Bottom Teams Rising

[TitleIXHockey]

I always talk a lot about the bottom teams and how they're continually getting better.

Which teams outside the top 10 or even top 20 have surprised you?

Me
St. Thomas - Didn't expect them to pick up wins or finish anywhere but last
RPI - Big improvement from a remarkably bad team last year
Union - Finally getting the possession, but need shooters and goaltending

 

[Lindsay]

my answer doesn’t quite fit the parameters, but:

Mine was Yale! Never ranked in program history to sixth in the USCHO after taking a season off. Impressive.

They had a winning record pre Covid; not sure where exactly they were ranked since their NC sched may have been weak. They were a program no one talked about , it was almost like they didn’t exist and now they are on the radar.

 

[Cornholio]

St. Thomas has to be the biggest surprise - quite a job done by all involved to go from D3 to competitive D1 in 1 year. Shows that the midwest (well, minny at least) can support a few more programs and has some fan support on the board.

Speaking of fan support, reason why Yale has flown under the radar would seem to be nobody cares? And I don't mean that in a truly negative way but there has never been any real fan support around the program so nobody knows what is going on there. Same could be said unfortunately for Dartmouth and Brown. I get the athletes that go to the Ivys go for reasons other than sports but you would think somebody would care enough to at least post a recap or insights when the program is having some success to enlighten the rest of the women's hockey community. Harvard gets some love, so does Cornell and Princeton. Holy cross gets an occasional post, Merimack, etc., so somebody cares for similar programs but where is the love for these other ivys?

 

[ARM]

... there has never been any real fan support around the program so nobody knows what is going on there. Same could be said unfortunately for Dartmouth and Brown.

Dartmouth used to be one of the better-supported programs in terms of both fans on this forum and attendance, where I remember the Big Green consistently being in the top five. Then Oberting left, and Hudak did well as long as her recruiting classes were around, but the program started a downward trend once they were gone. Brown had a few fans here as well, but once the struggles began, all you saw were the "Fire <coach's name here>!" crowd.

 

[Scott_TG]

Anyone who saw what Mark Bolding built in Norwich isn't surprised at what Yale developed. Though I'm not sure how they'll be affected by Danielle Blanchard leaving. She was a great recruiter at the DIII level and if recruiting was part of her responsibility at Yale they'll be worse off.

 

[Cornholio]

I get it when a program is bad everyone skulks away but when a program is doing well, I'd expect someone to at least say something. I mean, Yale beat Harvard and not a single fan came to gloat?

 

[TitleIXHockey]

I get it when a program is bad everyone skulks away but when a program is doing well, I'd expect someone to at least say something. I mean, Yale beat Harvard and not a single fan came to gloat?

I think with Yale it's just that they haven't been good for so long. Their best finish is 5th and they haven't followed with the odd playoff run. They haven't gotten past the ECAC quarters since 2005. BROWN has more recently advanced out of the Quarters. They've won 4 quarterfinal games ever including those two they won to advance.

They're kind of similar to Princeton, who had also had limited success until recently, but Princeton at least had a couple top-4 finishes and quarterfinals wins though they had never made the ECAC title game until 2020.

 

[ARM]

They're kind of similar to Princeton, who had also had limited success until recently, but Princeton at least had a couple top-4 finishes and quarterfinals wins though they had never made the ECAC title game until 2020.

Princeton made the NCAA Tournament every few seasons (2006, 2016, 2019) and was never terrible (Yale had one win in 2011-12). Princeton always manages double-digit wins and usually has a winning record, but just faltered in the postseason under Kampersal.

 

[waynorth907]

St. Thomas has to be the biggest surprise - quite a job done by all involved to go from D3 to competitive D1 in 1 year. Shows that the midwest (well, minny at least) can support a few more programs and has some fan support on the board.

Speaking of fan support, reason why Yale has flown under the radar would seem to be nobody cares? And I don't mean that in a truly negative way but there has never been any real fan support around the program so nobody knows what is going on there. Same could be said unfortunately for Dartmouth and Brown. I get the athletes that go to the Ivys go for reasons other than sports but you would think somebody would care enough to at least post a recap or insights when the program is having some success to enlighten the rest of the women's hockey community. Harvard gets some love, so does Cornell and Princeton. Holy cross gets an occasional post, Merimack, etc., so somebody cares for similar programs but where is the love for these other ivys?

It's no surprise with J Johnson at the helm. Coaching is way relevant - and this fellow is top notch. St. Thomas will rise quickly is Women's hockey (even in the brutal WCHA) as all sports when the college genuinely supports its athletic programs.

 

[TitleIXHockey]

Princeton made the NCAA Tournament every few seasons (2006, 2016, 2019) and was never terrible (Yale had one win in 2011-12). Princeton always manages double-digit wins and usually has a winning record, but just faltered in the postseason under Kampersal.

Fair, Princeton is a more successful version of Yale in terms of overall record and out of conference play but their ECAC tournament success had been pretty similar until Princeton broke through two years ago.