CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

[Tater]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

The CHA sticking it to the NCAA!!!

Sticking it to the NCAA? You guys should be thanking the NCAA for bending the rules so that the CHA teams had something to play for. The CHA should be thankful the NCAA was so understanding or UAH would be staying home.

[Upper Deck]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

BSU is in the dance. I cannot see the NCAA being able to justify leaving the #7 PWR ranked team out of it. If they were below #10, then things would be a little more questionable.

The only subjectivity the NCAA selection committee has is what region/location (St. Paul, etc) they place the seeds. There's no smoke filled room (anymore) - it's all by RPI, etc. Pairwise rankings mimic the NCAA's criteria and the teams are selected by their rating. Traditionally, teams want to be higher than 12th on Pairwise because of upsets in conference tourneys (i.e. UAH) knock out at-large bids. This year, I would want to be 10th or better.

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

Wow, what a tournament! If BSU could have played the whole game against Niagara like they did the final 10 minutes, who knows.... But congrats to Niagara for knocking of the Beavers. I knew that game was going to be tough as BSU has never played well at Dwyer.

BSU is in the dance. I cannot see the NCAA being able to justify leaving the #7 PWR ranked team out of it. If they were below #10, then things would be a little more questionable.

And a big congrats to UAH!! Yes, gmann and myself watched the game while our wives conversed and kids played. It was a GREAT game, I thought. Both teams would have been worthy reps for the CHA, and even though I HATE HUNTSVILLE I am glad to see them make the dance and have a chance to stick it to the NCAA and hopefully make a case for a home. Best of luck in the dance, unless you meet BSU!

Wouldn't that be sweet, BSU vs UAH somewhere in the NCAA tournament. It would have to be for a berth in the Frozen Four or maybe even in the Frozen Four!!!! The CHA sticking it to the NCAA!!!

It has been a great run for the CHA. Lets hope it continues until April!

[5hole]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

Geof, I do plan on dropping a note myself to the commish with comments about what I saw as the good and the bad of the Tourney. And I'll definitely take the hosts to task for anything that reflects of sour grapes. It is one thing for me as a fan to comment on an on-ice game occurrence but quite another for game officials not to run things properly (scoreboard final score) or for them as league officials to place a write-up on the league site that does not focus properly.

I'll also note the choice of official host hotel was somewhat dubious, based on a couple comments that I heard from others, concurring with my thoughts at the time I first saw the hotel named (which is why I did not stay there).
* * * * *
As for coming clean on who I am ... mmm, I think there is a reason that the forum is set up this way, where there is some anonymity. I can think of a couple posters even on this thread that I would rather not divulge to, but that info becomes available to the entire forum! Enough of the regulars know who I am, I'll leave it at that for my part.

[gfmorris]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

Geof - You may have it and blow it up as large as you want but you may want to wait until I get home and use the high-res version that should blow up as large as you want. I'm writing this from Bowling Green, KY where I stopped for the night. It seems that when I got back to the hotel a bunch of UAH parents were there celebrating and invited me to join in with a brew or two... The INCH reporter that covered the Tourney joined us in the lobby and we didn't hit the rack or rooms until around 3am. Needless to say, since I was driving I slept-in and didn't leave Niagara Falls until nearly Noon.

I'll wait until you're home.

GFM <-- may have to buy Douglas a brew or two himself ...

[Douglas]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

5hole - Sorry either of us had to lose that one... But I'm glad it was you... just as you would be had the score gone your way. Thanks again for the attempted fan shout out. That's what Burkie meant when he saw me and we talked about him and I being the only ones left that have been here for all 11 years of the CHA and that he was going to do something. I appreciate the thought.

Geof - You may have it and blow it up as large as you want but you may want to wait until I get home and use the high-res version that should blow up as large as you want. I'm writing this from Bowling Green, KY where I stopped for the night. It seems that when I got back to the hotel a bunch of UAH parents were there celebrating and invited me to join in with a brew or two... The INCH reporter that covered the Tourney joined us in the lobby and we didn't hit the rack or rooms until around 3am. Needless to say, since I was driving I slept-in and didn't leave Niagara Falls until nearly Noon.

5hole - I concur that you now have a reason to bi-itch at me either in every email you send me or every time you see me in the future for the next ten years... at least. I saw the infraction and think there is no doubt it would have been called in regulation but am also surprised it was called in OT with a championship on the line.

Complaint - My only real complaint about the tournament was with the scoreboard operator. I always take a shot of the scoreboard on each penalty and score. There were times when the score was not updated until after the clock was started. Also - the real BIGGY that bothered me was they never put up the winning goal on the scoreboard!!! I couldn't get a shot of the final score or a picture with the team in front of the scoreboard because they didn't post the winning score and they went and turned the scoreboard off a very few minutes after the game ended while all the cameras were still on the on-ice celebrations. Sour grapes I'm guessing. Understandable but not very classy. Other than that I thought everything ran just fine and feel we (the team) and I were treated very well and all of our needs were pretty much accommodated. I thank and commend the arena staff.

As for the disallowed scores - I wasn't in the proper position to make a judgment on either of them and can't wait to get home and watch it on the DVR.

Hope this answered the questions posed...

[gfmorris]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

File this under Coming Clean ...

I think it'd be fun if we all admitted who we really were. [I thought of this because I kept wanting to call 5Hole by his real name every time I've replied to him in the last 20 hours.] Now, some of us are pretty up-front about who we are and what our affiliation(s) with our member schools are. Some of us aren't, and that's always been fine by me. But as we ride off into the sunset, I'd love to know who everyone is.

