2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston University

[Slash01]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

There is no favorite; these two teams are fairly evenly matched. You can go into all of the various factors if you want, but only a few are really of potential importance. These are:

1. The Gopher collapse last week. Tantamount to a PTSD-inducing experience for the players and the ardent fans. (PTSD was initially termed shell-shock, as suffered by soldiers in combat. Same thing.) From reports, the Goph players blocked out the shock as of 1 or 2 days later ....

2. The fans. Moments of strong emotion produce momentum, largely thanks to the fans. A shark feed type thing can decide the game, for either team.

3. The goaltenders. One soft goal can easily decide the outcome as well.

4. Keeping your cool. Especially for the Sioux, stupid penalties are anethema.

5. The Gophers have to decide to grow a few more whiskers. Don Lucia said it himself as to his account of why the 3rd period debacle last week.

 

[goldy_331]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

UND is also still getting used to their new uniforms. If the Gophers don't win tomorrow with their home ice, crowd support, health, better goaltending, better defense, better offense, better PP, better PK, and non-uniform issues it will be a massive upset.

I thought there were no more flooding issues in GF yet still with the sandbags!

 

[SanTropez]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

I heard that some of the und crowd is making a run over to Menard's, they want to try out the paint thinner because they heard that it makes dead deer look cute, and just think what it will do for the sheep back home. so, the und fans will be fighing over paint thinner, dead deer, and sheep.

They will be fighting off upset Bucky fans as well I'm sure, with our win and NoDaks, deer around the Wisconsin area should take cover.

 

[SanTropez]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

Scooby,

Adjust your glass.

Thanks

 

[mnstate0fhockey]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

“@GoldenGopherHky: VIDEO: Highlights from today's 7-3 win against Boston University http://t.co/MQuMvunD #Gophers”

 

[Golden Tuuk]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

FSN has to pick this up, right? Also, where will the officials be from?

Anyone know?

 

[Dirty]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

FSN has to pick this up, right? Also, where will the officials be from?

Anyone know?

Cleveland.

 

[burd]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

This is the weakest team UND has had in 8 or 10 years, and gopher are experiencing the most success they've had in 4 years, and despite that UND is favored. There's just that much difference in the quality of these programs.

So boy if UND wins tomorrow Mpls will be dressed in black.

 

[Gurtholfin]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

They will be fighting off upset Bucky fans as well I'm sure, with our win and NoDaks, deer around the Wisconsin area should take cover.

Oh, I don't know... Of course I was rooting against both of you on general principle, but tomorrow's game is the one any college hockey fan or WCHA fan would want to see. Should be fun, could be epic.

And the silver lining? One of you will lose tomorrow and that loss will be doubly painful coz it will come at the hands of a HATED rival in front of many of their fans as well as many of your own fans. I will take enjoyment tomorrow no matter what.


As for tomorrow...

Sioux Yeah Yeah?

 

[SanTropez]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

Oh, I don't know... Of course I was rooting against both of you on general principle, but tomorrow's game is the one any college hockey fan or WCHA fan would want to see. Should be fun, could be epic.

And the silver lining? One of you will lose tomorrow and that loss will be doubly painful coz it will come at the hands of a HATED rival in front of many of their fans as well as many of your own fans. I will take enjoyment tomorrow no matter what.


As for tomorrow...

Sioux Yeah Yeah?

Gurt, you may as well start wearing zubaz and wife beater t-shirts, bad move.

 

[TimP]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

Go Gophers. Slaughter the Sioux!

 

[mnstate0fhockey]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

Tomorrow The Empire Strikes Back

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

This is the weakest team UND has had in 8 or 10 years....

So you're saying they will continue to fail in the NCAAs? Ok then.

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

Wow FS23 no snow in the valley thus winter yet you are sandbagging anyhow. The Whioux are the #1 seed and the underdogs in tomorrows game. Oh yeah I forgot injuries lack of scoring punch and 12 goons. Did you watch the same game I did last Friday?

I don't live in the valley billybob...you're right...you can't fix stupid.

You can call it sandbagging if you would like, but Minnesota has controlled the majority of the play this season between the two teams. Even last weekend, North Dakota only played well for about 20 minutes, and it happened to coincide with Minnesota playing terrible. Don't get me wrong, I would love it if North Dakota ended the Gophers season for the 4th time in 8 years, but I just don't see it happening. I'm hoping it will be close, but I guess I just see Minnesota as a favorite.

If we look at the season series we get...

