East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

[Cross Check]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

There were about 2,000 people at that Regional, IIRC. The final was on Easter Sunday, which didn't help.

Albany will be a different story, attendence wise.

I would think RIT would have had a better shot at Denver had Denver won or played well in St. Paul, and the Pioneers would perhaps be naturally overlooking the Tigers in the Regional.

This year, with Denver having played poorly in St. Paul, I think we'll see a much more focused Denver effort in the Regional as a result. Denver has played well all season and was the best team in the rugged WCHA. There is a lot of personal and school pride to salvage with the bad showing last weekend, and I think you'll see a different DU team in Albany than you saw last weekend. If we don't see a better performance from Denver, I would be very surprised...this DU team won't be taking anyone lightly.

Personally, I thought Denver was the best team I saw all season. When they came back against BC in the 3rd period of the Denver Cup, it wasn't so much that BC blew it as it was Denver just took it. They were monsters for those twenty minutes. I'm satisfied that if BC sees them again it will be in Detroit, at which point I'll no longer care who BC plays.

[LtPowers]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

I would think RIT would have had a better shot at Denver had Denver won or played well in St. Paul, and the Pioneers would perhaps be naturally overlooking the Tigers in the Regional.

There's a lot to be said for momentum, though. RIT's riding the longest winning streak in college hockey right now, while one has to wonder if Denver's confidence might be flagging.

There are many other factors to consider as well, of course. =)


Powers &8^]

[i'zonprize]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

I couldn't be at the Final that yr, but saw the Bemidji game and was very impressed with their effort. Denver, from early on, I thought was #1 in the land- IF they are on- they'll be tough to beat.. but those are my picks... it is the Tourney -ANYTHING can and usually does happen.. Good luck unless you play UNH though.

[A Shot and a Goal]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

Please stop by and take a chance at picking the Frozen Four. Thanks. Good luck to your team in the tournament.

http://board.uscho.com/showthread.php?t=89909

[unh1982]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

cornell has just made sweet 16 , they are on a roll , will that deflate any fans from going to the hockey game.???????

[UHall6]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

cornell has just made sweet 16 , they are on a roll , will that deflate any fans from going to the hockey game.???????

Cornell's next basketball game is Thursday night in Syracuse. Hockey is Friday night. Dedicated fans can do both!

[goblue]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

I was at that game unh had them down and out held the lead mid way through the third , denver scored pp goal, than if i remember correctly stantsy scored game winner with like 2 min left.

You mean Stasny? Switzer also had something to do with it. IIRC, he was a freshman that year. And the Bemidji student body had recently been the victims of a campus tragedy. The team played their hearts out.

[goblue]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

Nothing like a Holy Cross fan envoking a big #4 vs. #1 upset.. God Bless you! If Chevy and Denver play like they did this past weekend, RIT will get by them.

Denver played lousy and lost 2x
Cornell played ok and won 2x
RIT won 2x
UNH licked their wounds.

I'll stick with the RIT upset.. why not! 3-2 in OT.

UNH won't have 4 wks of rust on them coming into this Cornell game.
UNH 5 Cornell 2

the big UNH-RIT Final. 4-1 Cats.


GO CATS!

Wow, I'zon! That's a daring prediction! Hope you're right!

[hockeyjunkie10]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

I am a Holy Cross fan since my nephew plays there. AHA will be "well represented" in this year`s tourney. RIT can play w/the big boys.You have a great defense,which can also score.The offense is very good & goaltending is great.I predict RIT over Denver 4-2.Good Luck Guys !

RIT is very dangerous. Who is your nephew?

[Wholin1]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

I know very little about Denver but am excited that we will have the no. 1 seed here in town. I'd appreciate any comments describing their style and players to watch or any other insight.

[vizoroo]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

Here are some stats:
Goalies Goals Agnst/Save %
Scrivens(C) 1.78 .937
Cheverie(DU) 2.08/.932
DeMichiel(RIT) 2.00/.922
Foster(UNH) 2.95/.910

Scoring Offense
Cornell 3.18
Denver 3.30
RIT 3.58
UNH 3.32

Scoring Defense
Cornell 1.85
Denver 2.42
RIT 2.08
UNH 3.08

Hobey Baker Finalists
Cornell-G Ben Scrivens
Denver G-Marc Cheverie
Denver F- Rhett Rakhshani
UNH F-Bobby Butler

Next weekend there should be some quality hockey in Albany!

