2021-22 Gopher Men's Hockey Preview (or) Finding Consistency In An Unpredictable Year

One of the more surprising things about Chaz Lucius finally coming to campus? How little surprise exists.

Sure, a few strange oddities have happened since September 2017's post "What is a verbal commit from a 13/14-year-old worth?" Anyone who had "Don Lucia, the head coach who recruited Lucius, now serving as commissioner of the CCHA all while the world is 20 months into a global pandemic" should play the lottery or use those powers for good. 

Four years later, the college hockey landscape is anything but predictable. The rise of new powers, realignment, schools returning after a year away, and transfer portal madness with an additional season of eligibility have all made 2021-22 a world where it is tougher to grasp a handle than any other season.

And yet, Minnesota - on the ice and with its roster - sticks out for its consistency entering Bob Motzko's fourth season as Gophers head coach.

Take Lucius, for example. Not all 14-year-old verbal commits live up to the hype at 18. Even fewer of those who do keep their original commitment. (NCAA hockey recruiting rules thankfully changed so that the days of 13 and 14-year-old verbal commitments are a thing of the past.) However, Lucius did and continued developing into one of his age group's top goal-scorers, being the top Minnesotan and selected 18th overall by the Winnipeg Jets.

That he did is a boon to Motzko, who didn't recruit Lucius to Minnesota but adds him to a team full of players he did. The young underclassmen two seasons ago thrown into the fire by Motzko out of necessity remain as experienced leaders. 2021-22's talented underclassmen will not have to develop in quite the same way. 

Coming off a 2020-21 season where the Gophers won the Big Ten conference tournament, returned to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed after a three-year absence, and made the regional final, high expectations return for the Pride on Ice. While many teams reload or begin the season with a number of transfers and newcomers, Minnesota sticks out by returning most of its core.  

Motzko will miss the 19 goals from Sampo Ranta (early departure), along with leadership from Scott Reedy (pro contract) and Brannon McManus (grad transferred to Omaha). Former Colorado College captain Grant Cruikshank, who led the Tigers in goals despite missing half of last season with appendicitis, comes to Dinkytown as Minnesota's one major incoming transfer. His elite skating joins three returning Gopher forwards who had 25+ points in Sammy Walker (in his unprecedented third season as captain), Blake McLaughlin, and Ben Meyers.

Of course, the largest return might be in net where 2021 Mike Richter Award winner Jack LaFontaine took advantage of the extra year. Minnesota knows it has an experienced number one goaltender, one who had a .934% save percentage and 5 shutouts against Big Ten opponents. That's an early advantage over several schools competing in the same space.

LaFontaine also gets his blue line help back. The entire Gophers top-six returns after a season that saw several players take positive steps in their development. Another year older from a team that gave up 2.06 goals on average, expectations are for Ryan Johnson, Brock Faber, Mike Koster, Jackson LaCombe, Ben Brinkman, and the rest to take another as Minnesota features one of the top defensive depth in the country.

Throughout the lineup, Minnesota is consistent in a year that is anything but. Other teams have more experience or higher-profile players. The Gophers keep building on its own, trending upward; a feature that can be seen in all facets whether it's a top potential free agent in Meyers or an improved defender in LaCombe. 

That includes the incoming players beyond Lucius. In a season where Michigan takes the spotlight for having four of the top-five 2021 NHL Draft picks, it's easy to overlook Minnesota's rookie class. The Gophers went under the radar with three players picked in the first 2 rounds. 

Historically, the bread and butter of Motzko's recruiting involve getting talented players on the upswing, which is the case with forwards Tristan Broz and Mathew Knies where neither was considered a second-rounder at the start of last season. 

In contrast to a number of players in recent years who went the opposite way - NHL Draft hype at 16 and undrafted by 18 - it speaks to where the Gophers program is at entering 2021. (On top of the young rookies, several incoming drafted forwards, such as Rhett Pitlick, had the opportunity to take an extra year of juniors to develop.) It may not be the flashiest or most hyped team, but Minnesota has potential throughout a lineup filled with older experience to continue making noise nationally in a national landscape full of surprises.

Now the question is whether Minnesota, like Lucius over the past four years, lives up to October hype and expectations come March and April.

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WCHA Eulogy

Before the 2021-22 season begins in full, I thought it would be appropriate to toast and eulogize the WCHA men's league.

I'm not the first person to do so. And this isn't exactly my first attempt on the subject. For two years, the WCHA existed in a position where we all knew the end was near. Seven schools departed to form a new CCHA while the remaining three did not have enough schools to continue, culminating with the league quietly closing up 70 years of history with a Friday press release entering the holiday weekend.

It's important to honor that history and legacy. 

Home to more men's national championships than any conference, the WCHA brought the hockey world Olympians, legends, all-time great teams, and Stanley Cup champions. It saw multiple eras where conference teams dominated the national landscape, beginning with a Michigan dynasty in the 1950s and ending with a Minnesota State powerhouse run.

Each person has their own memories of what the league was - older fans have a time when Notre Dame and Michigan were members while newer fans have an era with Bowling Green and Bemidji State. Each era showcases something unique as generations played for the same honor of winning the MacNaughton Cup.

No matter the era, the WCHA rose to the occasion.

One of those, the 2000s, was a special time for me with the WCHA Final Five becoming an annual March puck staple at Xcel Energy Center, a place where Upper Midwest fans from more than a half-dozen schools came together to tailgate, talk trash to one another, and sell out an NHL building.

The Final Five was the perfect event to capture the spirit of 2000s college hockey, which showcased itself in the 2005 Frozen Four featuring only conference schools much to the chagrin of WCHA fans. To experience Minnesota-North Dakota meant to experience a classic rivalry built to the tipping point on the backs of generations before.

That's a testament to the WCHA, which has been there for several different eras of college hockey, always evolving with an ever-changing sport. Always a place for schools - big and small, from Alaska to the Upper Midwest to even interlocking schedules with a young Hockey East - to call home. The W may stand for "western," but its reach was worldwide.

That's what made the WCHA stand out, no matter if the rivalry was between schools in Minnesota, the UP, Colorado, the Great Lakes, or (insert team here) and Wisconsin or North Dakota. It was home for schools that needed one. Those schools made it into something more.

And yet what made the WCHA work so well is also what made it open to being blown up. As much as the men's league evolved to the era, alliances of convenience remained a constant. (This remains true for the women's league, which thankfully still exists.) That was both part of its charm and a reason - disorganization, a large footprint, a lack of TV deals (or a few select teams having them), an imbalance of power - why teams leaving predate the WCHA leaving us. It predates the 21st Century. 

Even in its final years, the WCHA men's league stuck to its principles being open to being home to those who needed one. The league found room for Bemidji State when the CHA went away, picked up the remnants of the pre-2013 CCHA, Alabama Huntsville, and even courting schools like Arizona State. That was what the WCHA did.

For the first time in 70 years, unfortunately not enough teams need a home. In this era, more regional teams and TV deals - the number of games broadcast in one weekend is 5x more than 10-20 years ago - take precedence. More schools mean fewer need an alliance of convenience, which can also be seen as a healthy sign. This isn't the 1950s where only six schools exist outside the Northeast.

The WCHA men's league may be gone for now, but that does mean, like the CCHA just did, it can rise again for the next era as college hockey continues to evolve and change. Since July 2019, two small Western schools - Augustana and St. Thomas - announced plans to sponsor men's hockey. They likely aren't alone. 

For now, the WCHA's spirit lives on in the teams, the history, and the rivalries. I can't think of a more fitting conclusion than Minnesota State, who was invited to play in the WCHA Conference Tournament in the late 90s before joining, being the final dynasty while Alaska, Anchorage, and Alabama Huntsville - three schools always looking and needing a home - being the only ones who didn't leave. 

No matter the teams or eras, the WCHA remained true.

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2021 NHL Draft: Owen Power & Matty Beniers Returning To Michigan Would Continue A College Hockey Trend

The likely number one overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft might return to college next season rather than turn pro. He's not alone. So could another potential top-three pick. 

