Official College Hockey Thread

[RPI-Fan]

Does anybody, anybody, here follow college hockey?

RPI is in Omaha next weekend... despite very poor media and coaches predictions there is a lot of reason to think RPI can do some REAL damage this year (one of the best groups of defenseman in the nation, a dominant group of returning forwards, and a 6-2, 200 freshman power forward).

How does YOUR team look?

[Cards4ever]

Here's a site to follow College Hockey for any newcomers.

http://www.insidecollegehockey.com/INCH.htm

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by Cards4ever

Here's a site to follow College Hockey for any newcomers.

http://www.insidecollegehockey.com/INCH.htm

Another site (one that's much more established, and in my opinion, much more credible) is http://www.uscho.com - they even have a very FOFC-esque "Off-topic" forum over there.

[Cards4ever]

USCHO is fine for the articles, the forums are filled with crap(off-topic one is one of the mellow ones). INCH's "Found on a cocktail napkin" is good stuff!

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by Cards4ever

USCHO is fine for the articles, the forums are filled with crap(off-topic one is one of the mellow ones). INCH's "Found on a cocktail napkin" is good stuff!

INCH is kind of weird, though. For example, for two full years they listed a recruit of Division III RIT on RPI's recruiting page, even after he was named to RIT's Conference All-Rookie team!

And, they had this huge fascination with RPI d-man Scott Basiuk, who, don't get me wrong, was really good offensively, but lost focus defensively way too frequently. I think they even named him to one of their All-American teams - something even RPI fans thought was absurd.

Edit: And some of the stuff on the USCHO forums is quite good. RPI has had a running off-season thread that has provided a lot of neat little info. I don't dare mess with the western conference threads at all. When RPI SWEPT a highly-ranked SCSU team last year, I remember the endless bitching and whining from the SCSU fans.

[Cards4ever]

SCSU aka Jan Brady State University, always jealous of the older sister Marcia, aka Minnesota; is notorious for that.

[DeToxRox]

Michigan is taking it this year.

Nystrom, Hensick, Montoya. That is a huge big three.

I just can't seem them getting upended this time around.

[Cards4ever]

Better get that 1 seed, we know what happens when Michigan has to go elsewhere for a regional!

2004-2005 NCAA Tournament
Division I Men
Location:
• Frozen Four (April 7 & 9) - Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
• Northeast Regional (March 26-27) - Mullins Center, Amherst, Mass.
• East Regional (March 25-26) - Centrum Centre, Worcester, Mass.
• Midwest Regional (March 25-26) - Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.
• West Regional (March 26-27) - Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis
(Future Sites)

[DeToxRox]

ha very true, but i think with montoya in net, we're going to always be in great positions to win games. it really will come down to how hensick plays. we have some great freshman play last year, hensick, brown, hunwick, we need them to step up even more this year.

[Cards4ever]

Maybe Minnesota can pay you back and you can come to Mariucci as #1 seed and lose!

[Poli]

www.icevols.com

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

www.icevols.com

ahahahahahahaha

[Mr. Wednesday]

Hey, c'mon, we had to talk Ardent into supporting somebody when he started posting over at USCHO, and he's quite proud of finding a UT team.

Still, I think the best club team in America is Kentucky. Just go check out their schedule posters.

[Poli]

Indeed. Oh, and Go Cornell.

[Sublime]

Only became a big college hockey fan last year as a freshman here at Boston University. We had a pretty good recruiting class with Chris Bourque (Ray's son) stealing some of the spotlight from some of the other froshes. We have a pretty strong D, our goalie isn't amazing, and our offense is come and go. Though i'm looking forward to our new arena half-way through the season and of course beating BC!

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by Sublime

Only became a big college hockey fan last year as a freshman here at Boston University. We had a pretty good recruiting class with Chris Bourque (Ray's son) stealing some of the spotlight from some of the other froshes. We have a pretty strong D, our goalie isn't amazing, and our offense is come and go. Though i'm looking forward to our new arena half-way through the season and of course beating BC!

.

The Gophers get to help christen the new arena the first weekend of 2005. First game in the old arena, second in the new one, sounds fun!

[bronconick]

Yeah, Western Michigan's hockey team? Same as every season since 2000

Offense- Check
Defense- Meh. Okay.
Goaltending- If it ain't the incoming freshman, we'll lose a lot of 5-4 games.

[Mr. Wednesday]

I'm looking forward to the ND season opener on Thursday, against defending semifinalist UMD, and very disappointed that I'm going to miss NU's season opener on Friday (but I'll just do the ND-UMD game instead).

[Poli]

UT's first games were forfeit wins. We're 2-0!

