February 3, 2025 • 44 mins
Hosts Jim Connelly (@jimmyconnelly), Derek Schooley (@derekschooley), and Ed Trefzger (@EdTrefzger) review games of the weekend and news of the week.
Major topics include Minnesota's sweep over Wisconsin, positioning them closely behind Michigan State in the Big Ten. The hosts discuss Arizona State's impressive performance in the NCHC and the unexpected success of newcomers like Augustana in the CCHA. Additionally, they cover results from Atlantic Hockey and other key matchups in that conference. The potential implications of the House vs NCAA class action lawsuit, specifically on roster limits and financial structures in college sports, are analyzed in detail.
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men's Division I Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. Get your tickets now at ncaa.com/frozenfour
Times are approximate:
00:15 Introduction and sponsorship
00:35 Big Ten race heats up
05:49 Wisconsin's slim NCAA tournament hopes
08:22 Arizona State's impressive NCHC run
15:59 Augustana's unexpected championship bid
23:20 BC Prepares for the Beanpot
24:52 Northeastern and Harvard's performance recap
26:08 Day-to-Day player conditions and team challenges
29:04 Denver's dominant victory over Omaha
30:52 Atlantic Hockey standings and key matchups
35:40 House vs NCAA class action lawsuit update
44:38 Concluding thoughts and sponsor message
Major topics include Minnesota's sweep over Wisconsin, positioning them closely behind Michigan State in the Big Ten. The hosts discuss Arizona State's impressive performance in the NCHC and the unexpected success of newcomers like Augustana in the CCHA. Additionally, they cover results from Atlantic Hockey and other key matchups in that conference. The potential implications of the House vs NCAA class action lawsuit, specifically on roster limits and financial structures in college sports, are analyzed in detail.
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men's Division I Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. Get your tickets now at ncaa.com/frozenfour
Times are approximate:
00:15 Introduction and sponsorship
00:35 Big Ten race heats up
05:49 Wisconsin's slim NCAA tournament hopes
08:22 Arizona State's impressive NCHC run
15:59 Augustana's unexpected championship bid
23:20 BC Prepares for the Beanpot
24:52 Northeastern and Harvard's performance recap
26:08 Day-to-Day player conditions and team challenges
29:04 Denver's dominant victory over Omaha
30:52 Atlantic Hockey standings and key matchups
35:40 House vs NCAA class action lawsuit update
44:38 Concluding thoughts and sponsor message
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 (00:14):
Welcome to us Echo Weekend review from Monday, February third,
twenty twenty five. This episode is sponsored by the NCAA
Men's Division one Frozen four April tenth and twelfth in
Saint Louis, Missouri. Get your tickets now at NCAA dot
com slash Frozen four. I'm ed Trefsker alongside Jim Connolly
(00:35):
and Derek Scooley. There was some really big two game
sweeps among the top twenty over the past weekend, and
right at the top of the list for me is
number four Minnesota really handling big time rival Number seventeen
Wisconsin five two and four to one. Those two wins,
combined with Michigan State's weekend split with number twelve Ohio State,
(00:57):
what's the Gophers within just two points of the sport
in what is quickly becoming a two horse of Big
ten race.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
We saw this coming, that this had the potential to
really become just two teams, and I think we've gotten there.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
And now you look at who each team still plays.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Both are going to play Michigan still, both are going
to play Penn State. The difference is the third opponent.
There's only six games left for both of these schools.
Notre Dame is Michigan State's third opponent. Ohio State is
Minnesota's third opponent. I don't know if I can separate
those two schedules in terms of one being easier than
(01:32):
the other. They're both basically the same in Ohio State
to Notre Dame. I know no Ohio State's ranked higher,
but Notre Dame can give any opponent bits on any night,
So I don't feel like it feels like this should
be something where Michigan State can close this out. But
when you're talking about less than a game separating both teams,
(01:55):
something like not getting the extra point in a shootout
or going overtime instead of winning in regulation, that could
be what decides the regular.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Season Big Tank Championship Right now.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
I don't know where what side of the bed you
woke up on, but when you're playing a team that's
nine and six, one zero, two to two or whatever
the heck that is with twenty eight points compared to
three twelve, one, one two, two and eleven points, I
think there's a big difference in the strength. I think
if you're playing Ohio State comparably to Notre Dame. I
(02:26):
think that's a big challenge. So when you're saying, oh,
I don't know if there's a difference in the strength
of schedule, Yes, Notre Dame can beat anybody. We've all
talked about anybody can beat anybody on a given night.
But I got right now, I've got the edge as
far as schedule. It goes to Michigan State and they've
got the lead. They're playing with it right now, so
(02:49):
they're playing with house money. They're ahead, and they've got
the easier schedule. In my opinion, I'm looking at Michigan
State right now as the favorites, and it is a
two horse race because really, if you look at there's
only eighteen points left and right now, Michigan State's twelve
points up on Ohio State and Minnesota's ten points up
(03:10):
on Ohio State while playing each other. So there's a
big gap. You're looking at the Big Ten championship coming
out of school that starts with a letter.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
M, and it's not Michigan.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
He had a three to seven chance on that one.
But yeah, you're right, I.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Think Michigan State should be seen as the team that
has the edge here. But there's no room for error
for either team, So absolutely not. That's something that you
got to keep in your head. Is that even if
if you're protecting a one goal lead in the final
minute of a game and you give up an extra
attacker goal end up in overtime, that you just lost
a point in the standings, that could be very costly.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Let me ask you this, and I know Michigan State
was there last year, they wanted it at the Big
Ten Championship, But this is the marathon, This isn't the sprint.
Do you give an edge to Minnesota because of experience
of being there before? I still think Michigan State's a
little bit young without looking at rosters experience wise of
(04:13):
being in these big scenarios. Minnesota is there every year
in Michigan State. To their credit, they've made a big
charge back. But do you give it an edge to
Minnesota a little bit on experience in this marathon here?
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Maybe it certainly is worthy of a conversation.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Bob Mosco has coached some big games against some really
big teams, but so is Adam Nightingale. When you really
think about it, it's now it comes down to the
personnel in the locker room. I just feel like Michigan
State all season long has been pretty consistent. Now does
that make me question the last couple of weekends in
(04:54):
the fact that they don't take sweeps as easily as
they were earlier in the season. Maybe the fact that
Minnesota is coming off a fantastic two games sweep of Wisconsin,
which was playing well coming in. I guess that's one
where if we were watching Michigan State take six points
(05:16):
every weekend, I'd have less concern. But they only got
four points against Michigan, they got five against Minnesota, and
they got three against Ohio State. That's they'll last three weekends.
And you can even go back to Penn State. They
only got four against Penn State and only got five
out of six against Wisconsin. So they have not been
taking six points for five consecutive weekends of Big ten plus.
(05:39):
Does that mean something? I think we have to let
it play out. But that goes to your point, Derek,
is that concerning?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Maybe you mentioned Minnesota sweeping Wisconsin. That puts the Badgers
three games blow five hundred to eleven, fourteen and three.
They have Penn State, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. They
go on the road where the Buckeyes, but their route
to the NCAA Tournament is getting very slim. If they
want to end the regular season above five hundred, they've
(06:08):
got to go five and one in those last few games,
and they're six to eleven and one right now in
the Big Ten. Obviously, if they win the Big Ten tournament,
they're in, but then they've got to win four or
five five out of five games. They've got to win
four out of five games in the Big Ten tournament
(06:28):
to get to that too. If they win out and
lose the tournament, there's still a slim chance. But right
now things are getting pretty tight, the doors closing on them.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Well, the win out part is the hardest part right
because they haven't put together a big winning streak all season.
They had a nice unbeaten streak with November where I
think it was let's say they were five four to
zero to one, but that's hard to replicate. They don't
have any of the M teams left. Michigan State, Minesota,
(07:00):
they're done with them, but they still have Penn State,
Ohio State, Notre Dame, that Ohio State series on the road.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I think it's a tall task.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
I don't see obviously it's mathematically feasible less than ten
percent chance to get into the tournament, But I don't
see the path for Wisconsin to the NCAA tournament unless
they win the Big Ten Championship.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
They go four and two maybe and then you win
three and then losing the finals because I think you're
two out of three in the first round in the
Big Ten.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
Are they with them? And then pull out a win.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
There's that's really seven in two that puts your five
games over. Is that going to be enough? I don't know,
and it's that's a hard road. You do have two
teams that are blow you in the standings at Penn
State and Notre Dame, and you've got a ten point
gap bottom, so you should be favored in those, especially
at home.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
But Ohio State's the big key. So I still think
there might.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Be a chance of four and two and then are
running the Big Ten championships, but you're gonna have to
beat where they're at the standards. You have to beat
one of the ams up front and then or maybe
one of the o's.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
I'm not saying this definitively, but you'll almost feel right
now is it's a really good finish four and two,
five in one and you have to reach the Big
Ten championship game.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
That sounds about right. Let's look at the NCC number twelve,
Arizona State. They kept things rolling. They swept Miami seven
to one and four to one, gain some points on
Western Michigan, which split with Colorado College, so they're now tied.
