Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?
First things first, Summerhays got screwed.
I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised and I definitely need to eat a few words/posts. While I was hopeful for these kinds of outcomes in September when they began practice, I was fairly well afraid in January we'd not see them. They righted the ship and slowly and surely began playing better and better hockey over the last 7 weeks, culminating in 2 dominating performances that seemed to be easier than the 3-1 scores indicated. The team has matched their talent with an effort and focus befitting their skill.
To enter the NCAAs as a one seed playing as close to Notre Dame as possible is an outcome that any team would take when the puck drops in the fall. To do so when some (but not all of you) were doubting it could be done (with good reason by those of us who did) is sort of like the icing on the cake. Well the icing would be a few more wins, but let's not get too far ahead...
I like what Jackson has said now going forward with the rest of their games -- however many that may be -- in that it is more about what they can do than what the other teams can do. At this point anyone can win. You are either facing a great team, or a team on a great winning run, or a combination of the two. Of all the teams that should know anything is possible, we are the epitome of that team. Our staff has had plenty of experience preparing them for whatever may happen.
Sad to see the CCHA finally come to its bittersweet end. Sad to see it go out with such a whimper, at least off the ice. The Joe looked and sounded dead from the FOX broadcasts, and the row after row of empty seats seemed an insult to what used to be the best of these tournaments in the NCAA. Apparently there was barely any indication that the CCHA was in town in Detroit. It has been that way for most of the last few of these, but for the last one you would have hoped for something different.
Now we're on to a whole different animal. Notre Dame needs to shake off those 1 seed blues and play this next game like they are the underdog who needed an auto-bid to make the field. If we continue to bring the effort we saw in Detroit, win or lose, we should all be satisfied.
Of course 4 more wins would be the best possible satisfaction...