[Tiger98]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

So who will the Cornell/UNH fans in attendance be rooting for, DU or RIT? Do we have your support for an all Eastern final?

[LynahFan]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

So who will the Cornell/UNH fans in attendance be rooting for, DU or RIT? Do we have your support for an all Eastern final?

RIT, no question. DU is clearly an awesome hockey club this year - don't want to see them the next night. Plus the general underdog and East vs. West factors make it a no brainer. Go Tigers!

[Puck Swami]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

I know very little about Denver but am excited that we will have the no. 1 seed here in town. I'd appreciate any comments describing their style and players to watch or any other insight.

Denver has been going back and forth with Miami for much of the season as the top team in college hockey in the rankings. They won the WCHA MacNaughton Cup, which, in my view, is the hardest trophy to win in the sport because the WCHA is the deepest league in the country, and the travel for a team like Denver is long distance, the arenas they visit are usually hostile and large, and the season is a long one.

Denver is a team that is built around good goaltending, speed and skill. They are not terribly physical, but their speedy transition game and great skill down low makes them a difficult to defend when they are on their game. There are 14 NHL draft picks on the team, and most of them will play some level of pro hockey when they leave campus.

Players to watch:
Denver's top player to watch is goalie Hobey Candidate and WCHA Goalie of the Year Marc Cheverie, a junior. When he is on his game, in my view, he's the best goalie in the country. He's tall, and relies on positioning to make good saves, rather than flamboyance. His stats are amazing when you consider the calibre of schedule that DU plays. He can win games on his own, and outside of a bad weekend last weekend, he's been very consistent. Chevy is backed up by freshman Adam Murray, who is rounding into good form after a bad start to his college career.

Rhett Rakhshani is the senior captain, a Californian and a Hobey Finalist and WHCA first teamer who led the WCHA in scoring - great hands, good speed and a big heart. His linemates are Tyler Ruegsegger, a gritty yet skilled Colorado-born senior forward and Joe Colborne, a sophomore WCHA Third Teamer 6-5 winger and first round draft pick of Boston who has great reach, and strong skills. This is one of the best first lines in the country.

The second line is more skill led by Jesse Martin, Kyle Ostrow and Anthony Maiani, who got hurt last weekend and is probably gone for the season. They aren't big, but they are crafty with the puck and deceptively fast. We'll see who replaces Maiani on that line. Saturday, it was little used sophomore Nate Dewhurst, who did pretty well.

The third and fourth lines are more grinders who get occasional points. Third line is keyed by senior plugger Brian Gifford, who is paired with freshmen Drew Shore and Chris Knowlton. They have some size and can get the puck deep, and occasionally score on the forecheck. Shore is the most skilled of the bunch, but Knowlton is playing really well right now.

Fourth liners are Matt Glasser, Brandon Vossberg and Shawn Ostrow, younger brother of Kyle. These guys usually come out after goals, or to provide energy and their job is not to get scored on. Glasser is hard working and speedy, Vossberg is a big bodied PK guy and the younger Ostrow is a work in progress.

On defense, Denver is hurting. They lost a couple of regulars to injury (Chris Nutini and William Wrenn) and they are doing their best to fill the holes. Patrick Wiercioch is the most talented d-man - a first team all WCHA selection and second round draftee of Ottawa. He's a more offensive minded d-man with good range and a great shot. Lately, he's been paired with John Ryder, who is Denver's best pure hitter. The second pairing is Matt Donovan, who played on the US Junior team and is a talented offensive minded freshman, along with John Lee, a stay-at-home type. The third pair is freshman Paul Philips, an offensive d-man who is starting to come into his own, and senior Cody Brookwell, a big and bruising stay-at-home d-man. DU's defense may not be as talented as Wisconsin, but considering there is only one senior, they usually do a decent job in front of Chevy.

[kdiff77]

Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire

In the early 70s, definitely illegal. But I did my undergrad at Cornell and PhD at BU, so I have allegiances to both.

That being said, when they play each other I always resort to my first love, CU

Ah, then I suppose your split allegiance is fine by me, as long as you have a reason.