We have Western Michigan, but the Broncos still have two
(08:40):
games in hand. We think we've talked about this quite
a bit. We knew that Greg Powers would have a
good team. I don't think anybody out there. Maybe you did, Derek.
You have some insight information more than we do, being
a coach, But I think they're doing better than just
about anybody expected.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
No, I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
I still didn't see them being at the upper echelon
of the NCCHC in year one. I thought you were
talking a four or five sixth range. But they did
do a good job with transfers. They did what they
had to do. They went to Miami, continued Miami's massive
losing streak, which is the worst in their the history
(09:21):
of Miami hockey, and they only gave up one goal.
Big loss, though got hurt. They took him off on
a stretcher. They say he could be back this weekend,
but that is a big watch for them. But they
have been getting scoring. They got eleven goals this weekend.
And you said that Western Michigan split as an alump.
(09:42):
They did not. They took four or six points. They
just lost in overtime. So they did what they needed
to do on the road. I'm going to protect the
Broncos there a little bit ed just if it was
the Tigers, you'd be protecting the Tigers. Going from there,
I think that it's we're they're ahead of pace. They're
ahead of pacing the Desert, that's for sure, and they're
they've got the ability to do some good things, and
(10:05):
potentially they keep winning, you're gonna see them close that
gap on Ohio State and with pairwise and potentially be
start getting to where they're a locked.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
I feel like this Arizona State team has put themselves
in as good of a position as they possibly could have.
You're talking about being at the top of the NCAAC
here in the final few weeks of the season that
you're talking about being better than a fifty percent chance
to make the NCAA tournament, sir, they'd love to be
up where like a Boston University or somebody higher than
(10:36):
that would be right now in the pair wise where
you're ninety two ninety three percent, but just to be
better than fifty percent. I feel like Arizona State they're
playing some of their best hockey right now. If they
keep this rolling there and they'll be in the tournament
and maybe, just maybe they take a regular season championship
in the NCAAC, which.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
I just I'm sorry. You can point to whatever you
want there.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Nobody could have seen this coming in year one in
the NCCHC, that Arizona State would be right there and
in competition with four or five weeks left in the
regular season to win the regular season championship.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
So since a three game losing streak November eight, nine,
and fifteen, and one of those losses was overtime, they
gave up one point against the luth where they won
it overtime, they lost an overtime in North Dakota, and
they lost to Colorado College. Since November fifty, they've basically
(11:33):
lost and this includes don conference games, so let's just
stow your don the non conference games out there. They've
won they've only lost one game in regulation since November.
They've lost they won one in regulation, one one and
overtime and lost.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
One and over time.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
That is pretty impressive.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
It's phenomenal.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
That's that's a streak that you expect the team to
be number one. They had such when they were injured
early in the season, didn't have a lot of their
personnel to start the season. That early seasons start put
them so far behind the eight ball. When you're talking
about numbers one regulation loss since early November, seventeen games.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
That should be a number one team in the country.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
But they the month of October was so punishing to
Arizona State when they were nursing some injuries. They put
themselves behind them. This is a dangerous team. Don't doubt that.
If they get into the tournament, they are dangerous.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
So two of those games are against the development team.
Two of them were at the Desert Classic. I saw
them beat US seven to three and dismantled Cornell for nothing.
You're talking seventeen games, one regulation loss, one overtime loss,
and they had to go to overtime another time and
they won against the louth. That's thank you said, that's
(12:53):
I said, it's impressive, but it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Am I doing the math right?
Speaker 4 (12:57):
They have gotten all but six points in the NCCHC
play since the season started, Is that right? I?
Speaker 1 (13:05):
We would have to pull up the standings here real quick.
But they've played sixteen games sixteen times three is forty
eight and they've got they've lost fourteen points.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Okay, fourteen, so that is still pretty impressive.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
There were their percentages seven aweight.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Look at Western Michigan, so we're talking that's pretty impressive
at thirty four points. Western Michigan has played two West
games in them, so they've got thirty four points out
of forty two.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Yeah, look at the good teams that played really good
hockey this year.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Yeah, those are that's got to be here. That Tho's
got to be tournament teams. We know Western is, but
that's got to be a tournament team. If not them,
who else?
Speaker 3 (13:50):
In the irony?
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Is?
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Almost all of the points that Arizona State has left
on the table this season have come against Colorado College.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Three losses in regulation to Colorado College.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Have you got that help in the tournament and you're.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Not doing great in the NCHC right now?
Speaker 4 (14:07):
I take that back actually CC was one overtime loss,
so you're talking about eight loss points out of fourteen
came against Athamoto College. That's another team. Don't sleep on
that team. Watching them this past weekend against Western, they
were an impressive team.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
And a softer than usual non conference winning percentage for
the NCHD is dragging Arizona State down a little bit
in the pairwise. In a normal year with that kind
of a record in that league, they'd be like six
seven eight in the pairwise, and.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I think that they Arizona State probably takes some responsibility
for that. They had no overtime loss to air Force,
a loss to Michigan, a tie against Michigan, two losses
against Providence on the road, so they they understand that
they're part of the lack of non conference success for
the league. But again that's all going back to the
(15:01):
month of October when it was a different team in Tempe.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
You had you also had they had a lead on
air Force. We talked about last minute goals. They had
a lead and then they're de over skated the puck
behind the net, which created a they went they had
the puck in their offensive zone. Because we were I
was watchings and they went to go back to their point.
Man with the pass went all the way down the
ice the deep instead of holding an en it goes
(15:27):
all the way down the ice, are keeping up low.
They go back, they turn it over, ends up in
their net. They lose, and then they lose on a
four on three goal in overtime. And next thing for
your that could be we talk about losses in October.
You get that win on the road comparatively to a
loss on the overtime loss on the road, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
And then you talk about that game against air Force,
and the Falcons have done been on a bit of
a skid, so that makes it even worse. Right now
for Arizona State, look at number nineteen Augustana, who I
think might go up in the polls considering everybody else
is sagging. And let me just drop in a note
here talking about teams in the poll and voting in
(16:12):
the poll by the top five six seven spots in
the pole ballot are pretty easy. And then you get
after that, and it's somebody pointed out to us on
a comment on uscho dot com. One man's parody is
another man's mediocrity. And there seems to be just this mushy,
(16:32):
mediocre middle that by the time you get past maybe
the top twelve or so, it's like throw them in
a blender or throw them in a in a in
a bingo thing and pull out whichever one. I don't
know how you feel about the ballot, Jim. Once you
get past the upper part, it's tough to see. But
Augustana with a weekend sweep, may see themselves moving up
(16:54):
a little bit six three and four to three over
a Lake Superior State. There's seven twenty two in the CCHA.
Minnesota State lost got two points with the overtime win
against Saint Thomas, dropping the Mavericks winning percentage to six
sixty seven. So Augustana is right now currently in first
place in that league. They play this weekend and Augustana
(17:16):
just has four league games left.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Let me ask you this, and I'm sitting here and
I read the show notes and all that, and we
all knew that this is I think we talked about
two or three weeks ago when you said Augustana's way
behind and all that, and then we realized.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
That it's precent edge points.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Do you think the CCHA and dalo Chia very very
smart man, very good commissioner had any idea that this
could end up being Augustana's way to win the championship,
because if you play sixteen games, I just don't see
that being a league champion. I'm sorry you didn't play
the same amount, you didn't play everybody. I just don't
(17:57):
see that how that that's right opinion. I don't think
when they envisioned that when they brought them in, I
don't think it was envisioned that this that they could know.
So hats off to Augustana. They've done a phenomenal job.
You can't take away from the job Garrett or Boint's
done there, and they got an outstanding goalie and they're
running away with winning percentage wise.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
But you didn't see that coming, didn't you in your
two No, And I don't.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Know if that takes away from anything Augustan has done.
It It certainly actually doesn't. I can say that, no,
not at all. Does it create a weird situation in
the CECHA. There was a rush to get things moving.
Augustana was tournament eligible that you knew they were coming
into the league, so let's get them going.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
But we're not going to change the whole schedule. That's
probably where the error came in.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
And I think that despite the fact that it would
have been a headache from many schools, I think the
fact that you didn't just go and say, let's just
change the whole schedule or we'll wait a year one
or the other. By forcing it in, it's that square
pegging the round whole type of thing where unfortunately the
CCHA now opens themselves up to the fact that a
(19:10):
team that only plays sixteen league games could end up
winning the conference championship. If they win both games this weekend,
it almost becomes impossible for any other team to win.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
I think at that point they would have such.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
A lead on anybody else in terms of winning percentage
that they couldn't get caught. So that keep an eye
on what happens here this weekend against Minnesota State, Augustana
could fuck up the CCHA championship mathematically.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
So I don't know that it's ideal.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
A regular season champion is a little different than the
postseason champion.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
There's no automatic bid associated with it.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
There's still some work for Augustana to do to get
into an NCAA tournament, So maybe it's not not that
big of a deal at the end of the at
the end of the day, but it does seem a
little strange that the way the CCHA, you know, put
this in position that it could happen.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
I'm sure you didn't think that it would.
