Bumps for BC, Western's winning ways, a look at conference regular-season races: Season 7 Episode 18
February 17, 2025 • 41 mins
Hosts Jim Connelly (@jimmyconnelly), Derek Schooley (@derekschooley), and Ed Trefzger (@EdTrefzger) review games of the weekend and news of the week.
They discuss Boston College's recent struggles, Western Michigan's strong season, and various league updates, including the AHA, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East, and NCHC. The hosts analyze the impact of recent games, playoff potentials, and side issues like video replay in college hockey.
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men's Division I Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. There's a flash sale going on through Sunday, Feb. 23. Get your tickets now at ncaa.com/frozenfour
Times are approximate:
00:15 Introduction and sponsorship
00:45 Boston College's tough week
05:26 Western Michigan's rise
07:41 Maine vs. New Hampshire: Border Battle
10:38 Ohio State's surprising season
12:30 Wisconsin's struggles
14:37 Quinnipiac's offensive surge
18:47 League standings overview
20:02 Atlantic Hockey America
22:40 Big Ten race
30:13 CCHA Championship race
32:41 ECAC standings
34:35 Hockey East contenders
38:14 NCHC playoff picture
42:15 Conclusion and sign-off
They discuss Boston College's recent struggles, Western Michigan's strong season, and various league updates, including the AHA, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East, and NCHC. The hosts analyze the impact of recent games, playoff potentials, and side issues like video replay in college hockey.
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men's Division I Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. There's a flash sale going on through Sunday, Feb. 23. Get your tickets now at ncaa.com/frozenfour
Times are approximate:
00:15 Introduction and sponsorship
00:45 Boston College's tough week
05:26 Western Michigan's rise
07:41 Maine vs. New Hampshire: Border Battle
10:38 Ohio State's surprising season
12:30 Wisconsin's struggles
14:37 Quinnipiac's offensive surge
18:47 League standings overview
20:02 Atlantic Hockey America
22:40 Big Ten race
30:13 CCHA Championship race
32:41 ECAC standings
34:35 Hockey East contenders
38:14 NCHC playoff picture
42:15 Conclusion and sign-off
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Usccho dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Welcome to us Echo Weekend review from Monday, February seventeenth,
twenty twenty five. This episode is sponsored by the NCAA
Men's Division one Frozen four April tenth and twelfth in
Saint Louis, Missouri. There's a flash sale on tickets going
on right now through Sunday, February twenty third. Get your
tickets now at NCAA dot com slash Frozen four. I'm
(00:40):
Ed Trevsker alongside Jim Connolly and Derek Scooley. A tough
week for number one Boston College. They dropped a game
four to one in the Beanpot Final and then split
this past weekend with UMass a three to two loss
at home, but a four to one win on the road.
And Derek will are with you on this one. Are
(01:01):
bumps in the road in a little adversity possibly a
good thing for a team at this time of the year,
or can you make it into a good thing or
learn from it? Will add that to the question.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
I would say yes, and yet because I feel that
when things are going well, you get a boss and
security sometimes and by some bumps in the road, some
things happening, you could really focus and hit things in
practice and say hey, this happened, this cost we need
to fix this.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
Stead its just continuing to.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Go through the same moment, your problems being mapped or
the problems being hit, and then all of a sudden
you get to the end. All be all the time
of the NCAA tournament they got we were there. We
felt that was something that kept hurting us, but we
would still win the game. Here, it gives you a
(01:54):
chance to put your thumb on it a little bit
through video, through practice, reps and things to make you'd
be better when it comes to the big times.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
Then yeah, I'd rather have a bump in the road
right now than.
Speaker 5 (02:07):
A bump in the road in March in April, and
I think ed for Boston College, maybe it hits the
reset button a little bit.
Speaker 6 (02:16):
And it's hard to be critical of.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
A team that is truly one of the best statistically
top to bottom. But this team has They have Achilles heels.
Their power play. Despite all of the man power they
have on the power play and such talent up front,
not scoring a lot. Their penalty kill was unbelievable in
(02:40):
the first half, almost perfect. I think they gave up
one goal before the break, but then came back and
I think allowed five goals.
Speaker 6 (02:49):
And seven games, or six goals in eight games, something
like that.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
These are small when you're winning, and they did have
a nice nine game winning streak, but you get into
the bean pot last week, couldn't finish it against then
you come home against you Mass and the Minutemen, a
team that really struggled at times this year. But by
the way I got to see them on Friday night,
they look really good right now. I look really good
against the Colonials. They'll play that bit, so that might
(03:16):
have been their turnaround game. But I think that to
have those two losses, it probably woke things up when
you saw it. Statistically, BC on Saturday night goes out
on the road to you Mass. They out shoot them
twenty to three in the first and thirty to nine
over two periods of play and take a three nothing lead.
Speaker 6 (03:35):
They went for one. So I think I feel like.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
It just might be the little bump in the road
that just straightens things out for a team like Boston College.
And don't get me wrong, they didn't need a lot
of straightening out.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
It's funny you think back to that game last Monday,
with the bean pot. How one little mistake can not
only cost you but turn the whole game around. A
bad drop pass on an offensive zone entry ends up
in the back of the net. And after what was
a lackluster first for BU, they were off to the
(04:11):
races the rest of the game.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
And this is where we talk about as coaches.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Every play matters, and the time of year, every play,
every thing matters. And one of the neat things about
the world the poor nation. They had march On on
the bench the other day in the first game and
they were might him up, but you could hear everybody
behind them talking about neither of the best players in
(04:37):
the world put behind their d gan zone, get things
below and play down below the circle and plays like that.
You try to make a field play at the wrong spot,
they can put that back and transfer the puck backup
its in a real quick hurry. And that happened in
that game. But it's really neat to listen to. They're cliche,
(05:01):
but it what fuck behind the d get fucked in?
And then even Matthew could chuck when he didn't play
a lot of minute view that I had a front
row seat some of the best players in the world,
chipping fucked in, blocking shot going out, and that just
shows you every play matters and learning nothing. Another one
for Boston College because I guarantee you that player will
(05:23):
think quite about the drop path again.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Michigan State was off for the weekend. Number three Western
Michigan continues to shine. They swept Omaha five four and overtime,
and then a thumping six to one. Broncos are still
number five in the pair wise, which would be the
top number two seed. How feasible is it right now
for them to move into a number one seed. It's
(05:48):
really hard to move much at all this time of year, Jim,
it is.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
But looking at the numbers, there's still about a fifty
to fifty chance of being a number one seed, and
if they are a number one seed, expect them to
be the number three.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Or the number four. Overall.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
It's getting up to one and two and surpassing either
Boston College or Michigan State right now for anybody will
be difficult. But the Broncos boy that they're just going
and they're finding ways to win. That overtime win on
Friday was a huge one, and then they get the
comfortable win on Saturday. I feel like this team will
(06:23):
be a number one seed when they get to the tournament.
They have just played really well since the Christmas They've
played well the entire season.
Speaker 6 (06:31):
But I just feel like they are dialed in right now.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
And it's a time of year that it's not common
to take five of six points out of weekends.
Speaker 6 (06:39):
This is the time of year that.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Most coaches probably feel happy if they get more points
than they give away.
Speaker 6 (06:46):
But three and three for any coach right now, when
you're scrambling for points, is probably considered a decent weekend.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
And the Western team and I had some friends that
were at the game on battery that should, like you said,
just going on all the firing on all cylinders right now.
It's also a team that has very rarely made it
half the first round in the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
I think they might have done it once a couple
of years ago.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
They beat Northeastern, and think, get beat Northeastern in in overtime,
get to the duck, to get the duck a round.
But the team that you think of all the except
that Westerns had, and you go back even to the
Paulo days and paulin Ward in the nineties that always
went to Joe Lewis and all that never been to
(07:36):
the Bros. And for maybe that's their year. They still
got a long way to go though.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Number five Maine had a dramatic border battle weekend in
Orno against their longtime rival New Hampshire, and the Blackberris
took five out of six points there at a tie
in first place with Boston College and Hockey East Maine.
In New Hampshire had a won to one tie with
Maine getting the shootout point and then a five to
two win. And the next night and Jim, you saw
(08:02):
that game? How good is this main team?
