ARM
10-27-2008, 12:51 PM
Minnesota holds the upper hand against UMD, Wisconsin dominates Minnesota, but at least last season, UMD does the same to the Badgers. Does that third trend continue into 2008-2009 like the first two?
Jessie Vetter played as well on Friday as I've ever seen her play. Wisconsin bludgeoned opponents through their first four weeks of play, and responded to the first challenge they faced with an impressive third period.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have staggered around like they are still suffering from a triple-championship-induced hangover. Kim Martin looks mortal. Their offense has disappeared for long stretches.
This leaves me to conclude that there is only one possible outcome for the series this weekend -- UMD wins it. They'll probably look over matched much of the time, playing some Ali-esque rope-a-dope style that will trick the Badgers into losing their focus like a proverbial hare. The 'Dogs might only play a couple minutes of actual hockey in each game, opting for a pro-wrestling style sideshow that will have the crowd guffawing, the referees distracted, and critics of black comedy penning rave reviews. Like the villains among those grapplers, they'll probably cheat to win. But win they will, because this is the act of the play where evil appears ready to triumph over good. So I predict UMD wins on points, 4-1, because I've seen this trick last season, versus both the Badgers and Wildcats. And given the way that visual evidence of the NCAA win over UNH mysteriously disappeared, security at the Kohl Center might want to check Coach Miller for a concealed magnet capable of erasing electromagnetic data as she enters the building.
(* NOTE: The preceding paragraph is not an actual hockey prediction. Neither is it the opinion of the paragraph's author that Shannon Miller is an actual villain, rather she just plays one in WCHA arenas. *)
Jessie Vetter played as well on Friday as I've ever seen her play. Wisconsin bludgeoned opponents through their first four weeks of play, and responded to the first challenge they faced with an impressive third period.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have staggered around like they are still suffering from a triple-championship-induced hangover. Kim Martin looks mortal. Their offense has disappeared for long stretches.
This leaves me to conclude that there is only one possible outcome for the series this weekend -- UMD wins it. They'll probably look over matched much of the time, playing some Ali-esque rope-a-dope style that will trick the Badgers into losing their focus like a proverbial hare. The 'Dogs might only play a couple minutes of actual hockey in each game, opting for a pro-wrestling style sideshow that will have the crowd guffawing, the referees distracted, and critics of black comedy penning rave reviews. Like the villains among those grapplers, they'll probably cheat to win. But win they will, because this is the act of the play where evil appears ready to triumph over good. So I predict UMD wins on points, 4-1, because I've seen this trick last season, versus both the Badgers and Wildcats. And given the way that visual evidence of the NCAA win over UNH mysteriously disappeared, security at the Kohl Center might want to check Coach Miller for a concealed magnet capable of erasing electromagnetic data as she enters the building.
(* NOTE: The preceding paragraph is not an actual hockey prediction. Neither is it the opinion of the paragraph's author that Shannon Miller is an actual villain, rather she just plays one in WCHA arenas. *)