Speaker 4 (20:14):
But it's one of those things when you don't think
that something will happen, that's exactly when it happens and
you're left holding holding the jug.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
That's where we are right now with this. I get it.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
I don't love sixteen win our sixteen game champions It
goes back to the COVID year. Nobody liked the Hockey
East Power Index that was used to determine who won
the Hockey East Championship that year. But you have to
if you want to declare a champion, you get to
do something. Augustana could be a champion.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
After this weekend, they will have played everybody once and
coming up against Minnesota State and Michigan Tech, they're playing
two of the top three teams in the league.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
So if they beat them, they.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Deserve it, and they deserve it, and I keep saying,
but that being said, they're on the road against Minnesota
State and then they're home against TACK, So you get that.
Speaker 5 (21:06):
I guess the old saying to be the man, you
got to beat the man. They're beat. They got a
chance here to beat the man on the road.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
And.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
The whole thing with Augustana. I think some of that
was a little bit rushed. I'm not reading minds on
this when, but I think the teams in the CCHA
at the time they decided to do that were really
miffed about Saint Thomas out of nowhere saying that they
were leaving for the NCCHC. So that was a shot
back in that direction. But in any case, that brings
(21:37):
us to our break. We've got a lot more to cover.
But this episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men's d
one Frozen four April tenth and twelfth in Saint Louis.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
The NCAA Men's Frozen four of Men's Collegiate Ice Hawk Any.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Question, Professor, NCAA Men's Hockey is back. Are we ready?
Speaker 3 (22:08):
You prepared to hype your squad for all three periods?
Bring glory home to your camps? Oh?
Speaker 5 (22:15):
You're ready?
Speaker 4 (22:16):
It's Frozen four Tome the NCAAA Men's Frozen Pool April
tenth and twelfth, twenty twenty five and Saint Louis.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Buy your seats today at NCAAA dot com. So that's
frozen fool.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
We're back with us Echo Weekend review. Some other games
from this weekend. Number one BC took care of business.
They only had one game getting ready for the bean Pot.
That was against number eight U mass Lowell.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
For nothing.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Jacob Fowler is nursing something that their head coach, Greg
Brown says is day to day. Jan Korik came in
and made twenty two saves in the shutout. First of all,
it's got to make you feel good as a head
coach when your backup can get a goose egg like that.
But that's good news for BC taking care of business.
(23:04):
Should the Eagles be concerned? Will Follower be ready to
go tonight in the bean Pod?
Speaker 5 (23:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (23:10):
I think somewhere around seven thirty night, the PC faithful
can either get concerned or breathe a sigh of relief
when they see whether Jacob Foller takes warm ups or not.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
It came out of nowhere.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Wasn't a lot mentioned about it, but after the game,
Greg Brown just said day to day, I don't know,
could be something that he just wanted to give his
goalies some rest. I think BC fans somewhere around seven
thirty night, depending on whether games are running on time
and all that sort of stuff. Can they'll know once
PC comes on the ice for warm ups. If Jacob
(23:43):
followers in the lineup, I would assume that he was
something that it was precautionary on Friday night, that he'll
be ready to go tonight again for the bean Pot.
I think we'd have heard more if he wasn't. Pay
Yeah on court comes in post a shutout, you get
out of that trap game. Everybody thinks that Friday game
(24:05):
before the start of the bean Pot can be a
trap for these teams, and for BC and BU, they
decided to not make it a trap. They handled their
opponents pretty easily. Northeastern Harvard not so much. They got
out of that game against a good LOWLL team.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Four not thing shutout.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
That's a lole team that tied them and want to
shoot out earlier in the season. I'm sure that Greg
Brown breathes a sigh relief getting out of that game
and now we can play for bean Pot tonight.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
It's always good when play your backup and you get
a shutout.
Speaker 5 (24:38):
Always good.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
You look like if it was a precautioner, if it
was a day to day thing. They've got a quality backup,
and sometimes the teams play harder. Maybe they felt it
was a trap game, and you get your attention when
you play the backup and you got to play a
little bit harder.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
You have blocked that extra shot. Yeah, close, quicker. You
got to.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Defend harder, and you've seen it ed. How many times
have we seen it at Alantic hockey? When you play
the third goalie, fourth goalie, I think somebody played a
club goalie, a baseball player. I think you barely give
up any shots and you end up winning.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
So that's always something that you can look at.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
NCAA Hockey needs an ebug quick question for you, Derek.
This time of year you talk about day to day
looking at the sixty four teams in Division one and
taking an average across all of them, how many players
by percentage on a team or day to day by
this time of year anyway.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
There's really as you could probably tell my voys, there's
a sickness going around too. We dressed five defense but
on Friday night because of and one actually didn't practice
Wednesday or Thursday on I was telling Jimmy before you
got on ED when you if we were at the
twenty sixth man roster, we would address ten and five
(26:00):
on Friday night. Because of injuries. There's a lot of
day to days. There's a lot of week to weeks.
You saw Red Savage this week on Michigan State. That's
a big loss. We didn't talk about when with Michigan
State losing him. But I think that there's a lot
of day to day there's a lot of injuries.
Speaker 5 (26:18):
Right now.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
My phone's blown up with kids conveniently being sick on Mondays.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
Just joking.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
I know they are because it's going through a lot
of teams right now.
Speaker 6 (26:28):
So there's it could be that to be a flu
virus too, So there's a this is the time of
year where he saw Ai c last year, dress a
whole have a whole bunch of injuries and sickness.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
And that's the scary thing. And I know we're going
to talk about the house settlement. That's a scary thing
about the twenty six man roster. Like I said, we
would have been at we'd had three goalies, but we
would have been at nine and six and I don't know,
maybe ten and ten and five actually would have been
ten and five.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
Because we would have moved a D back a forward
back to D. I don't know how safe that is.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
I'll help you it.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
As a college hockey.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Yeah, And it makes me think of a national writer,
a college hockey writer three four years ago, who was
adamant with a statement that no college hockey player who
has an injury should be playing and nobody be able
to feel the team this time of year, everybody's got
aches and pains and bruises and something they're getting over.
And I'll just say this. I'm not going to put
(27:31):
it on you, Derek, but how many times when the
season is over then do you see teams with players
who have then gotten surgery at the end of the season,
or you see them in a sling, or you see
them on crutches or something when the season's over.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Lots, lots and guys, everybody's battling. The big one happened
now is the labrum surgery in your hips. It used
to be a groin pull or a hip flexer. Now
it's a torn labram. You get a repaired. Doctors are
making a lot of money on it. So the guys
played through it. They Iceter Groins, the ister hip boxers
(28:05):
next to you and o end of the year, they're
having they re paris. It happens a lot and shoulders.
You're talking, you have a couple on year unding surgeries
for sure.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Number five Denver, a night after a three to three
tie with Omaha, put up eleven goals on the Mavericks
eleven to two win. Their pretty big statement from du.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
I had to go through the box score and find
I was looking for hat tricks. I was looking for
some six to seven point games. Nobody had more than
four points, Nobody had more than two goals. There were
only four players that had more than two points in
the game for Denver. So this was one of those nights.
They put up eleven, but everybody contributed and it just
shows the power of Denver. This is an Omaha team
(28:49):
that has opened eyes at times this year. It obviously
good three to three tie the night before it did
not feel that way. I'm sure sure for Omaha the
next night that's a real tough loss to have to take.
But this it just shows this Denver team. We know
that their defense can be good, their goaltending can be outstanding.
(29:11):
But most importantly, they can score, and we we knew
that last year, and then they go into the national
tournament and basically put up two goals in every game
and win. This is a team that plays different styles.
You think of them as a high flying, powerful team.
That's what we saw on Saturday. But they can win
a two to one game, a one nothing game just
as easily.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
You talked about that.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
You looked at the box score going into the box score,
to nothing lead for Omaha.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
That's too one lead.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
After one, sixth in the second, four in the third, unanswered,
So you had a too nothing lead with eight to
go in the first, a goal with five minutes left,
and then we also off that bus in the second period,
six fallowed by four, so Omar had that lead.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
That's hockey.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
In Atlantic Hocky Sacred Heart swept Niagara, and not really
a sweep, five out of six, right Derek, three to
two and three two in overtime. I think the game
winning goal in that one came with seven seconds left,
shot from the left point that made it through. Pioneers
are five points ahead holy Cross. They swept Kenisius three
to two, four to one in Worcester holy Cross has
(30:27):
a couple of games in hand on Sacred Heart. I
think one of those is going to be played on
the Tuesday after everybody stops playing, maybe the Monday afterwards,
to make up a game when when AIIC didn't have
any goalies who were able to play, but six games
left for holy Cross, four games left for Sacred Heart.
(30:47):
Sacred Heart is flown a little under the radar. They
did very well in the Connecticut Ice Tournament. They lost
to Yukon, but that's a team to watch out for,
and like any team that makes it through from Atlantic
Cocky the NCAA tournament, you probably are not looking forward
to playing them.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
I think we talked about edges earlier and obviously you
got to give the edge to holy Cross right now.
