College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

[Decatur Spartan]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

Providance over Michigan State in 1985 At MUNN Ice Arena. NCAA 1/4 final. 2 game total goals. MSU won 3-2 the first night. PU won 4-2 the next. And the series 6 goals to 5. MSU threw some 85-90 shots on goalie Chris Terreri. Whom I despise to this day. MSU finished the year 38-6. Heart break.

[mookie1995]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

RIT's run to the Frozen Four in Detroit over Denver and New Hampshire.

sorry, but no win over uhn in a tournament can be considered an upset

[Spartanforlife4]

Providance over Michigan State in 1985 At MUNN Ice Arena. NCAA 1/4 final. 2 game total goals. MSU won 3-2 the first night. PU won 4-2 the next. And the series 6 goals to 5. MSU threw some 85-90 shots on goalie Chris Terreri. Whom I despise to this day. MSU finished the year 38-6. Heart break.

I believe my dad was at these games. A father from the Providence team had a heart attack and died in the stands.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

1997 Frozen Four Semi-Finals (Milwaukee)
Boston University 3
Michigan 2

Can't claim BU was the biggest longshot; but it was a remarkable upset with very high stakes.

On the way to the 1996 National Title, Michigan had dispatched BU rather easily in semis by a score of 4-0. Michigan's '97 team was, if anything, even stronger; perhaps one of the greatest college hockey teams of all time. Or at the very least, one of the greatest offenses of all time. But defending with dogged determination, the tenacious Terriers avenged their '96 defeat.

The following day, Hobey Baker winner Brendan Morrison made his infamous "the best team doesn't always win" speech.

As it turned out, Michigan also won the 1998 tournament. Not to take anything away from the eventual 1997 Champion, North Dakota; they also had an outstanding team. But the BU upset may very well have prevented a historic Michigan three-peat.

[Sean Pickett]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

1954 NCAA Champions RPI. In only their fifth season since restarting varsity hockey an undermanned RPI squad upset heavily, favored three-time defending champion Michigan in the semifinals and heavily favored Minnesota in the championship game.

Broadmoor Ice Palace, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Semifinals
Friday, March 12
RPi 6, Michigan 4

Championship
Saturday, March 13
RPI 5, Minnesota 4 (ot)

Sean

[Red Cows]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

I concur on Minnesota/Holy Cross.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1_x1oo35L0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnRfpcc3LZA

I might mention that Minnesota having to play that game at the Ralph was the functional equivalent of having 11,643 strangers standing around your mom's death bed yelling "Croak! Croak! Croak!".

Hmmmmmmmm..........? In the context of the aforementioned article that came out today, I wonder who Minnesota's head coach was that day?

Homer also-ran vote goes to UNO defeating Michigan in the semi-finals of the CCHA tourney on St. Patrick's Day in 2000, in their inaugural season in the CCHA (or in that of any conference, it being only the 3rd season of UNO's hockey existence) 7-4, in front of 13,177 screaming Michigan fans at the Joe, a game in which a 16-19-7 UNO team led 5-1 after 3 periods against a 29-6-4 Michigan team that finished #9 (how often do 29-6-4 teams finish 9th?) in the final USCHO poll that season.

[Rogie21]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

1997 Frozen Four Semi-Finals (Milwaukee)
Boston University 3
Michigan 2
(O.T.)

Can't claim BU was the biggest longshot; but it was a remarkable upset with very high stakes.

On the way to the 1996 National Title, Michigan had dispatched BU rather easily in semis by a score of 4-0. Michigan's '97 team was, if anything, even stronger; perhaps one of the greatest college hockey teams of all time. Or at the very least, one of the greatest offenses of all time. But defending with dogged determination, the tenacious Terriers avenged their '96 defeat.

Extended video highlights #TBT

[SJHovey]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

1997 Frozen Four Semi-Finals (Milwaukee)
Boston University 3
Michigan 2
(O.T.)

Can't claim BU was the biggest longshot; but it was a remarkable upset with very high stakes.

On the way to the 1996 National Title, Michigan had dispatched BU rather easily in semis by a score of 4-0. Michigan's '97 team was, if anything, even stronger; perhaps one of the greatest college hockey teams of all time. Or at the very least, one of the greatest offenses of all time. But defending with dogged determination, the tenacious Terriers avenged their '96 defeat.

The following day, Hobey Baker winner Brendan Morrison made his infamous "the best team doesn't always win" speech.

As it turned out, Michigan also won the 1998 tournament. Not to take anything away from the eventual 1997 Champion, North Dakota; they also had an outstanding team. But the BU upset may very well have prevented a historic Michigan three-peat.

The '97 BU-Michigan game didn't go to overtime.

