UMD 2010-11 Season

[skatefast]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

All sorts of awards and recognitions flying all over the place-- great stuff. Read it for yourself.

http://www.wcha.com/women/presarch/201103/mar3wcw.php

And Irwin makes the Top Ten Patty Kaz. Very stoked for her and just a bit sad for Laroque given that the things that made her WCHA defensive player of the year and WCHA student-athlete of the year are the reasons I think she's Patty Kaz worthy.

http://www.wcha.com/women/presarch/201103/mar3usa.php

But I don't want to be a downer. Just some great recognition for such a great group of girls and great news going into a big weekend.

 

[rugrats]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

Paige Turner of Duluth Northern Stars, and Minnesota Thoroughbreds (for those that don't know who she is).. WILL be wearing a Bulldog uniform next year....found out last Friday.. never got around to posting it here. There was a tiny bit of doubt on some people's parts when she didn't sign during the early signing period.

There was never any doubt that Turner was going to UMD and walking on to be a 3rd/4th goalie. The doubt is that if she'll ever see any action. She was not announced at the early signing because she was not recruited. UMD is already recruiting a goalie for 2012.

 

[skatefast]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

So an article on on the WCHA site states that the winner of the UMD-UM matchup will "undoubtedly determine the Number 4 seed and home ice for the NCAA tournament"...

If there's a men's game, THEN WHAT? Early game? Old Arena (with no big scoreboard), Heritage?

Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just get Friday over with and get the win. Please oh please oh please oh please.

 

[D2D]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

So an article on on the WCHA site states that the winner of the UMD-UM matchup will "undoubtedly determine the Number 4 seed and home ice for the NCAA tournament"...If there's a men's game, THEN WHAT?

No worries, the women have their own rink; it's called Ridder Arena.

 

[skatefast]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

WISCONSIN? What the........... what happened to "bracket integrity"? Don't get me wrong, I love to see play against Bucky but this is insulting to the WCHA as well as a host of other reasons that this is bad.

 

[JosephPSchmoe]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

Wouldn't all of the "big three" WCHA teams in the precious East Coast Frozen Four. So it's us and Wisconsin. No big surprises to look forward to since we've played them four times already this year. Could have and should have swept the first series. They're not unbeatable.

yawwwwwnnnnn

 

[skatefast]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

So I had this horrible dream that the NCAA went off the deep end and scheduled UMD to play UW in the same bracket. Isn't that crazy?

 

[binnyrus]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

So I had this horrible dream that the NCAA went off the deep end and scheduled UMD to play UW in the same bracket. Isn't that crazy?

Wow, weird. I had exactly the same dream AND in my dream Minnesota was in the same bracket . . . making an(other) all WCHA final impossilbe!!

I'm very disappointed in this selection . . . I think the WCHA deserved to at least be represented in both brackets. I also think it was unfair for WI to have to face a team that has already beaten them . . . I mean, who knows what will happen . . . UMD could get stomped, but going in you have to think UMD will give them a better game than Dartmouth would have. UMD stands a better chance if Ms. Irwin is able to play . . .

And, (I can't believe I'm going to say this) I think MN deserved to be the 4th seed with home ice.

 

[ARM]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

I wonder if Coach Miller suspected something like this may have been coming because of the discussions the committee had conducted prior to the weekend. This is what she said on the topic in Friday's postgame media conference:

When they come to Florida, they -- they is the NCAA -- and they listen to the coaching body, what the coaches say to them is "Well, we want you to respect the integrity of the bracket, meaning 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7, and 3 plays 6." But then the other coaches say, "Well, but you don't want intraleague match-ups, avoid intraleague match-ups as much as you can, because we just played each other for God's sake forever, a million games." So you want to play a fresh opponent. So what is often talked about is that you'll protect 1 and 2. And they should protect 1 and 2 and the integrity of that bracket, because 1 really should play 8; they deserve that. Two probably should play 7 no matter who they are. After that, I personally think we should really avoid intraconference match-ups. A lot people do. But they get to make the decision.

 

[binnyrus]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

I wonder if Coach Miller suspected something like this may have been coming because of the discussions the committee had conducted prior to the weekend. This is what she said on the topic in Friday's postgame media conference:

Sounds like it doesn't it? Although I do agree that any shot at the championship probably has to go thru Wisconsin . . . you'd at least have liked to play some other team first. Also, wouldn't it have been great drama to have last season's finalists face-off again? I mean to me a UMD vs. Cornell rematch-up was the perfect story . . .

 

[ARM]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

I guess it is also possible that she thought Minnesota would wind up #4 and she was lobbying against getting matched up with them immediately. I agree that UMD got somewhat of an unfair deal here, but IMO, the real loser is Wisconsin. Both the 'Dogs and Gophers made mistakes along the way, and they could have played better and improved their lot. But Wisconsin did all that they could be asked to do -- they earned the #1 seed. As a reward ... here's the defending champs! Now UMD may have underperformed at times, and it is tough to say if they are playing well or not, but they still have two goalies who have backstopped NCAA titles (one by flat out stealing a game), kids who have played in Olympics, Frozen Fours every year, and a whole lotta rings. Dartmouth just doesn't have your pedigree.