I think you got to give them the edge as
far as schedule too. They're playing right now some of
the bottom teams. Holy Cross has rit Mercyhurst and ai
C as five of their last six, while Sacred Heart
(31:26):
this week has a red hot Army west Point and
Bentley who's also chasing a league titles. You got to
give the edge right now if you're doing the odds
or what we were talking about before the edge goes
right to the holy Cross in it, and they gave
up some points in some games in the start of
the year, but they're finding ways to get hot.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
Right now.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
They swept air Force. They had a big weekend this weekend.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
So there, right now you're talking the team to beat
Diagres played twenty one games. Bentley's got a little bit
of an outside shot with a game in hand to
pull with it a one. But right now I think
we're starting to get to be maybe potentially it's a
four team race. There's a separation between four and five,
and then after that there's a separation of the bottom four.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Right now, talking about holy Cross, Bill Riguez not only
put together a talented team, but he and his staff
have done an excellent job coaching, and it's a team
that follows his systems and just is playing some really
good hockey. He brought over a lot of what he
learned at Quinnapiac and in a league of very good coaches,
(32:34):
he's one of the very best.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
I think.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
I go back to the first year he was there
and I sat down with him a couple of times
that season and he said, Jimmy, I'm not used to
losing and this is hard. And I think it was
at that point, knowing I have no ability for a
long time, it knew almost at that point he's he
would turn this program around, he would get them winning.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
And it didn't take long.
Speaker 4 (33:00):
Got to an Atlantic Hockey Championship game near they made
the NCAA tournament, and now here he is in a race.
Now it goes back to what we always talk about.
Games in hand are wonderful, but you have to win them.
Now he's him and his team are in a position
that if they win their games in hand, they take
care of business, they control their destiny. They could win
a regular season title. Here they've got to go out
(33:21):
and win them now, though that's not sometimes the hardest
point because you can feel it you sit in this hand.
These are six teams, six opponents. Where supposed to be
six games left. We're supposed to win it all six
Now we have to actually go out and do it.
We can't leave points on the table, can't be losing
or tying and losing in a shootout and only getting
four points on a weekend.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
We've got to find ways to get five and six.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
It all comes down to one game on that Monday
night and that game, everybody's going to be waiting for
it because it's going to probably affect seating. The bottom
six teams in the league have to know where they're
going to go for a single game first round on
that Saturday. That could be decided by it. That things
could be. We've come down to the last weekend in
(34:06):
the league and teams can finish anywhere from like third
to ninth and depending on things. And you may see
the same thing with everybody sitting there watching flow hockey
on Monday night to see who ends up winning the league.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
Interesting.
Speaker 4 (34:19):
That's crazy too that you might be in a position
where you're thinking you're hosting on Saturday, or maybe you
think that you have a first round by and next
thing you're heading on the road. If things are that crazy,
I don't know if it'll be that close. Your scenario
changes significantly after a kind of this rogue Monday night game,
after you think the season should be.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Over, somebody might have to fly out the air force. Sure,
that's a potential, and that could Tuesday morning.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
Yeah, Tuesday morning could be a real shaker for some
athletic department out there.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Get the house versus NCAA Class action lawsuit some moving
parts with that front was the deadline for those who
had objections to it. Apparently more than forty objections were filed,
according to reports, including one that opposed having roster limits,
and Derek has been very vocal about that. That could
(35:15):
delay things. But then there's a group of student athletes
who have opted out of the class. They'll file their
own lawsuits. There's a bunch of stuff going on. Can
you guys explain from what you know about it, what's happening.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
The first thing that everybody and I'll let Jimmy give
his opinion on everything, because he read a lot about this.
Speaker 5 (35:34):
I've been following this the first this past date.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
That he talked about the opting in and objections and
all that. The objection date passed. The next date is
March first. That's when schools have to determine if they're
going to opt into the House settlement. So the schools
have to determine on March first if they're going to
opt in. Then after that, on April seventh, is when
(35:59):
the judge here's all the objections and then bases her
ruling if the House Settlement is going to even pass
or not, or if there's going to set to be
sent back postpone modifications, all that stuff, so there's some.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
Big time datates coming up.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
It makes zero sense to me that you have to
determine if you're going to opt in on March first,
when it's not even passed yet on April seven, and
it's getting towards the end of school. So I would
love it to be the other way, but I'm not
the date guy.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
This is really disruptive, I think to most athletic programs
you're talking about, You're trying to wrap up your winter sports,
you're trying to get into your spring sports, and this
is really hanging over your head. You don't know where
things are going to be financially next year. You don't
know where things are going to be in terms of
roster limits next year.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
You don't know what it is.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
Just so many unknowns with this in what Obviously there's
a long term effect on all college sports that will
come from this, but it is also the short term
of what does this mean for next season? Are you
suddenly paying your players next season? Is everybody on some
sort of a stipend slash salary that you didn't have
(37:15):
this year? Do you have to go out and find
some more money. Do you have to go raise some
more money in the off season? Are there direct lawsuits
that might come against your university because players opted out
of this settlement, they're just going in. They're going to
go in and do it one off lawsuits that go
right directly toward a university and not the NCAA.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
So there's a lot to look at.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
The thing I wanted to really highlight here is that
the roster limit is one that seems like it's a
big objection out there right now. Everything I was told,
everything I've read this weekend A pointed that that was
one of the areas. There's also the other area too
that the members of the class, any of them, don't
(38:00):
believe and this includes their attorneys.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Don't believe that the.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
Settlement amount, which Derek's two point six billion sound right,
I think that was the number that was involved in this.
They don't think that's enough money, and they think that
they need to go back and try to find more money.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
So there's a lot of moving parts here.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
I just I think the biggest thing for everybody is
a timeline. We don't know a timeline right now, so
we don't know if this impacts next season or the
season after when this takes effect, and how that impact
recruiting this season. It's very when you get court cases
involved in what is going on within the NCAA.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
Believe it or not.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
I know a lot of people don't like them, but
they do provide a lot of structure. These court cases
basically throw all that structure away for the time being
because we just there's too many unknowns, right.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
Yeah, we were told are some schools and we're still
trying to decide is to potentially start preparing for to
be at twenty six, but it could be thrown right
back at us where you're at twenty nine.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
Some schools aren't going to be aren't going to opt in.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
You have till March first of every year supposedly moving
forward to opt in. I've been I've read that if
you don't opt in, you might not be eligible for
national championships moving forward, because the Power fours want to
take over the national championships, so they want everybody on
their the same page. So that would cause a little
(39:29):
bit of a chaos if you don't opt in. So
there's a lot of different factors still at play, and
you know, you've got to sit here and pretend like
you're going to be at twenty six. Some schools aren't
going to do it. Are they going to be forced
to do it? So how there's just so much in
flux and you're trying to manage everything. It's terrible, it stinks,
(39:53):
it's bad for the student athletes. It's there's lawsuits. You
said there was over three thirty six forty objections, but
one of them was signed by forty people. One of
the objections because of roster limits. You're reading stories about
soccer players who had scholarships. You're reading stories about just
(40:13):
regular players that are on teams that they say, hey, sorry,
we don't have a spot for you.
Speaker 3 (40:18):
And it's terrible.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
As a coach, you look up and down of what
your roster is and it's hard. But they're forcing you
on this. You don't have a choice, and so you
feel bad. But it's going to be. Everybody's going to
have to do it. Everybody's going to have I was told,
I've been told, I've read that everybody's going to have
to do this to be a division one eventual. I
(40:43):
don't know, just a lot of questions with not a
lot of answers like, how can you tell with somebody
You've got to opt into this, Jim, I'm going to
give sell you this house. You've got to buy this
house before it goes on the market or before it's built,
or before it's you can see the drawings for it,
but you've got to buy this house anything. I mean,
(41:05):
it's yeah, see I know your office got redone. Hey
you got to pay for it. But yeah, I'm not
going to tell you what it looks like.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
It's a little strange and it I think the flux
is what really Just leaving every single sport in a
state of flux right now is the biggest problem in the.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
Reality is nobody cares.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
Nobody in the powerful positions is not a judge. The
judge out there is not sitting there and saying, hey,
I should be changing up how I do things so
that we can make sure that the student athletes and
the coaches and the schools are taken care of here.
Now that's work on somebody else's timeline, and that's what's
very scary, I think, as for a coach, for an
(41:51):
administrator to understand where your athletic program is going to
be financially, A year from now power.
Speaker 1 (41:57):
The power attorney Jeffrey Keussler, who was involved in the
Robert Morris A Saving of Hockey, has been involved in
Tom Brady where he's in charges. He says the roster
limits aren't a part of the settlement. It's the NC
double A making the roster limits. So if this gets
pushed off, the NCAA arbitrarily could come back and say
(42:18):
these are the roster limits no matter what.
Speaker 3 (42:21):
They can do that though they can do that without
a lot.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
That's what I'm saying. So he's saying that it has
nothing to do with the settlement. He says it's the
NC double A that's determining this. If the NC double
A comes back and says, here are your roster limits,
you don't have a choice you and it's gonna go
in right away. Can you imagine the chaos that a
lot of sports, not just hockey, you're going to be in.
Speaker 3 (42:45):
You think you have lost its now.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
You're making me think back to the days of a
couple of commissioners in college hockey you have long since retired,
who were really pushing for the idea of different sports
having maybe like their own federations within the NCAA and
having more control sport by sport, especially when you look
at some that have some differences college hockey with older
(43:10):
players as freshmen, baseball that goes way into June after
the school year has ended. That might be a way
to solve some of this, but I don't think it
solves things with attorneys general and lawyers and all that stuff,
and it.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
Doesn't solve it a timeline that's good for ustudent athletes.