Speaker 5 (08:04):
Really good? Do they have some challenges that they still
have to overcome? Absolutely? You and Age, I probably feel
a little bit for Mike Souser right now. They played
Boston College last weekend, had to lead in the third period,
lost the game four too. They played Merrimack the next night,
had to lead in the third period, lost five four.
(08:27):
They Maine up there on Friday, had to lead in
the third period one to one, tie, lose the shootout,
had to lead again on the third period on Saturday night,
unable to hold onto that one.
Speaker 6 (08:39):
They give up four in the third lose five to two.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
So it's right now, I'm starting to feel for you
in age, but the atmosphere and alphon unbelievable.
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Just call out Josh Nato.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
He ended up with a goal and three assists in
the third period on Saturday night. He was the one
out there doing it all for me. But that's a
great weekend for them. They really needed to find a
way to use home ice to.
Speaker 6 (09:06):
A their advantage.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
In boy did they have a five out of six
on a weekend that both games looked like it was
dire and they still ended up pulling out five or
six points.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
We talked a little bit about that game on Uscho Edge.
It seems like a very disappointing second half of the
season for a pretty good New Hampshire team.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
They are, they're a good team. I think they're having
a little bit. They're having some struggles, just defensives own
coverages at times. In goaltending at Jared Whale has played
every start, every game for them this year. In many
parts of a game he will make some unbelievably dramatic saves,
(09:48):
but then if he gives up one of those goals
in crunch time, as we saw it on Saturday night,
he gave up one to tie it a quick one,
a couple of quick goals after that twelve seconds apart.
Speaker 6 (10:02):
Yeah, I felt like he just kind of lost his
edge a little.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
Bit, and that has become a bit of an issue
for in the second half for U and HS that
they just can't close out games. That all that said,
let's remember that Hockey EAS plays that single elimination postseason tournament.
U and H is one of those teams that is
almost built for a single elimination tournament. They can go
(10:25):
in one through eleven. They can beat anybody in Hockey East.
They just need to find a way to complete games,
play those third periods as hard as they sometimes do.
The first and second.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Number eight Ohio State continues to make you a believer
Jim sweeping Wisconsin at home for one and four to two.
The Buckeyes have now won four straight to start out February.
They had a four losses among their schedule in January.
So I guess the question comes to this, how real
(10:59):
is Ohio's They will find out they close out with
Minnesota at home, and edit that how real is Ohio State?
They close out at Minnesota and they've got Michigan at home.
We'll probably find out a lot from that. They've got
to be the surprise team on the good side in
(11:19):
the Big Ten this.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Year, no doubt, And listen, I'll try to defend myself
here a little bit. That month of January, it was
just it felt like they were an inconsistent team. Not
taking anything away from Ohio State. They have been a
decent team all season, but right now the last two
weekends yet they've made me certainly a believer. But we
(11:45):
will see this Ohio State team really tested. They're going
to head to Mariuchi for two this weekend. They closed
the season against Michigan at home two games, so we'll
know at the end of this next weeks how legit
Ohio State is. But again I'm going to go into
a playoff scenario. They're a dangerous team in the Big
(12:07):
Ten playoffs. Michigan State has had a fantastic yere Minnesota's
had a fantastic year, Michigan a pretty good year. Ohio
State is almost the dark horse when we get to
this postseason. They're a really dangerous team as we look
for making the march to the Big Ten Tournament and
then into the NCAA Jim.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
I said, a surprise on the good side in the
Big Ten. It's got to be a big disappointment the
other direction for Wisconsin, which has not been good on
either side of the puck.
Speaker 6 (12:39):
I felt like they were getting there.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
I felt like this was a good Wisconsin team that
maybe had some bumps early, but they were starting to
turn things around at times.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
And now it's crunched. I'm down the stretch, and.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
You're right that this is just it's been a tough
go of it here late. It's six straight losses, seven
games without a win, their last win all the way
back on January twenty fourth against Michigan at home.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
They've had this tough stretch.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
They had that Michigan series that they took four or
six points from, but then a sweep at Minnesota, swept
at home by Penn State, scoring only two goals that weekend,
and then swept on the road against Ohio State just
three goals last weekend. So their offense since that Michigan weekend,
that offense has just sputtered just eight goals in the
(13:30):
last six games here. For a Wisconsin team that I
think we thought had a lot of potential this year.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Their only route right now is the Big Ten Championship. Obviously,
they're way out of range for the pairwise and well
under five hundred. The disappointment that's going to be, and
not to throw more cold water on it, that's going
to be the first season that Mike Castings has had
from the junior level through college without a winning record.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
That's pretty remark shows how great of a coach he
has been in college.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Give him he's one of the best. It is what
it is.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
He said, we were so close to getting them in
the tournament, if they would have gott to five hundred.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
We kept talking there.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
They win this weekend, they're close to five hundred, win there,
and Mike is just that's amazing that this.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
Is going to be his first year without losing.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Record number fifteen Quinnipiac. We were saying, boy, there are
chances of an at large bit or pretty slim. They're
hanging in there though. They're at number fourteen in the
pair wise, and they had wins over the weekend big ones,
seven to two over a good Union team, in six
to two over RPI. But they've really found some offense
(14:48):
thirty two goals in their last six games.
Speaker 6 (14:51):
That's incredible offensive production.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
By the way, obviously the thirteen this weekend, but we've
seen this story before. Quinnepiac really starts to play well
this time of year. I don't know why they tend
to have hiccups in their postseason tournament, their conference tournament.
Almost they become almost a better team in the NCAA tournament.
(15:14):
But this is they're going to go to Lake Plais
they'll puld likely get there, get through their quarterfinal round,
get to Lake Plais, then it's just finding a way
to win those two games. But this offense makes me
start to feel good about this Quinnipiac team. You get
to Lake Plat and you pump in ten, twelve, thirteen
goals over two games, you're probably walking out with the trophy.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Where did this come from?
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Because we were we kept going, is this a team
that we're gonna right off? Is this a team that's
going to be seventeen now all of a sudden, if
they continue doing what they're doing, they have the potential
a climb to where e SAC could be looking at
two bits and we knew that they had it, just
they they had such a tough nitt at points and
(16:01):
the league has got up, got some high.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
End teams that just are underperforming.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Cornell is just decimated with injuries and they were hot
at the beginning. Clarkson's still their dart myth. So you
do have some teams that have the ability to beat
a Quinnipiac in a one game knockout. We've seen that
story before, so now do you see it? And now
the SAC sneaks two teams in, It'll be that's some
sort of pay attention to down the stretch here.
Speaker 6 (16:29):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing they've got to keep winning.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
Move they want to get to the ECAC Championship weekend
and have the ability to lose and still getting They're
going to have to move up quickly here. They're still
technically right on the cut line because they are the
only ECAC team at fourteen.
Speaker 6 (16:49):
I guess you can call them out large.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
I can say that they but they'll they're going to
need the auto bid still unless they can put together
a few wins here heading into Lake Placid that they
can move themselves significantly up, probably to twelve. I think
they'd have to pass both UMass which is thirteen, Michigan
at twelve and the pair wise so that they can
(17:11):
get to Lake Placid and know that they don't have
to win both games to make the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
That's going to be tough right now. Those games in
conference are not going to help them too much.
Speaker 6 (17:23):
No, they won't help them a ton.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
But if they can finish out, if they can get
to Lake Placid without another loss, they're probably in an
that large position.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
But we're going to take a pause and look at
standings around the leagues as the races heat up towards
the end of This episode is sponsored by the NCAA
Men's d one Frozen four April tenth and twelfth in
Saint Louis, Missouri. There is a flash sale on tickets
starting today through Sunday, February twenty third. Get your tickets
(17:53):
now at NCAA dot com slash Frozen four.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
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Speaker 3 (18:12):
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Speaker 4 (18:33):
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Speaker 2 (18:38):
We're back with usc CHO weekend review. Let's take a
look around the leagues in standings right now. Let's start
out in alphabetical order with Atlantic Hockey America. Fully Cross
is five points ahead of Bentley and six points ahead
of Sacred Heart with two games remaining. Holy Cross and
Bentley have a Thursday game and then holy Cross will
(19:00):
finish up next Monday against AIC in a game rescheduled.
