Re: National Semi-Final: Boston College vs Union College
Hey, I never said that Minnesota was clearly the best team of the 4 in the FF. I didn't even predict that they'd win the title, much less beat UND, who everyone is saying is not as good as UMn this season. Most are predicting that it should be an easy win for Minnesota.
What I did say was, that it wouldn't have mattered who UMn played ON SUNDAY, UMn would have won. UMn played an almost flawless perfect game. Union is on a long winning streak? Great, UMn had the longest winning streak going until they secured the First Big Ten Conf Regular season title outright, then they relaxed and lost to a desperate Michigan team trying to get into the NCAA tourney, and then to an OSU team desperately trying to do the same thing. Seeing as they only had 4 losses prior to those 2 very forgivable losses, and are still ranked #1 in one of the polls, and still the overall #1 seed in the tournament, they have been pretty hot this season as well. They showed up when it counted and in both games, there was really no question who was going to win, but especially in the SCSU game.
What I thought I also indicted, but apparently not clearly enough, was the fact that what happened on Sunday probably won't mean much at all when they play UND, or whoever in the next game IF they beat UND. They could very easily lose to UND. Playing one perfect game doesn't win you a championship unless that one perfect game comes in the championship game, and then only if a team's perfect game is good enough to best whatever their opponent brings to the ice.
Could Union's perfect game beat UMn's perfect game, or BC's or UND's?! Who knows really? Honestly, UMn's perfect game could have lost to SCSU's perfect game? But we'll never know for sure because SCSU clearly did not bring their perfect game to the ice. UMn did.
Heck, a part of me is afraid that we've peaked already, maybe too early? There is almost no where to go but down from perfection. But maybe our B game can still beat UND depending on what they bring to the ice? I was not being arrogant by saying our perfect game would have beaten anyone on Sunday, because no other team can claim that their team brought their perfect game to the ice on Sunday. Union and BC and UND apparently didn't need their perfect games on the ice to win. That bodes well for them. UMn's B game would probably lose to Union and/or BC's A game and probably to UND's A game as well, so they are going to need to at least match whatever UND brings to the ice. And I honestly couldn't say if UMn's A game would beat BC or Union's A games? Guess that's why they play the games, eh? I can say that I almost can't imagine a better 4 team lineup this season? And I don't mean any disrespect towards Wisconsin, just for the fact that UND and Minny didn't get to play this season for the first time in almost forever makes this matchup so much more appealing.
Whoever wins the title this season, will have earned it and will deserve it, almost no matter how it all plays out. Probably the 3 best teams in the nation, without much, if any argument about them being the top 3, with only the order being disputed, along with a decent team that got hot enough to beat arguably the 4th best team in the nation.
The only thing I don't like about college hockey is having to wait friggin what? 12 days for the next game?
As far as history goes, I can bring tArrogance, like UMn has supplied more players to the US Olympic team throughout history than ALL THREE of the other FF participants COMBINED!!! lol
But when it comes down to one season, or either 1 or 2 games to end a season, not 1 of the 4 teams left standing can claim utter and unquestionable superiority over any of the other 3. tArrogance aside, I'm in part a pessimist and if I had to predict who wins, I'd say Union beats UMn 4-3 in OT. Last 3 times I predicted that the Gophers would win the Title, they lost in the Semis, the 2nd round and the 1st round. So hopefully I'll make it 4 wrong predictions in a row?!
