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Conference playoffs scary teams

T

ts8801

New member
Which teams do you want to play least in your conference playoffs? Is it a team that has under achieved throughout the year and is only now finally starting to turn it around? Were they flying high only to have an injury to a key player, and they are finally getting back? Or are they just that one team, your team can never seem to beat when it matters?

In the WCHA, I think that team is St. Cloud. Pick by many as a preseason top 5 and fighting with UND to win the league. They were probably one of the worst teams in the country the first half of the season. With the return of Eddy, a key freshman last year, and 2 trouble makers kicked off the team, things looked to have changed. Since the mid-season break they are 9-4-3 with improbable 8-2 and 7-3 wins over tUMD and UW. The huskies are desperate as they will most likely need to win the league title to make the NCAA's. Or is there another team that scares you in the WCHA playoffs?

Who is that team in the HE, CCHA, ECAC and AH?
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

In the CCHA, I think the only team to be scared of is Western Michigan, but they are a bubble team right now that may very well find the tourney as an at large. Ferris/Alaska do not scare me at all. NMU has had flashes of good this season, but too much of the bad. NMU always finds a way to make it to the Joe, and a few wins there buts them in the NCAAs. Just dont see it happening this year. The CCHA should field three teams, Michigan, Miami and Notre Dame to the NCAAs, with WMU on the bubble.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

Many at RIT are scared to death of Niagara. They have never beaten them in the DI era and hard a hard time in the DIII days. They have not 1, but 2 legit contenders for conference player of the year. They are iinconsistant, so they could win it all or could flame out in the first round against Canisius.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

IMO, there are a few "scary" teams that I wouldn't want to face...

In the WCHA, I don't think anyone wants to play SCSU. They have been playing very well of late, and are talented enough to upset anyone. Minnesota is also a team that seems to have found its game. Now, they've been some mediocre teams, but they still look capable of taking anyone down. What is also interesting is that these two teams could play each other in the WCHA playoffs.

In the CCHA, I think Miami is probably the team to beat. They've also been playing very well, and seem to be peaking at the right time. I also think that Alaska is talented enough to make a run. I'd also list Michigan, but I think they are on everyone's radar.

In Hockey East, Maine has to be a "scary" team. They are good enough to dominate the best. Unfortunately, consistency has been difficult for Maine though. If they can continue playing their best, they'll be a tough team to play. BU is also has enough talent to win the Hockey East tournament. Saying that, I don't think many people would be surprised if they failed to make it out of the first round.

In Atlantic Hockey, Robert Morris has had a solid season. They could very well make a run and win their tourney, but I think Atlantic Hockey still runs through RIT and Air Force.

Just my opinion, but that's who I see as being "scary" teams in each of those conferences.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

Colgate is scaring everyone in the ECAC right now. They lost a bazillion one goal games this year and finally found their stride during the last six games. Brown is another wildcard, but won't be a surprise because of the run last year.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

Yeah, I think pretty much everyone here at RPI is afraid of what might happen this year with Colgate, especially after our failure last year against the similarly-seeded Brown.
 
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Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

LTsatch said:
Colgate is scaring everyone in the ECAC right now. They lost a bazillion one goal games this year and finally found their stride during the last six games. Brown is another wildcard, but won't be a surprise because of the run last year.
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I'm no rules expert but that sure seems like that violates the NC$$ cap on games in a season. Did they play in like a couple hundred thousand Alaska tourneys?
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

komey1 said:
Many at RIT are scared to death of Niagara. They have never beaten them in the DI era and hard a hard time in the DIII days. They have not 1, but 2 legit contenders for conference player of the year. They are iinconsistant, so they could win it all or could flame out in the first round against Canisius.
Click to expand...
Niagara's issue all season has been between the pipes. With consistent goaltending, the Purps have at least six to eight more wins. I think it is coming around ... I just have to hope Campbell or Noonan play well, no softies. As for our skaters in front of either of them, I will take them over any CHA team.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

Besides the obvious answers:

1. MN
2. MN
3. MN
...
nth: SCSU


Teams least feared right now? WI. Denver.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

Fighting Sioux 23 said:
In Atlantic Hockey, Robert Morris has had a solid season. They could very well make a run and win their tourney, but I think Atlantic Hockey still runs through RIT and Air Force.
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Bobby Mo is a tough one as well. They are a senior laden team that could be looking for their first NCAA bid. They have a really tough road though - first hosting Mercyhurst and then a potential matchup with Niagara at Dwyer.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

Vermont.

But only because the games are guaranteed to be as exciting as watching basketball.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

In Hockey East, Maine has to be a "scary" team. They are good enough to dominate the best. Unfortunately, consistency has been difficult for Maine though. If they can continue playing their best, they'll be a tough team to play. BU is also has enough talent to win the Hockey East tournament. Saying that, I don't think many people would be surprised if they failed to make it out of the first round.
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I'd second that selection and add Northeastern. They've improved their play a lot since the start of the season, and they are competing every night now.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

I would agree that Northeastern is pretty scary. (especially if you are a team looking for the ncaa's, losing to them at the end like this would not be good.)
Going forward to the first round of the ncaa's, teams you do not want to play if you are a 1 seed:
Minnesota, though I don't see them getting in, St Cloud, same, and Miami. In fact I'd say Miami is my dark horse to win it all. Also UNO is playing pretty good and is under the radar to some extent, though they get penalized a lot and this might hurt them in the tournament, and of course no one from the west wants to play either Yale or Union.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

In the ECAC, the most feared teams I would say are Colgate, Brown, and possibly Clarkson, simply because of Karpowich, and because they're finally healthy. You never know when Karp's going to step his game up to another level and win games on his own, and there's no doubt that he's capable of it. Colgate and Brown are both talented, physical teams that can beat anyone in the country when they're playing at their best, and they are 12th and 9th in the league. But this is the ECAC. This is just how everything always seems to go down every year.
 
Re: Conference playoffs scary teams

manurespreader said:
I would agree that Northeastern is pretty scary. (especially if you are a team looking for the ncaa's, losing to them at the end like this would not be good.)
Going forward to the first round of the ncaa's, teams you do not want to play if you are a 1 seed:
Minnesota, though I don't see them getting in, St Cloud, same, and Miami. In fact I'd say Miami is my dark horse to win it all. Also UNO is playing pretty good and is under the radar to some extent, though they get penalized a lot and this might hurt them in the tournament, and of course no one from the west wants to play either Yale or Union.
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I think any of the top WCHA teams would love to play Yale or Union, what they don't want to see is another gd WCHA team in their path.
 
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