D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

[dave1381]

With that said, Cornell will be scary good next year- I have them as my preseason #1.

2011 Cornell is 2006 UNH, 2008 Harvard, 2010 Mercyhurst -- good team, plowed through a weaker conference, plowed through a weak QF opponent thanks to their high seed, then wasn't able to re-elevate its game for the level of play in the Frozen Four.

Cornell was supposed to be scary good this year and while they had a great regular season, I'm with Dave in believing that a weak ECAC led to their downfall. They didn't play anyone tough outside of Mercyhurst. A tougher regular season schedule might have helped them this weekend. Who's to really say? But you have to believe that BU was mentally and physically more prepared to play this game than Cornell.

Perhaps it's premature to start this thread day before the NCAA final, but discussion was beginning in the BU/Cornell thread, and I didn't want it to get lost there. Plus watching the meal portion of the Kaz brunch just isn't that exciting.

The way I see it, the elite returning Olympians are concentrated on six teams next year, 4 in the WCHA: BU, Cornell, Wisconsin, UMD, Minnesota, N. Dakota.

If anyone seriously thinks Cornell or BU will win the national title next year, you have to ask yourself, who will push these teams in February in early March? Because the 4 WCHA teams are going to be pushed.

A big factor in Cornell's championship hopes is whether the young Dartmouth and Quinnipiac teams will continue to improve and become legit, solid teams who can play at an NCAA-tournament caliber level. Cornell in 2010 could compete in the NCAA final because the ECAC's top 3 were as strong or stronger than the WCHA's best 3, and Cornell will need that again. Same was true for the Harvard, Dartmouth, and Brown contenders earlier in the decade.

In the case of BU, BC was clearly an excellent sparring partner this season, but there's a more of a void next season. A Northeastern team with a rumored acquisition might be the best bet.

But in my opinion, if BU and Cornell are serious about winning the national championship, they should find a way to play each other February (hard for BU with the Beanpot midweek though). Harvard and UNH in 2008 should've done the same.

 

[WHKY blogger]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Perhaps it's premature to start this thread day before the NCAA final, but discussion was beginning in the BU/Cornell thread, and I didn't want it to get lost there. Plus watching the meal portion of the Kaz brunch just isn't that exciting.

The way I see it, the elite returning Olympians are concentrated on six teams next year, 4 in the WCHA: BU, Cornell, UMD, Minnesota, UMD, N. Dakota.

If anyone seriously thinks Cornell or BU will win the national title next year, you have to ask yourself, who will push these teams in February in early March? Because the 4 WCHA teams are going to be pushed.

A big factor in Cornell's championship hopes is whether the young Dartmouth and Quinnipiac teams will continue to improve and become legit, solid teams who can play at an NCAA-tournament caliber level. Cornell in 2010 could compete in the NCAA final because the ECAC's top 3 were as strong or stronger than the WCHA's best 3, and Cornell will need that again. Same was true for the Harvard, Dartmouth, and Brown contenders earlier in the decade.

In the case of BU, BC was clearly an excellent sparring partner this season, but there's a more of a void next season. A Northeastern team with a rumored acquisition might be the best bet.

But in my opinion, if BU and Cornell are serious about winning the national championship, they should find a way to play each other February (hard for BU with the Beanpot midweek though). Harvard and UNH in 2008 should've done the same.

Duluth fielding two teams next year?? Now that could be scary....

 

[dave1381]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Duluth fielding two teams next year?? Now that could be scary....

Oops, obviously meant Wisconsin. They're almost indistinguishable from UMD in terms of their national titles.

 

[JosephPSchmoe]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Oops, obviously meant Wisconsin. They're almost indistinguishable from UMD in terms of their national titles.

Not yet.

 

[RStarr]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Duluth fielding two teams next year??

Might as well....its not like UM is doing anything spectacular for the confrence these days.

 

[D2D]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Might as well....its not like UM is doing anything spectacular for the confrence these days.

