That's a lot of verbiage to excuse what happened. I'll start off by saying that UNH lost the NCAA semifinals to Wisconsin in overtime on the face off play (by Mike Eaves btw) so whatever argument you were making there has not relevance. But to say that the ECAC "almost always" selected the runnerup is incorrect. They "always" selected the runnerup. The only time the runner up didn't go was Clarkson, I think in the late 60's but that was their choice not the ECAC's. I sat with a bunch of BU fans at JW Hills before the Friday regionals in Manchester. They brought up the issue of what they called "the min-game", not me. They went on about how BU deserved to go in 1978 because they were better than PC and proved it by winning it all. My rejoinder was to ask them about the 1974 UNH team, which entered the ECAC playoffs #1 in the country. Of course they had no memory of that team but I reminded them that it wound up losing in OT to RPI, mostly because their All-American goalie Cap Raeder was injured and barely played in the game. I don't recall the ECAC saying, well UNH is clearly better than this team or that team, let's have them play a play-in game. Well, that's different, they said. Sure was. One team was BU, the other was UNH. You know, I wasn't rooting against BU on Saturday night. I was glad that it was a HE final. But I wasn't sad when they lost either. Just a bit down because PC got their title before UNH, that's all.
So I started looking at the Wikipedia pages and looking at tournament history. The argument against you is the NCAA started the "Quarter Finals" round in 1977 (Michigan v Bowling Green) and applied it inconsistently (sometimes 1 other 2 games) until it started the full Quarter Final round in 1981. The second is 1978 was a year with 2 "Quarter Final" games so it wasn't just BU. Typically these changes are reaction based and the UNH 1974 experience may have caused this change in 1977 - also 77 is when the 3rd place game went away.
"Now Progress Takes Away What Forever Took To Find" Dave Matthews Band, The Dreaming Tree
Only the shadow knows but what is known is we are playing SLU and Clarkson at home Oct 16 and 17....which has already been discussed here! One thing that will be known by next weekend after the banquet is who are new captains are!
difference being, Minnesota was the best team in the country, and head and shoulders above UNH, had it not been for Ayers and his 40 saves through 2 periods when it was 1-1, the game would have been long over. Providence was the last team in the tournament and an underdog. From memory, didn't Ayers only give up two goals in the third, and two ENGs? As brutal as that was, the better team won that game....
Don't go confusing us with the facts there WS. Nick's gotta point to make, and dadgummit, we're gonna hafta lissen to it I durn reckin.
For what it's worth, Ayers got the "Touchdown Mikey" nickname from the CHB's for his performance the year before vs. UMaine in the FF semis.
THAT was an embarrassing performance - and Ayers was hardly alone on that sorry afternoon in St. Paul.
In Buffalo, I think *some* folks were (apparently still are) stretching to try to advance an agenda to lay that at Ayers' doorstep.
Hey, at this rate, in about a decade from now, maybe O'Connor will be BC's Head Men's Hockey Coach then ...
Sworn Enemy of the Perpetually Offended Montreal Expos Forever ...
Don't go confusing us with the facts there WS. Nick's gotta point to make, and dadgummit, we're gonna hafta lissen to it I durn reckin.
For what it's worth, Ayers got the "Touchdown Mikey" nickname from the CHB's for his performance the year before vs. UMaine in the FF semis.
THAT was an embarrassing performance - and Ayers was hardly alone on that sorry afternoon in St. Paul.
In Buffalo, I think *some* folks were (apparently still are) stretching to try to advance an agenda to lay that at Ayers' doorstep.
Hey, at this rate, in about a decade from now, maybe O'Connor will be BC's Head Men's Hockey Coach then ...
Agreed, the Maine debacle was probably the most embarrassing of the losses by UNH during that stretch. I'd even put it ahead of the loss to Niagara in 2000 because of the stakes and the fact that UNH, I think? was the #1 overall seed in that tournament, had an early lead and just mailed it in the rest of the way, in the national semifinal, against their rival...
the following year, they did well just to get by Cornell, which I'd call an upset if it wasn't Cornell in the NCAA's, after losing their best overall forward against (Sux2)BU. The Minnesota game, I didn't think they'd have a shot, and if it weren't for Ayers they would have been out of that game in the 2nd period...
So I started looking at the Wikipedia pages and looking at tournament history. The argument against you is the NCAA started the "Quarter Finals" round in 1977 (Michigan v Bowling Green) and applied it inconsistently (sometimes 1 other 2 games) until it started the full Quarter Final round in 1981. The second is 1978 was a year with 2 "Quarter Final" games so it wasn't just BU. Typically these changes are reaction based and the UNH 1974 experience may have caused this change in 1977 - also 77 is when the 3rd place game went away.