Game 1: Minnesota wins 2-0 in a game that should have been about 6-0. North Dakota generated zero offense, and if not for Dell, it would have been ugly.
Game 2: Minnesota wins 3-2. Again, the Gophers dominated for large stretches of the game, and Dell played very well. North Dakota played better than they did the night before, but not by much.
Game 3: North Dakota wins 2-1. This one could have gone either way. MacWilliam scores a crazy goal from the blueline, and Nelson gets the game winner in the final minutes. The best North Dakota has played against Minnesota for a full 60 minutes this season.
Game 4: Minnesota wins 6-2. The Gophers dominated from the get go, and North Dakota was never truly in the game.
Game 5: North Dakota wins 6-3. The Gophers dominate for 35 minutes, only to complete let up, and North Dakota scores the last 6 goals of the game.

Overall, I would classify the series this season as about 60% Gopher dominance, 30% even, 10% Sioux dominance.

You can claim "But the Sioux are the #1 seed" all you want; the fact remains that the Gophers won the WCHA, are playing within a stone's throw of their campus, and should have the crowd on their side. Again, I hope North Dakota comes out and plays their best and gets the W. I am going to Tampa, so I would love it if North Dakota was there playing. That being said, if I had to put money on the game tomorrow, I would probably place it on the Gophers.

 

[J.D.]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

As an outsider, I don't think there's a favorite in this game. This could be the best game of the regionals. Unlike the final five debacle, I think they go toe to toe till the very end.

Anyone saying the other team is favored is just setting things up in case their team happens to lose.

 

[Gurtholfin]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

Gurt, you may as well start wearing zubaz and wife beater t-shirts, bad move.

Start?

In addition, I'll be WIDE awake (and posting here) for roughly the next 72 hours or so.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[vhawk]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

This is the weakest team UND has had in 8 or 10 years, and gopher are experiencing the most success they've had in 4 years, and despite that UND is favored. There's just that much difference in the quality of these programs.

So boy if UND wins tomorrow Mpls will be dressed in black.

I think its pretty unlikely that UND is the favorite. Before todays games, UND was 3/2 to win the regional, and UMN was 7/4. But that was when MN had to beat BU to advance, and UND had to beat WMU. I'd be very shocked if you could find anyone anywhere willing to give you odds on Minnesota in this final. Its likely even, or MN slight favorites.

 

[Bakunin]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

By pairwise or by KRACH, UND is the better team and should be favored.

Arguing that MN should be favored because they dominated UND 4 1/2 months ago is absurd. MN has not played that well since, and UND's play has picked up considerably. The Gophers followed that UND series with a lengthy stretch of .500 hockey that spanned about two months of their season; they played a bit better down the stretch to win the WCHA, but then they promptly bricked at the X.

Their game against BU did little to persuade me that MN should be favored today in the final. MN generated plenty of offense, but they were very sloppy with their puck decisions and took a number of stupid penalties. Plus the power play looked like a steaming pile of crap 90% of the time (yes, they scored twice with the man advantage, but one of those was put in by a BU defenseman, which is basically a freebie).

If MN plays like that against UND, they will lose, and it will be ugly.

 

[vhawk]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

By pairwise or by KRACH, UND is the better team and should be favored.

Gophers average more goals per game, and average allowing less. Its also being played in Saint Paul. Gophers goal differential is +58. UND is +28.

Arguing that MN should be favored because they dominated UND 4 1/2 months ago is absurd.

Of course. One single series is a really small sample size, and it is much better to base future predictions on the largest possible sample, rather than artificially limiting it to some small sample that happens to support your argument....

MN has not played that well since, and UND's play has picked up considerably. The Gophers followed that UND series with a lengthy stretch of .500 hockey that spanned about two months of their season; they played a bit better down the stretch to win the WCHA, but then they promptly bricked at the X.

Oops. Momentum isnt a real thing.

Their game against BU did little to persuade me that MN should be favored today in the final.

Winning is what convinced me. Knowing that UND had to beat WMU and then 3 more teams, Vegas had UND at 15/2 against to win the championship. Knowing that UMN had to beat BU and then 3 more teams, Vegas had UMN at 17/2. BU is better than WMU, which plays into that very small difference in championship odds.

MN generated plenty of offense, but they were very sloppy with their puck decisions and took a number of stupid penalties. Plus the power play looked like a steaming pile of crap 90% of the time (yes, they scored twice with the man advantage, but one of those was put in by a BU defenseman, which is basically a freebie).

If MN plays like that against UND, they will lose, and it will be ugly.

I dont think MN is some huge favorite, of course. There really isnt such a thing as a huge favorite in college hockey, but even if there were, this would definitely not be it. But it is at least even money, and if you had to pick one team to be the favorite, its likely to be UMN.

 

[5RINGS]

Re: 2012 West Regional: North Dakota vs Western Michigan; Minnesota vs Boston Univers

Book your flights Gopher fans. We are going to Tampa. We have been the best team in the WCHA all year and will prove it again tonight.