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Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Saw this husky fan favorite on TV, the only time you could stop watching was in between periods.


 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

1998 UNH over BU in Overtime in Albany to get to their first Frozen Four in 15 years. Mowers shorthanded from Souza is still the most exciting UNH play in my mind. It was a great battle, back and forth in regulation on crappy ice a day after UNH blew out Wisconsin 7-4 (after trailing 3-1 in the 2nd period) and BU was resting up. UNH's best shorthanded player, Derek Bekar, was injured and out of the game by overtime, and their best player, Krog, was in the PBox for high sticking. One of my two favorite memories since becoming a fan, and probably the moment that hooked me for life.

The other of my favorite memories, and maybe the entire game itself wasn't outstanding, but the 2009 regional miracle victory over NoDak in Manchester was amazing for the play, but also the energy in the building when the game was tied up with .1 second remaining in regulation. Standing in the box between the benches shooting that was my favorite photography moment, I think. The look of disbelief on the face of the NoDak players and the jubilation on the UNH side (and the unfortunately only 2/3 full Verizon Wireless Arena) was perfect. The game itself was pretty good, but the ending was amazing.

Maybe the best overall played game I've ever seen was the 1999 NCAA quarterfinal at Worcester when UNH defeated Michigan 2-1 in Overtime. It was an exciting, clean, great skating and goaltending game. Only 1 or 2 penalties total were called. For a low scoring game, it didn't seem like we were cheated out of anything in that one...

Good times!
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Biddco said:
Didn't he tie it up with a "DECC hop" off of the backboards? Took until 2011 for many UMD fans to finally get over that.
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The bad bounce off the boards was actually in 1984 against Bowling Green in the NCAA championship game. It came with a little over a minute left in the third period and allowed Bowling Green to tie the game and win it in the fourth overtime (I think it was 4 overtimes). UMD had to live with the fact that two years in a row (1984 and 1985) they were ahead by a goal late, only to lose the lead in the last couple of minutes and ultimately lose each game in multiple overtimes. While the RPI game was in the semifinals, that game really was between the best two teams in the country. RPI went on to win the national championship game by a big margin (over Providence I believe?).
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Stauber1 said:
That was a great game. I was truly in shock when Duluth got the equalizer, and watching all those toga-clad fans erupt was pretty awesome;
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That was outstanding :)

I should think of something cool for regionals this year.
Amsoil said:
The bad bounce off the boards was actually in 1984 against Bowling Green in the NCAA championship game. It came with a little over a minute left in the third period and allowed Bowling Green to tie the game and win it in the fourth overtime (I think it was 4 overtimes). UMD had to live with the fact that two years in a row (1984 and 1985) they were ahead by a goal late, only to lose the lead in the last couple of minutes and ultimately lose each game in multiple overtimes. While the RPI game was in the semifinals, that game really was between the best two teams in the country. RPI went on to win the national championship game by a big margin (over Providence I believe?).
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That's right, lots of heartbreak for UMD fans in the 80's.
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Two games stand out, both involving Northern Michigan and both in the Twin Cities. The 1991 NCAA Championship vs BU, an 8-7 3OT thriller at the old St Paul Civic Center, and the 2004 Mariucci Classic, a 0-0 tie between NMU and Harvard. Great hockey, great tempo, 70 shots from the 2 teams and fantastic goaltending between MOrris and Tarkki.
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Amsoil said:
The bad bounce off the boards was actually in 1984 against Bowling Green in the NCAA championship game. It came with a little over a minute left in the third period and allowed Bowling Green to tie the game and win it in the fourth overtime (I think it was 4 overtimes). UMD had to live with the fact that two years in a row (1984 and 1985) they were ahead by a goal late, only to lose the lead in the last couple of minutes and ultimately lose each game in multiple overtimes. While the RPI game was in the semifinals, that game really was between the best two teams in the country. RPI went on to win the national championship game by a big margin (over Providence I believe?).
Click to expand...

