), but it certainly wasn't an upset. People need to use their eyes and compare the teams by more than just the rankings/seedings.

**WildShawn** · 03-24-2011, 11:14 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Interesting thought/question... If you're amongst the thousands of Merrimack fans that will outnumber everyone else in the building Saturday, who are you rooting for in the first game? As a UNH fan I'm pulling for Merrimack in the 2nd game against Notre Dame, and hope that those that stick around will add to the excitement in game 2. I'm curious how the hoards of Merrimack fans, students especially, will turn out for the first game. Do they see UNH as a rival that they want to lose, or do they see them as a Hockey East team that they want to see succeed (as long as its not at their expense?)

JB · 03-24-2011, 11:20 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Originally posted by WildShawn View Post

I don't necessarily agree that you go straight by the numbers either to determine an upset. If you look at the Hockey East tourney, you had UNH (2) play Merrimack (4), if those same two teams play Sunday, it'll be Merrimack (2) against UNH (4). Anyone who knew the two teams knew that Merrimack was/is a better team than UNH and it certainly wasn't an upset when they won last Friday. It may have surprised a lot of people who know nothing about college hockey and more specifically how this season had shaken down (I heard a lot of that on Monday), but it certainly wasn't an upset. People need to use their eyes and compare the teams by more than just the rankings/seedings.

Wait let me get this straight so the reason there are 12-5 "upsets" in the squeaky ball tournament every year, it is not just merely coincidence...

In this case my eyes tell me that UNH beating Miami would be an upset. Not only do I think Miami is a more talented team but they also happen to be playing better hockey. The only thing Miami has going against them is the pressure that they are supposed to win this game.

**Yuppie Scum** · 03-24-2011, 11:20 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Originally posted by lkenney View Post

Where does it say they will be shooting twice at that end?

I was kinda upset, the designated sections at the Garden were at the defending ends for two periods.

**RENCEB** · 03-24-2011, 11:30 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Originally posted by Yuppie Scum View Post

I was kinda upset, the designated sections at the Garden were at the defending ends for two periods.

and all 7 goals they scored were at the other end!

**Yuppie Scum** · 03-24-2011, 11:34 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Originally posted by WildShawn View Post

Interesting thought/question... If you're amongst the thousands of Merrimack fans that will outnumber everyone else in the building Saturday, who are you rooting for in the first game? As a UNH fan I'm pulling for Merrimack in the 2nd game against Notre Dame, and hope that those that stick around will add to the excitement in game 2. I'm curious how the hoards of Merrimack fans, students especially, will turn out for the first game. Do they see UNH as a rival that they want to lose, or do they see them as a Hockey East team that they want to see succeed (as long as its not at their expense?)

If I could make it and was going to be one of those thousands of gold-clad fans, I would be rooting for UNH. We handled them on Saturday, and I honestly have no doubt that MC can beat them again, barring injury. Injury is the big question for MC. Wherefore Art Thou Collins, is Canatta ok, and will we see The Real Steph DaCosta or Post-Injury Steph DaCosta?

**TopShelf999** · 03-24-2011, 11:35 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

You guys don't need to worry about what side MC is shooting at because you wont score. Good luck Saturday night

**Yuppie Scum** · 03-24-2011, 11:39 AM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Originally posted by TopShelf999 View Post

You guys don't need to worry about what side MC is shooting at because you wont score. Good luck Saturday night

Thanks for that insightful analysis. Cool how you managed to get negative rep within 7 posts, too! I at least had to run afoul of the mainers first.

**boblav1** · 03-24-2011, 12:03 PM

Re: Northeast Regional: Miami, Merrimack, Notre Dame, UNH

Originally posted by WildShawn View Post

I'm curious how the hoards of Merrimack fans, students especially, will turn out for the first game.

No idea, but Merrimack is holding a pregame party at Radisson Hotel Saturday at 4:30 p.m., so that should cut down on the attendance of MC fans for the first game.

http://www.merrimackathletics.com/sp...20110321epf1hi