Speaker 5 (43:28):
It's bad.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
It's this is going to be hard for athletes all
over the place, and it's not easy for the coaches.
I don't enjoyed. This isn't going to be something we
that are all these staffs are struggling. Hey, this is
this is fun. You're going to have some conversations that
you don't want to have and you shouldn't be half
of it happen. But roster limitations are going to be
(43:50):
set well, and that cheerful notem week's in a row
that we've left on such a negative We got to
do something like we've you've said that, that's your quote.
Three shows in a row on that cheerful note. We
got to have some positive endings. Don't say these negatives like,
maybe have that before the break so we come back
and feel real good when we get off.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
Maybe I'll have to come up with some jokes to
close the show.
Speaker 5 (44:15):
Any kid, they wouldn't be dry either. No.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men's Division. One
Frozen four, April tenth and twelfth in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Get your tickets now at NCAA dot com. Slash Frozen
four for Jim Connolly, for Derek Schooley. I'm Ed Trefsker
and this has been US Echo Weekend Review
Usccho dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to us Echo Weekend review from Monday, February third,
twenty twenty five. This episode is sponsored by the NCAA
Men's Division one Frozen four April tenth and twelfth in
Saint Louis, Missouri. Get your tickets now at NCAA dot
com slash Frozen four. I'm ed Trefsker alongside Jim Connolly
(00:35):
and Derek Scooley. There was some really big two game
sweeps among the top twenty over the past weekend, and
right at the top of the list for me is
number four Minnesota really handling big time rival Number seventeen
Wisconsin five two and four to one. Those two wins,
combined with Michigan State's weekend split with number twelve Ohio State,
(00:57):
what's the Gophers within just two points of the sport
in what is quickly becoming a two horse of Big
ten race.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
We saw this coming, that this had the potential to
really become just two teams, and I think we've gotten there.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
And now you look at who each team still plays.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Both are going to play Michigan still, both are going
to play Penn State. The difference is the third opponent.
There's only six games left for both of these schools.
Notre Dame is Michigan State's third opponent. Ohio State is
Minnesota's third opponent. I don't know if I can separate
those two schedules in terms of one being easier than
(01:32):
the other. They're both basically the same in Ohio State
to Notre Dame. I know no Ohio State's ranked higher,
but Notre Dame can give any opponent bits on any night,
So I don't feel like it feels like this should
be something where Michigan State can close this out. But
when you're talking about less than a game separating both teams,
(01:55):
something like not getting the extra point in a shootout
or going overtime instead of winning in regulation, that could
be what decides the regular.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Season Big Tank Championship Right now.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
I don't know where what side of the bed you
woke up on, but when you're playing a team that's
nine and six, one zero, two to two or whatever
the heck that is with twenty eight points compared to
three twelve, one, one two, two and eleven points, I
think there's a big difference in the strength. I think
if you're playing Ohio State comparably to Notre Dame. I
(02:26):
think that's a big challenge. So when you're saying, oh,
I don't know if there's a difference in the strength
of schedule, Yes, Notre Dame can beat anybody. We've all
talked about anybody can beat anybody on a given night.
But I got right now, I've got the edge as
far as schedule. It goes to Michigan State and they've
got the lead. They're playing with it right now, so
(02:49):
they're playing with house money. They're ahead, and they've got
the easier schedule. In my opinion, I'm looking at Michigan
State right now as the favorites, and it is a
two horse race because really, if you look at there's
only eighteen points left and right now, Michigan State's twelve
points up on Ohio State and Minnesota's ten points up
(03:10):
on Ohio State while playing each other. So there's a
big gap. You're looking at the Big Ten championship coming
out of school that starts with a letter.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
M, and it's not Michigan.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
He had a three to seven chance on that one.
But yeah, you're right, I.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Think Michigan State should be seen as the team that
has the edge here. But there's no room for error
for either team, So absolutely not. That's something that you
got to keep in your head. Is that even if
if you're protecting a one goal lead in the final
minute of a game and you give up an extra
attacker goal end up in overtime, that you just lost
a point in the standings, that could be very costly.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Let me ask you this, and I know Michigan State
was there last year, they wanted it at the Big
Ten Championship, But this is the marathon, This isn't the sprint.
Do you give an edge to Minnesota because of experience
of being there before? I still think Michigan State's a
little bit young without looking at rosters experience wise of
(04:13):
being in these big scenarios. Minnesota is there every year
in Michigan State. To their credit, they've made a big
charge back. But do you give it an edge to
Minnesota a little bit on experience in this marathon here?
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Maybe it certainly is worthy of a conversation.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Bob Mosco has coached some big games against some really
big teams, but so is Adam Nightingale. When you really
think about it, it's now it comes down to the
personnel in the locker room. I just feel like Michigan
State all season long has been pretty consistent. Now does
that make me question the last couple of weekends in
(04:54):
the fact that they don't take sweeps as easily as
they were earlier in the season. Maybe the fact that
Minnesota is coming off a fantastic two games sweep of Wisconsin,
which was playing well coming in. I guess that's one
where if we were watching Michigan State take six points
(05:16):
every weekend, I'd have less concern. But they only got
four points against Michigan, they got five against Minnesota, and
they got three against Ohio State. That's they'll last three weekends.
And you can even go back to Penn State. They
only got four against Penn State and only got five
out of six against Wisconsin. So they have not been
taking six points for five consecutive weekends of Big ten plus.
(05:39):
Does that mean something? I think we have to let
it play out. But that goes to your point, Derek,
is that concerning?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Maybe you mentioned Minnesota sweeping Wisconsin. That puts the Badgers
three games blow five hundred to eleven, fourteen and three.
They have Penn State, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. They
go on the road where the Buckeyes, but their route
to the NCAA Tournament is getting very slim. If they
want to end the regular season above five hundred, they've
(06:08):
got to go five and one in those last few games,
and they're six to eleven and one right now in
the Big Ten. Obviously, if they win the Big Ten tournament,
they're in, but then they've got to win four or
five five out of five games. They've got to win
four out of five games in the Big Ten tournament
(06:28):
to get to that too. If they win out and
lose the tournament, there's still a slim chance. But right
now things are getting pretty tight, the doors closing on them.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Well, the win out part is the hardest part right
because they haven't put together a big winning streak all season.
They had a nice unbeaten streak with November where I
think it was let's say they were five four to
zero to one, but that's hard to replicate. They don't
have any of the M teams left. Michigan State, Minesota,
(07:00):
they're done with them, but they still have Penn State,
Ohio State, Notre Dame, that Ohio State series on the road.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I think it's a tall task.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
I don't see obviously it's mathematically feasible less than ten
percent chance to get into the tournament, But I don't
see the path for Wisconsin to the NCAA tournament unless
they win the Big Ten Championship.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
They go four and two maybe and then you win
three and then losing the finals because I think you're
two out of three in the first round in the
Big Ten.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
Are they with them? And then pull out a win.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
There's that's really seven in two that puts your five
games over. Is that going to be enough? I don't know,
and it's that's a hard road. You do have two
teams that are blow you in the standings at Penn
State and Notre Dame, and you've got a ten point
gap bottom, so you should be favored in those, especially
at home.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
But Ohio State's the big key. So I still think
there might.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Be a chance of four and two and then are
running the Big Ten championships, but you're gonna have to
beat where they're at the standards. You have to beat
one of the ams up front and then or maybe
one of the o's.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
I'm not saying this definitively, but you'll almost feel right
now is it's a really good finish four and two,
five in one and you have to reach the Big
Ten championship game.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
That sounds about right. Let's look at the NCC number twelve,
Arizona State. They kept things rolling. They swept Miami seven
to one and four to one, gain some points on
Western Michigan, which split with Colorado College, so they're now tied.
We have Western Michigan, but the Broncos still have two
(08:40):
games in hand. We think we've talked about this quite
a bit. We knew that Greg Powers would have a
good team. I don't think anybody out there. Maybe you did, Derek.
You have some insight information more than we do, being
a coach, But I think they're doing better than just
about anybody expected.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
No, I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
I still didn't see them being at the upper echelon
of the NCCHC in year one. I thought you were
talking a four or five sixth range. But they did
do a good job with transfers. They did what they
had to do. They went to Miami, continued Miami's massive
losing streak, which is the worst in their the history
(09:21):
of Miami hockey, and they only gave up one goal.
Big loss, though got hurt. They took him off on
a stretcher. They say he could be back this weekend,
but that is a big watch for them. But they
have been getting scoring. They got eleven goals this weekend.
And you said that Western Michigan split as an alump.
(09:42):
They did not. They took four or six points. They
just lost in overtime. So they did what they needed
to do on the road. I'm going to protect the
Broncos there a little bit ed just if it was
the Tigers, you'd be protecting the Tigers. Going from there,
I think that it's we're they're ahead of pace. They're
ahead of pacing the Desert, that's for sure, and they're
they've got the ability to do some good things, and
(10:05):
potentially they keep winning, you're gonna see them close that
gap on Ohio State and with pairwise and potentially be
start getting to where they're a locked.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
I feel like this Arizona State team has put themselves
in as good of a position as they possibly could have.