2-1 is a big margin? :)
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Stauber1 said:
That was a great game. I was truly in shock when Duluth got the equalizer, and watching all those toga-clad fans erupt was pretty awesome;)


I actually teared up as well. Partly because I was so happy for the UMD, and partly because it brought back so many emotions from 9 years earlier when I was sitting (then jumping uncontrollably) in that same building experiencing much of what Bulldog fans were feeling at that moment.
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The UMD/Princeton game was so awesome that I drunk dialed my ex-girlfriend (huge UMD fan) AND she answered. I do not remember what the hell we talked about. Only my college roommates would have any idea.

The UMD/Michigan championship game last year was amazing. I watched it at a college bar in Bowling Green, KY, about a block from Western Kentucky's campus. When Schmidt scored the GWG in OT, I dropped to one knee on the floor fist-pumping and yelled "******* YEAH!!!" at the top of my lungs for about 3 minutes. After that, I went outside and continued to get hammered. I do not think anyone else in the bar knew what transpired that had caused me to have that outburst. I was the only one in the bar watching the game, albeit at the front bar area on the biggest screen.
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Clifton said:
As a Michigan Homer:
1. The 1998 Michigan-North Dakota Regional Final. Bobby Hayes nets the winner in the loudest sporting event I've ever witnessed.
2. THE MOLLY GAME (See pages 2 and 3 of the article). Probably the only thing that keeps this from being No. 1 was the fact that the greatest "action" occurred BEFORE the game!
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The Michigan-Denver game in '02 (the night after the Molly game.. man, that was a regional) was an outstanding hockey game in its own right. Denver took Michigan's new locker room, the action and scoreline went up and down the ice, and the noise was incredible. The fans I've talked to are split on whether or not it was louder than '98. Michigan went into the third down 3-2, tied it midway through, and won on a beautiful Cammalleri-to-Ortmeyer-to-Nystrom-to-Ortmeyer goal. The actual hockey game was considerably better than the Molly Game, whose legendary status stems from the aforementioned extracurricular activities. Michigan-Denver is probably the best Michigan hockey game I've ever attended. At least, that Michigan won.

The common theme in this thread is that the games are better if there is more significance. Any of us can tick off a half-dozen barn-burning regular season games that were won in the last moment or in overtime (Michigan-Western on senior night last year, the Bork game?) but "greatness" requires high stakes.
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

As a tUMD fan, others have already listed last years title game and tMiracle @ Mariucci and the 80's heartbreak.

I'll never forget the pain and anguish of Game 3 of the WCHA First Round at SCCC. http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0607/boxes/mmndstc1.m11

The game simply would not end and I think I had about 5 heart attacks during the game, because the **** fog horn and goal light went off incorrectly on the far side of the arena 3 or 4 times during the 3 OT's. Goalies were insane. This game was after a pretty epic OT game the night before.

The other game that comes to mind I attended was the 2004 Title game between Denver and Maine. Adam Berkhoel surviving a 6x3 for 2 minutes at the end was absolutely insane. http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0304/boxes/mdenmne1.a10
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Ralph Baer said:
2-1 is a big margin? :)
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Whoops. You are correct. For some reason I remembered it as a much bigger margin. It must have been the shock of losing the semi-final game in 3 overtimes. I do remember that RPI scored the winning goal against UMD on a powerplay with Mark Baron in the penaltybox. That is forever embedded in my brain.
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

There are some great candidates, but hands down for me was the 1995 National Semi-Final between Maine and Michigan played in Providence. Ending in Triple OT games was edge of your seat with breakaways and great chances throughout the extra sessions. Maine finally won it 4-3 scoring when Dan Shermerhorn beat Marty Turco.

I understand why all the Gophers are plugging the 2002 game, but as a Maine fan that is one I'd like to forget. Was not in Milwaukee for '93 Championship when Jim Montgomery scored a pure Hat Trick in the 3rd but that has to be among the greatest comebacks of all time in a National Championship.
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

BU-8 BC-7 1977 ECAC Qtrs. Joey Mullen 4 goals Ricky Meagher 3 goals and included 4 gold medal winning Olympians and one that would have been one if he didnt turn pro. BU had a bunch of these that season but this was the best that I "saw" though the next one vs Clarkson was up there but I did not attend. The next year was almost equal vs UNH in quarters at WBA,the year BU lost only one game and won the NC. Bob Boileau roofed Bill Leblond's wide slapper off of the end boards in OT for the win.


