2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

[PennStateWomensHockey]

These are the matchups - who is going big, and who is going home, and why? I don't know enough about most of these teams, so would love to hear what their fans have to say about them.

Minnesota vs. Boston University

Cornell vs. Mercyhurst

Clarkson vs. Boston College

Wisconsin vs. Harvard

 

[ManBehindTheCurtain]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

The 7 and 8 seeds are prohibitive underdogs, they will each have to perform at a level considerably higher than what their results during the season to this point indicate they are capable of or they will be going home.

Clarkson has had a season which led to them being an injury to one of their best players away from a 2 seed. The injury makes this the game of uncertainty in the QF.

Harvard's short bench strategy is unlikely to be successful against Wisconsin.

Just my take, there will be many others I am sure.

 

[Red Hockey]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

For Cornell, it'll depend on which team shows up. If the porous one shows up, it could be a repeat of last year.

 

[dave1381]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Harvard's short bench strategy is unlikely to be successful against Wisconsin.

Just my take, there will be many others I am sure.

I wouldn't put it that way -- the way it'd put it is, "Harvard is unlikely to be successful unless Mary Parker is cleared to play, otherwise her absence leaves the bench short."

 

[Watson Rink]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

I wouldn't put it that way -- the way it'd put it is, "Harvard is unlikely to be successful unless Mary Parker is cleared to play, otherwise her absence leaves the bench short."

Yes, short in the sense of 9 forwards dressed for the game....you're not not playing a short bench strategically on purpose when you've never had more than 10 forwards playing in any game all year

 

[Trillium]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

I wouldn't put it that way -- the way it'd put it is, "Harvard is unlikely to be successful unless Mary Parker is cleared to play, otherwise her absence leaves the bench short."

No, with or without Mary Parker, Harvard still has a short bench. Since both Cornell and Yale also had short benches, that wasn't a disadvantage to Harvard.

However, Wisconsin does have a distinct advantage in that department.

 

[TonyTheTiger20]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

BC has had kind of a weird year. It's never felt like the strength of schedule was there, and our losses against bad teams are really concerning.

The only games against teams that are in the tournament field that are not named BU were 2 against Cornell (split and looked pretty good) and Harvard (tie and really exciting game). Neither of those teams give us any idea of how we might or might not hang with Minnesota.

Last year we played and beat every team in the tournament field ranked #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 and #7. So we came in feeling like we could beat anyone. This year it feels like we can lose to anyone. But the games against top teams have been pretty encouraging, especially now that Cornell is somehow 2nd. So I don't really know how to feel.

 

[ARM]

Last year we played and beat every team in the tournament field ranked #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 and #7. So we came in feeling like we could beat anyone. This year it feels like we can lose to anyone. But the games against top teams have been pretty encouraging, especially now that Cornell is somehow 2nd.

You played and beat yourself last year? No wonder some of your results are so schizophrenic.

 

[Call It]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

No, with or without Mary Parker, Harvard still has a short bench. Since both Cornell and Yale also had short benches, that wasn't a disadvantage to Harvard.

However, Wisconsin does have a distinct advantage in that department.

Should Harvard even be in the NCAA tournament? I would think it's an auto win for Wisco.

 

[Watson Rink]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Should Harvard even be in the NCAA tournament? I would think it's an auto win for Wisco.

Let's see, 1-1-1 against #2 Cornell, 1-1 against #3 Clarkson, a tie against #6 BC, 2-0 against #8 BU, for a combined 4-2-2 record against the #2 through #8 teams....

I have to say that in many years on this forum, yours is one of the stupidest posts I've ever seen. Of course if you'd like to attempt to rebut, why don't you set forth your reasoning. Here. Now.

 

[FireKnight]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Should Harvard even be in the NCAA tournament? I would think it's an auto win for Wisco.

Harvard had the league's best goaltender (debatable, but she got the 1st team award) and one of their best players didn't make the trip to the ECAC championship, due to a concussion, I believe. It really showed in Potsdam this weekend and they've had a rough few weeks, although Yale was an improved team in the second half, or more specifically, after the Olympics.

That being said, Harvard sat atop the ECAC for most of the year and definitely deserves their spot. Wisconsin, obviously, is also deserving and I'll admit I've only seen them twice this season. I wouldn't be surprised to see this game as a defensive fight.

 

[OnMAA]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Yale was an improved team in the second half, or more specifically, after the Olympics.

Yale was an improved team even before the Olympics. The only games they played after the Olympics were the 3 game play-off set vs Harvard.