[BishopMVP]

UMass is predicted to have a setback this year, losing Pock, Kuiper (a very underrated defensive defenseman) and Mauldin to the AHL. There is still some talent there, with Stephen Werner and Marvin Degon getting potential AA consideration, Matt Anderson (the team's leading scorer as a freshman, then was injured and missed last year) and Kevin Jarman, a sophomore who disappointed as a freshman but turned it up at the end of the year and in the HEA playoffs. If Anderson and Werner can regain the chemistry they had before (and from the exhibition it looked like they will) both could have 50-60 point seasons. Most predictions have us 6th, after BC, Maine (clearly the 2 best teams in the conference) UNH, UM-L and BU. If we can beat 2 out of those 3 and finish Top 4, it will be a successful year. Anything lower than 6th will be a disappointment. 5th/6th and a win or two in the HEA playoffs is my guess, and that will keep the program at its current level while we wait on Toot's very, very good classes coming in the next couple years. Unfortunately I'll be missing the opener against Clarkson (Columbus Day Weekend), which should be a good test for the team, but that'll tell more about whethere some of the FR/SO's can step up this year.

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by bronconick

Yeah, Western Michigan's hockey team? Same as every season since 2000

Offense- Check
Defense- Meh. Okay.
Goaltending- If it ain't the incoming freshman, we'll lose a lot of 5-4 games.

You have Mike Erickson coming this year, he will do well there.

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wednesday

I'm looking forward to the ND season opener on Thursday, against defending semifinalist UMD, and very disappointed that I'm going to miss NU's season opener on Friday (but I'll just do the ND-UMD game instead).

UMD should be very good this year, they did lose Lessard, but, still have a bunch of key players back.

[tucker342]

What the hell is the ACHA???

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by tucker342

What the hell is the ACHA???

Club hockey.

[Sublime 2]

Thoughts on college season pre-xmas break?

BU is vastly improved from last year. The freshman have been amazing. The biggest win has definetly been over BC for obvious reasons. We've only lost one game in Hockey East this year (UNH). Hopefully we keep this going. Looking forward to the closing of our old arena and the opening of our new arena the next night, both against the Gophers.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by Sublime 2

Thoughts on college season pre-xmas break?

BU is vastly improved from last year. The freshman have been amazing. The biggest win has definetly been over BC for obvious reasons. We've only lost one game in Hockey East this year (UNH). Hopefully we keep this going. Looking forward to the closing of our old arena and the opening of our new arena the next night, both against the Gophers.

You guys tore us up pretty good on our ice last weekend, too. We didn't play great, but I thought that in the 2nd period we actually took the game to you.

P.S. - your goalie is a total douchebag.

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

How does YOUR team look?

Bruno's looking okay this year. The men's team had a rough start, but they look like they are putting together a bit of a run. I thought it would be a lot worse now that Danis graduated.

The women's team is looking pretty good. But per usual, they're less and less dominant with each passing year now that more scholarship programs are popping up and establishing themselves...

[Sublime 2]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

P.S. - your goalie is a total douchebag.

What exactly happened there? I heard a guy came in late on Curry and he took a swing at the back of the guys head, then an RPI guy went after Curry...ending in an RPI player throwing a BU player's stick? Sounds like there could be a lot of interpretations...

I was stunned by the final score of BU - RPI game too. They beat Northeastern (i think) pretty handily earlier in the year, and another good Hockey East team too. Then they lost to a couple of the lower HE teams. I figured they would stick w/ the trend and come out fighting, especially on their home ice.

[Mr. Wednesday]

RPI did not beat Northeastern handily. The played a fairly solid defensive game, capitalized on a few chances the other way, and barely held off a late-game surge by the Huskies. I didn't leave the game thinking NU got outplayed.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wednesday

RPI did not beat Northeastern handily. The played a fairly solid defensive game, capitalized on a few chances the other way, and barely held off a late-game surge by the Huskies. I didn't leave the game thinking NU got outplayed.

"barely"?

I think that what happened, is RPI gave an average effort, and NU a below average effort, and the team with more talent won the game by a sensible margin (1 goal on the road).

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by Sublime 2

What exactly happened there? I heard a guy came in late on Curry and he took a swing at the back of the guys head, then an RPI guy went after Curry...ending in an RPI player throwing a BU player's stick? Sounds like there could be a lot of interpretations...

That was the FIRST incident - that is a pretty accurate interpretation.

The second incident was Curry coming 50 feet out of his net to play the puck (in a 4-1 game with 2 minutes remaining mind you), and when the RPI played tried to avoid him, Curry took a swing at him and started a melee. Then two BU players came OFF THE BENCH to join the fight, and were not suspended, which is ridiculous.

Our guy, Pereira deserves tons of shit for starting the first fight, but your goalie, as I said, is a total douchebag based on the second incident. And for Coach Parker to let players leave the bench like that, well, is just dispicable.

[Sublime 2]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

And for Coach Parker to let players leave the bench like that, well, is just dispicable.

Atleast congratulate Jack on joining the 700 win club and then call him despicable. Anyways, I hadn't heard anything about that other incident. In a way i'm glad he's showing some aggression back there, but certainly not that kind of cheap shit.

Just got home from a little 2 night stay back at school for the two hockey games. We lost our last game at Walter Brown Arena 2-1 to Minn. but then debuted our new digs w/ a 2-1 win the following night against the same no. 1 ranked Gophers. I'm happy w/ the split, esp. against such a good team. I got some bad news though, Chris Bourque got hurt at the World Juniors and he'll be down for 2-4 weeks.