B1G Championship in Detroit

[klbaum1077]

I'll predict Ohio State goes at least past Penn State. We split with them early in the season and then swept them in Columbus a couple weeks ago.
I'm not predicting how far Ohio State will go beyond the first round but they do seem to be peaking a bit now with seven wins in the last ten games (if you count a shootout as a win).

No one giving Ohio state a chance tomorrow I like it.

[Pirateasaur]

One of our first dates was to a hockey game, and since I played IM with the company I work for- she knew how much I liked it. She was good to getting season tickets the next season- and we had two seasons while we were dating, then married ever since.

Not sure why she took to hockey- there was NO snow nor even cool weather where she came from, and the ice appeared at places well after we were married. But she was always a UM atheletic fan- going to football and BB game while she was in school. And it's a whole lot more comfortable to sit in Yost than many game at the Big House.

We've been going to FF's for a while now, too.

So you need to work on her a little. You go to Spartan Baseball games and she comes to hockey games, done deal.

(yea, she's awesome )

I've always maintained that hockey is a sport where if you give at least a little bit of effort to care about then it will click with you eventually. Maybe I am biased, though.

[The Rube]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

My ex-fiancee attended last years B1G Tourney. NOT a sports girl. This was actually her first hockey game ever. The following did happen:

"Oh my God! They (Gophers) are playing like sh*! This sucks! Wait, why do I care?! Oh my God, what is happening to me?! I don't care about sports! This is awesome! What the hell?! I love this!"

She just never was properly introduced into a sports fan's world.

[D2D]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

My ex-fiancee...

LOL, I have a totally different situation. My wife is a SPORTS NUT, having worked in the U of M's athletic department for many years. Her favorite TV channels are ESPN and ESPN2! But hockey's not her favorite sport, which goes to show that nobody's perfect. But that does leave me one sport that I know a lot more about than she does when we go to parties and family get-togethers, so I'm not completely put to shame.

[The Rube]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

LOL, I have a totally different situation. My wife is a SPORTS NUT, having worked in the U of M's athletic department for many years. Her favorite TV channels are ESPN and ESPN2! But hockey's not her favorite sport, which goes to show that nobody's perfect. But that does leave me one sport that I know a lot more about than she does when we go to parties and family get-togethers, so I'm not completely put to shame.

If I met a woman that is more sports knowledgeable than me, it wouldn't bother me in the least.

[D2D]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

If I met a woman that is more sports knowledgeable than me, it wouldn't bother me in the least.

You are a good man, Brenthoven. Where my wife has two legs up on me are football and basketball. Basketball I don't care about, so she can have that one. With football she knows the personnel side (players and coaches) way better than me. I'm pretty sure she could name the head coaches and starting quarterbacks of all the NFL teams, plus most of the Top 20 in college. But when it comes to football rules and strategy I can more than hang in there with her! And hockey? She gives me that one like I give her basketball (and Hollywood)! All's good.

[5mn_Major]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

I'd predict these winners:

PSU
UMI

Semis:
MSU
UMN

Final:
MSU (OT)

I think you mean MSU in a shoot out.

[alfablue]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

No one giving Ohio state a chance tomorrow I like it.

Based on the last two weekends, it's kind of a hard call- OSU did heck of a job splitting with MN, and then a closer sweep of Wisconsin, whereas PSU had kind of opposite weekends- sweeping Michigan, and then getting swept by the Gophers. At least your team has a winning record againt PSU over two years- more than can be said of us.

I want to *think* we will beat Wisconsin, but we could aslo be approaching this too lightly, since they have had such a tough year, and we all know it's hard to take 5 games from one team in a season. Neither team has anything to lose, since the season is over with the next loss.

[JF_Gophers]

No one giving Ohio state a chance ever.

Fyp

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

I want to *think* we will beat Wisconsin, but we could aslo be approaching this too lightly, since they have had such a tough year, and we all know it's hard to take 5 games from one team in a season. Neither team has anything to lose, since the season is over with the next loss.

But when Michigan is in their groove they're a hell of a team and the Joe is like a second home ice to them.

[Timothy A]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

So there's actual hockey to be played, scheduled for tomorrow.

Anyone want to talk hockey, or should we continue the locaiton debate?

Or both.

I'm hoping that we can pull our heads out by tomorrow, and Wisconsin it just wanting to get this over with.

UW 2 key injuries, Besse and Hughes, their best sniper and co-best set-up man (with Rockwood), so their availability will be the difference in between a 15% chance to win and a 5% chance to win. I'm hoping UM is just a little too overconfident and Rumpel plays out of his mind.

[JF_Gophers]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

I'd think WI would be happy just to score a goal finally. Over/under in Vegas would be 0.5 on goals scored for them.

[alfablue]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

But when Michigan is in their groove they're a hell of a team and the Joe is like a second home ice to them.

IMHO, when we are in a groove, we can beat anyone.

The problem comes when there's the 5 min span of anti-goove we see a lot in games. Like the first period of Friday's PSU game- where they put in 3. For the rest of the game, we outscored them 4-3, but trying to keep up on a horse race isn't going to happen.

Not sure why that is, but it is. Once panic sets in, it's a pretty quick collapse.

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

I'd take that!

That Michigan game scares me more than anything. They've controlled the ice in all but one game this year against us, and Hildebrand isn't going to have the performance of his life two games in a row. For some reason we play really flat or really strong against you guys, but Michigan always has us with our backs against the wall.

Don't worry, you could always get Wisconsin. I may be too nervous to go to tonight's game.

I've always maintained that hockey is a sport where if you give at least a little bit of effort to care about then it will click with you eventually. Maybe I am biased, though.

I could agree to that. Growing up in Maryland in the 80s and 90s there was no hockey coverage and when my brother would watch I thought it was boring. I got to Michigan was told the hockey band is the most fun, played in the band a few games, had someone patient enough to explain the rules, and now I can't get enough.

As for significant others, my boyfriend is a casual Red Wings fan but wasn't a college hockey fan when I met him. I think he may have gone to one game when he was at school at Western. This year he traveled to Wisconsin and Penn State with me, and I got him tickets for most of the Saturday home games. I've also been working on making him a college softball fan. He's helping me understand/appreciate wrestling.

I enjoy breaking the pre-concived notions of others about which fans would have the most knowledge. Just this year at PSU a fan was talking to a group of us Michigan fans, and he was focused mostly on talking to the middle aged guys. He asked a question about Minnesota's rink which I was able to answer, and I think it took him by surprise. Eventually he realized of the group, I was the fan with the most college hockey knowledge.


Moving on, my predictions this weekend:
Thursday winners
OSU
Michigan

Friday winners
Minnesota
Michigan

Saturday winner
Minnesota


However, what I'm hoping for is Michigan to beat OSU in the final, I think that's the best scenario for my team and that it is within the realm of possibilty (though unlikely).

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: B1G Championship in Detroit

However, what I'm hoping for is Michigan to beat OSU in the final, I think that's the best scenario for my team and that it is within the realm of possibilty (though unlikely).

We haven't done that well against you guys this season so I'm thinking we're due.
That's not my prediction, just my hope.