As 5Hole, Millsy, and Monster will attest, I am who I say I am. But I will admit that, when I was the CHA columnist, Adam Wodon told me to quit posting on the message boards, at least under my name. I complied, and I think I was kind of a jerk under my nom de plume ... which after seven years I can't remember. I think a similar thing happened with Millsy when he was Webmaster for the league.

Anyone else?

GFM

[gfmorris]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

5Hole: I think the NU guys did a solid job running the league this year. I also sense that they did a good job with the tournament, based on everything I've read the national college hockey media to say. I was just disappointed with the postgame execution. I'm sure that the NU folks were quite disappointed with the finish; I'm sure I would have been were the situation reversed.

GFM

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

Just got back from the tournament a few hours ago. Congrats to UAH on their championship, it was great to watch the celebration afterwards and great to see their hard work paid off with a couple of gritty victories. Good luck in finding a home a conference home soon, hopefully this will help somehow. Matti Jarvainen is going to be awesome to watch in the future.

Rmu played well Friday afternoon, though they looked like they spent the game overthinking how to beat Talbot too much, they just never got that one bounce. Being a passionate NCAA hockey fan comes with a huge risk of heartbreak, you know and accept that before you buy your tournament tickets, you figure one year they'll have to win though and it would make up for the pain. Here's to next year!


I said at one point in the old thread, that it wouldn't surprise me if any of the four teams won the brass ring this year, that talent wise there wasn't much difference between the four and everyone knew each other so well that anything was possible. It was a fitting end to the CHA I guess, wide open and full of surprises.

Best of luck to Bemidji State in the WCHA next year, and in the NCAA's this year, it's been a pleasure watching your team these last 6 years, though frustrating from an RMU perspective.

And as far as Niagara goes, we'll see you in a few months. At least I can find the rink now, even in darkness, and even the nearby pizza place off Military Rd with all the unsavory characters and interesting pizza.

Atlantic Hockey doesn't really have much of a collective thread from all schools it would seem. I'll miss that.

[5hole]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

Hey, Geof, I'm not really sure how all that has come down ... how NU "ran" the league this past year or how Bemidji "ran" it for 8 or 9 years, or perhaps why no one from UAH stepped up to run it.

I have no idea why the tournament ended up in Niagara instead of Huntsville, either. Sorry you are bitter.

I'll agree with your comments on the site disappearing and the write-up. Legit to complain ... if I were you, I would contact the Commish on that.

Look, I have no idea about the running of this league ... does anyone actually get paid to handle this stuff? Anything? A nominal amount? Volunteer? I have no idea. I think the league essentially fell apart after the BSU announcement and is just playing out the string. I am glad, as you are, that someone stepped in just to try to keep things together for this final year, so maybe my expectations are not real high.

I was focused on the game, what I saw on the ice and heard afterwards. I thought it was fair game to make comments on controversial plays. I am not bitter, just a little bi-itching ... in much the same vein as I know happened after UAH lost to us 10 years ago and when they lost to Wayne State (2002 ...??)

[gfmorris]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

While we're bi-itching ...

Look, I understand that NU has run the league this year. I'm thankful for that. But:

1. The folks that run purpleeagles.com tore down the 2010 Tournament page last night after the game. Just flat deleted it off of the site. Is this sour grapes from me? No, not really --- if you Googled "2010 CHA Championship", it was the first result that showed up. It was the best information about the tournament --- better than the league's own site. And that's GREAT! I'm fine with having the info, regardless of whether it's set in purple or not. But pulling it down after the loss was bad.

2. But what's worse is the official site's recap of the game, which doesn't quote any of the UAH personnel that other outlets quoted from the post-game presser: Cole, Talbot, or Desmet.

And yes, I'm bitter because the tournament was supposed to be in Huntsville and instead ended up in Niagara.

GFM

[5hole]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

Well, an FYI for all CHA fans ... and an apology to Douglas for not being able to execute on a well-intentioned thought. Before the Tournament I was chatting with Burkie in his office when he asked if I knew if there were a lot fans coming in from the other schools. I told him I really was not sure at all but that I knew Millsy was not making it, which left Douglas as the lone CHA FAN to have attended all the tournaments. He immediately jumped on it and wanted to acknowledge/honor him in some manner. He actually wanted to have a ceremonial puck drop at the start if the game but later said that would not work because of tv. So there was supposed to be an announcement ... I never heard it, don't think it happened. I guess a communications breakdown. In any event, great to see Douglas at the Tournament to finish off his perfect record. I'll tip my Niagara cap to you, Douglas ... thanks for all the CHA support and great photos. And you got your wish, even called the score!

BTW ... I did not even realize that the only CHA I missed was the first one in 2000 - and what a one to miss for a Niagara fan. Darn.

[5hole]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

Hey, they did blow the call ...

... by putting the wrong Niagara guy in the box.

GFM

Well, that was already noted, Geof ... and it was significant.

From the USCHO game write-up:
BURKIE'S COMMENT -

Just 26 seconds earlier, Niagara’s Jim Burichin was whistled for slashing on a call Niagara coach Dave Burkholder was not pleased with.

“It was an overtime call that didn’t need to be called,” he said bitterly. “It was a real soft call in overtime.”

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20092010...#ixzz0iAsXYGjU

Like I said, now I have something to bi-itch about, too, for the next 10 years, at least.

[gfmorris]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

Wow ... terrible that they both blew the call.

Hey, they did blow the call ...










... by putting the wrong Niagara guy in the box.

GFM

[5hole]

Re: CHA Thoughts and Prognostications: Year 11, The Finale... Part Deux

Hey 5Hole, re-watching the broadcast, they noted that both refs raised their arm on the OT slash. :shrug:

GFM

Wow ... terrible that they both blew the call.