Both Owen Power and Matty Beniers mentioned in the lead-up to Friday's first round that they are leaning to coming back to Michigan for their sophomore seasons. Besides being a major boost to the Wolverines, whose 2020-21 season ended without getting a chance to participate in the NCAA Tournament due to Covid protocols, the decisions would be the first in over a decade.

No top-three selection went on to play college hockey after being drafted since James van Riemsdyk (2nd overall in 2007) spent two seasons with New Hampshire. Two haven't occurred simultaneously since van Riemsdyk and Kyle Turris (3rd overall in 2007) were both in college for the 2007-08 season. The number one overall pick last played in the NCAA in 2006 when Erik Johnson suited up for Minnesota's blue line.

Add in Jonathan Toews' North Dakota tenure and the mid-late 2000s may be a sign of where things may be heading once again in 2021.

Of course, there is no guarantee Power, Beniers, or both, return to Ann Arbor. It is easy to say so before the draft. Doing it afterward is another thing. Teenagers making soft commitments to NCAA hockey programs is nothing new.

The mid-to-late 2000s featured soft commits regularly. In these cases, players looking to choose their CHL destination would verbally commit to a school in order to gain draft leverage. In effect, the hockey world would know they only wanted to go to one team, who would then "take a chance" with a later pick than the player would slot otherwise. 

It was not just major junior, however. Players drafted by NHL teams would also all of a sudden post-draft be persuaded to bail on NCAA commitments and go the CHL route. Between the late 2000s and early 2010s, the number of college-affiliated players drafted by an NHL team versus the number who stayed on campus usually ended up varying between June and September.

Still, Power and Beniers' leaning towards Michigan feels more like an endorsement of college hockey's developmental path than aimless posturing or a bluff to NHL teams. 

The trend of deciding on one extra year of college seasoning is picking up steam. Credit can't go to one player, as several stand out in recent years. 

Two of the three most recent Hobey Baker winners, Cole Caufield and Cale Makar, were sophomores who returned despite being NHL first-round picks. (Even the third, Scott Perunovich, came back to UMD when he could have easily signed with St. Louis after winning a national championship.) Makar (4th overall in 2017) became the first top-10 pick to stay two years after his draft selection since van Riemsdyk and looks to be outshining several top 2017 picks who turned pro after one.

Reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, who topped Makar for the honor, stayed three years at Harvard before winning in his second NHL season. Caufield, meanwhile, found another gear at Wisconsin and became the scoring threat he was at the USNTDP in NCAA (along with being a 200-foot threat on the ice) before seamlessly being a Stanley Cup playoff difference-maker for the Montreal Canadiens. 

Even on Michigan, top defenders have stayed a second season between Zach Werenski (8th overall) Quinn Hughes (6th overall), and Cam York (14th overall).

Power and Beniers each have several other reasons to return to Mel Pearson's team besides development and getting a quality education. The way last season ended. Not getting a chance to live a normal college year.  College sports opening up to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights - there is money in being a big fish in an NCAA hockey pond and far more exposure than even 5-10 years ago.

Taking away the last reason, which could be its own essay adding to the trend, the argument for further developing in college by staying an extra year remains compelling. Look at the results. Caufield was one of five collegians picked between 12 and 16 in the 2019 NHL Draft (Matt Boldy, Spencer Knight, York, Caufield, and Alex Newhook) who each stayed for their sophomore season in 2020-21. All five found both individual and team success.

While the talk from Power and Beniers may be just that - or might be posturing, or a soft commitment, or an exception that comes from playing in a season that was unlike any other - it rings true. Neither coming back would be a surprise. Neither coming back to Michigan before stepping into the NHL next March/April would seem like a step back. 

That it's a viable option goes a long way in showing where college hockey is perceived in the greater hockey zeitgeist. There aren't columns on why it would be a bad move or an exception based on a global pandemic. It seems different even compared to Hughes and Makar, both of whom returned for their sophomore seasons in 2019, making their decisions. 

And it seems very different than a decade ago when teenagers made soft NCAA commitments to go to the CHL and teams pushed that route over the college path. Those days are over. If not Power and Beniers, the trend is heading towards the next top pick staying the extra season in college.

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Robert Morris potentially reinstates hockey, but at what cost?

"Don't mistake my kindness for weakness."

It's a quote that comes to mind with the news that Robert Morris, working with the Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation, is open to potentially reinstating the men's and women's hockey programs it unceremoniously dropped six weeks ago in time for the 2021-22 season. 

Once again, college hockey came together to help a program under duress. Like Alabama Huntsville, Alaska Anchorage, and others before (Bowling Green comes to mind), Colonials hockey is not going without a fight.

I can't say enough good things about both the Pittsburgh and college hockey communities for the work done to get to this point. Six weeks ago I wouldn't believe it. News of RMU's decision was universally derided. Even then, it was a decision made by leadership that had no interest in sponsoring hockey programs and made it apparent that it absolutely no interest. Robert Morris did everything it could to erase its existence.

Through all that, the Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation (made up of RMU alums and prominent people in the Pittsburgh hockey community) went above and beyond to keep Robert Morris hockey in the headlines. They hired a top lawyer. They worked tirelessly even when current players, dumped to the cold at a time when most teams had already settled on their lineups, found new homes, or turned pro. They reached a point where RMU was open to reinstating both teams if they can raise a large amount of money in a short period of time. 

No matter what happens, the people involved with the Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation should be proud of showing how the hockey community can be at its best when facing the worst occasions. 

Sadly, they might be the only ones who truly come off well.

The Robert Morris leadership doesn't deserve credit or applause for Tuesday's announcement. The about-face RMU leaders did looks more like a Plan B that benefits them after Plan A - getting rid of hockey, a sport that the university President and other top brass wanted to get rid of - went so badly.

Moving the goalposts to "raise sufficient funds by the end of July" lets RMU off the hook by changing the conversation and perception. The university that went out of its way to promote its all-time fundraising and how cutting men's and women's hockey was part of a "strategic vision" rather than financial now sees an expensive sport that people want to keep as an opportunity. 

At best, it's an acknowledgment of the community's kindness. At worst, it's a money grab and a worrying trend in college hockey that puts the onus back on the community. If they can't raise money quick by the end of the month and $7 million over the next five years, well too bad.

RMU is now the third university in the past year to resort to publicly raising money to save a program. Both Alabama Huntsville (successfully) and Alaska Anchorage (TBD) went to the GoFundMe well in the face of becoming independent, something Robert Morris does not face in wanting to come back for next season.

Seeing Robert Morris also go this route smacks more of an opportunity than anything else. What worries me is that more universities are coming to the conclusion that the hockey community will keep the sport afloat regardless of the university's contribution and forcing their hand. It's a trend that can spell disaster to several small programs beyond the RMUs of the world. The more often it happens, the more often this will be seen as a viable path. No one wins in that scenario.

Even then, raising the money does not guarantee safety (see: Alabama Huntsville dropping its program once again days after being a highlight on GoFundMe's homepage). Nothing has changed. The "strategic vision,"  the group that wants to get rid of the sport, the group that kept the sport off-campus with no hockey in a new building - all remains in place. 

That quote? Well, it goes both ways. Robert Morris should not mistake the kindness of the hockey community as a sign of weakness that involves fundraising, but the community should not mistake RMU's kindness either. It's anything but. 

Hopefully, it goes well for the sake of the Pittsburgh hockey community. Hopefully, two teams return. Throw in needing to build two completely new teams by scratch in a month and playing next season seems a bigger dream.

However, the biggest sign of where things stand at the moment is that the CHA and Atlantic Hockey each announced 2021-22 schedules without Robert Morris on the same day as RMU's announcement.

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BLOG: A Fitting End to the Zach Parise-Ryan Suter Minnesota Wild Era

It's fitting the $196 Million Dollar Men leave Minnesota together.