Up until their quarterfinal loss to BC Minnesota's non-conference record this year was 5-0, outscoring Clarkson (2), Wayne State (1) and Harvard (2) by a combined 16-2. And look for Minnesota to be improved next year - they are not losing as much as UMD or Wisconsin.

Besides, Goldy is a kind of cute, and you may decide to adopt the Gophers as one of your favorite teams.

 

[brookyone]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

I think in the WCHA, you'll see much typically intense competition throughout the regular season. There are some considerable losses of experience and leadership for a couple powerhouses...but they will still have a lot of talent on their rosters and I'm pretty sure will remain in the picture at the top of the conference standings.

At this point, I'd predict MSU and SCSU remain towards the bottom of the standings. I'm not sure the Beavers will keep the pace, and stay in the picture for as long as they did in 2010-2011...it'll be more difficult for them to duplicate that success I think, some pretty key losses for them as well, Cody in particular.

I can't explain the season the Buckeyes had with their talent...I expected better from them, and would expect a bit of a rebound / improvement next season...and a better finish ultimately. I guess I might still have concerns in the GA category if I were a Buckeye fan.

UND obviously made a huge step forward in 2010-2011 with significant improvement. They're adding a truckload of talent and losing virtually nothing to graduation. I think they'll be a tough out for everyone in the conference next season. I already completely expect them to hang tightly with the conference leaders.

Minnesota has some talented players joining the roster...and the expected return of Emily West is large. Hopefully she's 100% and ready to go. Minnesota will also have some seasoned experience and leadership both up front and on the blueline to go with a nice rookie crop. I hope for a stronger start and improved consistency. They really should be capable of putting three strong lines together with their group of forwards.

Tomcikova, Rigsby, Harss & Räty...some pretty solid goaltending coming back in the conference. A position that could be a question mark for some others.

I don't really have a fresh picture of all incoming frosh outside of the Minnesota class. Sylvester for UW and Kuehl for OSU are nice additions. I'm sure there are several more whose impact will be noticeable. Oh yeah, Miss Marvin for the Sioux...and some Europeans I'm less familiar with, but have the pedigree, hence my thoughts on the Sioux for 2011-2012.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Besides, Goldy is a kind of cute, and you may decide to adopt the Gophers as one of your favorite teams.

How's Goldy's busted nose doing?

 

[RStarr]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Up until their quarterfinal loss to BC Minnesota's non-conference record this year was 5-0, outscoring Clarkson (2), Wayne State (1) and Harvard (2) by a combined 16-2. And look for Minnesota to be improved next year - they are not losing as much as UMD or Wisconsin.

Besides, Goldy is a kind of cute, and you may decide to adopt the Gophers as one of your favorite teams.

how longs it been since Minny won a natty championship? its a good thing you have UMD and Wisco in your league or you wouldn't have the "strongest league ever" claim to fame.

 

[brookyone]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

how longs it been since Minny won a natty championship? its a good thing you have UMD and Wisco in your league or you wouldn't have the "strongest league ever" claim to fame.

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[freak]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Harvard and UNH in 2008 should've done the same.

UNH in 2008? Really?

An argument can be made for 2006, but in 2008 the difference was that one goalie played amazing, and the other rather average.

 

[Bumbles]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Because I'm too nervous to think about the game tomorrow, I'm going to give a projection of my preseason top 10. Of course this list could easily change since the recruiting classes aren't complete yet. Let me know what you guys think.

1. Cornell
2. Minnesota
3. Wisconsin
4. UMD
5. BU
6. UND
7. BC
8. Mercyhurst
9. Northeastern
10. Clarkson

 

[ARM]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Because I'm too nervous to think about the game tomorrow, I'm going to give a projection of my preseason top 10. Of course this list could easily change since the recruiting classes aren't complete yet. Let me know what you guys think.