First "quarterfinals" connotes that there were eight teams playing in the 1977 NCAA tournament, which was not the case. In 1977 UNH was the ECAC runner-up and did not have to play anyone after their 8-6 loss to BU in order to make the final four in Detroit. It was only after the CCHA, most prominently represented by Bowling Green (coached by Ron Mason, backup goalie Shawn Walsh), had made significant inroads that the NCAA was all but forced to include them in the mix. That occurred in 1977, a year after BGSU got snubbed despite a gaudy record. As you know, there was no eastern equivalent of the CCHA so, until that year the NCAA had been a two league affair - WCHA and ECAC. In 1978, there was again a western playoff game to decide who would be the second representative from the west after Wisconsin. Bowling Green won that game. In 1979 I believe Minnesota had to win the extra game to advance but, in the east, there was no playoff game, nor was there one in 1980. So to say that the 1978 play-in between BU and Providence set some sort of precedent for quarterfinal action is incorrect. From 1949, when the tournament started, until 1982, when quarterfinals were added (33 years), only once did eastern teams have to face off for an extra game. It was only when the NCAA formalized a quarterfinal round (and I think it was 1982 not 1981) did a total of eight teams play. Finally, I was a spectator at all three third place games that UNH played back then - 1977 vs. BU, 1979 vs. Dartmouth, 1982 vs. Northeastern. They lost every one.
The UNO thread has a recent post noting that after this coming season their team will have a "never played list" of six teams. Does anyone have a similar list for our Cats?
I will start by listing AIC, Air Force, Bentley, Canisius, Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, and Sacred Heart, although I may be wrong about some of these? Also, not sure whether we have played Army since they joined Div 1.
You can scratch Air Force, Canisius, and Mercyhurst off that list. UNH has played them before. I saw UNH host Air Force at Snively when I was a wee lad. Mercyhurst played at Lake Whit in Oct '04 and they faced Canisius in Buffalo in '03.
The UNO thread has a recent post noting that after this coming season their team will have a "never played list" of six teams. Does anyone have a similar list for our Cats?
I will start by listing AIC, Air Force, Bentley, Canisius, Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, and Sacred Heart, although I may be wrong about some of these? Also, not sure whether we have played Army since they joined Div 1.
As Whoop says, UNH has played AFA, Canisius and Mercyhurst. Not only did they play Air Force at Snively but they had a return trip to Colorado Springs for two games in, I believe, the 1979-1980 season. I remember because UNH defenseman Bruce Rintoul suffered a ruptured spleen in one of the games. Touch and go with him for a bit. And I think Jacob McFlikier had 4 goals at Canisius. As for Army, UNH indeed played them after going D1. In fact one of their games vs. Army at Snively was my first date with my wife, 12/4/1970. John Gray had 5 goals in the game. I think UNH won something like 14-6.
As Whoop says, UNH has played AFA, Canisius and Mercyhurst. Not only did they play Air Force at Snively but they had a return trip to Colorado Springs for two games in, I believe, the 1979-1980 season. I remember because UNH defenseman Bruce Rintoul suffered a ruptured spleen in one of the games. Touch and go with him for a bit. And I think Jacob McFlikier had 4 goals at Canisius. As for Army, UNH indeed played them after going D1. In fact one of their games vs. Army at Snively was my first date with my wife, 12/4/1970. John Gray had 5 goals in the game. I think UNH won something like 14-6.
Thanks for the corrections, Whoop87 and Greg; and cool story about first date with your spouse, Greg. What about other teams that we have not played? I could not come up with any ECAC teams.
The list of juniors in college who are NHL draft picks deciding to return for their senior year continues to grow. At BU banquet, Matt Grzelcyk (3rd round pick of Boston Bruins) announced he'll be back for senior season. Danny O'Regan (5th Round, San Jose) also rumored to be returning. Others include:
Northeastern's Kevin Roy (4th Round, Anaheim)
Harvard's Jimmy Vesey (3rd Round, Nashville)
The list of juniors in college who are NHL draft picks deciding to return for their senior year continues to grow. At BU banquet, Matt Grzelcyk (3rd round pick of Boston Bruins) announced he'll be back for senior season. Danny O'Regan (5th Round, San Jose) also rumored to be returning. Others include:
Northeastern's Kevin Roy (4th Round, Anaheim)
Harvard's Jimmy Vesey (3rd Round, Nashville)
The list of juniors in college who are NHL draft picks deciding to return for their senior year continues to grow. At BU banquet, Matt Grzelcyk (3rd round pick of Boston Bruins) announced he'll be back for senior season. Danny O'Regan (5th Round, San Jose) also rumored to be returning. Others include:
Northeastern's Kevin Roy (4th Round, Anaheim)
Harvard's Jimmy Vesey (3rd Round, Nashville)
I don't think Jankowski (1st rounder, Calgary) is going to sign either
As Whoop says, UNH has played AFA, Canisius and Mercyhurst. Not only did they play Air Force at Snively but they had a return trip to Colorado Springs for two games in, I believe, the 1979-1980 season. I remember because UNH defenseman Bruce Rintoul suffered a ruptured spleen in one of the games. Touch and go with him for a bit. And I think Jacob McFlikier had 4 goals at Canisius. As for Army, UNH indeed played them after going D1. In fact one of their games vs. Army at Snively was my first date with my wife, 12/4/1970. John Gray had 5 goals in the game. I think UNH won something like 14-6.
Besides Penn State, have we played Northern Michigan and the two Alaska schools?
Me too. Welp they see $$ signs and a chance to break out I guess. But after following the AHL these past two years have to wonder what it holds for these juniors. Seems they play alittle then get bumped in favor of the NHLers once they return. Pesce...sigh. Next year...Kelleher?
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