Anything besides a regulation win for Bentley clinches the regular
season for Holy Cross. And they have been a steamroller
through Atlantic Hockey over the last two three months.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Yeah, they didn't. They haven't really lost. They lost some points,
but they haven't lost any games. They wanted to shootout
against US, and they won two other games in overtime.
But they're on something like a sixteen game on beaten streak,
I think, and that's pretty impressive because this has been
Sacred Hearts champion Championship from day one. They've had the
(19:42):
lead until they've gotten wired to wire until this past week,
and now it's it looks like it's going to be
awful hard Pay eliminated, and it's going to be awful
hard for Bentley to stop Bully Cross from winning that championship.
And they're doing it with good goaltending, good defense, fly
scoring with Stockfish and mcclinsky, Thomas Gale's Richter finalists. This
(20:07):
is a team that's hot right now. And you see
the top five of all got buys. I don't think
there's a lot of movement that can happen amongst that group.
It looks like it's probably going to end up fully
Cross Bentley, Sacred Heart, then Niagara Army Ish right there,
and there's a group that's battling for I think six
(20:31):
through ten, six through eleven in that range, and then
Merciers can't climb out of the bottom. So there's still
a lot of boopmit. But this is the last weekend
of the year. We're talking end of the year. We're
talking playoffs in two weeks right now.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
And where that bottom six ends up could all be
determined by a game next Monday, two days after everybody
finishes up. So somebody at about ten o'clock Monday evening
Eastern time is going to be scrambling, possibly to have
to fly out to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
Well, you know what, it's not even just flying out.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
It's getting a bus and getting a tinerer, are in,
doing hotels and making meals. It's gonna be a tough
week for I guess the teams that's finished sixth through eleven,
eleven is gonna have to figure out where they're going.
Ten and nine Right now it looks like one of
(21:26):
those three. Hopefully we can find a way to eight
so I can save that hassle this next.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Week or Monday. You're gonna see me with even more
gray hair.
Speaker 6 (21:37):
That's not hard though.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Oh look at you, you got a full out of gray.
Speaker 5 (21:41):
Yeah, I just take put some more numbers behind Hotly
Cross of late. So they lost two games out at
that Coachella tournament in California, and that was three straight losses.
They lost to LU to start the second half, lost
two more. They haven't lost since they had a shootout win.
Everything else is as a tie. They yeah, top ty
(22:04):
got win, but they want to shootout is what I'm saying,
and then everything else is a win. There was two
of those came in overtime one against Bentley, one against Canisius.
But they have been really running things and I look
at you mentioned Thomas Gaale in net now a Richter finalist.
Number of goals given up, this is going back to
the Robert Morris weekend on January tenth. One two two
(22:27):
one two three two one two zero one three three
goals twice against. In that span twelve games, eleven zero one.
Holy Cross has taken his championship and made it their own.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I would argue that he could be the MVP of
the league. Everybody wants to go and give it to mcclinsky.
I could argue that Gayle is the MVP of the league.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Let's turn to the Big ten, Michigan State. They've got
a three point lead over both Minnesota and Ohio State.
Everybody's got four games left. That's a nice race. Probably
a good time right now for Michigan State to have
had a bye weekend. It's not right up against playoffs
where you might have two or three weeks off and
(23:14):
we get a couple of bumps and bruises healed up.
But this looks like this will be horse race right
down to the last game.
Speaker 5 (23:19):
We're timing to get a bye week this late in
the season and that's really nice.
Speaker 6 (23:24):
And then now they'll get Penn State in Notre Dame.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
Notre Dame series is on the road of Penn States
at home. I like Michigan State in this race here.
I think that they'll they might get to the finish
line here without posting of the loss. They have not
swept a weekend in a little bit of time. I
know they've had some injuries in that span, but I
(23:48):
still think that they'll be fine. They are looking for
their first two regulation back to back wins in the
same weekend though since the GLI that was the last
time that they won both games.
Speaker 6 (24:00):
Is the same weekend back to back?
Speaker 4 (24:02):
What a race?
Speaker 5 (24:03):
Yes, in World two, but I'm just saying they had
some overtime wins, but the actual last two regulation back
to backs Michigan State was all the way back in December.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
You're talking to you. You've got so many teams that
are just playing well in the Big ten right now,
even you go to Penn State, They've made some massive climes.
Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, all of them. They're
all anybody can beat anybody. You talk about they haven't
got back to back wins. But if you're getting four
(24:35):
points on a weekend, that's a good weekend right now.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
And teams are doing that.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
So it's I know that we keep becoming believers of
Ohio State.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
It's still they're still lurking there. They're still lurking.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
You mentioned Notre Dame and I got to bring this up.
The tangent here two fridays in a row. I think
it is they were on the road long end for
them of a questionable non goalie interference call the one
this past friday. They're goaltender Owen Say with one foot
(25:10):
in the crease, one just outside the crease, getting set
for what might be a pass out front puck carrier
takes out, says right legs, spins them around, comes around, say,
puts it in the net. Officials decide it's not goaltender interference.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
I looked at the rule book.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
I think Notre Dame has a case, but I'm not
going to argue one way or the other. I'm going
to say, come on, you got to get this figured
out in the rule book and in the interpretations and
in the videos so people aren't questioning it all season long.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
You know what you're The problem that you have is
everybody's got different video systems.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
Everybody's got different video systems.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
What some people have different camera angles, which shouldn't be allowed.
Everybody's got different things that you see from game to
begin and some ranks here are outstanding, some aren't. I
think that it's there almost has to be a uniform,
same per league of what everybody can see. You can't
(26:12):
see something different, and I think that's part of the
problem right now, is that not everybody's got the same
video systems, and then without the same system there becomes
problems with how things are called.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
So I'm gonna that's to me.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
That's something that I'm on a kick right now, is
that everything's got to be the same all across.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
If we can get it all across college hockey.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
Then maybe we would then there wouldn't be those questionable
calls because everybody would know everything going into the buildings.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Yeah, I agree with you the schools one, and that
this is the probably the biggest issue with how college
hockey operates is that there's too much happens within six
different bubbles. In those six bubbles being the componferences, there's
not enough standardization, and even within certain conferences, schools are
(27:07):
allowed to get away with not making the same investment
in their video replay technology and stuff like that. That
I just think. I look at the NHL and I
know that's very different. That's corporate that's got a lot
of money behind it. Everybody is on the layer level
playing field, but at the same time they're not. Every
team out there is not spending the same amount of money.
(27:29):
There's haves and have nots. But the leading said, if
you want to be part of our league, you need
to put in these things inside of your building. I
think that is where we have to get to with all,
not just in this stuct just hockey, it's every sport.
Every if you go to school A in school Z
walking in should feel the same in terms of what
(27:51):
the facility is, what their actual resources are, in what
you have in terms of camera angles, and there's a
lot of things.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
Locker rooms.
Speaker 5 (28:01):
We don't even have close standards for locker rooms and
what teams are provided. In college hockey, it varies league
to league, So I think that there's a lot of
room for improvement schools. The question I always get is
who's going to spearheaded.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
And the second one is and who's going to enforce
it because leagues have standards that they don't enforce and
I'm not even going to go down that road. I
did want to bring up one other thing on video though.
If you're going to have video, even if you don't
have it on a broadcast, you need a camera on
the other side of the ice. I saw a couple
(28:38):
of replay issues over the weekend where things happened along
the near boards and you just could not see an
angle because of where the broadcast cameras were coming from.
That view was blocked or even obscured by the glass
or a stanchion. If you're going to have video, you
got to look at that too. But how many cameras
(28:59):
you you're going to have. Typically you're going to have,
I say you've got six replay cameras. You're going to
have a wide view, a closer in view from the broadcast.
You're going to have blue line cameras, and goal overheads.
Maybe you'll have some other views like that, but not
all of those are going to be available on all
the replay systems. Yeah, there's some blind spots for sure
(29:23):
in that. Well, why don't we go on to the CCHA.
I took us off off Tangent there. But Minnesota State
needs five more points for its last four games to
clinch the regular season. It's a points percentage in the
CCHA this year with the addition of Augustana, which only
played sixteen games in league, Augustana finishes with a six
(29:44):
twenty five win percentage. Minnesota State is six ninety seven.
So five points and four games should not be too
tall in order. And if they don't get those, they've
got more things to worry about.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
I don't like to crown a champion before it's actually crown,
but Minnesota State's put themselves in really good position here.