 

[skatefast]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

The thing is, and please believe me when I say this, it's not just about UMD. It's about the whole system. It's about unfairness to the clear #1 team in the country that deserves all the respect in the world. Hell, it's about those darn Gophers who climbed to the top of the ladder very, very well this season. It's about UND who had a great year and mayyyybe an argument can be made for them. It's about NOT apologizing that this is the best **** league in the country and that as much as I have some strong feelings about other teams, they make this league (and UMD quite frankly) what it has become. It's about the teams out east also, and for Mercyhurst. It's about the student-athletes and their experience.

It's about the growing the respect for the sport of Women's Hockey and the NCAA just took a big ole' dump on it.

 

[sappysbud]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

That UMD has to play the Badgers irks me mightily, both for us and for the Badgers who rightly deserve to play the #8 team. However, here's my more burning question, after watching the results of other league playoffs. How on earth does Boston University hold on to the #3 seed when they have dropped games to unranked opponents in the last few weeks of their season? They lost to Maine and were upset by Northeastern in their own league playoffs. I don't often defend Minnesota, but they lose in their league championship game to the #1 team in the nation and that's enough to drop them out of the running for home ice; but BU loses in their league semi-finals to a team ranked out of the top 10 and they maintain a high enough seed for home ice?

I'm not as up on the math used to arrive at the various rankings as most of you out there. But I don't get this one.

 

[ARM]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

The selection criteria no longer care when in the season any given result occurred. It's just an opponent and a Win, Loss, or Tie. Minnesota was wobbly earlier in the season when BU was rolling. Add it all together, and BU did better according to the established criteria, so they are #3, and Minnesota drops to #5.

 

[sappysbud]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

Add it all together, and BU did better according to the established criteria, so they are #3, and Minnesota drops to #5.

Thanks for the explanation. But I'm still puzzled. UMD was 7th, lost to the Gophers in the WCHA semis, and remained 7th. North Dakota was 8th, lost to Wisconsin in the WCHA semis, and dropped out of the tournament, to 9th. The Gophers lost to Wisconsin in the WCHA finals, and if memory serves, dropped one place from 4th to 5th. Again, if memory serves, BU went into their last game with a #3 Pairwise ranking. They then lost to Northeastern, a team not even in the top 10. Clearly, this was an upset. Yet they stayed #3 in Pairwise?

My understanding of how Pairwise works is that a loss to an unranked opponent, or one even one ranked several places below, is more damaging to your own ranking than a loss to an opponent ranked above you. Therefore, I expected to see BU drop a little more. What am I missing?

 

[ARM]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

Thanks for the explanation. But I'm still puzzled. UMD was 7th, lost to the Gophers in the WCHA semis, and remained 7th. North Dakota was 8th, lost to Wisconsin in the WCHA semis, and dropped out of the tournament, to 9th. The Gophers lost to Wisconsin in the WCHA finals, and if memory serves, dropped one place from 4th to 5th. Again, if memory serves, BU went into their last game with a #3 Pairwise ranking. They then lost to Northeastern, a team not even in the top 10. Clearly, this was an upset. Yet they stayed #3 in Pairwise?

My understanding of how Pairwise works is that a loss to an unranked opponent, or one even one ranked several places below, is more damaging to your own ranking than a loss to an opponent ranked above you. Therefore, I expected to see BU drop a little more. What am I missing?

At one time, BU had a large lead over the teams behind them. Then Poulin got hurt, their lead shrunk, but remained large enough that they weren't seriously threatened when Minnesota, their closes pursuer down the stretch, also lost a couple of games. At the end, UND and Dartmouth were going back and forth. Heading into the conference semis, UND was just barely ahead. Then NoDak lost their semi, Dartmouth won their semi, and even though they lost the final, they came out a tiny bit ahead. All of these wins and losses have impacts of varying amounts. At the same time, games being won or lost by teams played previously in the season can have an effect as well. And while the computer just analyzes everything mathematically as greater than or less than, the committee can look below the surface of the numbers and analyze the results a bit more in depth.

 

[binnyrus]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

Great big congratulations to Jocelyn Larocque being names 1st team All-American! Top notch player and person who couldn't get enough awards . . . but I'm sure she'd rather be playing today . . .

Thanks for everything Joce . . . we'll really miss you on the ice next year!!

 

[wild77]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

There was never any doubt that Turner was going to UMD and walking on to be a 3rd/4th goalie. The doubt is that if she'll ever see any action. She was not announced at the early signing because she was not recruited. UMD is already recruiting a goalie for 2012.

I am hearing it is not a done deal that she is coming to UMD.

 

[rugrats]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

I am hearing it is not a done deal that she is coming to UMD.

Well, Turner was not even close to being a top goalie in the JWHL, a league in which she was doing a post grad year. In my opinion she should have dominated as a pg on a team that should have done better and fell way below expectations for this past season.

I understand that UMD is attempting to recruit a goalie to red shirt for the 2011/12 season, so Turner would actually end up being a 4th goalie if she walked on.

My guess is that she may be considering DIII

 

[ARM]

Re: UMD 2010-11 Season

Well, Turner was not even close to being a top goalie in the JWHL, a league in which she was doing a post grad year. In my opinion she should have dominated as a pg on a team that should have done better and fell way below expectations for this past season.

I have no idea as to whether or not she met anyone's expectations, but Turner was a senior, not a post grad.