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College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

Biddco

Biddco

Follow me on Twitter: @Biddco
There's an article going around Twitter right now about Gopher hockey. In the article they called the Gophers 2014 title game loss to Union "greatest upset in hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice". While this is a simply laughable quote it got me thinking to what about other upsets in college hockey. I'd also note that their loss to Union was not an upset.

What is the greatest upset in college hockey? My vote is for the Holy Cross win over Minnesota in 2006. Gopher hockey was loaded with talent and if I recall correctly Holy Cross was only in the tournament because of an autobid. Other good upsets include BSU's run to the Frozen Four in 2009. I think they beat Denver and Air Force to go to the F4.

Your thoughts.
 
Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

Hoky called that union/goofs game. Can't really even be called an "upset".
 
Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

I actually think one of the great college hockey upsets occurred about one year after the Miracle on Ice game.

In 1980-81, Colorado College was a below .500 team, and that spring played Wisconsin (the eventual national champs) in the WCHA playoffs, then a two game total goals series. Wisconsin had finished 2nd in the WCHA regular season, CC 7th.

Wisconsin, playing at home, won the first game 8-2, pretty much what everyone expected. The next night Wisconsin somehow managed to lose 11-4, on home ice no less, to drop the series 13-12, a series that at the time everyone assumed Wisconsin needed to win to get into the 8 team NCAA field.

I've often wondered what odds Vegas would have established for that series, after the first game.

Notwithstanding what I consider to be one of the great upsets in sports, the "backdoor Badgers" were still invited to the tournament and became the eventual champs.
 
Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

1994 WCHA Playoff series CC WCHA Champs MTU 10th place. MTU wins series (Friday and Sunday). CC fails to make NCAA Tournament.
 
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Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

Holy Cross over Minneota
RIT's run to the Frozen Four in Detroit over Denver and New Hampshire
RIT being the only #16 to beat a #1 against Minnesota State last year.

How about RIT in their first year of division I beating a then #18 St. Lawrence 3-2. The greatest goaltending exhibition I ever saw with Jocelyn Guimond getting 66 saves.
 
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.
 
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Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

BC-Miami 2008 tournament. How the Eagles managed to defeat that burgeoning hockey dynasty I still don't understand to this day.
 
Re: College Hockey's Greatest Upsets

Now that I think about it, that comment in the article is even more ridiculous than I initially thought. My first thought was Holy Cross over Minnesota. That was huge because of the stakes, but every once in a while, a team that misses the tournament (by a lot) beats a top-ranked (or 2/3-ranked) team during the regular season. If you only want to go by how big of an underdog the winner is, games like Sacred Heart beating UMass-Lowell in 2013-14 come to mind.
 
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.
 
Decatur Spartan said:
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.
Click to expand...

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