A year ago, I was talking to someone about Bemidji State's impressive yet unlikely berth to the Frozen Four and he said that all you need is one good weekend to get there (of course, you have to get in the NCAAs first). This year, Rochester Institute of Technology is that team. The Tigers shocked Denver on Friday and then followed that up with a 6-2 victory over New Hampshire on Saturday.
It's still inexplicable that RIT is in after watching them nearly three months ago in Mankato. Not to take anything away from the accomplishment but there's no way the Tigers looked like a Frozen Four team that weekend. If anything, Minnesota State, which won the series 6-1 and 3-1, looked like the team poised to make a second-half run.
RIT will play Wisconsin in two weeks in Detroit. The Badgers avenged their WCHA semifinal loss to St. Cloud State at the Xcel Energy Center by beating the Huskies 5-3 (with an empty-netter) eight days later in the same building. Wisco senior forward Blake Geoffrion may not have been put up for WCHA player of the year by the Badgers but he might have moved up in the Hobey Baker race with a West Regional MVP performance over the weekend.
Meanwhile, North Dakota (PucKato's pick to win the title) was stunned by Yale 3-2 on Saturday, meaning the Elis will play Boston College Sunday for a trip to Detroit. Michigan knocked off Bemidji 5-1 and will play CCHA rival and top-ranked Miami Sunday.
1 comment:
badgers have too much firepower especially if they get on the powerplay. what do you think shane?
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