FanPost

Hockey Natty on the line Saturday

Gopher Puck Live

Playoff Hockey is the best of sport.

With the children of the corn and their run in the women’s bouncyball tournament culminating just short last weekend, and the general lack of conference success in the men’s shootyhoops tournament, the B1G’s last chance to avoid a spring of embarrassment lies in the greatest form of sport known to man: Playoff hockey.


The puck dropped on the Frozen Four on Thursday in Tampa - as an aside Tampa is an illegitimate host for any ice based activity. This tournament should rotate between St.Paul, Denver, Chicago, Detroit and Boston - with a 6-2 Minnesota victory over Boston University. Do you care about the details of the game? No you do not. Am I going to give you a quick synopsis? Yes I am.


The game was tied through the first 2 but could have easily been 7-2. Minnesota had 2 goal reviews go the wrong way and hit 4 posts. That kind of puck luck is scary. The ice usually tilts back at some point. Luckily for Minnesota 2 goals in 2 minutes from Luke Mittlestad early in the 3rd broke the game open, and a couple empty netters provided the final margin.


In the nightcap Michigan embarrassed themselves against a polling organization with a hockey team. I did not watch this game.


So that sets up the B1G’s last chance at a spring natty.

What do you need to know about Minnesota Hockey before Saturday’s national championship?

  • It’s been 20 years since the University of Minnesota won a title in Men’s Hockey. The 2002 title over the New Hampshire I want to say Wildcats was their 5th and 2nd in a row.

  • Minnesota’s most recent title game appearance was in 2014 against the Union Dutchmen.

  • Lost in the semi-finals to Minnesota State directional University last year, and lost to the same team in the regional final the year before. Due to lose in the final but since the Mavericks got bounced already we should be good to go.

  • The B1G has *never* won a hockey natty. All of the member schools won their titles before the 2014 formation of the BTHC - fuck you Penn State - B1G schools are all over the championship lists in women’s hockey, but Terry Pegula didn’t see the need to endow a women’s program at Penn State so those titles go to the WCHA, where the women's team still skate.

  • Won the B1G regular season title with room to spare

  • Lost the B1G tournament championship game to Michigan, presumably because it had no seeding implications for MInnesota and was therefore an exhibition as far as I’m concerned.

  • Top overall seed, have been ranked no lower than #2 this year.

  • Too many draft picks to count much less name. Headlined by freshmen Logan Cooley (Hobey Baker - this is the hockey Heisman - finalist) and Jimmy Snuggerud (All hockey name finalist)

What do you need to know about Quinnipiac?

  • Apparently a University, not just a polling outfit

  • University located in Connecticut, not New York or Massachustes as I’d assumed.

  • Nickname WIldcats. This is a good omen

  • Don’t score much, allow opponents to score less.

  • Goalie is good. See above

  • Overall #2 seed

  • Play in the EZAC, this makes them 2014 Boise State. Yes they’re good. Yes they’d probably beat your team unless your team is ‘Bama.. No they’re not as good as the shiny 33-4-3 record.


Who’s gonna win?

  • Fuck it. Minnesota’s Pride on Ice get it done. Qpac would need this one to be B1G West style ugly and that’s not how the Gophers play hockey.


Let’s. Play. Hockey.

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