I'll have to disagree with this one with respect to being one of the great upsets in college hockey. It certainly was an upset, since the favored team didn't win. But BU was probably the 3rd or 4th overall seed that year, and had a great team. IIRC, they won both the HE regular season and tourney titles. Heck, the Providence win last year, over BU, was imho a much bigger upset than the '97 game.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

The '97 BU-Michigan game didn't go to overtime.

You're correct, of course. Fixed my post. BU's NCAA overtime win that year came against Denver in the Regional final.

I'll have to disagree with this one with respect to being one of the great upsets in college hockey. It certainly was an upset, since the favored team didn't win. But BU was probably the 3rd or 4th overall seed that year, and had a great team. IIRC, they won both the HE regular season and tourney titles. Heck, the Providence win last year, over BU, was imho a much bigger upset than the '97 game.

Which is exactly what I was driving at when I said BU wasn't the biggest longshot.

My thought was that it was fair game to include the "most important" upsets along with the most unlikely wins. There's more than one path to greatness, no? But if my suggestion simply doesn't fit in, I'm willing to delete. Just say the word.

[Hammer]

1997 Frozen Four Semi-Finals (Milwaukee)
Boston University 3
Michigan 2

Can't claim BU was the biggest longshot; but it was a remarkable upset with very high stakes.

On the way to the 1996 National Title, Michigan had dispatched BU rather easily in semis by a score of 4-0. Michigan's '97 team was, if anything, even stronger; perhaps one of the greatest college hockey teams of all time. Or at the very least, one of the greatest offenses of all time. But defending with dogged determination, the tenacious Terriers avenged their '96 defeat.

The following day, Hobey Baker winner Brendan Morrison made his infamous "the best team doesn't always win" speech.

As it turned out, Michigan also won the 1998 tournament. Not to take anything away from the eventual 1997 Champion, North Dakota; they also had an outstanding team. But the BU upset may very well have prevented a historic Michigan three-peat.

That game was not OT

[John J. MacInnes]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

Two big ones were already mentioned.

1981 - Colorado College eliminates Wisconsin in the WCHA playoffs, winning 11-4 in the second game to advance 13-12 on total goals. The "back-door" badgers got in the NCAA tournament anyway in the first year with an 8 team field and won the tournament.

1994 - 10th seed Michigan Tech eliminates top seed Colorado College in the WCHA playoff first round. The Tigers were then left out of the NCAA tournament in favor of regional host Michigan State, prompting the autobid rule for conference regular season champions.

But I'm adding the 1966 WCHA playoff victory by Michigan State over Michigan Tech. The Huskies were the defending NCAA champion with Hall of Fame goalie Tony Esposito and a 23-5-1 record overall as the regular season champions, but fell to the Spartans 4-3 in the playoffs. MSU then beat a 24-2 Clarkson team with a convincing 6-1 win in the NCAA title game, impressive for a team that was 4-10 to start the season and entered the postseason with a losing overall record.

And a quick nod to the 1991 NCAA tournament victory by then independent Alaska-Anchorage at Boston College with two wins by scores of 3-2 and 3-1 over the Eagles.

[Sean Pickett]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

BU over BC in the 2004 Hockey East Quarterfinals. A 10-15-9 BU team took 2-of-3 from a 26-6-4 BC team that had already won 4 games against BU that season. The Terriers won the first and third games, 3-2 and 4-2, sandwiched around a 4-0 shutout loss in game two all played at Conte Forum. BC went on to make the FF, losing to Maine in the semis, 2-1.

Sean

[aweise]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

Hoky called that union/goofs game. Can't really even be called an "upset".

Dave Starman's prediction before the tournament started was Union. Saying that Union beating Minnesota was the greatest upset since 1980 is short-sighted and beyond laughable.

[SonofSouthie]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

Found this on HC's website,

Minnesota, ranked No. 3, had reigned five times as NCAA hockey champs, including winning back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003. Herb Brooks, who coached the USA to its 1980 “Miracle on Ice” victory over the Soviet Union, guided Minnesota to three NCAA crowns in the 1970s.
Holy Cross, ranked No. 19 and representing the upstart Atlantic Hockey Association, had never won a single game in the 58-year history of the NCAA hockey tourney.

Minnesota had 14 players on its roster who had been drafted by the National Hockey League. Holy Cross had none.

There were 18 Gophers on full athletic scholarships while about half the Crusaders receive need-based grants to lighten their financial packages.

Minnesota-Twin Cities is a supersized university, with an enrollment of 51,000; Holy Cross has about 2,700 undergrads.

[bulldog10jw]

Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

Yale over Quinnipiac in the 2013 title game. Actually every win in that run was a major upset and was thought by some to have been the hardest road to the final ever.
A 15 seed knocking off three number one seeds.

While all those games were certainly considered upsets, Yale had pretty much under performed during some of the regular season (when Malcolm was hurt) and especially during the ECAC Final Four. Talent wise, they were a match for any team in the country in 2012-13.