You're talking about being at the top of the NCAAC
here in the final few weeks of the season that
you're talking about being better than a fifty percent chance
to make the NCAA tournament, sir, they'd love to be
up where like a Boston University or somebody higher than
(10:36):
that would be right now in the pair wise where
you're ninety two ninety three percent, but just to be
better than fifty percent. I feel like Arizona State they're
playing some of their best hockey right now. If they
keep this rolling there and they'll be in the tournament
and maybe, just maybe they take a regular season championship
in the NCAAC, which.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
I just I'm sorry. You can point to whatever you
want there.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Nobody could have seen this coming in year one in
the NCCHC, that Arizona State would be right there and
in competition with four or five weeks left in the
regular season to win the regular season championship.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
So since a three game losing streak November eight, nine,
and fifteen, and one of those losses was overtime, they
gave up one point against the luth where they won
it overtime, they lost an overtime in North Dakota, and
they lost to Colorado College. Since November fifty, they've basically
(11:33):
lost and this includes don conference games, so let's just
stow your don the non conference games out there. They've
won they've only lost one game in regulation since November.
They've lost they won one in regulation, one one and
overtime and lost.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
One and over time.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
That is pretty impressive.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
It's phenomenal.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
That's that's a streak that you expect the team to
be number one. They had such when they were injured
early in the season, didn't have a lot of their
personnel to start the season. That early seasons start put
them so far behind the eight ball. When you're talking
about numbers one regulation loss since early November, seventeen games.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
That should be a number one team in the country.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
But they the month of October was so punishing to
Arizona State when they were nursing some injuries. They put
themselves behind them. This is a dangerous team. Don't doubt that.
If they get into the tournament, they are dangerous.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
So two of those games are against the development team.
Two of them were at the Desert Classic. I saw
them beat US seven to three and dismantled Cornell for nothing.
You're talking seventeen games, one regulation loss, one overtime loss,
and they had to go to overtime another time and
they won against the louth. That's thank you said, that's
(12:53):
I said, it's impressive, but it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Am I doing the math right?
Speaker 4 (12:57):
They have gotten all but six points in the NCCHC
play since the season started, Is that right? I?
Speaker 1 (13:05):
We would have to pull up the standings here real quick.
But they've played sixteen games sixteen times three is forty
eight and they've got they've lost fourteen points.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Okay, fourteen, so that is still pretty impressive.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
There were their percentages seven aweight.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Look at Western Michigan, so we're talking that's pretty impressive
at thirty four points. Western Michigan has played two West
games in them, so they've got thirty four points out
of forty two.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Yeah, look at the good teams that played really good
hockey this year.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Yeah, those are that's got to be here. That Tho's
got to be tournament teams. We know Western is, but
that's got to be a tournament team. If not them,
who else?
Speaker 3 (13:50):
In the irony?
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Is?
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Almost all of the points that Arizona State has left
on the table this season have come against Colorado College.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Three losses in regulation to Colorado College.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Have you got that help in the tournament and you're.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Not doing great in the NCHC right now?
Speaker 4 (14:07):
I take that back actually CC was one overtime loss,
so you're talking about eight loss points out of fourteen
came against Athamoto College. That's another team. Don't sleep on
that team. Watching them this past weekend against Western, they
were an impressive team.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
And a softer than usual non conference winning percentage for
the NCHD is dragging Arizona State down a little bit
in the pairwise. In a normal year with that kind
of a record in that league, they'd be like six
seven eight in the pairwise, and.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I think that they Arizona State probably takes some responsibility
for that. They had no overtime loss to air Force,
a loss to Michigan, a tie against Michigan, two losses
against Providence on the road, so they they understand that
they're part of the lack of non conference success for
the league. But again that's all going back to the
(15:01):
month of October when it was a different team in Tempe.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
You had you also had they had a lead on
air Force. We talked about last minute goals. They had
a lead and then they're de over skated the puck
behind the net, which created a they went they had
the puck in their offensive zone. Because we were I
was watchings and they went to go back to their point.
Man with the pass went all the way down the
ice the deep instead of holding an en it goes
(15:27):
all the way down the ice, are keeping up low.
They go back, they turn it over, ends up in
their net. They lose, and then they lose on a
four on three goal in overtime. And next thing for
your that could be we talk about losses in October.
You get that win on the road comparatively to a
loss on the overtime loss on the road, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
And then you talk about that game against air Force,
and the Falcons have done been on a bit of
a skid, so that makes it even worse. Right now
for Arizona State, look at number nineteen Augustana, who I
think might go up in the polls considering everybody else
is sagging. And let me just drop in a note
here talking about teams in the poll and voting in
(16:12):
the poll by the top five six seven spots in
the pole ballot are pretty easy. And then you get
after that, and it's somebody pointed out to us on
a comment on uscho dot com. One man's parody is
another man's mediocrity. And there seems to be just this mushy,
(16:32):
mediocre middle that by the time you get past maybe
the top twelve or so, it's like throw them in
a blender or throw them in a in a in
a bingo thing and pull out whichever one. I don't
know how you feel about the ballot, Jim. Once you
get past the upper part, it's tough to see. But
Augustana with a weekend sweep, may see themselves moving up
(16:54):
a little bit six three and four to three over
a Lake Superior State. There's seven twenty two in the CCHA.
Minnesota State lost got two points with the overtime win
against Saint Thomas, dropping the Mavericks winning percentage to six
sixty seven. So Augustana is right now currently in first
place in that league. They play this weekend and Augustana
(17:16):
just has four league games left.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Let me ask you this, and I'm sitting here and
I read the show notes and all that, and we
all knew that this is I think we talked about
two or three weeks ago when you said Augustana's way
behind and all that, and then we realized.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
That it's precent edge points.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Do you think the CCHA and dalo Chia very very
smart man, very good commissioner had any idea that this
could end up being Augustana's way to win the championship,
because if you play sixteen games, I just don't see
that being a league champion. I'm sorry you didn't play
the same amount, you didn't play everybody. I just don't
(17:57):
see that how that that's right opinion. I don't think
when they envisioned that when they brought them in, I
don't think it was envisioned that this that they could know.
So hats off to Augustana. They've done a phenomenal job.
You can't take away from the job Garrett or Boint's
done there, and they got an outstanding goalie and they're
running away with winning percentage wise.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
But you didn't see that coming, didn't you in your
two No, And I don't.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Know if that takes away from anything Augustan has done.
It It certainly actually doesn't. I can say that, no,
not at all. Does it create a weird situation in
the CECHA. There was a rush to get things moving.
Augustana was tournament eligible that you knew they were coming
into the league, so let's get them going.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
But we're not going to change the whole schedule. That's
probably where the error came in.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
And I think that despite the fact that it would
have been a headache from many schools, I think the
fact that you didn't just go and say, let's just
change the whole schedule or we'll wait a year one
or the other. By forcing it in, it's that square
pegging the round whole type of thing where unfortunately the
CCHA now opens themselves up to the fact that a
(19:10):
team that only plays sixteen league games could end up
winning the conference championship. If they win both games this weekend,
it almost becomes impossible for any other team to win.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
I think at that point they would have such.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
A lead on anybody else in terms of winning percentage
that they couldn't get caught. So that keep an eye
on what happens here this weekend against Minnesota State, Augustana
could fuck up the CCHA championship mathematically.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
So I don't know that it's ideal.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
A regular season champion is a little different than the
postseason champion.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
There's no automatic bid associated with it.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
There's still some work for Augustana to do to get
into an NCAA tournament, So maybe it's not not that
big of a deal at the end of the at
the end of the day, but it does seem a
little strange that the way the CCHA, you know, put
this in position that it could happen.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
I'm sure you didn't think that it would.
Speaker 4 (20:14):
But it's one of those things when you don't think
that something will happen, that's exactly when it happens and
you're left holding holding the jug.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
That's where we are right now with this. I get it.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
I don't love sixteen win our sixteen game champions It
goes back to the COVID year. Nobody liked the Hockey
East Power Index that was used to determine who won
the Hockey East Championship that year. But you have to
if you want to declare a champion, you get to
do something. Augustana could be a champion.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
After this weekend, they will have played everybody once and
coming up against Minnesota State and Michigan Tech, they're playing
two of the top three teams in the league.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
So if they beat them, they.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Deserve it, and they deserve it, and I keep saying,
but that being said, they're on the road against Minnesota
State and then they're home against TACK, So you get that.
Speaker 5 (21:06):
I guess the old saying to be the man, you
got to beat the man. They're beat. They got a
chance here to beat the man on the road.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
And.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
The whole thing with Augustana. I think some of that
was a little bit rushed. I'm not reading minds on
this when, but I think the teams in the CCHA
at the time they decided to do that were really
miffed about Saint Thomas out of nowhere saying that they
were leaving for the NCCHC. So that was a shot
back in that direction. But in any case, that brings
(21:37):
us to our break. We've got a lot more to cover.
But this episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men's d
one Frozen four April tenth and twelfth in Saint Louis.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
The NCAA Men's Frozen four of Men's Collegiate Ice Hawk Any.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Question, Professor, NCAA Men's Hockey is back. Are we ready?
