Your one do-over.

[bumpreader]

Re: Your one do-over.

My Do over would come a year earlier in 1983. BG was ranked fourth in the nation, won the regular season CCHA title, and lost to Michigan State in the CCHA tournament in double overtime after Brian Hills missed a penalty shot. That team was probably better than the 1984 team. BG should have made the tournament that year. Instead UMD was invited, the fourth place WCHA team.

I'm going to defend UMD's honor here. This pick wasn't really that outrageous if you look at the numbers.

In 1982-83:
- The CCHA was 1-13-1 against the WCHA that year (I could be missing an Illinois-Chicago game somewhere).
- Bowling Green's best non-conference win that year was against Brown, who was about as good then as they are now (BG did manage a tie against Wisconsin).

The closest analog to this today would be an Atlantic Hockey regular season champion that failed to win the conference tournament.

As for why UMD got picked over North Dakota:
- UMD played a much tougher conference schedule than North Dakota. UMD played 12 games against the top two WCHA teams and 8 against the bottom two. For UND this was reversed. They only finished 4 points apart.
- UMD was 11-1-1 in nonconference play. UND was 3-1 in nonconference play vs NCAA opponents, and 2 of the 3 wins were against US International.
- UMD was 4-2 against North Dakota

I'm not saying any of this made UMD a slam dunk but I'd say it's enough to make it a reasonable pick.

 

[Hockey John]

Re: Your one do-over.

bumpreader,

I would not have called the CCHA at that time Atlantic Hockey. BG was a final four team in 1978 finishing third beating Wisconsin in the consolation game. Northern Michigan lost in the finals in 1980 or 81 so the CCHA had shown the ability to get to the final four. BG that season was 28 - 8 - 4 and ranked fourth at the time of the double overtime loss. Eight teams make the tournament. BG should have been one of the eight.

To those fans of Atlantic Hockey, I am not trying to put your league down. The CCHA in the late 70's had to fight for recognition.

 

[Koho]

Re: Your one do-over.

Not having read the whole thread, these may all be repeats;

1989 - just felt like they had the team and deserved it. I know the post was mentioned already. I know one guy from the team who still whinces while talking about that game (only heard him mention it once though).

The Michigan circus/lacrosse goal - felt MN was the better team.

Aaron Broten steps accross the bluline and fires a rocket, that from my vantage point, clearly goes through the net. Ruled no goal when refs couldn't find hole. They then find the hole between periods and patch it, but too late to count the goal. Tough when a ref call is clearly wrong (not like the interpretation of whether a penalty should have, or shouldn't have been called) and likely costs the game.

Holy Cross - Gopher team had as much talent as any in the country that year, in my mind, didn't show up for this game and still should have been able to beat Holy Cross just on talent.

There are a number of games where I felt they outplayed the opponent, didn't get the bounce and lost, or played a lesser talented team and didn't show up. I'm not sure which is more frustrating.

At the same time, the memory of these losses and the realization that regardless of talent, there is always a little luck involved, is what makes the big victories that much sweeter.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Re: Your one do-over.

For Quinnipiac, its gotta be the Atlantic Hockey Championship Game from 2005. Last year in the league, at our home barn, we lose to Mercyhurst in OT. Just a crushing, crushing loss.

Or you could pick the Cornell playoff game from 2007, after winning in OT, Matt Sorteberg gets his ankle torn up in the post-game celebration pile and QU's defense basically loses steam in the ECAC Championship Game the following weekend, blowing a 2 goal lead through 40 minutes.

 

[Fulton Reid]

Re: Your one do-over.

God d@mn you, Holy Cross! I'm too young to remember anything in the early 90s.

 

[Jon]

Re: Your one do-over.

I suppose you're right; Brown gets its fair share of sympathy/lucky calls. But that was a game in which the coach clearly influenced the result in a negative manner, which was what made me most angry. To be fair, as I said PC played pretty well and Brown...played like Brown.

As opposed to the other 30 or so odd games where PC played like PC.

If it's any consolation, at the end of the season, Bruno would have mopped the floor with PC.

 

[Greyeagle]

Re: Your one do-over.

There are a number of games where I felt they outplayed the opponent, didn't get the bounce and lost, or played a lesser talented team and didn't show up. I'm not sure which is more frustrating.

The latter, for me.

 

[nut_case]

Re: Your one do-over.

If I were a Princeton fan I would pick the 2009 ECAC Tournament and the last second goal to tie the 2009 NCAA Tournament game which they ultimately lost. As a Cornell fan I would include the 2003 NCAA game in Buffalo (I was behind the goal on the highsticking call) and the 1973 NCAA Semifinal loss to Wiconsin in Boston, when Cornell lost a 5-1 lead, with Wisconsin tying the game with only a few seconds left in regulation time.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Your one do-over.

While I personally don’t equate the 2001 OT regional loss to Maine to be as crushing as ’80, ’81 or ‘89, I had thought about mentioning that game but in the end it’s just not the same. While that loss sucked (I had that feeling of, “Not this **** again”), I didn’t anticipate them winning it all that year and I wonder if in the end that loss inspired the team the next season.

 

[Koho]

Re: Your one do-over.

The latter, for me.