Buying out both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, as Wild GM Bill Guerin did Tuesday, marks a major franchise move, one that clearly ends an era for the team that arrived with the two being a package deal nine Julys ago.

Eras do not often come with such clean beginnings and/or ends. Normally, the start of any decade looks a lot like the one it follows before evolving into something different. In this case, the Wild franchise gets both. 

July 4, 2012 kickstarted the next chapter for Minnesota when, after two-plus years of looking at a potential Parise/Suter signing being one of the only positives Wild fans could muster, dreams became reality. Not one, but both of the two best free agents to hit the market in years chose Minnesota. Their decision put the "State of Hockey" on the national map in a way the Wild spent a decade struggling to reach. 

Suddenly, there were reasons to watch besides being the B-Side of a matchup. There were reasons to host a Winter Classic besides being home to the capital of outdoor hockey with a fanbase that consistently sold out Xcel Energy Center during tough times.

Signing both to matching 13-year, $98 Million deals remains the biggest move in franchise history. With apologies to Jacques Lemaire, Marian Gaborik, and Mikko Koivu, time can be split to pre and post-Parise/Suter. 

On this new side of post-Parise/Suter, however, it's tough to not see the past nine years on the ice as a failure in spite of success for the franchise off of it. Minnesota never reached a conference final - its best team was upset in the first round of the playoffs. What was supposed to be the beginning of a contending run ended like almost every other WCHA player from the late 90s-early 2000s the Wild brought in: bought out.

Handing the keys to the franchise over to a pair of Midwestern Olympians in their prime staved off Minnesota's plan to fully commit to a rebuild after multiple first-round busts. Parise and Suter were sold on a vision of being with Koivu and leading the Wild's top-end prospect pool, which at the time included Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, and Charlie Coyle, among others.

The best-laid plans did not come to fruition. Chemistry always seemed to be a problem, no matter the coach or GM. The team did not come together.

Minnesota went from mediocre down to a bottom-10 team when Parise/Suter signed back up to mediocre no man's land. The Wild, at best, resides at the bottom of a contending tier. 

To be honest, the writing was on the wall. Buying out both with four years remaining is a bold move in the spirit of the original, but it does not take a sleuth hiding in the bushes to see it coming. Three GMs tried to get Minnesota over the hump during the Parise-Suter Era. The past two, neither of whom signed the duo, each wanted to put their own stamp on the team.

Neither GM had the duo in their plans. Parise spent much of the regular season and playoffs being out of favor in the lineup. Suter was a top D yet not a franchise D. Neither player - both longtime alternates - getting the "C" after Koivu's farewell last season was another sign of the franchise's direction.

It's fitting the words said by Guerin involved moving forward. Like Koivu, like Granlund, like Zucker, like Coyle before them, the team in 2012 is now gone. Getting rid of both allows Matt Dumba to be protected in next week's expansion draft (the second time moves were made to save him). It's Kaprizov/Fiala/Eriksson Ek time now, with the only question being who, if anyone, will join them soon. The franchise is moving forward into the next era yet carries remnants of the previous one.

Although we'll see, this new chapter likely faces the issue where it's not quite a rebuild, not quite all-in to reach contending status. Guerin has the ability to see his vision through. However, buying out Parise and Suter puts the Wild in a cap crunch long-term moving forward that likely forces the team to rely on its young prospects in the same way Minnesota banked on them in 2012. Guess it's fitting.

It's also fitting the Wild did get that Winter Classic thanks in part to Parise and Suter while neither will be around to play in it. Both loomed large over the franchise for nearly a decade and yet can't say it makes sense to retire 11 or 20 in the same way it makes sense to send 9 into the rafters. Both leave the "State of Hockey" much as they found it, leaving Minnesota's quest for a Stanley Cup over to the next great big name hope.

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BLOG: Single-Elimination, Stanley Cup Series & The Stories Told

If the Stanley Cup semifinals were single-elimination, neither of the two teams playing tonight would be playing tonight.

Both the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning lost Game 1 of their respective semifinals to Vegas and New York Islanders, respectively. The Golden Knights, in losing its third series, advanced that far after losing both Game 1s of the series Vegas won.

In fact, teams winning Game 1 in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs have only gone on to win eight of the 14 best-of-seven series.

The stat jumps out for someone who covers college hockey and its annual tradition making vast generalizations from a single postseason game. Single-elimination can tell a different story compared to the best-of-seven series. More games allow a fuller picture to be painted. Anything can happen in a single game, which makes the NCAA postseason its own unique beast.

Neither is better or worse. They're just different.

Still, it's fun to compare how Stanley Cup contenders look in the single-elimination context. In one game, Washington was able to come from behind and upset Boston in overtime. Over five games, the Bruins pulled off a pair of overtime wins en route to a dominating series win. 

Colorado, one of the teams who looked as dominant in its round 1 series win as it did in Game 1, wishes it could skate by on Game 1 of its series with the Golden Knights. The Avalanche would bask in Game 1 perception. Instead, Vegas, who previously would've been the victim of a 1-0 upset loss to Minnesota in a single-elimination world, flipped the script after being dominated 7-1 in Game 1, winning in six games. 

Single-elimination misses out on the unfolding and changing, the comeback, the greater resiliency with the story within the story. Best-of-seven series miss out on the importance of preparing for a single, unknown opponent, the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, all compressed into a single evening - Game 7 notwithstanding.

Comparing the two is the difference between a single strike and a battle of attrition.  

The story changes with Montreal winning Game 1 against Toronto after John Taveres gets injured versus Montreal winning in seven games, overcoming a 3-1 deficit and multiple blown third-period leads to winning in overtime.

Single-elimination means the added stakes of four straight playoff OT games between two teams, such as what happened in the Nashville-Carolina series, never happens. Then again, the best-of-seven series miss out on the all-important, all out five OT classic, which Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota know the stakes all too well.

Both have their moments. However, like the games and series themselves, it's foolish to make comparisons or hold one in higher regard as much as the list of top college hockey teams who ran into a hot goalie or had an off night continues to grow.

I wonder how top college hockey teams would fare playing best-of-seven series, whether it would be similar to single-elimination or new dynasties would arise. I wonder how NHL teams would look playing single-elimination - the last champion to win all four Game 1s was Chicago in 2013. Tampa lost two Game 1s in 2020, including the Stanley Cup Final. So did St. Louis in 2019. Washington lost three of its four Game 1s while winning the 2018 Stanley Cup.

Just as the best regular-season teams end up not always being the best postseason teams, the best series teams end up not being the best single-elimination teams. 

(Then again, Tampa goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy having four straight elimination shutouts is some Hunter Shepard or Filip Lindberg-style feat.)

At the end of the day, single-elimination hockey adds to the unpredictability and entertainment. Any of the teams can win and it's difficult to make vast generalizations off 60 minutes. Heck, it's difficult making vast generalizations off a best-of-seven game series too. Not that it will stop us from doing either.

It would be one thing if Montreal and Tampa faced off in a single, championship game like UMass and St. Cloud State. Instead, I will enjoy watching tonight and seeing where it leaves us and whether the team that loses can go on to win. 

With the end result of the best-of-seven series leaving us with a final that features the No. 3 seed from the Central Division versus the No. 4 seed from the North Division that was the last team to make the postseason, this year's NHL championship would fit perfectly well with college hockey's postseason stories.

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On Robert Morris Discontinuing Hockey & Erasing Existence

Seven months after it came to an end, the only three remains were in two forgotten corners and a trophy case.

All I found in two treks around Ralph Engelstad Arena, a building showcased to celebrate North Dakota's hockey history, were three mentions of the women's hockey program shut down that previous March. 

One was in a trophy case highlighting UND players going to the Olympics and representing their country. Another featured the Lamoureux twins wearing the program's previous sweaters. A third, looking like it was missed, was a photo of former head coach Brian Idalski on the bench leading the Fighting Hawks.

