Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

[dhmn]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

Technically you're right, but wasn't it so much more fun relishing the idea of a losing record, instead?

Don't worry.. our UMD team half made of freshmen has 4 non conference games out east .. Mercyhurst and BC this year.

[LtPowers]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

Technically, there isn't an NCAA D-I champion. But you're right, I should have included "Collegiate Champion" so as not to confuse everyone who saw the title and automatically assumed it pertained to D-III.

Unfortunately, now I'm even more confused. Can you explain the technicality you mentioned?


Powers &8^]

[ARM]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

Can you explain the technicality you mentioned?

The NCAA refers to it as the "National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship" -- no mention of Division I. I believe the reason is that because there is no separate D-II tournament, D-II teams could theoretically qualify for this tournament field. In practice, that would be very difficult.

[zam.88]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

The NCAA refers to it as the "National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship" -- no mention of Division I. I believe the reason is that because there is no separate D-II tournament, D-II teams could theoretically qualify for this tournament field. In practice, that would be very difficult.

Now I'm confused. D-II? I didn't think there was such thing in Women's hockey.

[ARM]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

Now I'm confused. D-II? I didn't think there was such thing in Women's hockey.

I think one of the team's that plays in the ECAC Open tournament at the end of the year is D-II. St. Michaels maybe? I don't know for sure.

[DC78-82]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

I think one of the team's that plays in the ECAC Open tournament at the end of the year is D-II. St. Michaels maybe? I don't know for sure.

St Anselm's. in Manchester, NH is a D-II school, and thus not eligible to play in the D-III tourney despite a predominanlt D-III schedule. Coach Dave Flint was at the helm from the program's first season, and built it into a program that would certainly be a perennial contender at the D-III level.

[oldfan]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

Technically you're right, but wasn't it so much more fun relishing the idea of a losing record, instead?

maybe for you, but not for me.

[ARM]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

Going to be a lot of movement in the polls all year, and wouldn't be surprised to see a team at .500 in January in the Frozen Four again.

Dave, so now that we're in January, do you see a Frozen Four prospect among the .500 teams? This does still look like a year where we could have some form of Cinderella, and Providence, for example, started the month sub .500.

With that in mind, what has been the best underdog run in the NCAA era? UMD made the title game as a low seed in 2007, but as the most-decorated team, I'm not sure that the glass slipper fits. Maybe BC knocking off a highly regarded Dartmouth and coming up just short in the semifinal OT the same year? There have been other single-game results that were upsets, like St. Lawrence upending Dartmouth in the first NCAA tournament game, but nothing I'd consider a run.

[nbound]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

for the past 10 years(since the NCAA began sponsoring the FF), the WCHA has won it EVERY YEAR. Will this year be the breakout year for some other conference beside the WCHA or will it remain with them?

[brookyone]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

for the past 10 years(since the NCAA began sponsoring the FF), the WCHA has won it EVERY YEAR. Will this year be the breakout year for some other conference beside the WCHA or will it remain with them?

Well I guess that is the very question on which the thread is based.

My own feeling is this year may just have the highest probability ever, of a non-WCHA NCAA champion.

[D2D]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

Well I guess that is the very question on which the thread is based.

My own feeling is this year may just have the highest probability ever, of a non-WCHA NCAA champion.

Totally agree as none of the top 3 in the WCHA has one of their all-time best teams this year. And it certainly wouldn't be an upset if No. 1 ranked Mercyhurst was to beat any of these 3 teams (or any other team for that matter) in the final. On the other hand, if a WCHA team DOES come through and is crowned as this year's NCAA champion, I'll have to come back and retract what I said in my first sentence above.

[nbound]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

Totally agree as none of the top 3 in the WCHA has one of their all-time best teams this year. And it certainly wouldn't be an upset if No. 1 ranked Mercyhurst was to beat any of these 3 teams (or any other team for that matter) in the final. On the other hand, if a WCHA team DOES come through and is crowned as this year's NCAA champion, I'll have to come back and retract what I said in my first sentence above.

thanks for the olympics someone else will have a chance

[dave1381]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

Dave, so now that we're in January, do you see a Frozen Four prospect among the .500 teams? This does still look like a year where we could have some form of Cinderella, and Providence, for example, started the month sub .500.

With that in mind, what has been the best underdog run in the NCAA era? UMD made the title game as a low seed in 2007, but as the most-decorated team, I'm not sure that the glass slipper fits. Maybe BC knocking off a highly regarded Dartmouth and coming up just short in the semifinal OT the same year? There have been other single-game results that were upsets, like St. Lawrence upending Dartmouth in the first NCAA tournament game, but nothing I'd consider a run.

As for the standout list of teams that looked lost early but made it deep into the postseason, I'd consider the following. This isn't a list of cinderellas (there are two two-time defending NCAA champion, and another two-time defending NCAA runner-up!!) Just a list of teams that improved a ton as the season went along.

2001-02 Brown -- started 6-6-1 (and 4-5-1), then went 19-1-1 en route to the NCAA final game, including the ECAC title and the win over No. 1 seed Minnesota in the Frozen Four. Lost to UMD, decided in the 3rd period.

2004-05 Harvard -- started 7-6-1, then 19-0-2 en route to the NCAA final game, a 1-goal loss. Lost to Minnesota, decided in the 3rd period.

2005-06 Minnesota -- started 9-5 (4-4 WCHA), finished 20-4-1 before losing NCAA final to Wisconsin.

2006-07 UMD -- started 9-7-1, including a 1-6-1 stretch, then went 15-3-3, upset Mercyhurst, before getting blown out in the NCAA final by Wisconsin.

2007-08 Wisconsin -- started 10-6-1, including a 1-6-1 stretch, then went 19-2-1, before getting blown out in the NCAA final by UMD.

But yes, you did have a stretch of 4 years in a row where the national runner-up seemed pretty far outside of the top 4 at midseason.

[CanHockGuy]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

thanks for the olympics someone else will have a chance

Maybe for 2 years or more....

[dave1381]

Re: Which Conference Will Claim the NCAA Champion in 6 Months?

As for the question on sleepers -- Mercyhurst, Minnesota, Clarkson, and UNH have held down the top 4 spots for pretty much the entire season. Making my previous list is just a matter of someone other than those 4 teams making it into the title game. I think there's a pretty fair chance of that happening.

In terms of 500 near-500 teams making it to the Frozen Four, I think you'd have to consider Providence (beaten UNH 3 times), Cornell (beaten Harvard and Clarkson) as those who've shown the most potential in the east. Quinnipiac is on a pretty nice run as well.