Changes atop league standings, teams ready to clinch, Michigan's feasibility study

Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com recap last week's contentious series between Ohio State and Minnesota and look at the games that made a change at the top of ECAC Hockey.

Boston University moved four points ahead of UConn atop the Hockey East standings with an overtime win over Northeastern on Tuesday, and the Terriers and UConn meet on Friday.

Michigan's feasibility study was reported on this week by mlive.com, and Nicole and Todd share their thoughts on the results.

This week's Bracketology has some changes, and we wrap up with a look ahead at this week's games.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for our mailbag? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [e-mail].

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Uscho dot com. Everyone, it's the podcast. Todd Meluski, Nicole
Hase here with you from ushow dot com. Nicole, what
a weekend? Last weekend? What a weekend coming up? It's February.
It means it's the best time of the year. Well,

(00:24):
maybe March is better, but I mean, really, when you
get down to it, this is when everything gets one
in terms of the league championships, and we saw some
of those happen. Maybe question Mark a team stepped forward
in a few leagues last week. But before we get
to what we saw in ECAC Hockey East New I

(00:44):
want to start with what we saw in Minneapolis, Ohio
State at Minnesota last week. Number two at number three
came away with a split. But wow, what a what
a series, dude, give us things to talk about.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
I feel like we could talk for about that those
two games for an hour.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
This could be the show today just talking about those
two games. I almost want to start with the second
one because that I felt like there was just so
many swings in that game.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
The Gopher that was like two fully separate games. The
first two periods were one game and the third period
was a whole separate game.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
So the Gophers go up three separate times by a goal, two, one,
three to two, but each time Sloane Matthews comes back
with the golf for Ohiose States. So she's got a
hat trick by the end of the second period.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Well, she only had four goals the rest of the season.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Right, It's not like her name has been on the
score sheet a lot, but came through in some pretty.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Big absolutely, Right.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
If they get a couple of goal lead after winning
on Friday, you start to think, hmm, maybe this starts
going in that direction.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Right, And they came in and scored early to start
the game, so you're like, oh, oh for Ohio States.
So Matthews, I got this.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah. But so then it gets to the third period
and throw everything away then because the the Buckeyes come
out with a four goal third you're a jung akre
Jocelyn Amos a five on three goal and a petil
on the five on four resulting Karazanain with goals for
Ohio State and the third. Then things got kind of
wild in the final minutes with penalties very tactful appearing

(02:18):
and uh yeah, give me your impression of just what
that was what we saw. If we watched that.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Oh I mean, I think just going back, like so
this game is three to two Minnesota with under a
minute to play at the end of the second and
they lost the game seven to three. I'd just like
to point out what I don't know what Whedy's Ohio
State eight at this that intermission, but yeah, soln Matthews
had her a third sort of comeback goal with what
is it like fifty one seconds left on the clock.

(02:51):
Ohio State scores thirty three seconds into the third and
then at four eleven and four to forty eight, so
you're talking six six minutes to gameplay, under six minutes
to gameplay. That Ohio State put four goals on like
just completely frip flip the script. It was kind of
ridiculous to watch, like kind of crazy, really sort of unbelievable.

(03:12):
But I won't point out three of those goals, those
three goals to start the third period where power play goals.
You know, we were just talking about this a little bit,
you know, before we started recording. The officiating left a
lot to be desired, and like generally you and I
are both not ones to like talk too much about
the officiating, Like for the most part. I think things
kind of ebb and flow and even out over the
course of a season. But there were twenty one penalties

(03:35):
for fifty minutes in this game, and like there were
no penalties in the first period of the first game,
and like the penalty numbers kind of crept up, and
it was just one of those where you could see
that the rest were like, oh, we're gonna let them play.
Oh wait, that was a bad plan, and then had
to like try and reel it in when it was
way too late. I mean, we were literally at the
point in this game where late in the game, the
the players are wind up round a face off circle,

(03:56):
a face off is about to happen, and one player
just literally like wipes the skate out from another player,
Like no, there's none that. This is like elbows along
the wall, like happening behind the play. This is just
like we pure hatred right out in the open, and
they like they were doing it because they were getting
away with stuff. It just like it had escalated so
badly and the rest lost complete control of this series,

(04:20):
maybe before the second game even started, which is.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
Part of the problem of if you don't call the
stick fouls right away, if you say, Okay, we're just
going to let that go. That's the standard, that's what
people expect. Okay, you're not calling that. I'm going to
get away with that and more.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
And then pushing that line.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
Yeah uh. And then by the time you realize, well
I've got to call that, you've kind of lost it.
It's it's it's it's too.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
Late, I mean, are too little, too late.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Yeah, ring reeling that back in is pretty difficult. Yeah.
Twenty eight minutes and penalties alone in the third period,
but one of those is a ten minute misconduct. But
that just tell you that that Wow, if we see
this again, which we made very well at in a
bottom month's time, Wow, that could be kind of interesting.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yeah. And also I think it'll be interesting to see
Minnesota coming out of this series. I mean, yeah, I
don't what's fully interesting is the misconduct went to Abby Murphy,
and I'm guessing it was about something she said, because
there is no obvious reason why she got that penalty
when she did. In watching the game, I done went
back and checked it again because I was like I
and and Dan Hammond, who does the play by play

(05:33):
for them, also really didn't have much to say. So
I'm completely unsure why that of all of all of
the things like that play is the one that got
that penalty. And again then then it's sort of like
now you're like who can do what and what is
being said? And yeah, it was. It was a mess.
It was not pretty. It can only imagine that it's

(05:55):
going to lead to more issues, as you said, within
the next month, where these two will obviously most likely
face each other again at least once.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Seems like they're locked into two and three in some order,
which seems like it's it's pretty solid that way.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, uh, yeah, it was. It's a shame because it
was to start some really good hockey. These are two
really good teams. They matched up pretty well. It was
as I had said. I think we talked about leading
into this, like I feel like like the Gophers have
grown quite a bit since when these because these two
teams let's met in October, which feels like a lifetime ago,

(06:32):
and I felt like a Minnesota showed that off in
the first game on Friday night. But yeah, if you
want like takes on hockey from Saturday's game, I'm not
sure there's any to be had. Yeah, it was. It's
sort of defied explanation. But it was also like once
you started taking those dumb penalties where it was just
like what are we doing here? And then Ohio State

(06:53):
was like thank you, thank you, thank you. I mean
they were they were like, we really appreciate you opening
the door, and they just absolutely dominated that third period
because of it.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, well, rewind the Friday a little bit. Minnesota won
the first game of that series, I mentioning earlier, three
to one. Ella Huber scored twice, Abby Murphy scored Emily's
unwinkle for Ohio State. The Minnesota transfer scored with just
over two minutes ago to spoil Hannah Clark's shutout bid.
So big for Minnesota to get out, I mean really,

(07:23):
I guess you take the the thirty thousand foot view
of this series. Big for both of those teams to
get something out of it. Going sure, going into this
where you know, like we're talking about that, you're probably
going to see him again and it's going to be
on an elimination game in either the you know, the
the WHGA tournament or that in the Frozen Four. So

(07:44):
you've got to you gotta kind of have to set
some set a tone in there for for what the
other team is going to expect when when that happens again,
Yeah and.