Every banner, every mention of WCHA opponents, everything else had been taken down. Erased. I saw more North Dakota women's hockey sweaters on the concourse than reminders of its past. A place that spent decades fighting for a nickname did nothing to fight for a top-tier hockey team. Seven months after the university dropped the program so suddenly a recruit was on campus, it was treated like it never existed.

This trek came to mind yesterday (May 26, 2021) when Robert Morris brazenly discontinued its men's and women's hockey programs. 

Players and staff were given no warning, according to multiple reports. A 10-minute zoom call with an hour's notice and no subject was it before a coldly written press release under the subject "An update on men's and women's hockey."

The college world is no stranger to universities dropping Division 1 hockey. (It's my second straight column written about the subject.) Robert Morris, unfortunately, likely will not be the last. However, the Colonials' end differs from the Alabama Huntsvilles of the world. The signs usually show up before a program might meet its end.

In the case of Alabama Huntsville, UAH could not find a home. RMU simply did not want theirs.

Robert Morris got rid of two successful programs because they did not fit the new, purported image of the school. The university dropped a women's hockey team which made the 2021 NCAA Tournament. It dropped a men's hockey team, built from scratch 18 years ago, which has been Atlantic Hockey's most consistent program over the past 7-8 seasons.

It did so near Memorial Day at the expense of coaching staff and athletes now forced to find new teams after most programs are set for next season. Immediately eligible does not help RMU players when no one needs to sit out and everyone gets an extra year of eligibility.

Sifting through emotions, it's difficult realizing how open Robert Morris can be about not wanting to be a "hockey school." The university statement makes it clear that this decision was about "image," not money. (It discusses surpassing a $100 million fundraising campaign plus also goes into a discussion about a CEO Lecture series, which WTF?) Getting a national profile by making national tournaments means nothing when the school thinks it's an embarrassment.

Mostly, the news comes as a mixture of sadness and shock six weeks after RMU finished hosting the men's Frozen Four. At a time when NHL teams are teaming up with NCAA hockey nationally, the Colonials voluntarily leave Pittsburgh without a program. It leaves the CHA, now at five teams, in a precarious state.

I'm sad for Derek Schooley, who built the Colonials into a program that punched above its weight and earned its reputation among the hockey world. I'm sad for Paul Colontino, who made RMU a regular atop the CHA standings and championship game, all while producing a number of heralded players. I'm sad for the alums who no longer have a program to go back. I'm extremely sad for the approximately 55 current players who were done worse than anyone can imagine.

Robert Morris's "strategic course" wants to follow the North Dakota path by treating the programs like they never existed and leaving its student-athletes out in the cold. No one ever takes a breakup lightly, but it stings differently when the reason given is that the sport makes the school look bad in "positioning RMU for future growth and success."

Of course, the North Dakota women's hockey program - poised to be a top-five team the year it ended - lives on despite the lack of acknowledgment at Ralph Engelstad Arena thanks to the number of teams that used former Fighting Hawks players and recruits to further its own success. The same will happen with the Colonials.

Still, it's a sad day. Instead of the women's hockey team seeing a CHA conference tournament banner raised this fall, there will be no celebration. They'll hopefully be representing Robert Morris across a number of schools. 

All while the accomplishment gets tossed by RMU into some forgotten corner, never to be spoken of again by the university.

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BLOG: The "Growing the Game" Paradox

Three pieces of news happened in the past week. All involve college hockey programs in the southern United States.

One was about Tennessee State reportedly conducting a feasibility study to determine how viable it is to start a Division 1 men's hockey program. TSU, based in Nashville, would be the first team from the country's Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Another, from College Hockey News, features Lindenwood's quest to be the next Division 1 men's hockey team. The Lions, who already have a Division 1 women's hockey team, would play out of the St. Louis Blues' practice facility. According to the article, LU hopes to "secure a few lead gifts" in time to announce publicly its intentions this summer.

The third comes from Alabama Huntsville, the only D1 men's hockey team currently in the southern United States. For the third time in a decade and second in as many years, the Chargers will be suspending operations.

This news arrives as Alabama Huntsville is unable to find a conference to call home. The CCHA, where seven of the 10 WCHA schools are departing to form next season, denied the Chargers. Another potential fit, Atlantic Hockey, is doing the business version of ghosting someone.

It's very college hockey to see pure excitement of two possible potential programs contrast with an existing program needing to shut down due to no one wanting them. 

As much as the words "grow the game" get thrown around time after time, it comes with a NIMBY-sized asterisk. It is a platitude. Everyone wants to see more teams and more players get opportunities...at least it until it affects them.

No program understands this better than Alabama Huntsville. 

In the past 12 months, the Chargers have been the subject of a successful GoFundMe to keep the program alive. Fans, alums, and the college hockey world as a whole came together to raise enough money to keep the program going. It's not the lack of support and financial help that doomed Alabama Huntsville. Given the choice, the University decided to shut down and wait for a conference home rather than go as an independent.

(Coincidentally, another bit of news from last week was GoFundMe highlighting the Chargers' success.)

Sadly, this isn't new. Go back further and time repeats itself. In two separate iterations, for two similar yet separate reasons, over a decade apart, the CCHA denying UAH's application is the catalyst to the program shutting down. 

Right now schools find it easier to undertake feasibility studies and find ways to start men's hockey programs that even 3-4 years ago were missing. Look at the names who are starting and looking into joining during this time. This is not just a run of Power 5 schools as feared.

The sport comes out of a pandemic healthy with several new teams (and several more rumored) and yet remains as tough for those new and far-away teams to find a spot as it was 15-20 years ago when Atlantic Hockey, CCHA, and WCHA in various ways all danced around the issue of the former CHA teams. Even Bemidji State took some prodding.

Atlantic Hockey had a scheduling agreement with LIU this season, but the Sharks remain independent of the 11 team conference. The same goes with Arizona State and the Big Ten. After taking off last season, Alaska is hanging about as an independent while UAA is in the same situation as UAH. There are a few other programs on the horizon as no one looks to expand a decade after realignment gave conferences room to do exactly that after being stuffed to the 12-team brim with nowhere to add.

When all is said and done, nearly 10% of the sport - and all the geographic outliers - is on the outside.

Unfortunately for Alabama Huntsville, and any future southern teams, growing the game finds itself in a paradox. The most like-minded conferences for them are those who want to be regionally based. However, there aren't enough nearby teams to create regionally based conferences. 

The paradox gives advantages to bigger schools that can withlast being independent and those in the regional footprint, which makes it makes it more necessary for these schools to be regionally based and further drives the cycle. 

In this case, the CCHA denied UAH because it is eight teams of similar size joining together for geographic reasons that don't fit outliers. AHA is in a similar spot (and there are nearby like-minded teams).

College hockey needs more western/southern teams. It needs more teams, in general, to cut down on extreme geography. Outside of several joining at once, or enough teams lasting as independents where it makes sense to split into further conferences, it will be tough to achieve despite the interest last week showed from Tennessee State and Lindenwood. 

If the two take advantage of the growing number of high-end players and join, where would they play? Even Lindenwood acknowledged it likely would start as an independent in the CHN article.

In a more perfect world, there would be enough teams to space the gap and make it easier for geographic outliers, to fully turn a regional sport national. College hockey vastly outgrew the big school/small school regional alliance of the 2000s. Still, teams and conferences do not know what to do when it comes to further growth just as much now. It remains a sport of 60+ fiefdoms.

Reaction to the three pieces of news - excitement for TSU and Lindenwood possibly joining mixed with the reality of UAH's situation possibly ending...again - perfectly sums it up.

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2021 NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament TV Ratings

With some familiar names to Frozen Four audiences, the 2021 NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament ended up bouncing back from a disastrous 2019.

Saturday's national championship game between Massachusetts and St. Cloud State, which saw the Minutemen shut out the Huskies 5-0 for the school's first men's hockey national championship, drew 435K viewers (and a .23 household rating and .13 18-49 demo rating) on ESPN. That total is up from the 321,000 viewers who watched the 2019 national championship game between Massachusetts and Minnesota Duluth.

