Being seeded 16th in a 16-team tournament is never really a good thing. Yes, it makes you the heavy underdog, thus giving your team some easy motivation. It also means you're probably not considered to be as good as anyone else in the field. Plus, it matches you up with a high seed in the opening round.
In the case of the Bemidji (Minn.) State Beavers, there were no problems. The Beavers ran roughshod through the NCAA Midwest Regional, beating Cornell 4-1 in the final Sunday night to advance to their first-ever Frozen Four.
MINNEAPOLIS - The magical runs ended Saturday night for Minnesota-Duluth and Air Force. Air Force was coming off a shocking win over East Regional top seed Michigan, while UMD had stunned everyone with an improbable rally to beat Princeton in the West Regional. In Minneapolis, Miami beat UMD 2-1 for the West Regional title, while Air Force fell to Vermont, 3-2 in double-overtime, for the East Regional championship. With the wins, Miami and Vermont advance to the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.
MINNEAPOLIS -- They don't call it "March Madness" for nothing. While the hoops version of the NCAA Tournament has produced few upsets, the hockey version is ripe with them, and there are only 12 games played before the Frozen Four.
Through the first seven games of regional play, higher-seeded teams are just 2-6. While Boston University won comfortably over Ohio State in the Northeast Regional, Minnesota-Duluth needed a minor miracle to beat Princeton in the West on Friday.
MINNEAPOLIS -- It's been quite a ride for Minnesota-Duluth. The Bulldogs finished the regular season in an 0-3-2 slump and fell to seventh in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Instead of folding, UMD went on the road and swept fourth-seeded Colorado College in the first round of the league playoffs.
Then, at the Final Five in St. Paul last weekend, UMD became the first team ever to win three games in three days, taking the title and the league's automatic entry in the NCAA Tournament. Little did they know that the wild ride was just beginning.
MINNEAPOLIS - The top seed in the NCAA West Regional hardly looked like one heading into the tournament. The Denver Pioneers finished second in the always-tough Western Collegiate Hockey Association, and they have had a great season. However, Denver has been fighting injuries throughout the second half of the season. Getting sophomore center Tyler Bozak (undrafted) in the lineup again was supposed to be a huge lift for Denver.
Instead, the Pioneers were dominated by fourth-seeded Miami University.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The NCAA Men's Hockey Championships have been a haven for underdogs for some time. Last year, top regional seeds New Hampshire and Miami were upset in regional play, leaving the Frozen Four to include underdogs Notre Dame (the runner-up) and Boston College (the eventual champion).
The 2009 tournament has started off the same way. In the first game of the 16-team event, the Air Force Falcons upset East Regional top seed Michigan, 2-0.
There is plenty of experience to be had at throughout the Midwest Regional bracket. Each of the four teams in the group has at least five players with over 100 games played at the college level. There is senior leadership all over the place, most notably with the top-seeded and heavily favored Notre Dame.
You have to feel for Ohio State, even if only a little bit. After all, Boston University has 20 Frozen Four appearances. North Dakota has gone four years in a row and 18 overall. New Hampshire hasn't been to the Frozen Four since 2003, but they have gone seven times and played in the championship game twice. Ohio State has made exactly one Frozen Four appearance in their program's history, and it ended with a semifinal loss. It's a regional full of traditional powers, and Ohio State is the odd man out.
It probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. Most of the attention being paid to the NCAA West Regional this year is going to revolve around goaltenders. That's not to discount other storylines, including the top seed getting a top player back from injury. However, you have a Hobey Baker finalist, along with arguably the nation's hottest goalie, both playing in this regional. Good luck, goal-scorers.
The NCAA has never before held a hockey regional in Bridgeport, Conn., but they have set up a very good one for this weekend. Fans in attendance will be treated to some wonderful skill talent on all four teams. However, this is playoff hockey, and we all know playoff hockey is about defense and goaltending. Which team can avoid the big mistake on their end of the ice?
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