Speaker 2 (07:52):
Again, sort of like a macroview. I thought this was
a really good weekend for Hannah Clark, who is basically
kind of stepped into the full time role in that
for the Gophers and as a freshman like has had
to figure it out. And like, obviously the seven goals
aren't great, but again, four goals in five minutes when
her team is five on three, Like, we're not We're
not blaming the goalie in that situation, you know. I

(08:13):
thought she had a really strong weekend and didn't she
stepped up to the moment right like there was a
lot going on and it was a high pressure situation
and her team needed some points and she played really well.
She I thought that Minnesota overall just handled what the
Buckeyes are able to do really well.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
On Friday, Yeah, a couple hours north in Duluth. I
don't know what more Duluth could have done against Wisconsin
last week. Scored first in both games, took a lead
in the third period in the second game or one
nothing lead, and came.

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Over with several posts the game.

Speaker 1 (08:50):
Right had a real good chance to extend that lead
and came over with a couple of two to one losses,
the first one on Friday in overtime. Kersons him scored
that one after Marion Picard equalized for Wisconsin back in
the first period. Gray Sidura had the goal for the
Bulldogs to get that one started, and then the Badger

(09:15):
has just you know, found a year in the third period,
and like we've seen before when when they get into
some trouble, they've most often been able to find a
way to dig themselves out of it. Maybe not in
a pretty fashion, but they they did that again. They
got a rebound goal from Laila Edwards to tie it
and Sarah Wasenwitz really nice shot from the right side,

(09:39):
go ahead goal, kind of one of those you know,
buzz past the ear hole of v Gascon who had
I just had thought had a phenomenal series. Eighty some saves,
eighty six saves in two games. Really tough luck. Couple
of losses, but this is you know, de luth And
now has lost six in a role which is, you know,

(10:03):
a tough way to go into February, and they'll in
the stretch run here, but it's it's not for a
lack of being in games and a lack of, uh,
you know, pretty strong defense. It's they're just not getting
the goals right now.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
No, I think what that series showcase to me was like,
you know, we talk about that gap between the top
team or the top couple of teams in that next year,
and I don't think it's a coincidence that two of
Wisconsin's three goals came from third liners, right Like, that
is what Wisconsin is getting and helping them win games,

(10:39):
and that's what UMD is not doesn't have or isn't getting,
or however you want to put it, like that depth
that you has where UMD was shutting down everybody. They
just I mean, I do think Wisconsin has played poorly
their last three games. That isn't like what we've seen
them be capable of. But that isn't happening in a vacuum.
UMD forced them to play poorly as well. Does that

(11:00):
make sense? And so you know, I want to say that, like,
I think um D did an amazing job, as you said,
iv Gascon and goal was great. I thought the defense
was great, but yeah, the difference is being able to
put a third liner out there to have her score
a goal like Sarah wasn't which scored like that, that
goal was ridiculous. And to know that you can put

(11:20):
your third line out there and and the top two
U m D lines are you know, gassed from shutting
down those those literal international level Wisconsin players on the
top two lines. Then then you have players that can
go out there and do it, you know Loznige and
Mariam Picard did, And I think, yeah, that's was a
really prime example of when we talk about the difference

(11:42):
between the number one team and the number four. You know,
they're six now however you want to put it, you know,
the kind of tiers that that's where it was. And
then Wisconsin, you know, being even being able to hang
on to push it to overtime them in a you know,
a three and three as a team that I'd pick
probably ninety five or more percent of the time. The

(12:03):
way that they passed, the way that they possessed, that's
what three and three hockey is. And though it took
them till the final minute to score that overtime, like
they tell that overtime was a like a video to
show it was like a masterpiece of what you're supposed
to do on three and three hockey, they were able
to like switch out one player at a time, substitute
moved the puck around. And the other thing is, you know,

(12:24):
Kirstension scored on literally her third chance. She took the shot,
got the rebound back, whiffed right, and then scored on
the third chance. Like that's what are you gonna do,
like in a situation like that. But also you can't
a player can't have three chances in front of the net.

Speaker 1 (12:39):
So no, not there, but yeah, it was.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
It was both. It was just so many ups and
downs and net in terms of like sort of micro
focusing on some of the details like Wisconsin's three on
three or their third line and stuff like that. And
then yeah, of guess Gon has just been I think
one of the most impressive goaltenders of in her two
years thus far.

Speaker 1 (12:59):
Yeah, before we depart the WCCH, I wanted to give
a mention of Saint Thomas getting another victory against Saint
Cloud's State two to one in overtime last Saturday. Laurence
Stensley with the overtime goal thirty six seconds in, even
though Saint Cloud hot shot Saint Thomas thirty three to eight,
So I.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
Was going to point that out.

Speaker 1 (13:18):
Yeah, that's a I mean, it's not a masterpiece. Obviously,
there's still a lot of work being done at Saint Thomas,
but they've been getting some some pretty favorable results lately.
That's you know, you're looking for building blocks in that program,
and you're starting to see a few of them.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
I think, yeah, And I think just what it says
about the character and the personality and the way that
what those players have gone through, it would have been
real easy, like to just be like this this season
is a wash, right, we learned our lessons, things changed,
like let's get back at it. And the fact that
like and I'm talking you know, the off the ice stuff,

(13:56):
but also just on the ice to get beat up
like that over and over again so hard. I mean,
it just like to remind people that these three wins
over rinked opponents came right after losing with eleven nothing
eleven one to Wisconsin, so blake. Yeah, to take that
beating and come back the next week and win two
over EU Empt and then take another one this week
over Saint Cloud. I just I'm just so impressed with

(14:18):
those women and what they've been able to do mentally
and what they've been able to put up with and
what it says about who they are as people and
who they are as players. Like just could not, you know,
in the least condescending possible way. Like I'm so proud
of them. I'm just so like, I just feel like,
what an amazing show they've put on for what it
means to be a student athlete and really, you know,

(14:40):
show up for each other and be a team.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
Well, let's look at ECAC which. Wow. Enough again, I
don't think we have enough time to get through all
of this again, pork Clerkson. Clarkson is struggling to get
results right, losing the Colgate two to one and overtime
on Friday, losing the Cornell two to one on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (15:05):
And Rickson lost that because they gave up a goal
in the final ten seconds of regulation. Yes, they were,
they had a one to zero lead. They were fairly
dominant in that game. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (15:17):
Uh yeah. Hannah Murphy for Colgate fifty five saves in
that overtime win on Friday.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
Which I believe was a career high for her.

Speaker 1 (15:25):
Yeah. Alexis Petford scoring a tiing goal nine seconds left
for Colgate Kaya Malchino. I'm sorry if I'm pronouncing that
wrong with the overtime goal, and let's let's not gloss
over the fact that that's a big couple of points
for Colgate because you know in the race for first,
now we didn't we should mention because of Colgate needing overtime.

(15:50):
I believe get its two wins right Sat Lawrence on
Saturday in overtime, that and Cornell winning two games in
regulation beating Saint Laura, It's and Clarkson. So the flip
that pushes Cornell ahead of Colgate in the standings and
wise so dual prong there of that happening for for

(16:13):
both of those rankings.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
Well, this is just such an interesting sort of like
astis to the weight and a half, right, the weird
scoring system the e c AC, because like Colgate won
three of the last four games overtime, which is amazing,
Like their their pr was their side with Colling Gum
Cardiac Colgate, Like that's fair, right they have they pull
up quite a bit off. But at the same time,
like you can't be excited about those three overtime wins

(16:38):
because you actually lost points or left points on that
however you want.

