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Programs Starving for a Title

Biddco

Biddco

Follow me on Twitter: @Biddco
It took UMD 50 years as a D-I Program to finally win its first national championship. The program moved up to D-I in the 1960-1961 season. What made it even sweeter was they were an unlucky bounce and goal away from winning in 84 and could have won in 1985. Those bad memories are gone for Bulldog fans.

What other programs have been starving for a title longer than UMD? I know CC hasn't won in 54 years (1957) and UNH and Miami have been close in recent years.

What are other D-I programs that have title droughts or have never won? Please talk about how these teams were close (or not close to winning it).
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

I know Notre Dame has never won it. They have been really close several times over the past decade.
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

Dartmoth, Brown, Yale, St. Lawrence, Clarkson.

Been around since the dawn of the championships...

An easy look would be to review the top teams who have not won, and I think Clarkson (IIRC) is the top team who have never won. So I would put them on top.
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

The three programs you mentioned really are the top 3 in this discussion and probably a long way ahead of everyone else IMO.

I would have CC and UNH tied for first. CC has won two but has a long drought. UNH has never won one which makes the monkey on their back huge but they haven't been as nationally relevant for as long as CC so those things offset and put them at about a tie. Miami is a relative newcomer and is a distant 3rd. Obviously they've been close a few times but they've barely paid their dues when you look at the long-term picture but they will be relevant for quite a while IMO.

Most of the other programs out there that have long droughts are just not that relevant nationally anymore IMO to even put them on this list. Can they realistically do it again? Probably not... but sure anything can happen.

It's pretty interesting though, we had some mild/long droughts already broken in the last 15 years with some real powerhouse programs that removed them from a discussion like this. BC (52 years), MSU (21 years), Wisconsin (16 years), Denver (35 years), and Minnesota (23 years).
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

Cornell specifically, but the whole ECAC in general. I think that it's much more evident when other teams in your conference are printing home NCs.

I think getting close and not winning makes it feel worse. Miami isn't going to get over 08 until the win, the same way that it took MN winning in 02 to erase thedeamons of lost title games.
 
alfablue said:
Dartmoth, Brown, Yale, St. Lawrence, Clarkson.

Been around since the dawn of the championships...

An easy look would be to review the top teams who have not won, and I think Clarkson (IIRC) is the top team who have never won. So I would put them on top.
Click to expand...

SLU was unbelievably close in '88 against LSSU in lake placid for the championship, losing in OT on a goal that came with the net knocked off I believe. Some of the older SLU fans can elaborate on that one.
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

Nick Papagiorgio said:
The three programs you mentioned really are the top 3 in this discussion and probably a long way ahead of everyone else IMO.

I would have CC and UNH tied for first. CC has won two but has a long drought. UNH has never won one which makes the monkey on their back huge but they haven't been as nationally relevant for as long as CC so those things offset and put them at about a tie. Miami is a relative newcomer and is a distant 3rd. Obviously they've been close a few times but they've barely paid their dues when you look at the long-term picture but they will be relevant for quite a while IMO.

Most of the other programs out there that have long droughts are just not that relevant nationally anymore IMO to even put them on this list. Can they realistically do it again? Probably not... but sure anything can happen.

It's pretty interesting though, we had some mild/long droughts already broken in the last 15 years with some real powerhouse programs that removed them from a discussion like this. BC (52 years), MSU (21 years), Wisconsin (16 years), Denver (35 years), and Minnesota (23 years).
Click to expand...

Forget CC- they've at least won a championship. UNH can be there.. (and we can also ignore Cornell- they even have the only undefeated season, ever).

But on a historical basis, IMHO, the argument for Clarkson is the best. FS23's list, which I find quite useful, has Clarkson quite a bit above UNH, mainly due to history.

And one has to consider Dartmouth- they lost the very first NC game to Michigan in '48. Same thing in '49, but to BC.

St. Lawerence- made the FF 52, 55, 56, 59, and 60.

Clarkson- '57

Brown '51.

They have been brewing about sipping from the victory cup for the entire time, to the point of just about reaching it.

No team that has won suffers like that.

And while UNH does get some thought, they get a 10 year disadvantage for not being around.

Princeton and Yale get special metion for being around since 1933 in the Ivy league.
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

alfablue said:
Forget CC- they've at least won a championship. UNH can be there.. (and we can also ignore Cornell- they even have the only undefeated season, ever).

But on a historical basis, IMHO, the argument for Clarkson is the best. FS23's list, which I find quite useful, has Clarkson quite a bit above UNH, mainly due to history.
Click to expand...

Actually, Clarkson finished 1955-56 undefeated (23-0-0). Because freshmen weren't allowed in the FF at the time, Clarkson decided not to go.
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

hockeyplayer1015 said:
SLU was unbelievably close in '88 against LSSU in lake placid for the championship, losing in OT on a goal that came with the net knocked off I believe. Some of the older SLU fans can elaborate on that one.
Click to expand...

I guess I'm an older fan now. :)

The net was knocked off with SLU swarming the net at the end of regulation with the score tied at 3. The real shame for SLU was that they peaked in the playoffs, made it all the way to the NC game, and proceeded to dominate play for 3+ periods. They brought their best game at the biggest moment and lost anyway. That was our best shot, and the team did everything it could have done to win it. They just ran into the wrong goaltender at the wrong moment - and shortly thereafter the college hockey landscape changed in a way that made it ****-near impossible for them to get that chance again.
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

I would put Clarkson, SLU and New Hampshire as the top three programs to have yet to win a title. Clarkson has had the most overall success historically, made 20 trips to the NCAA Tournament, 7 to the Frozen Four, and has 6 victories at the Frozen Four (albeit mostly in the 3rd place games). New Hampshire has been to the most NCAA Tournaments of those three (21) and has the most NCAA Tournament victories among those three (15). New Hampshire though, is 2-10 at the Frozen Four. SLU has had the least success of the three at the NCAA Tournament (a staggering 5-25 NCAA Record), but they have been to the Frozen Four the most times of this group at 9.

FWIW, my formula ranked those three teams in this order: Clarkson, UNH, SLU
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

UND is def starving for one right now. I'd say Minnesota would be up there too. And Mich Tech will turn it around eventually.
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

I will put the vote in for Michigan Tech. Yes, I'm sure there are programs with zero titles that would be happy with three, but keep in mind we've been competing since 1920. That has us batting 3 for 91 or roughly 0.033... Even averaging one every 20 years would put us at 4 or maybe even 5 by now. And currently we are a loooong way from the next one.
Hope springs eternal in Houghton...
Ryan J
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

UNH, Clarkson, SLU for the teams that have yet to win. CC and Cornell for the ones that have, then MTU as well.
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

Obviously we are not in the 'best programs without a title' conversation, but to take this topic a little further I would say that St. Cloud State is starving for conference and NCAA regional titles. Our NCAA tournament struggles are well-documented, but we have been runner-up in the WCHA multiple times and have had a few other seasons where we had a chance going into the last weekend, only to drop to third or fourth. Also, we have a 1-3 record in the WCHA tournament title game.
 
Re: Programs Starving for a Title

alfablue said:
And one has to consider Dartmouth- they lost the very first NC game to Michigan in '48.
Click to expand...

I will settle for an ECAC tournament championship -- but unfortunately, we have to win a semifinal game first, which we haven't done since a 6-4 win over Clarkson in 1980... :mad:

I don't think we'll win a National Championship in my lifetime...
 
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