I'm not sure, or it is a different feeling, anyway. When they outplay the other team and lose, I feel bad for the players as well as the loss. But when they don't show up, I'm ****ed at the players and have a "you got what you deserved" feeling. Either way, very frustrating.

But if a team only won the games where they were the most talented and always played at the same level, the game wouldn't have the charm it has.

Watching MN go undefeated every year would get boring after awhile...

 

[Greyeagle]

Re: Your one do-over.

I'm not sure, or it is a different feeling, anyway. When they outplay the other team and lose, I feel bad for the players as well as the loss. But when they don't show up, I'm ****ed at the players and have a "you got what you deserved" feeling. Either way, very frustrating.

But if a team only won the games where they were the most talented and always played at the same level, the game wouldn't have the charm it has.

Watching MN go undefeated every year would get boring after awhile...

I can live with a loss (as you say, going undefeated every year would be boring ) when MN plays well but hate it when they don't show up for a game.

 

[HoosierBBall_GopherHockey]

Re: Your one do-over.

I can live with a loss (as you say, going undefeated every year would be boring ) when MN plays well but hate it when they don't show up for a game.

Such as the Michigan Tech loss last season with home ice advantage on the line? In the 3 minutes that they showed up at the end of the 2nd period, they scored 3 goals to tie it at 4-4. The other 62 minutes they were outscored 2-1.

 

[mcfarljd]

Re: Your one do-over.

Hmm, my one do-over. May be taking a penalty on purpose in the last minute of a game in April, so that we could ice the puck and take shots on an empty net instead of having to try and skate it out. Or scoring that goal with 1 second left in the game. Either one.

 

[bronconick]

Re: Your one do-over.

It's been a god**** brutal 11+ years of Western hockey that I've followed where I can't think of a single game that would make enough of a difference to mention.

Edit: Probably flipping either game 1 or game 3 of the 2001 CCHA first round at Northern Michigan. At least I would have seen Western at the Joe by now, then. I don't remember how far they slid down the PWR that year by that point, (16-3-2 on January 6th, finished 20-13-6) but it probably would have required another 2 wins, if not the CCHA title to make the tourney, still.

 

[kdiff77]

Re: Your one do-over.

As opposed to the other 30 or so odd games where PC played like PC.

If it's any consolation, at the end of the season, Bruno would have mopped the floor with PC.

Thank you, that IS a (very) slight consolation!

 

[Waite21]

Re: Your one do-over.

I know Ralph Baer has already entered one nomination for RPI's one do-over, but I remember an overtime game in Troy between RPI and New Hampshire. Not certain of the year, but it would have been either 1973 or 1980.

During the overtime, there was a scramble in front of the UNH net. Suddenly, the Wildcat goalie lost his balance and started to fall backward.

Trying to stay upright, he grabbed at the crossbar. This resulted in the goal tipping forward a few inches, so the the back side of the net was lifted off the ice, though the goal posts were never detached from their pegs.

While the net was in that position, an RPI player managed to get his stick on the puck and slid it along the ice, between the posts, over the goal line, and under the back of the net, all the way to the end boards. The goalie then fell to the ice and the goal crashed back down in place.

The red light went on and the RPI fans celebrated, until the referees ruled that the goal did not count because the net had been dislodged before the puck crossed the line.

The overtime continued, and shortly thereafter, UNH scored to win the game.

I believe that the rules have changed since that time, so that the goal would count if a similar play happened today.

 

[fairman]

Re: Your one do-over.

It's probably already be said, but I would have to say UAH vs. Notre Dame in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Double overtime game, and would've been the biggest upset in NCAA history (since UAH was actually below .500 at the time and was riding a wave of amazing hockey). The ND goal wasn't a fluke, but both teams were completely gassed at the end of that (UAH even more so, as some of the seniors played a good 60 minutes out of a possible 95).

 

[bigmrg74]

Re: Your one do-over.

God d@mn you, Holy Cross! I'm too young to remember anything in the early 90s.

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: Your one do-over.

No doubt about this one.

1998 NC game. Jamie O'Leary hits the crossbar. Farkas hits the post. Lephart has the puck hop over his stick with an easy goal. Then that bastid Josh Langfeld throws one past Clem from a bad angle.

Honorable mentions -
The 2007 collapse vs. MSU, 2000 collapse vs. UND, the choke as a 1 seed in Worcester in 2005 vs. UND, and the 2004 Frozen Four debacle vs. Maine (pretty amazing BC only grabbed 1 title between 2004 and 2008).

 

[Red Cloud]

Re: Your one do-over.

Ahh... let's see. Let's see, let's see.

I'm surprised Ralph didn't choose this one: March 16, 1984 - Hog-tie Jon Casey and throw him in the trunk of a car. The 32-4 Engineers were favored over UND to make the trip to Lake Placid for the Frozen Four, but were basically beaten by Casey standing on his head for two games in a row. I was at these games as a toddler.

As far as games I remember: March 1, 2002 - Force Jeff Fulton to listen to the goal judge behind the western goal at Houston Field House, who twice absolutely screamed at him that the puck did indeed cross the line on disallowed goals. Engineers lose 2-1 in what is known today as Fulton's Folly.

Other than that, I would have found a way to beat Colgate at least once in three tries in the 2003-04 season. It would have been the difference between tying for fourth (and being the 5th seed, without a bye) and winning the Cleary Cup for the first time since '85.