The number is higher than the 402K number in 2013 when Yale hoisted the trophy over Quinnipiac, the last time the Frozen Four was hosted in Pittsburgh. However, that is the only other championship besides 2019 in that time period that drew a lower viewership than 2021's total.

This follows a Frozen Four semifinal round that saw a mixed bag ratings-wise. The early contest between in-state rivals Minnesota State and St. Cloud State drew an average of 117K viewers and a .03 18-49 demo rating. It's down from the 195K and .07 for UMD-Providence in 2019 and the lowest-rated Frozen Four semifinal on ESPN2 since 2004.

On the other side, the late game between Massachusetts and Minnesota Duluth, which did not end until Garrett Wait's OT winner at 12:15 AM ET, drew an average of 266K viewers and a .07 in the demo. Besides being Thursday's highest-rated program on ESPN2, the rematch outdrew the 213K/.06 for UMass-Denver two years ago. That game also went to overtime.

Despite featuring three BCS programs (Boston College, Minnesota, Wisconsin) and a proven college hockey TV draw in North Dakota as the top four overall seeds, none of the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament's No. 1 seeds made it to Pittsburgh. It also did not help that national brands Michigan and Notre Dame, meanwhile, both withdrew from the tournament prior to playing due to Covid protocols.

However, 2021 did get some help compared to 2019's lows. Thursday night's game was ongoing during a time when all NHL games ended. In 2019, the Frozen Four needed to compete both nights with the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The 5 pm/9 pm local time (8:30 before 2018) semifinal time slot has been in place since 2014. In addition, Saturday's pregame show drew 252K viewers.

Frozen Four Championship Game Ratings (Since 2009):

2021: 435,000 (Massachusetts vs. St. Cloud State)

2020: No Tournament

2019: 321,000 (Minnesota Duluth vs. Massachusets)

2018: 653,000 (Minnesota Duluth vs. Notre Dame)

2017: 467,000 (Denver vs. Minnesota Duluth)

2016: 541,000 (North Dakota vs. Quinnipiac)**

2015: 635,000 (Providence vs. Boston University)

2014: 717,000 (Union vs. Minnesota)

2013: 402,000 (Yale vs. Quinnipiac)*

2012: 353,000 (Boston College vs. Ferris State)**

2011: 624,000 (Minnesota Duluth vs. Michigan)

2010: 526,000 (Boston College vs. Wisconsin)

2009: 656,000 (Boston University vs. Miami)

*This table uses total households from 2009-2013 and viewers from 2014-onward.

**Game aired on ESPN2 rather than ESPN

Regional Rounds:

In the regional rounds, five of the eight games on TV charted among the top-150 cable shows, which is four more than 2019. 

Sunday regional final games Minnesota-Minnesota State (216K on ESPN2) and Boston College-St. Cloud State (214K on ESPN2) each averaged above the 200K mark. 

Meanwhile, the 5 OT Saturday night classic between North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth drew an average of 167K viewers on ESPNU. To put it in context, that is the second-highest rated game on ESPNU since 2015. Only a 2017 NCAA Tournament game between Minnesota and Notre Dame drew more viewers and that game was on a Saturday afternoon rather than ending at 1:40 AM ET.

The other two games that charted were Wisconsin-Bemidji State (137K on ESPN2 in the 1 pm ET Friday slot) and UMass-Bemidji State (82K on ESPNU in the Saturday 5 pm ET slot).

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Column: In a year that needed one, Massachusetts writes the perfect hockey movie ending

In the Disney movie that will inevitably be made about this year's NCAA Division 1 men's hockey national champion, Massachusetts, there will be no shortage of dramatic moments to choose and highlight. 

Obvious ones exist, like losing the team's top goalscorer and goaltender right before the semifinal rematch against the two-time defending champions, the team that ended the Minutemen's dream in 2019. Coming back against that UMD team. The overtime winner from an unlikely combination, a Minnesota transfer in a tournament featuring three schools from the "State of Hockey" and the player suspended from the 2019 championship game. 

Getting back both top players prior to the championship game would be another dramatic high. So would Phillip Lagunov's highlight-reel shorthanded goal, crescendoing into the ultimate highlight of UMass shutting out St. Cloud State 5-0 and winning the national championship for the first time in school history.

Heck, this season itself, more than any, is one giant dose of drama that requires resilience weekly. 

This year's tournament ended up being unique with three teams eliminated by outside forces instead of inside an ice rink. The national champion was always going to be the team that survived the circumstances the best. In the end, that was Massachusetts. 

There is no asterisk on this title, just a slightly longer conversation about why this year's national championship is different than any other. That would be the case no matter who won. To not would be a disservice to the worthy champions who went through a year unlike any other, one featuring additional challenges on top of any normal ones any champion faces. 

Still, what makes Massachusetts' 2021 national championship is how normal the Minutemen's run felt in a season and NCAA Tournament that was anything but. 

UMass ended up being a dominant team, going unbeaten in its final 14 games and registering comparisons to 2014 Union or 2017 Denver's recent runs. Filip Lindberg allowed one goal in three games (Matt Murray allowed two in the UMD OT win) and the team scored 17 goals. After surviving an early shot off the crossbar and several St. Cloud State opportunities, Massachusetts went to work surgically taking apart a Huskies team that no one else was able to keep from coming back.

On the ice was enough of a story that it would be easy to overlook how Lindberg was not available for the semifinal, or the personal toll a yearlong global pandemic has taken. Head coach Greg Carvel mentioned it postgame, discussing how his father-in-law, a UMass philosophy professor, had recently passed away, in addition to Maine head coach Red Gendron, who passed away suddenly Friday, a one-time Massachusetts assistant. 

(College hockey honored Gendron with a moment of silence before the championship game.)

Carvel's team was bigger than its individual parts yet it would be wrong to ignore the talent of some of those individuals. Lindberg broke several NCAA Tournament records. Bobby Trivigno and Marc Del Gaizo showed their development from 2019. Zac Jones and Matthew Kessel developed into the next big Minuteman D while Carson Gicewicz and Garrett Wait became the latest transfers to make their mark. 

The best teams in college hockey in this era feature a mix of NHL-ready talent, college experience, high-end goaltending, and veteran leadership. Carvel built upon the Cale Makar/John Leonard/Mario Ferraro trio to get where he is now. It's no surprise that the Massachusetts championship team was one that does not feature a Hobey Baker Award winner or top national goalscorer.

It's hard not to be happy when Saturday's game concluded for all the UMass writers and fans I've known over the years. The program's recent success has been built upon flashes of fantastic moments surrounded by decades of despair. Winning a national championship becomes that much sweeter when the destination is paved with heartbreak, making it fitting for it to come following a season and program that captured all the highs and lows of college hockey,

Personally, however, the Massachusetts movie moment that sticks out features none of the current players. It involves a win, the only one the Minutemen had in a 23-game stretch to end a five-win 2016-17 season.

At the time, UMass snapped a five-game losing streak by defeating Alabama Huntsville 2-1 in OT at the Mariucci Classic. It was not as close as the score indicated. UAH, who went on to win nine games all season, dominated possession and shots, outshooting the Minutemen 30-19. The only shot UMass had in OT was the one that went in.

Despite winning, it was not a celebratory postgame with Coach Carvel. He was not happy with the performance, pointing out his best player on the ice was Brett Boeing, who played his first game transferring in from Michigan Tech. In his first season at UMass, it was nowhere near where he wanted to be. He made that apparent. After the postgame talk, he said there were future plans. He liked who was coming in next season and knew where this program was going. Things would be better.

Again, this was the high point in the midst of one giant low.

I remember coming away from the conversation impressed with Carvel, but also thinking, "I can't believe he left St. Lawrence for this. Hope he's right because it's a story I've heard too many times before." 

Turns out, this is one story I had not. Carvel was right. Boeing ended his career as one of four 2016-17 players playing in the 2019 national title game, the rest graduating or cut. As for his coach, things were better, going from one win in his final 23 games of his first year at UMass, to four at the end of Carvel's fifth season, leading the Minutemen to a national championship and sustained program success.