http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1977/3/9/bu-edges-bc-8-7-in-ecac/?print=1
 
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AHABulldog said:
I'll never forget the pain and anguish of Game 3 of the WCHA First Round at SCCC. http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0607/boxes/mmndstc1.m11

The game simply would not end and I think I had about 5 heart attacks during the game, because the **** fog horn and goal light went off incorrectly on the far side of the arena 3 or 4 times during the 3 OT's. Goalies were insane. This game was after a pretty epic OT game the night before.
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I was going to mention this one. Also, the SCSU-Gophers as has already been mentioned.

Not including ones that involved my team, I would nominate the BU-Miami national championship game.
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Caustic Undertow said:
The Michigan-Denver game in '02 (the night after the Molly game.. man, that was a regional) was an outstanding hockey game in its own right. Denver took Michigan's new locker room, the action and scoreline went up and down the ice, and the noise was incredible. The fans I've talked to are split on whether or not it was louder than '98. Michigan went into the third down 3-2, tied it midway through, and won on a beautiful Cammalleri-to-Ortmeyer-to-Nystrom-to-Ortmeyer goal. The actual hockey game was considerably better than the Molly Game, whose legendary status stems from the aforementioned extracurricular activities. Michigan-Denver is probably the best Michigan hockey game I've ever attended. At least, that Michigan won.

The common theme in this thread is that the games are better if there is more significance. Any of us can tick off a half-dozen barn-burning regular season games that were won in the last moment or in overtime (Michigan-Western on senior night last year, the Bork game?) but "greatness" requires high stakes.
Click to expand...

I think '02 was definitely louder because it was a more partisan Michigan crowd. The '98 game was a double-header, with MSU/Ohio playing in the first game (that was also a fantastic game), so some Spartan and Buckeye fans stuck around to cheer for North Dakota if i recall. Plus North Dakota had some fans there too, or at least more than Denver did in '02.

An underrated game that I fondly remember was the opening game of '03 regional at Yost between Wayne State and Colorado College. CC came into that game as the #1 overall seed but Wayne State took them right down to the wire with all the Michigan fans behind them. Sadly that was essentially the last hurrah for the Wayne State program, which was dropped a few years later.

Not to be another bitter Michigan fan complaining about home ice regionals, but man those regionals were fantastic. I would gladly trade going into other teams' buildings four out of five years if the regional in that 5th year was at Yost.
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

AHABulldog said:
The other game that comes to mind I attended was the 2004 Title game between Denver and Maine. Adam Berkhoel surviving a 6x3 for 2 minutes at the end was absolutely insane. http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0304/boxes/mdenmne1.a10
Click to expand...
The 6x3 was truly one of the great moments in college hockey history. As such, the game does deserve a place on the list. But quite honestly, the rest of the game was a less-than-entertaining battle between two "immovable object" teams; tough for the neutral fan to love.;)
 
Re: Best college hockey game you've ever seen

Jofa said:
BU-8 BC-7 1977 ECAC Qtrs. Joey Mullen 4 goals Ricky Meagher 3 goals and included 4 gold medal winning Olympians and one that would have been one if he didnt turn pro. BU had a bunch of these that season but this was the best that I "saw" though the next one vs Clarkson was up there but I did not attend. The next year was almost equal vs UNH in quarters at WBA,the year BU lost only one game and won the NC. Bob Boileau roofed Bill Leblond's wide slapper off of the end boards in OT for the win.


http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1977/3/9/bu-edges-bc-8-7-in-ecac/?print=1
Click to expand...

Oh, yeah!! I don't know if this was the best played game I ever saw, but it was the most exciting; 60 minutes of edge-of-your-seat action. The third period was intense. I've made this statement several times on this page, but every time Joe Mullen touched the puck that night, I expected him to score.

One man's opinion - Mullen and Ralph Cox (UNH) were the two rivals I feared the most, as a BU fan. I didn't want to see them come over the boards in a tight game of consequence. Paul Kariya was a better player, but he was only at Maine for 1+ season and Maine was so much better than the opposition, he didn't participate in many tight games.
 
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