Speaker 1 (16:41):
To say it dropped, right, if you want to look
at it that way, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (16:44):
That's crazy, But yeah, I mean good on coldgate there.
You know, they are still pulling it out. But at
the same time, it's like, yeah, you you're leaving points
on the table in games that maybe you should have
been taking them. So, I you know, I'm not sure
what to say there. I think you have to go with, hey,
we could have lost, so we were we forced overtime
of nine seconds left, and you got to sort of

(17:05):
ride on that, that high in the momentum and confidence
that gives you, I think.

Speaker 1 (17:10):
Well and riding highs and now and lows. Clarkson's really
on the roller coaster here, aren't they of you know,
feeling like maybe they've they've pieced something together. But then
you you you score two goals, you only give up
four goals on a weekend, and you lose a couple
of games, you only come away with one point. That's
a that's a rough.

Speaker 2 (17:32):
Smart, rough, real far down in the paralyse.

Speaker 1 (17:35):
Now, yeah, fifteen fourteen, I don't have it up in
front of me.

Speaker 2 (17:41):
Fourteenth. Yeah, they're three and seven in the ten games
since the break. Yeah, including two to one losses, one
in overtime last weekend.

Speaker 1 (17:48):
Like wow, So yeah, that's what I mean. Time's really
running out to make any kind of move there, And
I don't know if there's honestly enough games left for
them to do without actually winning the ECAC playoff anyway
getting that many wins.

Speaker 2 (18:04):
That being said, they're the team that played like seventeen
overtime periods unless your postseason to get to the final four.
So yeah, they're well versed in in Uh yeah, as
much as they have struggled, I certainly wouldn't want to
be facing them, you know, one and done game.

Speaker 1 (18:20):
So yeah, there's obviously it's still talent there, and there's
still a group that's done really big things, players that
have done really big things as part of that group.
So I think it would would be unwise to to
think they're going to be a quick out in the playoffs.

(18:40):
But right now, I believe right now they would not
get a first round by and if I'm remembering it
right there and fifth in ECAC, remember, and obviously there's
there's stuff that can happen there. They are two and
a half points behind Cold PA for the last first

(19:02):
round by so you know, less than the game if
you want to look at it that way of difference
with six to play, I believe what we're looking at
in ECAC.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
You know, on the other side of it, they're also
only one and a half games ahead of Princeton.

Speaker 1 (19:19):
So yeah, the time is running out? Is really the
the the takeaway from me there? Yeah, all right, Hockey East. Uh,
let's let's get into this right away with the recency.
Boston University on Tuesday night, just after we started record,

(19:39):
just before we started recording, this finished off a three
to two overtime win against Northeastern on the road at
Matthew's Arena Alex Law With the overtime goal there, you
took a two to nothing lead, but Northeastern came back
with two goals in the third in the back half
of the third two to tie that game and send
it overtime. And so this extends Bu's lead to four

(20:05):
points at the top of Hockey East. So that's you know, that's.

Speaker 2 (20:13):
It's a huge lead at this point. I mean, I
know it's not, but like we've been, everybody's been on
top of each other, so that feels like a massive step.

Speaker 1 (20:20):
Yeah, and and really now they're it's it's basically a
two team race for first place. What it looks like
be you at fifty points from twenty one games, Yukon
at forty six from twenty one games, and then Northeastern
at forty one from twenty two games. So really that's
you know, a nine point gap the third place, but

(20:41):
with a game in hand. So I feel like, you know,
bu Yukon might be what it comes down here at
the end end Lo and Behold, we're going to talk
about them in a little while because they've got a
pretty big game coming up.

Speaker 2 (20:56):
I just want to say I'm working on an article.
I promise i'll show to here, but I'm working on
an article of like one player I think needs to
step up for each team, like the one sort of
not top scorer, and the person I wrote down for
BEU is Alex Lass. So the fact that she's the
one that turned around and scored today, like she's a
player that's having a little bit of a sophomore slump
and is capable of more so always nice when you

(21:20):
So it's the reassurance that, like, sometimes I know what
I'm talking about made me feel good to see that
she was the one that did that. But I think
if she can continue to sort of find her She's
still getting tons of shots and things like that, so
I think she just she just needs to focus her
herself in a little bit and when that shot comes back,
they're they're gonna it's gonna give them a big boost.

Speaker 1 (21:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
Northeastern on the roller coaster here again too, kind of
like Clarkson. They lost at home to Vermont on Friday
one nothing shorthand shorty Yeah, actually cookovec with that one.
But then Northeastern comes back wins at Yukon and a
time on Saturday for three to have a candele overtime

(22:03):
power play goal. So a lot of a lot of
overtime or late decisions happening last week. And that's if
that's if that's the way things are gonna be all
of February, I'm here for it. So loved the late
game drama.

Speaker 2 (22:19):
Yeah, we talked about I usually have multiple screens going,
and it had turned Ohio State Minnesota off because it
had gotten to six three, and I believe I turned
on I turned on one of either Clarkson or Colgate,
and then in the meantime the other one got dramatic,
and I was like, like there was too much happening

(22:39):
at once. I'm still I need I need these more
staggered again and then they all go to intermission at
the same time. But yeah, it was like I couldn't
I could keep up with all the late game drama.

Speaker 1 (22:50):
Kind of like we were talking about with an ECAC
with clarks and Boston College had a rough goal of
it and paid for it in the pairwise lost to
Be You on Friday three to two, Riley Walsh for
the U, scoring with nine to twenty left to break
it to two tie, and then BC loses to Merrimack
five to three on Saturday. Merrimack jumped out to a

(23:11):
three to nothing lead. BC kept cutting into it and
maybe kind of made it look like, Okay, they're gonna
make a run at this year. But Merrimack was able
to kind of just keep and extend that one goal
lead to two a few times and never let BC
to get back even So, yeah, BC now down to
fifteen in the pair wise, and that's like we're talking

(23:33):
about with Clarkson. That's gonna be tough with just a
number of games left to make a charge out of
that large spot. There.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yeah, absolutely, I that was a surprising outcome that are
watching that Merrimack and BC game, and Merrimack, man, they
came out firing. It was like BC didn't quite wake
up and by the time they realized they were in
the game, the hole was too deep. And kudos to
Merrimack for that. I just I, you know how I
feel about that the hockey easton in PC, maybe in particular,

(24:05):
but it's just like I don't I don't understand. I
don't understand sometimes and so I I just it's been
fascinating to watch. But yeah, none of these teams have
grabbed the opportunity. And it's awesome that the parody's there
and they're they're sort of all punching at each other.
But it feels like, finally be you as the one
that's that's maybe separating a little bit.

Speaker 1 (24:27):
Ye. I want to check in on New How, which
had a little bit of a change. At the top.
We've been talking about how Long Island and Sacred Heart
have basically been running parallel with each other here and
in a dead heat for first place, but that changed
a little bit over the weekend. Long Island needed overtime
to beat Saint Michael's twice on the road, and Sacred

(24:50):
Heart won both of its games home and home with
assumption in regulation. So that gives Sacred Heart a two
point lead in knew how with three weeks left in
the season, so maybe there's a bit of a of
a move happening. There obviously six games left, so that

(25:10):
can change. If you know, when we just talk about
having to go to overtime costing you even if you
win the game in overtime, Uh, that that introduces introduces
such a different dynamic of what that means when you're
in this close of a race.

Speaker 2 (25:26):
Yeah, I mean tech Lau has one more win, but
has more of the overtime games. You know, so like
Sacred Hearts win percentage just just slightly higher. But it's
it's fascinating sort of pulling out their stats, like they've
got almost similar goals four goals against when lost high
like just all of it. Those two teams look look
like carbon copies except for when you you you kind

(25:46):
of stretch out those into seeing shootout wins, overtime win,
overtime loss. And also just shout out Saint Michaels who
has three wins all year for really pushing on lu.
I kind of felt like similarly you said to Unda,
I'm not sure what else they could have done in
that game, but it's yeah, they definitely threw a little
bit of divention plans for l a U.