1. Cornell
2. Minnesota
3. Wisconsin
4. UMD
5. BU
6. UND
7. BC
8. Mercyhurst
9. Northeastern
10. Clarkson

Based on their history over the last six years, I think that one has to put Wisconsin at #1 until proven otherwise. The only question for them is how the Duggan void is filled, because she did so many things for them, but as they showed this weekend, they have a lot of options. Cornell took a wrong turn somewhere after the Mercyhurst win, and they'll need to avoid a repeat of that; beyond that, they may possess the most talent. Teams like UMD, Mercyhurst and BC graduate a lot of key performers. Sometimes we tend to look too hard at that, when the key is what they return. One of them likely challenges to host a quarter, and if it is UMD, then look out, because they host the F4. IMO, BU had a huge question in net coming into the season, and they face much less uncertainty in that corner next year. But the Terriers graduate 4 key seniors who provided a lot of leadership beyond their production. Minnesota has a lot returning, a strong recruiting class, and seemingly, no glaring weakness; the injury to West in week one showed a team's forturnes can change in a hurry. The Gophers played a bad period, which is how most will remember them through the offseason, but they showed the potential to go toe-to-toe with Wisco when they were on. UND takes another step, but it will be tough to get 4 WCHA teams into an 8-team field, so it will likely be at the expense of someone else. After those, I think either NU or PC makes the NCAAs next season, and somebody in the ECAC, likely Q or Harvard, rises to fill the void behind Cornell.

 

[OnMAA]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Because I'm too nervous to think about the game tomorrow, I'm going to give a projection of my preseason top 10. Of course this list could easily change since the recruiting classes aren't complete yet. Let me know what you guys think.

1. Cornell
2. Minnesota
3. Wisconsin
4. UMD
5. BU
6. UND
7. BC
8. Mercyhurst
9. Northeastern
10. Clarkson

Here is mine as it stands today, based on combined strength and returning players and recruits:
1 - Wisco
2 - Cornell
3 - BU
4 - Minny
5 - UMD
6 - ND
7 - Quinny
8 - NE
9 - Harvard
10 - PC

 

[FlyingPig]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

The season is going to start out almost the way it ended.
1. wisconsin
2. bu
3. cornell
4. umd
5. minnesota

The ranking won't change that much through the first quarter of the season.
Knight and Decker will keep wisconsin winning. Poulin will be a one girl wrecking crew for bu. Cornell will continue to enjoy comfy schedule both out of conference and in conference. At some points, Cornell will likely bubble up to take over #2 or #1 depends on how badly WCHA teams beat up on each other again.

But again, my crystal ball can be totally off

 

[joehockey]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Out east Providence could be tough next year and climb nationally they return 85% of their goal production, have 5 new F joining the team and LaCasse returns in goal.

 

[Hux]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Out east Providence could be tough next year and climb nationally they return 85% of their goal production, have 5 new F joining the team and LaCasse returns in goal.

Agree, and Northeastern should be in the top ten mix as well with Schelling in net, the return of Esposito, and the addition of Miss Coyne.

 

[joehockey]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

So is that a final-final on Coyne to Northeastern? If so another sign of the rising outlook around Hockey East as a place for top players to go.

 

[Skate79]

Re: D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

So is that a final-final on Coyne to Northeastern? If so another sign of the rising outlook around Hockey East as a place for top players to go.

Too bad if this is true because I was hoping she would land at Harvard. It seemed like she was very interested in attending. Looks as if HE and the WCHA will be prime combatants in the next few years for the national championship with Cornell having its best shot next year. The ECAC is in danger of becoming an afterthought as a place for high level recruits.

 

[papulaisle]

D-I Outlook for 2011-2012: Offseason Musings and Beyond

Good Dartmouth NOT mentioned in any 'list' above. Despite most players returning. Please continue to NOT INCLUDE (seems to work.)
Thanks!

2011 Preseason Ranking: eighth (in ECAC, of twelve.)
2011 Final Poll Ranking: eighth (in Nation.)

Team goal in 2011: hope to surprise a few people, teams...

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Cornell, "Big Red", again to be, off the charts! And Harvard likely very, very close behind. Too, Clarkson...and I still like Quinnipiak!

Princeton?

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Great loons, Brooky!
Thanks.