And the perfect movie ending.

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2021 Frozen Four: 4 Thoughts From A Classic Pair Of Frozen Four Semifinals

Maybe it is because the Minnesota High School Hockey Tournament just happened last week. Maybe it is because there were three Minnesota teams. Regardless, the Frozen Four had a real "The Tourney" feel.

The unofficial North Star College Cup kicked off Thursday with an early semifinal between Minnesota State and St. Cloud State that saw the Huskies win 5-4. SCSU will face Massachusetts, who defeated two-time defending champion Minnesota Duluth 3-2 in overtime, for Saturday's national championship. One of these two teams will be the first first-time national champion since Yale in 2013.

Watching three Minnesota teams represent the Gopher State in the Frozen Four is a proud moment. College hockey continues to grow, as does hockey in America. It no longer is the land of East vs. West, of Minnesota vs. Massachusetts (albeit in a Frozen Four featuring solely Minnesota and Massachusetts teams, still, none were Minnesota nor BU).

The sport keeps growing and getting better yet the Minnesota community model continues to work. The 2021 Frozen Four caps off what has been a decade of success throughout the state.

It's also something seen in the HS Tournament. Seeing three teams Thursday from three different parts of the state representing their sections, at times was a blast from the past. The 2015 and 2020 Minnesota Mr. Hockeys were on the ice. Minnesota State had its Elk River connection with Jake Jaremko and Reggie Lutz (newly signed Florida Panther and North Dakota D Matt Kiersted was also on that 2015 team, who didn't even make the tourney). Ryan Sandelin knows a few things about winning at Hermantown, as does UMD's Cole Koepke. Several others who made HS Tournament memories popped up throughout the night.

All in all, it was a cool night to be a Minnesotan watching college hockey, even if the team I regularly cover more than any other was not one of the participants.

Here are four more thoughts:

1. It was unfortunate a team had to lose an entertaining game between Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.

In fact, the real loser of Thursday's opening semifinal was the "Minnesota State and St. Cloud State can't show up in the NCAA Tournament" narrative. May it be dead for good.

After both teams spent the regional rounds coming back from early deficits, both came back against one another Thursday, Once again, the Mavericks erased a 3-1 lead thanks in part to Nathan Smith and a pair of seniors. Dallas Gerad gave Minnesota State the lead by crashing the net and being in the right place at the right time for a Walker Duehr pass. Despite the end result, Mike Hastings' team can leave with their heads held high. It would have been easy for the game to be over at 3-1, or after St. Cloud State scored 10 seconds following a Maverick goal. In the end, Minnesota State outshot the Huskies after a slow opening 5-7 minutes.

However, the win goes to St. Cloud State getting its Virginia men's basketball moment of postseason redemption. The Huskies, winning after trailing for the third time in three games, reached its first-ever national championship game with a last-minute goal and a third-period comeback.

Two years ago, the Huskies were the No. 1 overall seed and lost in the opening round. Three years ago, the Huskies were the No. 1 overall seed and lost in the opening round. Five years ago, the Huskies were the No. 2 overall seed and lost in the opening round. When I did the "60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less)" series, St. Cloud State's entry had the following for the closing thoughts:

No team's accomplished what SCSU did - both good and bad. Without diving into stats and how the program develops diamonds in the rough alongside first-round picks, the Huskies were 2018-19's ideal college hockey team. St. Cloud State, winning the difficult NCHC by nearly 20 points, didn't peak too early and never could be counted out of games. However, once the NCAA Tournament hit, the team looked unrecognizable to the one who dominated all season. 

Both regular-season and postseason success matter. However, unfortunately for SCSU what happens in April matters enough where the Huskies won't be the Minnesota school remembered the most over the last two seasons. Still, SCSU has done more than enough between October and mid-March to be a team that other fanbases want to beat instead of being numb about the upsets piling up. 

I hope, not out of spite, opposing fanbases buy AIC sweaters or bring up the loss more. My worry is, if ignored again, this marks yet another time, like Ferris State and Air Force before, where St. Cloud State's massive upset was brushed off nationally like no one cared. Hopefully, for SCSU's sake, opposing fanbases do. They should. At the end of the day, apathy at accomplishments is more disappointing than losing as the No. 1 overall seed in back-to-back years. 

 Instead of being Virginia basketball, the Huskies went from #GoHuskiesWOOOOO to #NoHuskiesWOOOOOF, repeating the same losing trick. Despite expecting Larson's squad to continue to be an annual NCHC regular-season contender, it's going to take a Cavalier-type turnaround in March/April to change perception.

Consider perception changed, Huskies fans.

2. Welcome to St. Cloud State hockey immortality, Nolan Walker.

For years, the Walker tip past Dryden McKay will be remembered and replayed in highlights. The game-winning goal with 53.2 seconds remaining was the final effort of a solid game from Walker, who continues to be St. Cloud State's most efficient forward in the postseason. The Anchorage native continues to create chances and set up others. He fed Kyler Kupka for the second SCSU goal before continuing what has become a recent Frozen Four semifinal tradition: scoring a last-minute game-winning goal. 

Since Justin Holl's infamous 0.6 goal in 2014 against North Dakota, there have now been four other last-minute winners. After Holl, Nick Schmaltz did it for the Fighting Hawks in 2016. Then it was UMD's Alex Iafallo against Harvard in 2017. Notre Dame's Jake Evans did it in 2018 in the final 6 seconds versus Michigan before Walker added his name to the list Thursday.

Like every team needs this time of year, St. Cloud State, missing Easton Brodzinski, needs its top players to step up. Walker did so, but he's not the only Huskies player to make their mark in Pittsburgh. On a day where fourth liners across both teams scored four goals, Joel Molenaar made the most of his first collegiate goal, tying the game at four with 9:46 remaining in regulation.

By the way, Molenaar is no stranger to championships. He helped lead Minnetonka to the 2018 Minnesota HS Class AA championship, scoring a goal (the eventual GWG) and dishing out two assists in the championship win against Duluth East.

3. Wait, wait don't tell me the Minnesota Duluth quest for a three-peat has ended?

Speaking of folks who are no strangers, Garrett Wait, the former Gopher forward who transferred to UMass during the last offseason, became the first person in 36 years to score an NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament overtime goal on the Bulldogs. It's great to see the Edina native find success on this big stage after helping lead Edina to a Class AA high school title as a sophomore. Wait, who committed in 2014 at age 16 to Don Lucia, never seemed to fit in with Bob Motzko's system. I'm happy for him.

Massachusetts, after dominating the overtime portion of the game, advances to its second consecutive national championship game after defeating the team who beat the Minutemen two years ago. Credit for the OT goal should also go to another player who wasn't there two years ago, Bobby Trivigno. The Walter Brown Award winner for the best American playing in New England missed the 2019 national championship game after being suspended for a hit against Denver. He did all the work, controlling the puck down low, coming out of nowhere and feeding Wait to cap a brilliant game for him.

3a. With a major storyline coming in being how UMass would be affected by losing its starting goaltender and leading scorer, the end result was: Not much.

Matt Murray (no, not that one) continued to play like Matt Murray in Pittsburgh (yes, that one) as expected. He kept the Minutemen in when needed during parts of the first and second period when Minnesota Duluth was at its best. Carson Gicewicz was missed - thankfully he and Filip Lindberg appear to be available for Saturday's championship game - but the key to Massachusetts' success has been its depth. That depth made itself known against the Bulldogs on Thursday night.

That is not to say Minnesota Duluth was anything but its Scott Sandelin-led best. Entering the game with one regulation win in its last eight games, the Bulldogs played like the favorites. 

This was postseason UMD at its best for 2.5 periods. Minnesota Duluth limited mistakes, blocked as many shots as it allowed through, and made its opponent work for every opportunity. When the Bulldogs trailed for the first time in 352:32 of NCAA Tournament gameplay, it was a matter of when not if, UMD would get the tying goal. Both came from similar spots, crashing the net and catching UMass in an awkward position.