Speaker 1 (26:05):
Yeah. In Atlantic Hockey, Penn State is on the verge
of wrapping up the conference championship after a five nothing,
five to two sweep at Robert Morris. Penn State up
ten points with four games left, and they host second
place Mercyhurst on Friday and Saturday, so they can clinch
the regular season title with basically the magic numbers one

(26:27):
point of so if if they get one, that takes
away you know, one that the mercy Hurst can get,
and so that would be enough of a gap there
to to wrap that up. I don't think that's any
surprise to you know, it's been walking this all season,
and State's been kind of coasting along towards this point.

Speaker 2 (26:49):
Well, yeah, they don't. They don't have a regular regulation
loss in divisional conference play, so they have they've done
what they needed to do. You know, they have a
couple of overtime games, but yeah, they've forty five points
is basically a perfect season. You know, as close as
we've seen in several years in that conference play. So,

(27:12):
you know, kudos to them. They've sort of set their
course and done everything they needed to do in the process.

Speaker 1 (27:18):
All Right, that's our look back at last week. Later
in the show, we'll talk bracketology, we're talking, we'll talk
about what's coming up in the coming weekend. But when
we return on the podcast, we'll talk a little bit
about feasibility studies and Michigan. Stay tuned, Welcome back to

(27:42):
the podcast. Todd Malsky and Nicole Hasey here with you.
Let's talk a little bit about something that's been in
the works for a little bit more than a year now.
I think the University of Michigan started a feasibility study
about what it would take to bring a women's hockey
program to the university. Uh, it was it was launched

(28:04):
that there was a lot of, you know, talk at
a Board of Regents meeting. Diane Ilitch, whose family owns
the Detroit Red Wings, is a member of the Board
of Regents, and she was really pushing for this to happen.
And the feasibility study was done as it's been done
at Delaware, as it's been done at a number of
schools that have looked into adding programs, and this one

(28:27):
was reported on this week by Ryan zukemlive dot com
through a public records request got the the report and
it there's some interesting things in it. I guess that
there are three options that were given. But before we
get to that that they they say that running a
Division one program at Michigan would cost four and a

(28:49):
half million dollars and expenses per year with a revenue
base of about four hundred thousand dollars a year. They'd
have to update yost arena and adding locker room or
build a new facility, and that the costs there obviously
pretty high and getting higher every day, and who knows
what cost of construction will be going forward. But those

(29:09):
three options were essentially if they want to create a
women's hockey program, one would be it would be the
financial responsibility of the athletic department. Two would be the
university itself could subsidize it. Or three you could get
a large set of donations from the community to basically

(29:32):
pay for that essentially four million dollars that you need
a year to do it. I was chatting with Nicole
about this earlier. This week, and I don't think either
of us was surprised to see that that's what they
came up with in terms of recommendations going forward, and
that leaning really probably towards that third option of the

(29:53):
you know, hey, if people want this program, here's our
bank account, here's our VENMO uh number. Hit us up there.

Speaker 2 (30:04):
Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 1 (30:07):
Yeah, the size is right.

Speaker 2 (30:09):
Yeah. My eye roll at this, like what the feasibility
study came up with, and like, like, first of all,
breaking news, college athletics are expensive, and but like this
particles starts by telling us that women's talk you would
become one of the most expensive sports at the university.
And I was like, okay, what's the difference between that
and the men talking program and basketball and football? I

(30:30):
mean it's for zero point five million a lot. Yes, Also,
what did you just spend to improve your football stadium?
So like there, to me, there's always that relativity, and
I just it feels to me like if if they
weren't blaming you know, the possible house settlement or something
like that, if we would have done this study four
years ago, like there would have just been something else

(30:50):
to blame. It does feel like and I don't I
don't think like that. The people that help do the
visibility study necessarily had but ative you know, slant to
this going in. But all of this felt like, of course,
this is what this says. Like first of all, like
I said, things are expensive, and second of all, Michigan

(31:11):
just so clearly is not interested or was she inclined
to make this change. You know, they sort of had
their hand forced when it became a story, when you
know their women's club team has sort of forced this discussion.
So it just feels like inevitable to be like a
lot of excuses, And in the end, what we did

(31:32):
is spend a year talking about this and the answer
is that somebody needs to donate a lot of money.
And while I appreciate that Dianelitch has been absolutely vocal
and pushing for this, she also could write the check
and fix this tomorrow. So I'm sort of like, did
we really spend several months and go through all of
this and feasible and like to come to the answer
that somebody, and by somebody we all know that they

(31:53):
mean Dianelige just needs to donate the money. Like I
could have told you that a very long time ago.
So yeah, the big sigh and kind of an eye roll.
And I just like, Michigan spends so much money on athletics,
and people say, you know, they do. Their athletic department
is operating without institutional subsidies, so like the athletic tar
Barn is self contained and so that money doesn't come

(32:15):
from other funding within the university. But yeah, I don't know.
It's always eye rolling to me when it's like, we
can't do something like this because it costs money, but
you know what kind of money is spent on things
elsewhere And like yost is you know, a historic arena,
but also is very limited, and so like, gee, I'm

(32:37):
shocked that we would have to do, you know, facility upgrade.
It's just like, well, yes, I'm sorry that this isn't
going to be really easy. You all had chances to
do some of this stuff in the past, and it
might have been easier then, but we're here now and
this is what it is. So I yeah, I don't
mean to be super flippant, but I also I'm just like,
these are all people with lots of money talking about

(32:58):
like chump change to them, and I just I don't know.
I read this and I just I didn't have. It's like,
I don't know why I read this if it's I'm asidoid.
If I had, like I knew what it was gonna say.
I said it to Todd and it just was like, well,
you know, here we are, sucker.

Speaker 1 (33:15):
So I mean, I do wonder whether the conversation would
be any different if you could separate out the the
business structure of where college athletics is right now and
what it's what's happening to it, because I mean, that's
such such an elephant in the room when you talk
about any push to add programs, any program uh to

(33:40):
any university right any major college university. I just I
don't know that you can, you know, really commit too
much right now knowing that you don't. Everyone's waiting on
this settlement, the House settlement to be in April, and
and you know, you read stuff every day of like,

(34:04):
well should we really be counting on that, because there's
a lot of people who have raised some pretty good
objections to it. And if that doesn't go through, holy cow,
there's been a lot of work done that's going to
have to be suddenly reversed or changed or altered in
some way. You know, torn up and done over again

(34:26):
in a matter of weeks or you know whatever it's
going to be at that point if you're looking at
next season. But without that, and if we were talking
about this ten years ago, I wonder whether there would
be more of an appetite to look at this as
a yes, it's it's going to lose money. I mean,

(34:47):
it's it's as a business decision. It would be a
bad business decision if you look at it that way
in terms.

Speaker 2 (34:53):
Of what college sports are exactly.

Speaker 1 (34:57):
If you're looking strictly in terms of men's and women's
let's be clear, we've got these this number of programs.
We only bring in revenue from two of them, three
of them. Whatever it is at various schools, football and
men's basketball usually, I mean obviously there have been some
that have have have gotten there.