Augustana did everything. They gave him a nice run down
the stretch are in. Minnesota State had to find ways
to win games. But they've gotten the winning percentage high enough.
And this also factors in other teams that could potentially
catch them in terms of actual overall points. Every everybody
(30:18):
else in the league plays the same number of games,
so you can really just look at points instead of
point percentage. So this the five points that they need
over these last four games that would not only give
them the high enough winning percentage, but also make sure
I sure that they at least finish tied with the
with any team that could potentially catch them.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
I'm glad that it played out this way.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
I would have hated to see you and all kudos
to Augustan of what they've done this year because they've
been one of the biggest prizes in college hockey in
my opinion, but I would have it would have been
a It would have been a hard pill or an
asterisk on it if they would have got it with
playing a lot lost games.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
But I get why they're in the LEGA and they deserve.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
To be in the legas, but I like to see
the champion played the amount of games in my opinion.
Speaker 6 (31:14):
Yeah, I have to agree with you there.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
And we got to talk with Augustana's coached about a
week and a half ago, and what a fantastic impression
he makes. But you still, I didn't like the fact
that they were using winning percentage, and I know that
they rush things to get Augustana into the league for
this season. You wish you could they just altered schedules
(31:38):
and all that sort of stuff, but when he did it,
but they did it, they got through it. And it
seems at this point that Minnesota State, a team that
played the full schedule, will win.
Speaker 6 (31:49):
I agree that's probably the fitting ending.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Schools under the ECAC. We talked a little bit before
about Quinnipiac. They have a four point lead over Clarkson
points over Union and Colgate four games remaining in that conference.
Quinnipiac doesn't have too tall in order to get there.
Speaker 6 (32:10):
They don't.
Speaker 5 (32:12):
I guess the thing about the ECAC that maybe surprises
me is not the fact that Cornipiac has the lead
and probably a pretty good position to win another regular
season championship. It's more of the teams that we're not
talking about in here. Ornell sitting down in fifth place,
they're tied with Dartmouth. Those were the darlings early in
(32:34):
this season. I know at times we've mentioned Harvard and Brown.
It's that fourteen, that quartet Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Brown. They
currently take those five through eight spots in the ECAC.
Though it stands out that neither Cornell or Dartmouth's even
in this race as we get down.
Speaker 6 (32:52):
The home stretch here.
Speaker 5 (32:54):
But the fact that we're seeing Union and Colgate in there,
I think is fantastic This has been a nice season
for Union of the way that they put this together.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Yeah, Josh has to be considered. Josh Hauji has to
be considered one of the favorites for a Coach of
the Year. With Union there still hoping for a Cornell run,
to see Mike Shafer go out with another tournament there.
Speaker 4 (33:18):
But they need to get healthy.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
And it's that's the day and age that we're in
right now, injuries and battling through it. I think you're
going to see a lot of it, a lot more
of it as we move forward with roster limitations. So
until Cornell gets healthy, they need to get their full
roster back in action. And surprise that they're not there
surprised at Dartmouth after we were I think it was
(33:42):
at their Christmas time.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
We thought that they were potentially gonna be the team
to beat in that league.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
We'll move on to Hockey East and I will say
about ECAC as we look at standings easy as is
the only league with a nice balanced schedule and an
even number of teams. It's it's easy to look at things.
They're a Hockey East BC and Maine are tied for first.
There's six points ahead of third place Boston University. Most
(34:08):
of the teams in the league have five games remaining.
Is this going to be a two team horse race
to the engine.
Speaker 5 (34:15):
It's starting to feel that way, especially this weekend with
Maine catching BC. BU is still mathematically in it, and
I guess UMass loll and Yukon.
Speaker 6 (34:26):
Technically are mathematically in it, but not. It's a real
long shot you're talking about.
Speaker 5 (34:34):
Yukon is thirteen points out of first place, only fifteen
points remaining available roles in that same kind of a situation,
I feel like BC and Maine it will come down
to their battle.
Speaker 6 (34:49):
BC does hold the tie breaker way way back.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
In November, I think it was they swept a two
game series in Chestnut Hill, so they hold the tiebreaker
for the number one overall seed. Something that kind of
struck me when I was doing some work this weekend
on the unh main series that Maine has not won
a Hockey East regular season championship since nineteen ninety five.
Speaker 6 (35:12):
That's a really long time.
Speaker 5 (35:14):
They lost in the national title game to be you
that year and Sean Walsh.
Speaker 6 (35:18):
Was still the coach. It's been quite some time for me.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Wow, that's crazy to think of it that way. That
they haven't won that in that long that's one year
after I graduated. That just shows you that has in
the main had juggernauts back then. They were Koreas and
brothers that were there, the Ferraro brothers that they were
(35:42):
really good to see that they haven't won that one
in that long time, but they have won a national
championship since.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
You'll take that as well.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
But think about what Ed said, A three a two
horse team race, and so we had team of forces,
now ed is that out right?
Speaker 7 (35:58):
And just a two horse race or two teams in
the race. That's a two team, two hyphen team horse race.
Punctuation matters and you can't see punctuation. What was it
the pianistic comedian Victor Borga, He used to do a
bit where he would sound out all the different punctuation
(36:19):
and he'd make a noise for a comma in a period.
But if you graduated a year before main one, that
then Victor Borga is a lost a lost cultural reference
on you and most of our listeners.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
So we'll move on to the end.
Speaker 4 (36:34):
I need spell check on that one.
Speaker 5 (36:36):
I was gonna say, schools is like really working hard
to put his Western Michigan degree to good use.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
Today, I took typing class. What do you talk to
you about?
Speaker 2 (36:45):
You're talking to the guy who, in a broadcast this
weekend worked in W Edwards deming and consistent improvement as
he helped reindustrialize Japan after World War Two. As an
analogy for teams getting better each week, I'm going to
dig up the odd references.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
All right, I will say one thing.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
I will top of you because I used a word
in there that I probably shouldn't have used on my
broadcast to my postgame.
Speaker 4 (37:13):
It began with an F and probably shouldn't have used
that one.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Wow. See that's why on the radio we have delay units. Anyway, NZCHC, boy,
we've gone off the rails here. Western Michigan remains in
the driver's seat, six points ahead of Arizona State and
eight ahead of Omaha, two games in hand on both teams.
Western Michigan and Arizona State play in Tempe this weekend,
(37:40):
so there are three total weekends left, if that all
makes sense. But Western Michigan, if they keep rolling, it's
their league.
Speaker 6 (37:48):
It becomes a big weekend in Tempe.
Speaker 5 (37:51):
Obviously, Arizona State doesn't control much destiny here. They can
win this weekend here, sweep the weekend, get also points,
then they'll be tied.
Speaker 6 (38:01):
But Western will still have two more games to play.
Speaker 5 (38:04):
And we love the game in hands analogy here or
games in hand analogy, but you's.
Speaker 6 (38:10):
Still got to go out and win them.
Speaker 5 (38:12):
So there's still some hope for teams like in Arizona
State or maybe even Omaha, but this feels like it's
Western and good for Pat Berschweiler his club from day one.
They've been a really good team this season, consistent the
entire way, playing some of their best hockey down the stretch.
(38:33):
That they deserved this regular season title one percent.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
I spoke about them earlier and without Steve Metcalps here
b say oh we know that spills the Western Michigan
grad Today I will I will say that I've said
my piece on the Broncos. I think that they've done
a tremendous job. They just need to take the next step.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
And it's strange to see both North Dakota and Denver
out of the picture for the top of the league.
They split over the weekend, so that was a good
win for North Dakota on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
And those two teams, by the way, are probably going
to fight it out for the fourth and fifth playoff spots,
so that home ice in the quarterfinals. That's that's pretty
shocking as well, that they're not in the race for first. Fine,
but one of those teams probably is going to be
playing the other on.
Speaker 6 (39:26):
The road to start the playoffs. It's close that there's plenty.
Speaker 5 (39:29):
Of teams that can do that, but it's not likely
that both of those teams are going to get home
ice in the quarterfinals.
Speaker 3 (39:36):
We got Colorado College and that's the one of the
bigger crazy stories because remember when they were undefeated for
a little bit, Yeah they were, they were under yeah,
and that now they're you're looking at potentially North Dakota, Denver,
and colorad College all finishing four five and six. Not potentially,
(39:57):
I don't think there's they would need some it's crazy
things to happen for them not to finish four five
and six.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
They've got two points separating all three of them.
