Re: running tally - 2013 ncaa mens hockey tournament
Honestly, you guys can't dispute that the ECAC deserves the reputation it has based on the NCAA results the last two decades.
The ECAC teams have done a great job this year and can start to change that perception, but it will take more than one FF.
The ECAC (Harvard, Cornell and RPI) have won 4 National Titles since 1948
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_Men's_Ice_Hockey_Tournament_champions the latest being Harvard in 1989. The ECAC actually does not deserve the reputation of being a weakling, as of recent, if you look at how their teams have done against the middle of the other leagues these past few years. For example, the ECAC played HE about even this year and I even think our last placed team might have beaten a very good BU team twice. Over the past three years the ECAC (and the AH) has been steadily improving. Neither league deserves the fuselage of abuse handled to them by the fans of other leagues, like the HE. Where the imbalance comes from is at the very top. The handful of top teams, like Minnesota, BC and UND in the old WCHA, the CHCA and HE were very much superior. Look at BC last year. All those teams lost to ECAC teams this year.
Yale and Union made it to the NCAA championship two years ago but were placed against an outstanding Minn Duluth team who went on to win it all. They played as well as anyone against Minn Duluth. That perception about the ECAC being being "cupcakes", "pantywaists", "girliemen", "muppets" etc. should have started to change two years ago. The notion that the East Region was a "cakewalk" for BC because it contained two ECAC teams, was dispelled.
The ECAC fans deserve to have a chip on their shoulder and are showing a great deal of class by restraining themselves and not gloating.
Next year the ECAC will be loaded. RPI, BROWN, DARTMOUTH, HARVARD, QUINN, are returning a boatload of young talent. I think the improvement in the ECAC might have really been demonstrated if RPI and/or Brown and/or a healthy St. Lawrence had made it as well. We might then be looking at more than two ECAC finalists. But you could say that about the other leagues as well. You have to admit, these result didn't just materialize out of thin air. There has been a steady progression in the ECAC (and the AH).
ECAC 4-0
HE 3-2
CCHA 1-1
WCHA 2-5
AH 0-2