 

[stanleycup]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Yale was an improved team even before the Olympics. The only games they played after the Olympics were the 3 game play-off set vs Harvard.

Mercyhurst should not be invited, they lost the CHA Championship to RIT. I know that RIT cannot participate (on probation as a second year D1 program), don't understand the logic of penalizing RIT just because they are a new program. If a team wins their conference, they deserve to be there.

 

[dave1381]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Aside from RIT being ineligible, The CHA didn't have an autobid this year (can't get an autobid until your third year as a 6-team conference). Yes, it's all arcane NCAA-wide rules that don't do anyone much good but also don't have anything to do with governance specific to women's hockey so there's not much that can be done about it. Congrats though to Mercyhurst for managing a decade of NCAA bids without the benefit of the autobid.

 

[MCLaker74]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Mercyhurst should not be invited, they lost the CHA Championship to RIT.

Yeah using that logic (?) Wisconsin shouldn't be in either because they didn't win their conference. Don't think so.

 

[TonyTheTiger20]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Yeah using that logic (?) Wisconsin shouldn't be in either because they didn't win their conference. Don't think so.

Yeah but you forget that Wisconsin lost to the third best team in the UNIVERSE who got TOTALLY SNUBBED on not getting into the tournament.

 

[myStuff]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Mercyhurst should not be invited, they lost the CHA Championship to RIT. I know that RIT cannot participate (on probation as a second year D1 program), don't understand the logic of penalizing RIT just because they are a new program. If a team wins their conference, they deserve to be there.

did you see the CHA final? Congrats to RIT hanging in there as long as they did but the truth is sending RIT to the final 8 would be like sending a lamb to slaughter. Mercyhurst absolutely dominated the contest and all watching were saying it would just take a fluke shot by RIT and it would be over. That's exactly what happened. Makela stood around doing virually nothing for nearly 5 periods of hockey. Binnington is without a doubt one of the best goal tenders in NCAA D1. She was the game saviour for RIT.

 

[Skate79]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

No, with or without Mary Parker, Harvard still has a short bench. Since both Cornell and Yale also had short benches, that wasn't a disadvantage to Harvard.

However, Wisconsin does have a distinct advantage in that department.

Not true. Yale was able to skate more players and it showed during the first two games. Harvard had to dig deep to win the second game. But I'm convinced that series took a lot out of the Crimson and it showed on Saturday. They ran out of steam albeit with some defensive lapses that hurt them along the way.

I haven't seen Wisconsin so I can't comment on what they bring to the table but if Mary Parker can't play next weekend, Harvard is in real trouble. We can't continue to skate two lines with odd shifts from two other players and hope to be successful. Even in a one game scenario, that isn't a recipe for success.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

Yeah but you forget that Wisconsin lost to the third best team in the UNIVERSE who got TOTALLY SNUBBED on not getting into the tournament.

Four of UND's losses were against the greatest women's hockey team of the era (and they where the only team to beat them in two years)...and they single handedly knocked UW out of a #2 ranking by beating them twice. They had the most difficult or second most difficult schedule in the country depending on whether you look at the RPI or KRACH. And based on the KRACH, they were rated higher than BC. So to say they were objectively worse than several other tournament teams is very misguided. Its just that the PWR system did not favor them.

 

[Skate79]

Re: 2014 Women's D-1 National Tournament

BC has had kind of a weird year. It's never felt like the strength of schedule was there, and our losses against bad teams are really concerning.

The only games against teams that are in the tournament field that are not named BU were 2 against Cornell (split and looked pretty good) and Harvard (tie and really exciting game). Neither of those teams give us any idea of how we might or might not hang with Minnesota.

Last year we played and beat every team in the tournament field ranked #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 and #7. So we came in feeling like we could beat anyone. This year it feels like we can lose to anyone. But the games against top teams have been pretty encouraging, especially now that Cornell is somehow 2nd. So I don't really know how to feel.

Yesterday's HE final was game of ebbs and flows. BC started out like they were going to run BU out of the building. Then BU gets the equalizer and all of sudden, momentum shifts. BC scores late in the second but BU comes out and slowly takes control in the third. Then with fives minutes left, BC comes on like storm troopers and if it wasn't for Sperry, probably would have found a way to win. I lost count of how many glorious chances the Eagles had right in front of her.

I think this will be one of the more compelling match ups because Clarkson plays a very structured defensive game and Howe is a terrific goalie. However BC's offensive prowess especially from their D pinching in will be interesting to watch. Wish the game were here.