Speaker 2 (35:16):
For shockingly and women's hockey or women's basketball and giving
it better, you know, better production and putting it in
front of people. It's almost like you can sell out
your building. Same with volleyball, right And.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
I just don't know that Michigan should be a place
where that is a discussion with hockey, if there is
one other than you know, probably Minnesota in the United States,
you think of Michigan in terms of number of hockey
you know, programs and hockey players there are, and on

(35:50):
the men's and women's side, boys and girls, it's it's, uh,
you know, we've talked about it before. It's it's unconscionable
that there's no women's hockey Division one program in that
state and that there hasn't been for how for many
years since Wayne State gave it up. I just don't
know short of you know, the illitches or someone coming

(36:14):
up with Terry Bagoula kind of money or Mullet family
kind of money at Arizona State to start their men's program,
I just don't see it. I don't see the the
buy in from from an I thought department, no that
there's clearly no.

Speaker 2 (36:34):
They're sort of like, WHOA, we can't you know, there's
just a there's a God I am. I am not
prone to be forgiving in this, but there's just a
tone of this that is sort of like, well, we
did it, and we can't sorry, and that just feels
so obvious and inevitable. And like I said, I feel
like I can't believe we took several months and lots

(36:54):
of money to do the study when we all knew
this as well where we were going to end up,
Like Michigan is really sort of dragged their their heels
on this, and and I think, you know, there isn't there.
I don't think there's a tendor in the athletic department
of like excitement for this possibility. I think nobody loves
that their hands were were sort of pushed on this

(37:15):
and that they like this was forced to become a
larger conversation because of public discussion, basically because because there
was uproar about it, and like there have been plenty
of you know, men's Michigan hockey alum that have been
involved in pushing for this, And I mean, I do
think that there is probably they can probably do a
decent amount of philanthropic fundraising. But yeah, again I don't

(37:40):
don't mean to dismiss that like this is big time money,
but also like it this can't. It isn't a business decision,
and most of college athletics aren't a business decision, and
framing it as a business decision, it's frustrating to me.
And and as much as I agree that you can't
because of where we are in February of twenty twenty five.

(38:02):
There's a lot of actenuating circumstances. But I also feel
like this is a discussion that should have happened before,
and should have happened before that was an issue. And
so the fact that you dragged your heels and now
we're having it in you know, in the shadow of
a bigger NCAA conversation, not my problem. Just got how
I feel about it. And again that's that is flipid,

(38:22):
I know, but I just am sort of like, well,
like that's that's then's the breaks because you didn't do
this before when you should have been And so yeah,
I just the sidhe the I roll. I just I
don't know. I think it's just silly to have to
be in this position and to act like, well, we

(38:43):
did a feasibility study and it's just not feasible, like
is it not?

Speaker 1 (38:48):
I just I mean, I would argue though that I
think everything in college sports right now is a business
decision because and for maybe not always for the best reasons,
but it's kind of going to a point where athletic departments,
the big athletic departments are saying, well, look what you

(39:09):
made us do you know with the with the settlement
and look at what the athletes made us do, and.

Speaker 2 (39:16):
That here we have to pay for labor.

Speaker 1 (39:19):
Annoys me of right that look, if if you're making
what's fair into a well, boy, you're gonna have to
pay so much more for your tickets or.

Speaker 2 (39:28):
Wow, you know that we can't cut into our profits.

Speaker 1 (39:33):
Have to become self sustaining because look what the athletes
are demanding of us. Now that's.

Speaker 2 (39:41):
Down a whole other tangent. We could have the discussion
of of amateur athletics, right, like they have to be amateurs,
you know, on these old ideals.

Speaker 1 (39:51):
But also yeah, and and really it comes down to,
you know, go back to the US Olympic Committee profiting
of all of college labor for how many years and exactly.

Speaker 2 (40:03):
Yeah, Like I said, that's a whole tangent, right, but.

Speaker 1 (40:07):
It really does go into a discussion two of for
non revenue sports. And I don't love that term, but
that's that's the reality of what it is. I feel
like there's there's a major push coming from big athletic
departments to say, well, look, we've put put in the

(40:28):
bill for this for a long time. It's now it's
time for people who are dedicated to it and really
want to see these teams thrive and succeed to become
more involved in paying for it. I don't love it,
but I feel like that's the way it's going. And

(40:50):
I think that's gonna be a pretty major change in
a lot of big athletic departments over the next five
or ten years. And I hope people are ready for that.

Speaker 2 (41:01):
Yeah, there's got there's gonna be a breaking point. But
I just whether we're talking athletics or bigger business, like
the the the part where it keeps getting put back
on sort of every day people, is is a problem, right,
Like profit numbers, profit margins continue to grow or at
least not shrink, and the universities are all not operating

(41:23):
at a loss. Right, Like specific things maybe, but overall,
like there's there's continues to be money, money to be made.
The NCAA sticks to this nonprofit thing, and I just
it's all so silly and so contradictory. And I don't know,
I you know, we don't because we're we're we're we
stay at our lane here. But like you look at

(41:44):
you know, football players, it's dying and you know, getting
sick and ct and all of the things. Like I
don't don't blame them for wanting to be compensated for
their labor and for wanting to, you know, sort of
ensure ensure their future because they're they're quite literally every
your college football players are dying on the practice field,
you know. And it's just like, but we're going to

(42:07):
talk about like they don't they aren't owed anything, and
it's yeah, I I am. You do a lot more
work on sort of the the economics and the social stuff,
and I know, I kind of take an idealized, flippant
stance on it, so I'm not I fully know that
I'm like, well ignore that part and just you know,

(42:28):
ideally it should be this, but yeah, I don't know.
It's it's all up in the air. And I also,
I think part of me is sort of impatient because
there was stuff that was in the works with NCAA
and all this sort of stuff prior to COVID, and
then it was like, Okay, well we all got pushed
back several years because of COVID, and now it's been like, well,
the NCAA is going to reorg, so we have to wait.

(42:49):
I mean, we saw the wha want to not want
to get a new commissioner and like not want to
move forward because things might change, and like at some point,
now we're talking about being stagnant for five years waiting
for things to change, you know what I'm saying, And like,
at some point we can't be like, well, something might
happen in the future. I don't know. I both understand universities,

(43:10):
like because the implications of what's going to happen are huge,
But I also think that, you know, it'd be nice
if universities didn't look at it like, well, that just
means we're gonna have to cut a bunch of athletics
because our profits can't go down right.

Speaker 1 (43:26):
Unfortunately, in the end, that's really what it's. You know,
that's what speaks when you're talking about people who are
looking at the bottom line, and that's that's tough to overcome.
So but we will keep an eye on that what
happens at Michigan and bring you whatever developments may they
come over the next couple of years, you know what

(43:49):
we're talking about here. But that's deserves a little bit
more more scrutiny and some more questions to be asked.
Of you know where, what what does this mean?

Speaker 2 (44:02):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (44:03):
And how does the athletic department.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
It doesn't exist in a vacuum, right, how much bigger conversation?

Speaker 1 (44:09):
And how does the community that would be willing to
support that react to it? And can they pull together
enough money to do that? These are things.

Speaker 2 (44:20):
Yeah. One of the things on this that I'd love
sort of a breakdown on is like the four point
five million a year. Is that like subsidizing out the
cost of the rink to get that high? Because that
feels like a really high number.

Speaker 1 (44:33):
That feels honestly like what I can't think off the
top of my head of what Wisconsin and Minnesota and
how states spend. But it's it's not far away from that,
so I think there would be some some facility costs
in there too. Yeah, but yeah, it's it's it's expensive
to uh oh.