In the end, Massachusetts' depth compared to Minnesota Duluth's use of a short bench was too much. Where it successfully worked in the five OT classic against North Dakota, the Minutemen were the much-rested team in overtime.

4. What does this mean to the Minnesota Duluth dynasty?

Trying to put together what Minnesota Duluth's run means will take some time. It's beyond impressive. Yet I don't think four consecutive Frozen Fours, three national titles in a decade, and a constant presence at the top of the NCAA Tournament in an age of parity can be truly appreciated for what it has been in the moment.

What makes the Minnesota Duluth dynasty is the consistency. Teams know the blueprint of how to beat UMD. Until Thursday, none were able in a four-year NCAA Tournament stretch. Even then, the second period and parts of the third period were vintage Bulldog hockey. UMass was suffocated in front of the net, given limited opportunities much like the 2019 championship game. Where most teams are unable to take advantage of the few mistakes and opportunities, the Minutemen eventually did. 

And despite that, it took plenty of work.

What impresses me about Minnesota Duluth, beyond the nine straight NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament wins and six straight OT wins since 2016, is how there is no one size fit all title recipe. The Bulldogs win in different ways and types of teams. Sandelin coached a blue line featuring five underclassmen to a title. He won one with the weight of the world expectations that come with being the defending champion. He built the 2017 team over a long stretch then turned around and survived heavy early losses that take teams multiple seasons to recover. This year's squad overachieved its expectations. 

More than anything, the mixture of NHL talent (both drafted and undrafted developed), experience, good goaltending, and veteran leadership that Sandelin thrives in is becoming the blueprint for college hockey success in this era. Teams need a Nick Swaney or a Karson Kuhlman. (It's also no surprise Minnesota Duluth's golden era comes directly after one with Hermantown and Duluth East, but that's another story.) We are seeing it in some ways Saturday night with the Sandelin coaching tree representing St. Cloud State and Brett Larson.

These are things that will stand out more and be appreciated with more time passing by. Plus, UMD's dynasty run is not over yet. 

Bonus Leftovers: The TV booth had a rough night at times with multiple mixups and missed names - Minnesota State (insert one of three new nicknames) forward Nathan Smith is forever known as Davis for some reason - but the ESPN intermission presentation was A+. There were no attempts to get away from the game or invoke Masters talk. I enjoyed Sean Ritchlin and Mike Mottau's analysis. It hit that sweet spot between placating college hockey diehards and getting casual fans up to speed. 

Minnesota Duluth being able to hide Ryan Fanti not being in Pittsburgh until right before gametime is some combination of ridiculous and coaching oneupmanship.

Not being at the Frozen Four in person for the first time in years was even more awkward than I thought it would be.

RIP WCHA men's hockey league.

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2021 Frozen Four: Why Your Team Can Win It All

Frozen Four week has arrived. 

After a season unlike any other, and an NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament regional weekend featuring all kinds of craziness on and off the ice, the final four teams hopefully will play for a national championship game berth on Thursday. 

(Hopefully, because this is 2021. There are no guarantees, as St. Lawrence, Notre Dame, and Michigan, unfortunately, know all too well. And now UMass does too.) 

UMass, Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, and Minnesota Duluth each got through regionals filled with upsets, comebacks, dominating performances, and legendary overtimes to get through to Pittsburgh. It would not be a surprise for any of these four teams to end Saturday night by lifting the national championship trophy.

Minnesota State and St. Cloud State face off in the opening semifinal at 5:00 pm ET/4:00 pm CT Thursday. Minnesota Duluth and Massachusetts, meanwhile, play at 9:00 pm ET/8:00 pm CT. ESPN2 carries both games.

Prior to the regionals, I previewed all 16 teams by how each will 1) win the national championship, and 2) lose in the first round. True to form, a No. 1 seed (Wisconsin) lost in the first round for the 15th straight NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament. (Another, Boston College, lost its first game after moving onto the regional final due to Notre Dame withdrawing.) This time around, I will be doing the same for non-pandemic-related reasons.

In addition, I am adding three more names to watch in addition to how cheerable each of the four teams is from a neutral fan perspective.

Massachusetts (18-5-4):

Why the Minutemen will win its first national championship: Of all four teams, Massachusetts looked the most dominant during its regional run. The Minutemen outscored its opponents by a combined 9-1 to extend its unbeaten streak to 12 games. Carson Gicewicz had four of those, extending his team-leading total to 17. Filip Lindberg again showed why he is deserving to be discussed among the nation's top goaltenders, stopping 48 of 49 shots and keeping both games close early when needed.

Oftentimes the NCAA Tournament rewards the hot team at the right time. Right now that's Massachusetts, as no team has played as well down the stretch compared to the Minutemen. Add in Bobby Trivigno entering the Frozen Four with a chip on his shoulder and this veteran group has both the NCAA Tournament experience and talent to go all the way after finishing second in 2019. 

Why the Minutemen will lose to UMD: It's not 2019...but it would be tough not to remember how 2019 went before the 2021 rematch.

Scott Sandelin's team was able to neutralize Massachusetts' strengths in ways no one else did. While Greg Carvel will get the opportunity to make adjustments and be going against a different Bulldogs squad, UMass will need to show it can take advantage of the few opportunities Minnesota Duluth gives. After all, UMD did take out another top team in North Dakota.

Another, non-history reason why Massachusetts could fall short is the number of penalties UMass took in the Bridgeport Regional. A normally disciplined team gave up a combined 11 power plays to Lake Superior State and Bemidji State. The Minutemen killed all 11, however, it is playing with fire if it continues.

And as a late addition, UMass announced Tuesday morning it would be without both leading goal scorer Gicewicz and starting goaltender Lindberg (in addition to two others) for Thursday's game due to Covid contact tracing. The Minutemen have a ringer in goalie Matt Murray (no, not that one), who has 84 career games of experience, and the depth to keep going, but a challenge becomes that much greater. It is not guaranteed that only those four miss too.

Neutral fans should cheer if: Are you from the East Coast or any place not named Minnesota? Then UMass might be the team for you in this Frozen Four. Unlike the other three teams, Massachusetts is not based in the Gopher State.

Three more players to watch: Besides the aforementioned #24 D- Zac Jones (NYR), #35 G- Filip Lindberg (MIN), #8 F- Bobby Trivigno (undrafted), keep an eye on #11 F- Carson Gicewicz (undrafted), #4 D- Matthew Kessel (STL), #2 D- Marc Del Gaizo (NSH)

Minnesota State (22-4-1):

Why the Mavericks will win its first national championship: Minnesota State won two NCAA Tournament games. Why not two more?

The Mavericks got its elusive NCAA Tournament win, coming back from a 3-1 third-period deficit to defeat Quinnipiac in OT thanks to a Ryan Sandelin goal. Number two came easier once number one happened, shutting out a potent Minnesota offense that scored seven goals the night before. Since going down 3-1, Minnesota State scored seven consecutive goals en route to taking down the ECAC and Big Ten champions. Turns out the key to not blowing an early multi-goal lead was coming back from a multi-goal deficit.

It is important that Minnesota State was able to win two games in two different ways. It also helps Mike Hastings' team enters its first Frozen Four with the best possession offense. Mixed with its defense and Dryden McKay, who showed against Minnesota that he is more than capable of stealing games at the highest level, and the Mavericks have a recipe for success against the Huskies and the UMass/UMD winner.

Why the Mavericks will lose to SCSU: Comparing the four teams, Hastings and Minnesota State have the least Frozen Four experience. In addition to being the first in school history, Hastings never made the Frozen Four as an assistant (something St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson can claim). The Mavericks are college hockey's winningest program over the past six seasons, but getting two wins at the Frozen Four is a different experience.

In addition, Larson and the Huskies routed Minnesota State 7-2 last season when the two teams played at the Mariucci Classic. While both are different teams, the way St. Cloud State defeated the Mavericks - scoring early and putting pressure on Minnesota State - has been a successful blueprint for several WCHA teams this season. It is something worth keeping an eye on for Thursday afternoon.