Speaker 6 (40:06):
Get home ice in the quarters. Two of them will
be on the road.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Wow, that just shows you why they play the games,
all right.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
That's been a Remember was undefeated at the beginning two yes, they.
Speaker 5 (40:18):
Were it's true, and they still hold such a nice
pairwise spot because of how how well they did out
of conference.
Speaker 6 (40:26):
It's been in the conference that they've had some bumps
in the road.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
With that, we're going to wrap up this edition of
Weekend Review. This episode has been sponsored by the NCAA
Men's Division. One Frozen four, April tenth and twelfth in
Saint Louis, Missouri. There's a flash sale going on right
now through Sunday, February twenty third, twenty twenty five. Get
your tickets now at NCAA dot com. Slash Frozen four
(40:53):
for Jim Connelly, for Derek Scooley. I'm ed Trefsker and
this has been US Echo Weekend Reviews
Usccho dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Welcome to us Echo Weekend review from Monday, February seventeenth,
twenty twenty five. This episode is sponsored by the NCAA
Men's Division one Frozen four April tenth and twelfth in
Saint Louis, Missouri. There's a flash sale on tickets going
on right now through Sunday, February twenty third. Get your
tickets now at NCAA dot com slash Frozen four. I'm
(00:40):
Ed Trevsker alongside Jim Connolly and Derek Scooley. A tough
week for number one Boston College. They dropped a game
four to one in the Beanpot Final and then split
this past weekend with UMass a three to two loss
at home, but a four to one win on the road.
And Derek will are with you on this one. Are
(01:01):
bumps in the road in a little adversity possibly a
good thing for a team at this time of the year,
or can you make it into a good thing or
learn from it? Will add that to the question.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
I would say yes, and yet because I feel that
when things are going well, you get a boss and
security sometimes and by some bumps in the road, some
things happening, you could really focus and hit things in
practice and say hey, this happened, this cost we need
to fix this.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
Stead its just continuing to.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Go through the same moment, your problems being mapped or
the problems being hit, and then all of a sudden
you get to the end. All be all the time
of the NCAA tournament they got we were there. We
felt that was something that kept hurting us, but we
would still win the game. Here, it gives you a
(01:54):
chance to put your thumb on it a little bit
through video, through practice, reps and things to make you'd
be better when it comes to the big times.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
Then yeah, I'd rather have a bump in the road
right now than.
Speaker 5 (02:07):
A bump in the road in March in April, and
I think ed for Boston College, maybe it hits the
reset button a little bit.
Speaker 6 (02:16):
And it's hard to be critical of.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
A team that is truly one of the best statistically
top to bottom. But this team has They have Achilles heels.
Their power play. Despite all of the man power they
have on the power play and such talent up front,
not scoring a lot. Their penalty kill was unbelievable in
(02:40):
the first half, almost perfect. I think they gave up
one goal before the break, but then came back and
I think allowed five goals.
Speaker 6 (02:49):
And seven games, or six goals in eight games, something
like that.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
These are small when you're winning, and they did have
a nice nine game winning streak, but you get into
the bean pot last week, couldn't finish it against then
you come home against you Mass and the Minutemen, a
team that really struggled at times this year. But by
the way I got to see them on Friday night,
they look really good right now. I look really good
against the Colonials. They'll play that bit, so that might
(03:16):
have been their turnaround game. But I think that to
have those two losses, it probably woke things up when
you saw it. Statistically, BC on Saturday night goes out
on the road to you Mass. They out shoot them
twenty to three in the first and thirty to nine
over two periods of play and take a three nothing lead.
Speaker 6 (03:35):
They went for one. So I think I feel like.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
It just might be the little bump in the road
that just straightens things out for a team like Boston College.
And don't get me wrong, they didn't need a lot
of straightening out.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
It's funny you think back to that game last Monday,
with the bean pot. How one little mistake can not
only cost you but turn the whole game around. A
bad drop pass on an offensive zone entry ends up
in the back of the net. And after what was
a lackluster first for BU, they were off to the
(04:11):
races the rest of the game.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
And this is where we talk about as coaches.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Every play matters, and the time of year, every play,
every thing matters. And one of the neat things about
the world the poor nation. They had march On on
the bench the other day in the first game and
they were might him up, but you could hear everybody
behind them talking about neither of the best players in
(04:37):
the world put behind their d gan zone, get things
below and play down below the circle and plays like that.
You try to make a field play at the wrong spot,
they can put that back and transfer the puck backup
its in a real quick hurry. And that happened in
that game. But it's really neat to listen to. They're cliche,
(05:01):
but it what fuck behind the d get fucked in?
And then even Matthew could chuck when he didn't play
a lot of minute view that I had a front
row seat some of the best players in the world,
chipping fucked in, blocking shot going out, and that just
shows you every play matters and learning nothing. Another one
for Boston College because I guarantee you that player will
(05:23):
think quite about the drop path again.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Michigan State was off for the weekend. Number three Western
Michigan continues to shine. They swept Omaha five four and overtime,
and then a thumping six to one. Broncos are still
number five in the pair wise, which would be the
top number two seed. How feasible is it right now
for them to move into a number one seed. It's
(05:48):
really hard to move much at all this time of year, Jim,
it is.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
But looking at the numbers, there's still about a fifty
to fifty chance of being a number one seed, and
if they are a number one seed, expect them to
be the number three.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Or the number four. Overall.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
It's getting up to one and two and surpassing either
Boston College or Michigan State right now for anybody will
be difficult. But the Broncos boy that they're just going
and they're finding ways to win. That overtime win on
Friday was a huge one, and then they get the
comfortable win on Saturday. I feel like this team will
(06:23):
be a number one seed when they get to the tournament.
They have just played really well since the Christmas They've
played well the entire season.
Speaker 6 (06:31):
But I just feel like they are dialed in right now.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
And it's a time of year that it's not common
to take five of six points out of weekends.
Speaker 6 (06:39):
This is the time of year that.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Most coaches probably feel happy if they get more points
than they give away.
Speaker 6 (06:46):
But three and three for any coach right now, when
you're scrambling for points, is probably considered a decent weekend.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
And the Western team and I had some friends that
were at the game on battery that should, like you said,
just going on all the firing on all cylinders right now.
It's also a team that has very rarely made it
half the first round in the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
I think they might have done it once a couple
of years ago.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
They beat Northeastern, and think, get beat Northeastern in in overtime,
get to the duck, to get the duck a round.
But the team that you think of all the except
that Westerns had, and you go back even to the
Paulo days and paulin Ward in the nineties that always
went to Joe Lewis and all that never been to
(07:36):
the Bros. And for maybe that's their year. They still
got a long way to go though.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Number five Maine had a dramatic border battle weekend in
Orno against their longtime rival New Hampshire, and the Blackberris
took five out of six points there at a tie
in first place with Boston College and Hockey East Maine.
In New Hampshire had a won to one tie with
Maine getting the shootout point and then a five to
two win. And the next night and Jim, you saw
(08:02):
that game? How good is this main team?
Speaker 5 (08:04):
Really good? Do they have some challenges that they still
have to overcome? Absolutely? You and Age, I probably feel
a little bit for Mike Souser right now. They played
Boston College last weekend, had to lead in the third period,
lost the game four too. They played Merrimack the next night,
had to lead in the third period, lost five four.
(08:27):
They Maine up there on Friday, had to lead in
the third period one to one, tie, lose the shootout,
had to lead again on the third period on Saturday night,
unable to hold onto that one.
Speaker 6 (08:39):
They give up four in the third lose five to two.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
So it's right now, I'm starting to feel for you
in age, but the atmosphere and alphon unbelievable.
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Just call out Josh Nato.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
He ended up with a goal and three assists in
the third period on Saturday night. He was the one
out there doing it all for me. But that's a
great weekend for them. They really needed to find a
way to use home ice to.
Speaker 6 (09:06):
A their advantage.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
In boy did they have a five out of six
on a weekend that both games looked like it was
dire and they still ended up pulling out five or
six points.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
We talked a little bit about that game on Uscho Edge.