Speaker 3 (22:08):
You prepared to hype your squad for all three periods?
Bring glory home to your camps? Oh?
Speaker 5 (22:15):
You're ready?
Speaker 4 (22:16):
It's Frozen four Tome the NCAAA Men's Frozen Pool April
tenth and twelfth, twenty twenty five and Saint Louis.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Buy your seats today at NCAAA dot com. So that's
frozen fool.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
We're back with us Echo Weekend review. Some other games
from this weekend. Number one BC took care of business.
They only had one game getting ready for the bean Pot.
That was against number eight U mass Lowell.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
For nothing.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Jacob Fowler is nursing something that their head coach, Greg
Brown says is day to day. Jan Korik came in
and made twenty two saves in the shutout. First of all,
it's got to make you feel good as a head
coach when your backup can get a goose egg like that.
But that's good news for BC taking care of business.
(23:04):
Should the Eagles be concerned? Will Follower be ready to
go tonight in the bean Pod?
Speaker 5 (23:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (23:10):
I think somewhere around seven thirty night, the PC faithful
can either get concerned or breathe a sigh of relief
when they see whether Jacob Foller takes warm ups or not.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
It came out of nowhere.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Wasn't a lot mentioned about it, but after the game,
Greg Brown just said day to day, I don't know,
could be something that he just wanted to give his
goalies some rest. I think BC fans somewhere around seven
thirty night, depending on whether games are running on time
and all that sort of stuff. Can they'll know once
PC comes on the ice for warm ups. If Jacob
(23:43):
followers in the lineup, I would assume that he was
something that it was precautionary on Friday night, that he'll
be ready to go tonight again for the bean Pot.
I think we'd have heard more if he wasn't. Pay
Yeah on court comes in post a shutout, you get
out of that trap game. Everybody thinks that Friday game
(24:05):
before the start of the bean Pot can be a
trap for these teams, and for BC and BU, they
decided to not make it a trap. They handled their
opponents pretty easily. Northeastern Harvard not so much. They got
out of that game against a good LOWLL team.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Four not thing shutout.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
That's a lole team that tied them and want to
shoot out earlier in the season. I'm sure that Greg
Brown breathes a sigh relief getting out of that game
and now we can play for bean Pot tonight.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
It's always good when play your backup and you get
a shutout.
Speaker 5 (24:38):
Always good.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
You look like if it was a precautioner, if it
was a day to day thing. They've got a quality backup,
and sometimes the teams play harder. Maybe they felt it
was a trap game, and you get your attention when
you play the backup and you got to play a
little bit harder.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
You have blocked that extra shot. Yeah, close, quicker. You
got to.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Defend harder, and you've seen it ed. How many times
have we seen it at Alantic hockey? When you play
the third goalie, fourth goalie, I think somebody played a
club goalie, a baseball player. I think you barely give
up any shots and you end up winning.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
So that's always something that you can look at.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
NCAA Hockey needs an ebug quick question for you, Derek.
This time of year you talk about day to day
looking at the sixty four teams in Division one and
taking an average across all of them, how many players
by percentage on a team or day to day by
this time of year anyway.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
There's really as you could probably tell my voys, there's
a sickness going around too. We dressed five defense but
on Friday night because of and one actually didn't practice
Wednesday or Thursday on I was telling Jimmy before you
got on ED when you if we were at the
twenty sixth man roster, we would address ten and five
(26:00):
on Friday night. Because of injuries. There's a lot of
day to days. There's a lot of week to weeks.
You saw Red Savage this week on Michigan State. That's
a big loss. We didn't talk about when with Michigan
State losing him. But I think that there's a lot
of day to day there's a lot of injuries.
Speaker 5 (26:18):
Right now.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
My phone's blown up with kids conveniently being sick on Mondays.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
Just joking.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
I know they are because it's going through a lot
of teams right now.
Speaker 6 (26:28):
So there's it could be that to be a flu
virus too, So there's a this is the time of
year where he saw Ai c last year, dress a
whole have a whole bunch of injuries and sickness.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
And that's the scary thing. And I know we're going
to talk about the house settlement. That's a scary thing
about the twenty six man roster. Like I said, we
would have been at we'd had three goalies, but we
would have been at nine and six and I don't know,
maybe ten and ten and five actually would have been
ten and five.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
Because we would have moved a D back a forward
back to D. I don't know how safe that is.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
I'll help you it.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
As a college hockey.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Yeah, And it makes me think of a national writer,
a college hockey writer three four years ago, who was
adamant with a statement that no college hockey player who
has an injury should be playing and nobody be able
to feel the team this time of year, everybody's got
aches and pains and bruises and something they're getting over.
And I'll just say this. I'm not going to put
(27:31):
it on you, Derek, but how many times when the
season is over then do you see teams with players
who have then gotten surgery at the end of the season,
or you see them in a sling, or you see
them on crutches or something when the season's over.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Lots, lots and guys, everybody's battling. The big one happened
now is the labrum surgery in your hips. It used
to be a groin pull or a hip flexer. Now
it's a torn labram. You get a repaired. Doctors are
making a lot of money on it. So the guys
played through it. They Iceter Groins, the ister hip boxers
(28:05):
next to you and o end of the year, they're
having they re paris. It happens a lot and shoulders.
You're talking, you have a couple on year unding surgeries
for sure.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Number five Denver, a night after a three to three
tie with Omaha, put up eleven goals on the Mavericks
eleven to two win. Their pretty big statement from du.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
I had to go through the box score and find
I was looking for hat tricks. I was looking for
some six to seven point games. Nobody had more than
four points, Nobody had more than two goals. There were
only four players that had more than two points in
the game for Denver. So this was one of those nights.
They put up eleven, but everybody contributed and it just
shows the power of Denver. This is an Omaha team
(28:49):
that has opened eyes at times this year. It obviously
good three to three tie the night before it did
not feel that way. I'm sure sure for Omaha the
next night that's a real tough loss to have to take.
But this it just shows this Denver team. We know
that their defense can be good, their goaltending can be outstanding.
(29:11):
But most importantly, they can score, and we we knew
that last year, and then they go into the national
tournament and basically put up two goals in every game
and win. This is a team that plays different styles.
You think of them as a high flying, powerful team.
That's what we saw on Saturday. But they can win
a two to one game, a one nothing game just
as easily.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
You talked about that.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
You looked at the box score going into the box score,
to nothing lead for Omaha.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
That's too one lead.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
After one, sixth in the second, four in the third, unanswered,
So you had a too nothing lead with eight to
go in the first, a goal with five minutes left,
and then we also off that bus in the second period,
six fallowed by four, so Omar had that lead.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
That's hockey.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
In Atlantic Hocky Sacred Heart swept Niagara, and not really
a sweep, five out of six, right Derek, three to
two and three two in overtime. I think the game
winning goal in that one came with seven seconds left,
shot from the left point that made it through. Pioneers
are five points ahead holy Cross. They swept Kenisius three
to two, four to one in Worcester holy Cross has
(30:27):
a couple of games in hand on Sacred Heart. I
think one of those is going to be played on
the Tuesday after everybody stops playing, maybe the Monday afterwards,
to make up a game when when AIIC didn't have
any goalies who were able to play, but six games
left for holy Cross, four games left for Sacred Heart.
(30:47):
Sacred Heart is flown a little under the radar. They
did very well in the Connecticut Ice Tournament. They lost
to Yukon, but that's a team to watch out for,
and like any team that makes it through from Atlantic
Cocky the NCAA tournament, you probably are not looking forward
to playing them.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
I think we talked about edges earlier and obviously you
got to give the edge to holy Cross right now.
I think you got to give them the edge as
far as schedule too. They're playing right now some of
the bottom teams. Holy Cross has rit Mercyhurst and ai
C as five of their last six, while Sacred Heart
(31:26):
this week has a red hot Army west Point and
Bentley who's also chasing a league titles. You got to
give the edge right now if you're doing the odds
or what we were talking about before the edge goes
right to the holy Cross in it, and they gave
up some points in some games in the start of
the year, but they're finding ways to get hot.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
Right now.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
They swept air Force. They had a big weekend this weekend.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
So there, right now you're talking the team to beat
Diagres played twenty one games. Bentley's got a little bit
of an outside shot with a game in hand to
pull with it a one. But right now I think
we're starting to get to be maybe potentially it's a
four team race. There's a separation between four and five,
and then after that there's a separation of the bottom four.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Right now, talking about holy Cross, Bill Riguez not only
put together a talented team, but he and his staff
have done an excellent job coaching, and it's a team
that follows his systems and just is playing some really
good hockey. He brought over a lot of what he
learned at Quinnapiac and in a league of very good coaches,
(32:34):
he's one of the very best.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
I think.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
I go back to the first year he was there
and I sat down with him a couple of times
that season and he said, Jimmy, I'm not used to
losing and this is hard. And I think it was
at that point, knowing I have no ability for a
long time, it knew almost at that point he's he
would turn this program around, he would get them winning.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
And it didn't take long.
Speaker 4 (33:00):
Got to an Atlantic Hockey Championship game near they made
the NCAA tournament, and now here he is in a race.