Speaker 2 (44:53):
For sure thinking about like, I do not think that's
close to it. Robert Morris had to raised to keep
their program going, So it's trying to figure out. But again,
bigger university, more travel like the AHA allows you to
be closer.

Speaker 1 (45:07):
Oh.

Speaker 2 (45:07):
I was taking all that, but those numbers felt really different.
So I was just curious.

Speaker 1 (45:11):
I do wonder whether they're talking about a full scholarship
twenty six player roster too and given four point five million,
or if you're talking about eighteen scholarships as is current so.

Speaker 2 (45:25):
And then that's not that's is then that's not that's
not costs and like someone needs to lay down four
point five million dollars you know what I'm saying, like
scholarship money.

Speaker 1 (45:36):
Well, some that money comes from somewhere. I mean, some
say that the university doesn't, so it's coming from someone somewhere. So,
but yeah, we could go on and on about this.
I want to because we have so many things to
talk about this.

Speaker 2 (45:53):
Sorry. Yes, for the record, I am mad and disappointed.
Check I read that and immediately sent it to you.

Speaker 1 (46:03):
I just was like, yeah, well let's I mean, this
next topic came to us via Twitter at the Adam
Slaven's uh sent us question, can y' all talk about what,
if any is Nil's impact in the women's hockey space,
and he offered an example of you know, Minnesota, Wisconsin

(46:23):
O House say, prying a player away from another school.
I don't really want to mention that the player of
the school for uh, you know, reasons of you know,
not singling anyone out, but I do wonder what your
thoughts on are on where this might enter or where

(46:43):
or when this might enter the women's hockey space in
terms of you know, player movement and bringing players in
and by having giving them an IL money. I mean
we've seen where there have been NIL deals for you know,
players that have you know, apparel lines and things like that.

Speaker 2 (47:04):
Yeah, but this is more like university collective style money.

Speaker 1 (47:07):
Talking, right, It's like the money for you to play here, right, Yeah.
And I don't know, I've had some anecdotal evidence kind
of not really evidence even of people talking about that.
In the w c h A, there has been some
player movement essentially, you know, because there's an eighteen scholarship limit.
There was a player that wanted to move to another school,

(47:32):
but there wasn't a scholarship available. Well, an IL money
could cover that, cover the two cover you know, the
cost of that, so that you know, became an over
and above the eighteen scholarship kind of thing. Isn't necessarily
the same kind of ANIL that we're talking about in
basketball and football, not at all, but where no, you know,

(47:54):
people are walking away with hundreds of thousands of dollars
just play just to show up, right.

Speaker 2 (48:01):
We're talking about I mean, there have been stories recently
of some of the basketball players that transferred right where
it's like, well, they told me off the bat, I'd
get X thousand dollars just for like making the transfer, right.

Speaker 1 (48:13):
I mean, I know there's a a a pretty healthy
segment of the coaching community in women's hockey that doesn't
really want to play that game as long as it
doesn't have to, And I just I think it's it's
going to become something at some point.

Speaker 2 (48:33):
Yeah, I mean that feels more idealized than me and
you could not want to, but like reality says, right.

Speaker 1 (48:42):
If as long as it just takes your you know,
your rivals have become a little more successful than you
for that to become a well how far are they living?

Speaker 2 (48:52):
Yeah, they got my principles on that one.

Speaker 1 (48:55):
Yeah, And so I you know, as we you know,
as we see the coaching community become a little you know,
the turnover, you know, get a little younger as in
the next you know, five and ten years, twenty years,
it's it's gonna look a lot different than it does now.

(49:15):
I don't know if that maybe means there are more
people willing to to get involved in that, and they go,
I mean, honestly, because you're talking about something that these
coaches are gonna have to go out and make the
case for themselves and do a lot of the money
fund a lot of the fundraising themselves, because if you're
talking about collectives at these schools, women's hockey, you know,

(49:36):
like it or not, probably is not on the.

Speaker 2 (49:37):
Top of getting all of that, yeah.

Speaker 1 (49:41):
Right, and or just even attention in terms of you know,
having events to raise that kind of money that can
go to players.

Speaker 2 (49:48):
So yeah, I mean, I think it's a privilege that
there are programs that that can be idealized about that
or feeling like they don't need to like their their reputation,
their facilities, their lady to give scholarships is enough, like
and I do I think we're at a point right Like,
if you're asking me right now today, I don't think

(50:09):
that that money that the money in play in NIL
in women's hockey is big enough to really have that conversation.
But yeah, no, yes, that's the actress, right, I would
say the secondarily, and I this is anecdotal, but it
costs a lot of money to be an elite women's

(50:31):
hockey player, maybe even more so than men's because so
many of them are forced to go to prep schools
in order to play at a high level and be seen.
You know, we're still at a point where many of
these players grew up playing in boys programs like girls
hockey and development is still on the rise, and only
in specific places, namely Minnesota. Are you like in a

(50:55):
position where you can go to a public high school
and still you know, come out an elite women's hockey player.
And so I do wonder, how like what the tipping
point is there in terms of I think that most
women's college hockey players are financially stable, set like I
don't I don't want to make any assumptions, and I'm

(51:15):
not saying it's everybody, but I think I think it's
you're talking a different demographic of student athlete. Then it's
you know, largely playing football or largely playing some of
the other sports. So do I think that's everybody? No?
Do I think that there you know, there will be
points where where there are players that are looking for that. Absolutely,

(51:38):
But I do think too that's just has to be
part of the discussion is largely players are picking to
play where they want to play, and they don't much
have to worry about the financial implications of that.

Speaker 1 (51:51):
Yeah, one of the things that keep in mind in
women's talking with NIL is that a lot of the
you know, or some of the top players are not
American and uh, when you're here in school, you're on
a very specific kind of visa that doesn't allow you
to make money through and I most NIL deals. There's

(52:14):
passive deals like having your face on a shirt. You
can make money from that. But so that that adds
a level of complexity too. As we see more and
more players coming here from not only from Canada, but
from Europe to to play that that's a different challenge.

(52:34):
Now that could change obviously as as uh, you know,
this whole environment changes over the next couple of years,
But as of now, I think that's a something to
keep an eye on too. If if you're from the
US and you're here and you're you're playing in the US,
you got no problem making not NIL money from if
you're from Canada or from Europe, it's it's a little

(52:56):
bit more of a challenge and you can't really expect uh,
to get that kind of you know, marketing deal or
anything like that.

Speaker 2 (53:05):
Yeah, and then I wonder in terms of just like
team cohesion in the locker room, like you, it would
be very difficult to be, you know, ensuring that your
American born players are making a ton of money. Well
like half your squad is not, So the dynamic of
that is really interesting. But yeah, I not just money wise,

(53:25):
I mean just most players at this point, most elite level.
When we're talking, and like the question was supposed to us,
like one elite player going from one program to another.
Those players chose their programs for a reason. They had
opportunities to go to any one of those top tier
programs and chose the one that they did for a reason. Now,
coaching changes different dynamics, Like there are reasons people transfer,

(53:48):
But in terms of like just picking a player and
being like, well, do you want to come here now
when you didn't want to a couple of years ago,
I think is pretty unlikely. Regardless of the conversation we're
having about and ilex, except do you agree with that?

Speaker 1 (54:02):
I agree with that, and I but I do think
that you can't necessarily say that for everyone. I don't
know these are all generalizations or sure, that's a very
individual discussion of like what's what's my priority here?

Speaker 2 (54:17):
Why did you choose where you chose?