It seems like a very disappointing second half of the
season for a pretty good New Hampshire team.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
They are, they're a good team. I think they're having
a little bit. They're having some struggles, just defensives own
coverages at times. In goaltending at Jared Whale has played
every start, every game for them this year. In many
parts of a game he will make some unbelievably dramatic saves,
(09:48):
but then if he gives up one of those goals
in crunch time, as we saw it on Saturday night,
he gave up one to tie it a quick one,
a couple of quick goals after that twelve seconds apart.
Speaker 6 (10:02):
Yeah, I felt like he just kind of lost his
edge a little.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
Bit, and that has become a bit of an issue
for in the second half for U and HS that
they just can't close out games. That all that said,
let's remember that Hockey EAS plays that single elimination postseason tournament.
U and H is one of those teams that is
almost built for a single elimination tournament. They can go
(10:25):
in one through eleven. They can beat anybody in Hockey East.
They just need to find a way to complete games,
play those third periods as hard as they sometimes do.
The first and second.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Number eight Ohio State continues to make you a believer
Jim sweeping Wisconsin at home for one and four to two.
The Buckeyes have now won four straight to start out February.
They had a four losses among their schedule in January.
So I guess the question comes to this, how real
(10:59):
is Ohio's They will find out they close out with
Minnesota at home, and edit that how real is Ohio State?
They close out at Minnesota and they've got Michigan at home.
We'll probably find out a lot from that. They've got
to be the surprise team on the good side in
(11:19):
the Big Ten this.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Year, no doubt, And listen, I'll try to defend myself
here a little bit. That month of January, it was
just it felt like they were an inconsistent team. Not
taking anything away from Ohio State. They have been a
decent team all season, but right now the last two
weekends yet they've made me certainly a believer. But we
(11:45):
will see this Ohio State team really tested. They're going
to head to Mariuchi for two this weekend. They closed
the season against Michigan at home two games, so we'll
know at the end of this next weeks how legit
Ohio State is. But again I'm going to go into
a playoff scenario. They're a dangerous team in the Big
(12:07):
Ten playoffs. Michigan State has had a fantastic yere Minnesota's
had a fantastic year, Michigan a pretty good year. Ohio
State is almost the dark horse when we get to
this postseason. They're a really dangerous team as we look
for making the march to the Big Ten Tournament and
then into the NCAA Jim.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
I said, a surprise on the good side in the
Big Ten. It's got to be a big disappointment the
other direction for Wisconsin, which has not been good on
either side of the puck.
Speaker 6 (12:39):
I felt like they were getting there.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
I felt like this was a good Wisconsin team that
maybe had some bumps early, but they were starting to
turn things around at times.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
And now it's crunched. I'm down the stretch, and.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
You're right that this is just it's been a tough
go of it here late. It's six straight losses, seven
games without a win, their last win all the way
back on January twenty fourth against Michigan at home.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
They've had this tough stretch.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
They had that Michigan series that they took four or
six points from, but then a sweep at Minnesota, swept
at home by Penn State, scoring only two goals that weekend,
and then swept on the road against Ohio State just
three goals last weekend. So their offense since that Michigan weekend,
that offense has just sputtered just eight goals in the
(13:30):
last six games here. For a Wisconsin team that I
think we thought had a lot of potential this year.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Their only route right now is the Big Ten Championship. Obviously,
they're way out of range for the pairwise and well
under five hundred. The disappointment that's going to be, and
not to throw more cold water on it, that's going
to be the first season that Mike Castings has had
from the junior level through college without a winning record.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
That's pretty remark shows how great of a coach he
has been in college.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Give him he's one of the best. It is what
it is.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
He said, we were so close to getting them in
the tournament, if they would have gott to five hundred.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
We kept talking there.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
They win this weekend, they're close to five hundred, win there,
and Mike is just that's amazing that this.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
Is going to be his first year without losing.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Record number fifteen Quinnipiac. We were saying, boy, there are
chances of an at large bit or pretty slim. They're
hanging in there though. They're at number fourteen in the
pair wise, and they had wins over the weekend big ones,
seven to two over a good Union team, in six
to two over RPI. But they've really found some offense
(14:48):
thirty two goals in their last six games.
Speaker 6 (14:51):
That's incredible offensive production.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
By the way, obviously the thirteen this weekend, but we've
seen this story before. Quinnepiac really starts to play well
this time of year. I don't know why they tend
to have hiccups in their postseason tournament, their conference tournament.
Almost they become almost a better team in the NCAA tournament.
(15:14):
But this is they're going to go to Lake Plais
they'll puld likely get there, get through their quarterfinal round,
get to Lake Plais, then it's just finding a way
to win those two games. But this offense makes me
start to feel good about this Quinnipiac team. You get
to Lake Plat and you pump in ten, twelve, thirteen
goals over two games, you're probably walking out with the trophy.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Where did this come from?
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Because we were we kept going, is this a team
that we're gonna right off? Is this a team that's
going to be seventeen now all of a sudden, if
they continue doing what they're doing, they have the potential
a climb to where e SAC could be looking at
two bits and we knew that they had it, just
they they had such a tough nitt at points and
(16:01):
the league has got up, got some high.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
End teams that just are underperforming.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Cornell is just decimated with injuries and they were hot
at the beginning. Clarkson's still their dart myth. So you
do have some teams that have the ability to beat
a Quinnipiac in a one game knockout. We've seen that
story before, so now do you see it? And now
the SAC sneaks two teams in, It'll be that's some
sort of pay attention to down the stretch here.
Speaker 6 (16:29):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing they've got to keep winning.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
Move they want to get to the ECAC Championship weekend
and have the ability to lose and still getting They're
going to have to move up quickly here. They're still
technically right on the cut line because they are the
only ECAC team at fourteen.
Speaker 6 (16:49):
I guess you can call them out large.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
I can say that they but they'll they're going to
need the auto bid still unless they can put together
a few wins here heading into Lake Placid that they
can move themselves significantly up, probably to twelve. I think
they'd have to pass both UMass which is thirteen, Michigan
at twelve and the pair wise so that they can
(17:11):
get to Lake Placid and know that they don't have
to win both games to make the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
That's going to be tough right now. Those games in
conference are not going to help them too much.
Speaker 6 (17:23):
No, they won't help them a ton.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
But if they can finish out, if they can get
to Lake Placid without another loss, they're probably in an
that large position.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
But we're going to take a pause and look at
standings around the leagues as the races heat up towards
the end of This episode is sponsored by the NCAA
Men's d one Frozen four April tenth and twelfth in
Saint Louis, Missouri. There is a flash sale on tickets
starting today through Sunday, February twenty third. Get your tickets
(17:53):
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Speaker 4 (18:06):
The NCAA Men's Frozen four the pinnacle of men's collegiate
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Speaker 3 (18:12):
Question, Professor, NCAA Men's Hockey is back.
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Speaker 4 (18:33):
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Speaker 2 (18:38):
We're back with usc CHO weekend review. Let's take a
look around the leagues in standings right now. Let's start
out in alphabetical order with Atlantic Hockey America. Fully Cross
is five points ahead of Bentley and six points ahead
of Sacred Heart with two games remaining. Holy Cross and
Bentley have a Thursday game and then holy Cross will
(19:00):
finish up next Monday against AIC in a game rescheduled.
Anything besides a regulation win for Bentley clinches the regular
season for Holy Cross. And they have been a steamroller
through Atlantic Hockey over the last two three months.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Yeah, they didn't. They haven't really lost. They lost some points,
but they haven't lost any games. They wanted to shootout
against US, and they won two other games in overtime.
But they're on something like a sixteen game on beaten streak,
I think, and that's pretty impressive because this has been
Sacred Hearts champion Championship from day one. They've had the
(19:42):
lead until they've gotten wired to wire until this past week,
and now it's it looks like it's going to be
awful hard Pay eliminated, and it's going to be awful
hard for Bentley to stop Bully Cross from winning that championship.
And they're doing it with good goaltending, good defense, fly
scoring with Stockfish and mcclinsky, Thomas Gale's Richter finalists. This
(20:07):
is a team that's hot right now. And you see
the top five of all got buys. I don't think
there's a lot of movement that can happen amongst that group.