Now it goes back to what we always talk about.
Games in hand are wonderful, but you have to win them.
Now he's him and his team are in a position
that if they win their games in hand, they take
care of business, they control their destiny. They could win
a regular season title. Here they've got to go out
(33:21):
and win them now, though that's not sometimes the hardest
point because you can feel it you sit in this hand.
These are six teams, six opponents. Where supposed to be
six games left. We're supposed to win it all six
Now we have to actually go out and do it.
We can't leave points on the table, can't be losing
or tying and losing in a shootout and only getting
four points on a weekend.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
We've got to find ways to get five and six.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
It all comes down to one game on that Monday
night and that game, everybody's going to be waiting for
it because it's going to probably affect seating. The bottom
six teams in the league have to know where they're
going to go for a single game first round on
that Saturday. That could be decided by it. That things
could be. We've come down to the last weekend in
(34:06):
the league and teams can finish anywhere from like third
to ninth and depending on things. And you may see
the same thing with everybody sitting there watching flow hockey
on Monday night to see who ends up winning the league.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
Interesting.
Speaker 4 (34:19):
That's crazy too that you might be in a position
where you're thinking you're hosting on Saturday, or maybe you
think that you have a first round by and next
thing you're heading on the road. If things are that crazy,
I don't know if it'll be that close. Your scenario
changes significantly after a kind of this rogue Monday night game,
after you think the season should be.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Over, somebody might have to fly out the air force. Sure,
that's a potential, and that could Tuesday morning.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
Yeah, Tuesday morning could be a real shaker for some
athletic department out there.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Get the house versus NCAA Class action lawsuit some moving
parts with that front was the deadline for those who
had objections to it. Apparently more than forty objections were filed,
according to reports, including one that opposed having roster limits,
and Derek has been very vocal about that. That could
(35:15):
delay things. But then there's a group of student athletes
who have opted out of the class. They'll file their
own lawsuits. There's a bunch of stuff going on. Can
you guys explain from what you know about it, what's happening.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
The first thing that everybody and I'll let Jimmy give
his opinion on everything, because he read a lot about this.
Speaker 5 (35:34):
I've been following this the first this past date.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
That he talked about the opting in and objections and
all that. The objection date passed. The next date is
March first. That's when schools have to determine if they're
going to opt into the House settlement. So the schools
have to determine on March first if they're going to
opt in. Then after that, on April seventh, is when
(35:59):
the judge here's all the objections and then bases her
ruling if the House Settlement is going to even pass
or not, or if there's going to set to be
sent back postpone modifications, all that stuff, so there's some.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
Big time datates coming up.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
It makes zero sense to me that you have to
determine if you're going to opt in on March first,
when it's not even passed yet on April seven, and
it's getting towards the end of school. So I would
love it to be the other way, but I'm not
the date guy.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
This is really disruptive, I think to most athletic programs
you're talking about, You're trying to wrap up your winter sports,
you're trying to get into your spring sports, and this
is really hanging over your head. You don't know where
things are going to be financially next year. You don't
know where things are going to be in terms of
roster limits next year.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
You don't know what it is.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
Just so many unknowns with this in what Obviously there's
a long term effect on all college sports that will
come from this, but it is also the short term
of what does this mean for next season? Are you
suddenly paying your players next season? Is everybody on some
sort of a stipend slash salary that you didn't have
(37:15):
this year? Do you have to go out and find
some more money. Do you have to go raise some
more money in the off season? Are there direct lawsuits
that might come against your university because players opted out
of this settlement, they're just going in. They're going to
go in and do it one off lawsuits that go
right directly toward a university and not the NCAA.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
So there's a lot to look at.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
The thing I wanted to really highlight here is that
the roster limit is one that seems like it's a
big objection out there right now. Everything I was told,
everything I've read this weekend A pointed that that was
one of the areas. There's also the other area too
that the members of the class, any of them, don't
(38:00):
believe and this includes their attorneys.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Don't believe that the.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
Settlement amount, which Derek's two point six billion sound right,
I think that was the number that was involved in this.
They don't think that's enough money, and they think that
they need to go back and try to find more money.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
So there's a lot of moving parts here.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
I just I think the biggest thing for everybody is
a timeline. We don't know a timeline right now, so
we don't know if this impacts next season or the
season after when this takes effect, and how that impact
recruiting this season. It's very when you get court cases
involved in what is going on within the NCAA.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
Believe it or not.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
I know a lot of people don't like them, but
they do provide a lot of structure. These court cases
basically throw all that structure away for the time being
because we just there's too many unknowns, right.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
Yeah, we were told are some schools and we're still
trying to decide is to potentially start preparing for to
be at twenty six, but it could be thrown right
back at us where you're at twenty nine.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
Some schools aren't going to be aren't going to opt in.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
You have till March first of every year supposedly moving
forward to opt in. I've been I've read that if
you don't opt in, you might not be eligible for
national championships moving forward, because the Power fours want to
take over the national championships, so they want everybody on
their the same page. So that would cause a little
(39:29):
bit of a chaos if you don't opt in. So
there's a lot of different factors still at play, and
you know, you've got to sit here and pretend like
you're going to be at twenty six. Some schools aren't
going to do it. Are they going to be forced
to do it? So how there's just so much in
flux and you're trying to manage everything. It's terrible, it stinks,
(39:53):
it's bad for the student athletes. It's there's lawsuits. You
said there was over three thirty six forty objections, but
one of them was signed by forty people. One of
the objections because of roster limits. You're reading stories about
soccer players who had scholarships. You're reading stories about just
(40:13):
regular players that are on teams that they say, hey, sorry,
we don't have a spot for you.
Speaker 3 (40:18):
And it's terrible.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
As a coach, you look up and down of what
your roster is and it's hard. But they're forcing you
on this. You don't have a choice, and so you
feel bad. But it's going to be. Everybody's going to
have to do it. Everybody's going to have I was told,
I've been told, I've read that everybody's going to have
to do this to be a division one eventual. I
(40:43):
don't know, just a lot of questions with not a
lot of answers like, how can you tell with somebody
You've got to opt into this, Jim, I'm going to
give sell you this house. You've got to buy this
house before it goes on the market or before it's built,
or before it's you can see the drawings for it,
but you've got to buy this house anything. I mean,
(41:05):
it's yeah, see I know your office got redone. Hey
you got to pay for it. But yeah, I'm not
going to tell you what it looks like.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
It's a little strange and it I think the flux
is what really Just leaving every single sport in a
state of flux right now is the biggest problem in the.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
Reality is nobody cares.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
Nobody in the powerful positions is not a judge. The
judge out there is not sitting there and saying, hey,
I should be changing up how I do things so
that we can make sure that the student athletes and
the coaches and the schools are taken care of here.
Now that's work on somebody else's timeline, and that's what's
very scary, I think, as for a coach, for an
(41:51):
administrator to understand where your athletic program is going to
be financially, A year from now power.
Speaker 1 (41:57):
The power attorney Jeffrey Keussler, who was involved in the
Robert Morris A Saving of Hockey, has been involved in
Tom Brady where he's in charges. He says the roster
limits aren't a part of the settlement. It's the NC
double A making the roster limits. So if this gets
pushed off, the NCAA arbitrarily could come back and say
(42:18):
these are the roster limits no matter what.
Speaker 3 (42:21):
They can do that though they can do that without
a lot.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
That's what I'm saying. So he's saying that it has
nothing to do with the settlement. He says it's the
NC double A that's determining this. If the NC double
A comes back and says, here are your roster limits,
you don't have a choice you and it's gonna go
in right away. Can you imagine the chaos that a
lot of sports, not just hockey, you're going to be in.
Speaker 3 (42:45):
You think you have lost its now.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
You're making me think back to the days of a
couple of commissioners in college hockey you have long since retired,
who were really pushing for the idea of different sports
having maybe like their own federations within the NCAA and
having more control sport by sport, especially when you look
at some that have some differences college hockey with older
(43:10):
players as freshmen, baseball that goes way into June after
the school year has ended. That might be a way
to solve some of this, but I don't think it
solves things with attorneys general and lawyers and all that stuff,
and it.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
Doesn't solve it a timeline that's good for ustudent athletes.
Speaker 5 (43:28):
It's bad.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
It's this is going to be hard for athletes all
over the place, and it's not easy for the coaches.
I don't enjoyed. This isn't going to be something we
that are all these staffs are struggling. Hey, this is
this is fun. You're going to have some conversations that
you don't want to have and you shouldn't be half
of it happen. But roster limitations are going to be
(43:50):
set well, and that cheerful notem week's in a row
that we've left on such a negative We got to
do something like we've you've said that, that's your quote.
Three shows in a row on that cheerful note. We
got to have some positive endings. Don't say these negatives like,
maybe have that before the break so we come back
and feel real good when we get off.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
Maybe I'll have to come up with some jokes to
close the show.
Speaker 5 (44:15):
Any kid, they wouldn't be dry either. No.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men's Division. One
Frozen four, April tenth and twelfth in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Get your tickets now at NCAA dot com. Slash Frozen
four for Jim Connolly, for Derek Schooley. I'm Ed Trefsker
and this has been US Echo Weekend Review
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com