Speaker 1 (54:18):
Right? Who? I feel like I need to play in
a different place to you know, now that we're talking
about the p DUB to get noticed for my future,
to have a chance of continuing to play here in
North America, that becomes a discussion. And maybe it's a

(54:40):
different discussion than it was two years.

Speaker 2 (54:41):
Ago, for sure. And a player that is better at
twenty two than they were when they were recruited at
sixteen is a whole separate like dynamic to this. And
like again I the specific question who was about like
a very elite player, It's not like their options are
better now than they were a few years ago, Like
that person was e lead then too, So that is

(55:01):
sort of the baseline we're talking about here. But Yeah,
I don't have a huge problem with the transfer portal.
I don't. I think it's inevitable and much less the
nil conversation like coaches that don't want to deal with
it are, you know, they're at a detriment at this point.
I do think students like get to have some agency
and that you don't have to be stuck with the

(55:23):
decision you made when you were sixteen, and things just change,
whether it's team dynamics, whether it's coaching. There's a whole
lot of reasons. And then you know, the COVID year
changed a bunch of that too, and it was players
that like if you were at an Ivy League school
and you couldn't play a fifth year there, then you
had to go find other opportunities. And I think that's
really important too. I mean, like you were talking to
p WHL and you and I've talked about this a

(55:43):
little bit, but like one of the standouts this year
has been Dominique Petrie with the Frost And Dominique was
at Harvard and then moved to Clarkson and and I
would argue sort of played her way into that that
opportunity postseason. Didn't have as much of the standout and
had injuries and things at Harvard, but but really shown

(56:04):
at Clerks and and sort of really came into her
own And so you know, the transfer in that ability
to play that extra year, you know, made a complete
difference in it's sort of her post college options. So
I don't think she's the only ones. Just I just
listened to a podcast with her on it today, so
she was at the top of my mind.

Speaker 1 (56:23):
But yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (56:24):
Think the transfer portal and people moving and all that stuff.
I mean, I don't think we can count out an
I l but I don't. To me right now, it's
not a super significant player. And what is happening transfer
wise and like why players are moving from one school
to another. But that's mostly sort of just my anecdotal

(56:45):
from talking to student athletes and being around I don't
I don't have stats on that. I don't think you
do either.

Speaker 1 (56:51):
Yeah, No, it's it's it's all a somewhat mysterious part
of the game right now. So and I don't know
how that changes.

Speaker 2 (57:04):
Or no, And I assume if we had this conversation year,
it would change. Like I think it's a it's a
constantly evolving thing we're looking at right now. And like
you said, it's it's a bit mysterious too. Like I
don't really love going out to nineteen year olds and
be like, tell me about the money you're making, you know,
So I don't really think that's super appropriate. And so
it you know, we're all learning in this sort of

(57:26):
new environment, and you know, it's different for me as
a Sofa Bloyd freelancer versus like you know, if some
it's just it's all different sort of approaches and what
you're looking to get out of your story is I guess.
But at this moment, I think, you know, we anecdotally
know what we can know from being around the players,
and we're we're learning as we go, and I think

(57:49):
that both the transfer market and NIL and and the
way that the NCAA is changing, all of those things
are going to affect it. But yeah, at the moment,
I don't see. I think it's much more likely that
being in a national team locker room with a bunch
of girls from one school might influence who go you know,
and the same at like you eighteens, if you're uncommitted,

(58:10):
you eighteen, and several girls in the room are sharing
why they love their like I think those things are
much more likely to influence whether someone's going to where
someone's going to commit, or whether they might want to transfer.

Speaker 1 (58:23):
Okay, we can talk about that two for hours, but
we're gonna wrap that one up. We're going to take
a break when we come back bracketology and then look
ahead at what's coming this week.

Speaker 3 (58:32):
Stay with us on the podcast. Welcome back to the podcast.

Speaker 1 (58:43):
Todd Molusky and Nicole Hase here with you to wrap
up this week quick look at what the pairwise rankings
look like in a bracketology. The top four seeds as
it stands right now, Wisconsin and one as they've been
for most of the season, Ohio State two, Minnesota three,
Cornell four this week after moving ahead of Colgate after

(59:04):
we like we discussed earlier, Colgate needing overtime to win
a couple of games where Cornell won in regulation. So
that means again the five and the four are gonna
play each other regardless of conference affiliations. So both of
these are ECAC teams Cornell at four, Colgate at five,

(59:26):
but the committee has said they want those two teams
playing each other regardless, so that one's locked in. The
rest of it might get changed a little bit because
the way it would set up with the eight versus nine,
that would be Saint Lawrence and Quinnipiac, which shouldn't be
allowed to happen. So there's a fairly simple trade there.

(59:48):
I moved the nine Quinnipiac to or traded them with
the ten BU, so that would be eight Saint Lawrence
versus ten DU at number one Wisconsin, and then seven
Penn State versus nine Quinnipiac instead of ten at number
two Ohio State. The other regional being six Minnesota luth

(01:00:12):
against eleven Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart being in this week
as the proxy for the New HA champion, and then
that winner or that game being played at Minnesota winner
to play at the Gophers. So since last week we've
had Northeastern dropout, Quinnipiac move in, and then the switch

(01:00:33):
of New HA leaders meaning Long Island out, Sacred Heart
being in, and that change all leaves us with four
WHA teams for ECAC teams and then one each from
Atlantic Hockey Hockey East and New HA. So getting interesting
as we get into February and get a little bit

(01:00:54):
closer to that selection Sunday in March. A lot to
look at. And this is moving, you know, every night,
a place here and there and just changing things a little.
But we're still in that the top four being pretty well,

(01:01:16):
the top three being solid, and then the four and
the five kind of being in a trading off space
with each other. So it could be interesting there those
tee you know, Cornell and Colgate, you know, playing probably
again a few times a few times, but again in
the playoffs, potentially for what could be a home I

(01:01:36):
spot in the regional Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:01:39):
I mean, considering we've only like really with you doing
this bracketology for a couple of weeks, like there's already
been quite a bit of changing. So it did feel,
you know, a few weeks ago, like things were fairly subtled.
So I am personally sort of surprised at how much
movement has already happened, and you know, teams moving up

(01:01:59):
and down. So yeah, it's it continues to be fascinating,
and I feel like if you're not paying attention right now,
like you're missing some great hockey and a lot of drama.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
Yeah, definitely. Let's look ahead this weekend and so there
are games between the top two teams in Atlanta Hockey
Hockey East and WHA on the schedule this week. Let's
start in Hockey East. I guess where Yukon and bu
play Friday at Walter Brown Arena. It's, like we mentioned before,

(01:02:33):
you now kind of in whatever qualifies as a driver's
seat in Hockey East. I guess that's it for them
four points up, but that can change real fast and
become a one point game or one point lead if
Yukon is able to get a win on the road
on Friday.

Speaker 2 (01:02:52):
Yeah, and at this point, I like, I refused, I
don't know what's going to happen. I not even going
to pretend to me. It's all sort of much must
watch TV at this point, right, because who the heck knows?
I like, we're used at I think, you know, there
have been some slight ups and downs, but we've quite

(01:03:13):
literally been talking about you since that first weekend. So
good on them for sort of you know, weathering all
of that and being in the driver's seat right now.

Speaker 1 (01:03:23):
And the more I look at it, uh, you know,
this is really just the part one of Bu and
Yukon because they what have they played before? They haven't
played before, They've got they closed the season with a
home and home series and so wow, that's uh.

Speaker 2 (01:03:40):
The drama for those of us that love you know,
this is awesome scheduling. Thank you hockey whoever.