It looks like it's probably going to end up fully
Cross Bentley, Sacred Heart, then Niagara Army Ish right there,
and there's a group that's battling for I think six
(20:31):
through ten, six through eleven in that range, and then
Merciers can't climb out of the bottom. So there's still
a lot of boopmit. But this is the last weekend
of the year. We're talking end of the year. We're
talking playoffs in two weeks right now.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
And where that bottom six ends up could all be
determined by a game next Monday, two days after everybody
finishes up. So somebody at about ten o'clock Monday evening
Eastern time is going to be scrambling, possibly to have
to fly out to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
Well, you know what, it's not even just flying out.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
It's getting a bus and getting a tinerer, are in,
doing hotels and making meals. It's gonna be a tough
week for I guess the teams that's finished sixth through eleven,
eleven is gonna have to figure out where they're going.
Ten and nine Right now it looks like one of
(21:26):
those three. Hopefully we can find a way to eight
so I can save that hassle this next.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Week or Monday. You're gonna see me with even more
gray hair.
Speaker 6 (21:37):
That's not hard though.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Oh look at you, you got a full out of gray.
Speaker 5 (21:41):
Yeah, I just take put some more numbers behind Hotly
Cross of late. So they lost two games out at
that Coachella tournament in California, and that was three straight losses.
They lost to LU to start the second half, lost
two more. They haven't lost since they had a shootout win.
Everything else is as a tie. They yeah, top ty
(22:04):
got win, but they want to shootout is what I'm saying,
and then everything else is a win. There was two
of those came in overtime one against Bentley, one against Canisius.
But they have been really running things and I look
at you mentioned Thomas Gaale in net now a Richter finalist.
Number of goals given up, this is going back to
the Robert Morris weekend on January tenth. One two two
(22:27):
one two three two one two zero one three three
goals twice against. In that span twelve games, eleven zero one.
Holy Cross has taken his championship and made it their own.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I would argue that he could be the MVP of
the league. Everybody wants to go and give it to mcclinsky.
I could argue that Gayle is the MVP of the league.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Let's turn to the Big ten, Michigan State. They've got
a three point lead over both Minnesota and Ohio State.
Everybody's got four games left. That's a nice race. Probably
a good time right now for Michigan State to have
had a bye weekend. It's not right up against playoffs
where you might have two or three weeks off and
(23:14):
we get a couple of bumps and bruises healed up.
But this looks like this will be horse race right
down to the last game.
Speaker 5 (23:19):
We're timing to get a bye week this late in
the season and that's really nice.
Speaker 6 (23:24):
And then now they'll get Penn State in Notre Dame.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
Notre Dame series is on the road of Penn States
at home. I like Michigan State in this race here.
I think that they'll they might get to the finish
line here without posting of the loss. They have not
swept a weekend in a little bit of time. I
know they've had some injuries in that span, but I
(23:48):
still think that they'll be fine. They are looking for
their first two regulation back to back wins in the
same weekend though since the GLI that was the last
time that they won both games.
Speaker 6 (24:00):
Is the same weekend back to back?
Speaker 4 (24:02):
What a race?
Speaker 5 (24:03):
Yes, in World two, but I'm just saying they had
some overtime wins, but the actual last two regulation back
to backs Michigan State was all the way back in December.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
You're talking to you. You've got so many teams that
are just playing well in the Big ten right now,
even you go to Penn State, They've made some massive climes.
Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, all of them. They're
all anybody can beat anybody. You talk about they haven't
got back to back wins. But if you're getting four
(24:35):
points on a weekend, that's a good weekend right now.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
And teams are doing that.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
So it's I know that we keep becoming believers of
Ohio State.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
It's still they're still lurking there. They're still lurking.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
You mentioned Notre Dame and I got to bring this up.
The tangent here two fridays in a row. I think
it is they were on the road long end for
them of a questionable non goalie interference call the one
this past friday. They're goaltender Owen Say with one foot
(25:10):
in the crease, one just outside the crease, getting set
for what might be a pass out front puck carrier
takes out, says right legs, spins them around, comes around, say,
puts it in the net. Officials decide it's not goaltender interference.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
I looked at the rule book.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
I think Notre Dame has a case, but I'm not
going to argue one way or the other. I'm going
to say, come on, you got to get this figured
out in the rule book and in the interpretations and
in the videos so people aren't questioning it all season long.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
You know what you're The problem that you have is
everybody's got different video systems.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
Everybody's got different video systems.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
What some people have different camera angles, which shouldn't be allowed.
Everybody's got different things that you see from game to
begin and some ranks here are outstanding, some aren't. I
think that it's there almost has to be a uniform,
same per league of what everybody can see. You can't
(26:12):
see something different, and I think that's part of the
problem right now, is that not everybody's got the same
video systems, and then without the same system there becomes
problems with how things are called.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
So I'm gonna that's to me.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
That's something that I'm on a kick right now, is
that everything's got to be the same all across.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
If we can get it all across college hockey.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
Then maybe we would then there wouldn't be those questionable
calls because everybody would know everything going into the buildings.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Yeah, I agree with you the schools one, and that
this is the probably the biggest issue with how college
hockey operates is that there's too much happens within six
different bubbles. In those six bubbles being the componferences, there's
not enough standardization, and even within certain conferences, schools are
(27:07):
allowed to get away with not making the same investment
in their video replay technology and stuff like that. That
I just think. I look at the NHL and I
know that's very different. That's corporate that's got a lot
of money behind it. Everybody is on the layer level
playing field, but at the same time they're not. Every
team out there is not spending the same amount of money.
(27:29):
There's haves and have nots. But the leading said, if
you want to be part of our league, you need
to put in these things inside of your building. I
think that is where we have to get to with all,
not just in this stuct just hockey, it's every sport.
Every if you go to school A in school Z
walking in should feel the same in terms of what
(27:51):
the facility is, what their actual resources are, in what
you have in terms of camera angles, and there's a
lot of things.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
Locker rooms.
Speaker 5 (28:01):
We don't even have close standards for locker rooms and
what teams are provided. In college hockey, it varies league
to league, So I think that there's a lot of
room for improvement schools. The question I always get is
who's going to spearheaded.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
And the second one is and who's going to enforce
it because leagues have standards that they don't enforce and
I'm not even going to go down that road. I
did want to bring up one other thing on video though.
If you're going to have video, even if you don't
have it on a broadcast, you need a camera on
the other side of the ice. I saw a couple
(28:38):
of replay issues over the weekend where things happened along
the near boards and you just could not see an
angle because of where the broadcast cameras were coming from.
That view was blocked or even obscured by the glass
or a stanchion. If you're going to have video, you
got to look at that too. But how many cameras
(28:59):
you you're going to have. Typically you're going to have,
I say you've got six replay cameras. You're going to
have a wide view, a closer in view from the broadcast.
You're going to have blue line cameras, and goal overheads.
Maybe you'll have some other views like that, but not
all of those are going to be available on all
the replay systems. Yeah, there's some blind spots for sure
(29:23):
in that. Well, why don't we go on to the CCHA.
I took us off off Tangent there. But Minnesota State
needs five more points for its last four games to
clinch the regular season. It's a points percentage in the
CCHA this year with the addition of Augustana, which only
played sixteen games in league, Augustana finishes with a six
(29:44):
twenty five win percentage. Minnesota State is six ninety seven.
So five points and four games should not be too
tall in order. And if they don't get those, they've
got more things to worry about.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
I don't like to crown a champion before it's actually crown,
but Minnesota State's put themselves in really good position here.
Augustana did everything. They gave him a nice run down
the stretch are in. Minnesota State had to find ways
to win games. But they've gotten the winning percentage high enough.
And this also factors in other teams that could potentially
catch them in terms of actual overall points. Every everybody
(30:18):
else in the league plays the same number of games,
so you can really just look at points instead of
point percentage. So this the five points that they need
over these last four games that would not only give
them the high enough winning percentage, but also make sure
I sure that they at least finish tied with the
with any team that could potentially catch them.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
I'm glad that it played out this way.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
I would have hated to see you and all kudos
to Augustan of what they've done this year because they've
been one of the biggest prizes in college hockey in
my opinion, but I would have it would have been
a It would have been a hard pill or an
asterisk on it if they would have got it with
playing a lot lost games.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
But I get why they're in the LEGA and they deserve.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
To be in the legas, but I like to see
the champion played the amount of games in my opinion.
Speaker 6 (31:14):
Yeah, I have to agree with you there.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
And we got to talk with Augustana's coached about a
week and a half ago, and what a fantastic impression
he makes. But you still, I didn't like the fact
that they were using winning percentage, and I know that
they rush things to get Augustana into the league for
this season. You wish you could they just altered schedules
(31:38):
and all that sort of stuff, but when he did it,
but they did it, they got through it. And it
seems at this point that Minnesota State, a team that
played the full schedule, will win.
Speaker 6 (31:49):
I agree that's probably the fitting ending.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Schools under the ECAC. We talked a little bit before
about Quinnipiac. They have a four point lead over Clarkson
points over Union and Colgate four games remaining in that conference.
Quinnipiac doesn't have too tall in order to get there.
Speaker 6 (32:10):
They don't.
Speaker 5 (32:12):
I guess the thing about the ECAC that maybe surprises
me is not the fact that Cornipiac has the lead
and probably a pretty good position to win another regular
season championship. It's more of the teams that we're not
talking about in here. Ornell sitting down in fifth place,
they're tied with Dartmouth. Those were the darlings early in
(32:34):
this season. I know at times we've mentioned Harvard and Brown.
It's that fourteen, that quartet Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Brown. They
currently take those five through eight spots in the ECAC.
Though it stands out that neither Cornell or Dartmouth's even
in this race as we get down.
Speaker 6 (32:52):
The home stretch here.
Speaker 5 (32:54):
But the fact that we're seeing Union and Colgate in there,
I think is fantastic This has been a nice season
for Union of the way that they put this together.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Yeah, Josh has to be considered. Josh Hauji has to
be considered one of the favorites for a Coach of
the Year. With Union there still hoping for a Cornell run,
to see Mike Shafer go out with another tournament there.
Speaker 4 (33:18):
But they need to get healthy.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
And it's that's the day and age that we're in
right now, injuries and battling through it. I think you're
going to see a lot of it, a lot more
of it as we move forward with roster limitations. So
until Cornell gets healthy, they need to get their full
roster back in action. And surprise that they're not there
surprised at Dartmouth after we were I think it was
(33:42):
at their Christmas time.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
We thought that they were potentially gonna be the team
to beat in that league.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
We'll move on to Hockey East and I will say
about ECAC as we look at standings easy as is
the only league with a nice balanced schedule and an
even number of teams. It's it's easy to look at things.
They're a Hockey East BC and Maine are tied for first.
There's six points ahead of third place Boston University. Most
(34:08):
of the teams in the league have five games remaining.
Is this going to be a two team horse race
to the engine.
Speaker 5 (34:15):
It's starting to feel that way, especially this weekend with
Maine catching BC. BU is still mathematically in it, and
I guess UMass loll and Yukon.
Speaker 6 (34:26):
Technically are mathematically in it, but not. It's a real
long shot you're talking about.
Speaker 5 (34:34):
Yukon is thirteen points out of first place, only fifteen
points remaining available roles in that same kind of a situation,
I feel like BC and Maine it will come down
to their battle.
Speaker 6 (34:49):
BC does hold the tie breaker way way back.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
In November, I think it was they swept a two
game series in Chestnut Hill, so they hold the tiebreaker
for the number one overall seed. Something that kind of
struck me when I was doing some work this weekend
on the unh main series that Maine has not won
a Hockey East regular season championship since nineteen ninety five.
Speaker 6 (35:12):
That's a really long time.
Speaker 5 (35:14):
They lost in the national title game to be you
that year and Sean Walsh.
Speaker 6 (35:18):
Was still the coach. It's been quite some time for me.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Wow, that's crazy to think of it that way. That
they haven't won that in that long that's one year
after I graduated. That just shows you that has in
the main had juggernauts back then. They were Koreas and
brothers that were there, the Ferraro brothers that they were
(35:42):
really good to see that they haven't won that one
in that long time, but they have won a national
championship since.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
You'll take that as well.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
But think about what Ed said, A three a two
horse team race, and so we had team of forces,
now ed is that out right?
Speaker 7 (35:58):
And just a two horse race or two teams in
the race. That's a two team, two hyphen team horse race.
Punctuation matters and you can't see punctuation. What was it
the pianistic comedian Victor Borga, He used to do a
bit where he would sound out all the different punctuation
(36:19):
and he'd make a noise for a comma in a period.
But if you graduated a year before main one, that
then Victor Borga is a lost a lost cultural reference
on you and most of our listeners.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
So we'll move on to the end.
Speaker 4 (36:34):
I need spell check on that one.
Speaker 5 (36:36):
I was gonna say, schools is like really working hard
to put his Western Michigan degree to good use.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
Today, I took typing class. What do you talk to
you about?
Speaker 2 (36:45):
You're talking to the guy who, in a broadcast this
weekend worked in W Edwards deming and consistent improvement as
he helped reindustrialize Japan after World War Two. As an
analogy for teams getting better each week, I'm going to
dig up the odd references.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
All right, I will say one thing.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
I will top of you because I used a word
in there that I probably shouldn't have used on my
broadcast to my postgame.
Speaker 4 (37:13):
It began with an F and probably shouldn't have used
that one.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Wow. See that's why on the radio we have delay units. Anyway, NZCHC, boy,
we've gone off the rails here. Western Michigan remains in
the driver's seat, six points ahead of Arizona State and
eight ahead of Omaha, two games in hand on both teams.
Western Michigan and Arizona State play in Tempe this weekend,
(37:40):
so there are three total weekends left, if that all
makes sense. But Western Michigan, if they keep rolling, it's
their league.
Speaker 6 (37:48):
It becomes a big weekend in Tempe.
Speaker 5 (37:51):
Obviously, Arizona State doesn't control much destiny here. They can
win this weekend here, sweep the weekend, get also points,
then they'll be tied.
Speaker 6 (38:01):
But Western will still have two more games to play.
Speaker 5 (38:04):
And we love the game in hands analogy here or
games in hand analogy, but you's.
Speaker 6 (38:10):
Still got to go out and win them.
Speaker 5 (38:12):
So there's still some hope for teams like in Arizona
State or maybe even Omaha, but this feels like it's
Western and good for Pat Berschweiler his club from day one.
They've been a really good team this season, consistent the
entire way, playing some of their best hockey down the stretch.
(38:33):
That they deserved this regular season title one percent.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
I spoke about them earlier and without Steve Metcalps here
b say oh we know that spills the Western Michigan
grad Today I will I will say that I've said
my piece on the Broncos. I think that they've done
a tremendous job. They just need to take the next step.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
And it's strange to see both North Dakota and Denver
out of the picture for the top of the league.
They split over the weekend, so that was a good
win for North Dakota on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
And those two teams, by the way, are probably going
to fight it out for the fourth and fifth playoff spots,
so that home ice in the quarterfinals. That's that's pretty
shocking as well, that they're not in the race for first. Fine,
but one of those teams probably is going to be
playing the other on.
Speaker 6 (39:26):
The road to start the playoffs. It's close that there's plenty.
Speaker 5 (39:29):
Of teams that can do that, but it's not likely
that both of those teams are going to get home
ice in the quarterfinals.
Speaker 3 (39:36):
We got Colorado College and that's the one of the
bigger crazy stories because remember when they were undefeated for
a little bit, Yeah they were, they were under yeah,
and that now they're you're looking at potentially North Dakota, Denver,
and colorad College all finishing four five and six. Not potentially,
(39:57):
I don't think there's they would need some it's crazy
things to happen for them not to finish four five
and six.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
They've got two points separating all three of them.
Speaker 6 (40:06):
Get home ice in the quarters. Two of them will
be on the road.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Wow, that just shows you why they play the games,
all right.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
That's been a Remember was undefeated at the beginning two yes, they.
Speaker 5 (40:18):
Were it's true, and they still hold such a nice
pairwise spot because of how how well they did out
of conference.
Speaker 6 (40:26):
It's been in the conference that they've had some bumps
in the road.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
With that, we're going to wrap up this edition of
Weekend Review. This episode has been sponsored by the NCAA
Men's Division. One Frozen four, April tenth and twelfth in
Saint Louis, Missouri. There's a flash sale going on right
now through Sunday, February twenty third, twenty twenty five. Get
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(40:53):
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