Speaker 1 (01:03:50):
The scriptwriters are doing a great job this season. In
Atlanta Hockey Mercy Hearst at number eight Penn State Friday
and Saturday again, Penn State can wrap up the championship there,
but Mercy heres also. So when you're looking at it
the way that the way that Atlantic Hockey does the playoffs,
top two teams get a buy through the first round.

(01:04:11):
So you know, even if Mercy Hers isn't catching up
to Penn State, hanging on the second place is a
pretty important part of it for for them too. So
that's a you know, an important point this weekend to
try to get some points.

Speaker 2 (01:04:30):
I guess, yeah. I mean the chaos agent in me
is like I want Mercy Hears to take take the weekend,
So we're carrying the drama on a little more. It's
probably delaying the inevitable. And if they weren't both home
games for for Penn State, I might be a little
more on board it happening. But yeah, I that's the
best part right now, I think is that like you

(01:04:51):
as like even when you're talking about Ecac, like Clarkson
you know, is trying to catch Kunopiac but also was
only one and a half points ahead of Princeton and
so like we see the same thing here. I mean,
Mercyhurst has a gap to Syracuse, but like it's they
still have to they still have to mind themselves and
not only worry about what's happening above them. So that's

(01:05:12):
that's sort of the fun of it is. It's not
just you know, you're winning to try and gain ground,
you also need to maintain the space you have.

Speaker 1 (01:05:20):
Yeah. Now, so if looking at the Syracuse Mercier's gap,
I like talking about, okay, is it nine points? Ten points?
Nine points? Okay, Syracuse at on the road the rest
of the way here the next two weeks at Robert
Morris this week, so you know, potentially some winnable games
there to close the gap if Mercier stumbles at Penn

(01:05:43):
State and then lo and behold, it's Syracuse Mercy Hears
on the final weekend for Atlantic Hockey play. So actually,
God to come through, right, There's a lot to be
played for there when you get into the even past
the first place.

Speaker 2 (01:06:03):
Right, Like, no offense to Orshurst, but like I feel
like I want to give Penn State the benefit of
the doubts since again they have not lost uh in
AHA regulation. But if Mercy Hurst, if Syracuse sweeps THEIRS
and Mercy Hurst loses THEIRS, that that that's a three
point gap on that final weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:06:24):
Yep, and uh, that's.

Speaker 2 (01:06:26):
A huge difference in what you have to do to
get through the tournament.

Speaker 1 (01:06:30):
Exactly. W c h A play this week number three
Minnesota at number one Wisconsin a border battle at Lebon
Arena Saturday and Sunday.

Speaker 2 (01:06:40):
It's most likely this hit referee crew that was in
Minneapolis last.

Speaker 1 (01:06:43):
Weekend would be The Badgers also have a magic number
of one point to win the w c h A Championship.

Speaker 2 (01:06:54):
I think would very much like to do that on
home ice with the Gophers on the other side.

Speaker 1 (01:06:58):
Of the exactly. I think that would be a something
they would enjoy. Yes, And the Wisconsin has next week off,
so I don't they They definitely don't want to leave
it to the last weekend and a trip at to
Bimigi State. They want to get that hardware on their
home ice this weekend. And and and on the Minnesota side,

(01:07:22):
you know that's a team that's also in need of
some points too, and in need of you know, a
pair wise boost to to make sure they stay where
they are or you know, get past Ohio State.

Speaker 2 (01:07:34):
Be a decidedly nice quality wind bonus for them.

Speaker 1 (01:07:37):
Right, And so Minnesota is tied on forty eight points
with Ohio State in WHA play, but the Gophers have
two games in hand, so in reality, the Gophers are
looking fairly good for second place if they can get
something out of this weekend. And that's that's where the
the intrigue for me lies is that you know, maybe

(01:07:57):
they're not going to go in and sweep at the on,
but if they can get some points, if they can
get a win, if they can take a game in overtime,
that puts them up ahead of Ohio State with a
couple of weeks ago.

Speaker 2 (01:08:11):
I I'd say, based on how Wisconsin's played their last
few games and how the Gophers played against Ohio State,
like that's it's certainly not a given that. Like I
feel like it's very likely that Minnesota will get at
least a couple of points this weekend, right right, Like
at least a point. Yeah, I don't based on what
we see. I don't foresee like a clean weekend sweep

(01:08:33):
in either direction, to be fair. And then I just
wanted to remind people the reason Wisconsin and Ohio State
have next week off is that's was the series they
would have played they were scheduled to play when they
decided to join the Frozen Confines and play at Wrigley Field.
That is the series that sort of got pulled out
in replaced. So that's why both those teams have off
next week.

Speaker 1 (01:08:53):
Correct, Yeah, it's us just kind of fascinating how this
is gonna layout between Ohio State Minnesota. Just going going
back to what we saw last weekend, it feels like
this is destined to be a Yeah, the trains are
on the same track here and yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:09:16):
I'll be interested to that off week is is it?
It can either be a blessing or a curse, right, Like,
having time off at this part of the season, when
pretty much everybody's nursing something and bagged up could be great.
But Wisconsin sort of notorious for not being great after
time off or even just on a Friday, like on
the first game of a weekend. So for them, I'm like,

(01:09:38):
they do they want time off, but maybe that helps
them regroup after So yeah, that's just an interesting wrinkle
to like how both of those two tough teams sort
of handle that time off right there. But I think
big picture coaches and players would say having time off
leading into the final weekend of the series and the
season and knowing what the postseason looks like like being
able to rest and recoup is kind of massive.

Speaker 1 (01:10:03):
Yeah, all right, let's look at ECAC a couple of
kind of you know, I, you know, the whole it's
the way that they play, you know, with the travel partners. Uh,
it's not a you know, a direct thing, but Quinnipiac
at Saint Lawrence on Friday, at Clarkson on Saturday, Princeton
at Clarkson Friday, at Saint Lawrence Saturday. Clarkson needs to

(01:10:26):
get back going. Saint Lawrence could could use a boost
after last weekend. Quinnipiac is is kind of in that
danger area of the pair wise of uh, you know,
bumping down one knocks you out. A lot going on

(01:10:47):
in those couple of in those few games this weekend.

Speaker 2 (01:10:51):
And so those four teams are teams three, four, five,
and six and create ec AC standings and are separated
by what a total of eight points. So yeah, that's
there's just the outcome of those games could shift the
E E c AC standings a lot. And and again
like maybe doesn't make a huge overall move to their

(01:11:11):
pair wise, but could make some moves to where they're
going to end up playing in the e SAC tournament,
which is crucial to how you can like whether or
not you advance, right, So yeah, really interesting to me.
It's it works out well that those those who are
playing each other this week.

Speaker 1 (01:11:29):
Yeah, and the new l i U and Sacred Heart
both at home this weekend. L U gets Franklin Pierce,
Sacred Heart Saint Michael's as that chase for a title
ramps up and goes into the last couple of weeks.
Anything else you want to touch on before we wrap
this one.

Speaker 2 (01:11:49):
Up, Well, I just if you're not scheduling some time
to watch women's college hockey this weekend, you're you're missing out.
I just it has It's that's my my basic life
every week. But good lord, the last couple of weeks
have been so much fun and so dramatic, and I
don't foresee this week being any different.

Speaker 1 (01:12:08):
It is February, which means it's going to be exciting.
So thanks again for joining us. We will talk to
you again next week. For Nicole Hasey, I'm Tod Luski.
Thanks for listening to the body best