Neutral fans should cheer if: What do you think about fairy-tale endings? The team that could never win in the NCAA Tournament, the one that had its most talented team last season not get its chance, the one representing the final opportunity for a seven-decade-old WCHA to get one last title, would be one for the group in southern Minnesota.

Three more players to watch: Besides the aforementioned #8 F- Nathan Smith (WPG), #5 F- Jake Jaremko (Undrafted), #29 G- Dryden McKay (Undrafted), #14 F - Ryan Sandelin (Undrafted), #15 F- Julian Napravnik (Undrafted), #23 D - Jake Livingstone (Undrafted)

St. Cloud State (19-10-0):

Why the Huskies will win its first national championship: No line in the previous set of previews aged better than "St. Cloud State has been at its best in the NCAA Tournament when expectations are lowered." The Huskies made the most of being a No. 2 seed, coming back in back-to-back games against Boston schools to advance to its second Frozen Four (and second FF held in Pittsburgh).  

Coming into the Frozen Four, St. Cloud State continues to fly under the radar as much as a team can in college hockey's final weekend. Showing resilience, the team continues to be a tough out. That's beyond important this time of single-elimination year. The Huskies got two solid performances from David Hrenak, along with a depth of scoring throughout the lineup. Micah Miller stepping up in the Albany Regional and scoring in both games was a positive sign; especially given the injury Easton Brodzinski suffered.

Why the Huskies will lose to Minnesota State: St. Cloud State will need to play without its leading goal scorer after Brodzinski suffered a season-ending injury in the win over Boston College. The Huskies players showed they were capable of winning against top teams with players like Miller and Nolan Walker stepping up. Still, they will need to do it two more times. Missing Brodzinski's 13 goals makes it an easier task for McKay and the Mavericks defense.

At the same time, as much as the ability to come back from an early deficit can be a strength, it can also be a detriment if relied upon constantly. There are only so many times a team can come back before it comes back to bite them, as Minnesota State showed in the Loveland Regional final. 

Neutral fans should cheer if: Were you a fan of the Virginia NCAA men's basketball redemption story from 2019? Because St. Cloud State is essentially the NCAA men's hockey version of Virginia times 2 or 3. Add in the underdog story and overcoming injury and you could go much worse in picking a team to cheer for as a neutral fan.

Three more players to watch: Besides #29 F- Veeti Miettinen (TOR) and #19 F- Sam Hentges (MIN) (Brodzinski was originally the third), #25 D- Nick Perbix (TBL), #34 G- David Hrenak (LAK), #20 F- Nolan Walker (undrafted)

Minnesota Duluth (15-10-1):

Why the Bulldogs will win its fourth national championship: The same reason why Minnesota Duluth won its second and third championships: Ric Flair rules. To be the man, you got to beat the man. Until proven otherwise, no one is beating the Bulldogs come tourney time.

It wasn't pretty. It wasn't easy. After nearly seeing a late 2-0 lead disappear against No. 1 overall seed North Dakota, UMD survived three OT posts and an overturned goal to win the longest NCAA Hockey Tournament game (both the program's ninth straight NCAA Tournament and OT win). Both Ryan Fanti and Zach Stejskal showed up in goal and the Bulldogs got a winning goal from an unlikely source in Luke Mylymok. Add in the experience from Scott Sandelin and UMD's leadership group of Nick Swaney, Noah Cates and Cole Koepke, and the championship framework remains.

Minnesota Duluth has both won only one of its last eight games in regulation and can be considered a favorite. That's the duality of being the team to beat in the NCAA Tournament. 

Why the Bulldogs will lose to UMass: At a certain point, going beyond the one win - as magnificent as it was - takes away a little bit of the shine. It was one win. Minnesota Duluth did not need to play a second game after first-round opponent Michigan withdrew from the tournament. Against North Dakota, the Bulldogs were outshot and gave up the majority of Grade A opportunities. 

Playing UMass, the Minutemen are older, more experienced, and feature more depth than when the two teams met in Buffalo two years ago. The team is comfortably winning both tight, defensive games against hot goalies (see: UMass Lowell win) and offensive shootouts. If Massachusetts, the closest team remaining to UND stylistically, can follow a similar plan, cashing in on its opportunities like UMass has throughout its unbeaten streak and others against UMD have during the last six weeks, it would not be a surprise to see the run end.

Neutral fans should cheer if: Do you like dynasties? How you answer will decide whether or not Minnesota Duluth will be the team for you. The Bulldogs can become the first team since Michigan in the 1950s to win three consecutive national championships and the first to ever reach four consecutive national championship games with a win Thursday. If that works, welcome aboard the Bulldogs Express. If not, well there are three other teams to cheer.

Three more players to watch: Besides #23 F- Nick Swaney (MIN), #17 F- Cole Koepke (TBL), #5 D- Wyatt Kaiser (CHI), #20 F- Jackson Cates (Undrafted), #10 F- Kobe Roth (Undrafted), #22 D- Matt Cairns (EDM) 

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Column: St. Thomas hiring Enrico Blasi shows what is important to the Tommies

The timing could not work out better for St. Thomas to make a statement. 

During a week where three Minnesota schools look forward to the Frozen Four and five can count an NCAA Tournament victory, Minnesota's sixth Division 1 hockey school announces it will begin its D1 men's hockey history with Enrico Blasi as head coach.

Hiring Blasi, the longtime Miami head coach and current Associate Athletic Director of men's and women's hockey at Providence College, showcases what St. Thomas can do by getting someone with his name value. Being both around for over two decades and still under 50, Blasi, who brought two RedHawks teams to the Frozen Four and sits two wins short of 400, knows his way around building a program. 

Just as important, it showcases what St. Thomas will not be. 

At a time when friendships and connections between the other Minnesota head coaches are as tight as possible, Blasi breaks the state's country club hiring by being as far from Minnesota as any D1 men's hockey coach. Even in the few cases where a new coach came in without a true tie to the state, "foreign lands" were Grand Forks and Fort Frances, separated from Minnesota by a bridge and a river.

Blasi did not grow up in the state. He did not play or coach in Minnesota. His Miami team on average featured 1-2 Minnesotans. That St. Thomas went in this direction, if anything, is much needed. It's different. Being the sixth hockey program in the state - and second based in the Twin Cities - should be reason enough for the new team to think outside the box.

UST could easily be safe and hire someone familiar with the state. Instead, the Tommies' pick contains bits of safety with bits of risk, regardless of familiarity and locale.

By going outside the box with a big-name hire familiar with the CCHA, St. Thomas shows a major commitment to the sport as it enters Division 1. Rather than getting a name from Blasi's coaching tree, which includes prominent coaches like Jeff Blashill, Chris Bergeron and Brett Brekke, UST picks up the real deal. St. Thomas hiring Blasi brings back memories of St. Olaf hiring former Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves.

Plus, there may be no better year to enter the sport. An extra year of eligibility granted due to the pandemic and a one-time waiver to transfer without sitting out a season makes it easier for programs like the Tommies to start up. Leadership and grad transfers are everywhere, with over 250 players in the transfer portal and counting.  

At a place like St. Thomas, in a conference like the CCHA, there will be a need to be creative when it comes to recruiting and coaching. Doing so has been key to Minnesota State and Bemidji State's recent success. Blasi will have an unprecedented opportunity to build a balanced Tommies team from scratch without being underclassman-heavy.

It sets up to be a perfect situation for the Tommies if Blasi can tap into his CCHA coaching success. As impressive as his accolades are, most come from a decade prior. The Frozen Fours were in 2009 and 2010. Miami's top-five 2014-15 season is an outlier surrounded by sub-.500, last-place NCHC finishes. 

Blasi is the first of his contemporaries to seek out a second chance. The game has certainly changed. Recruiting has as well. Many of the forward-thinking things Miami did during its heyday no longer are forward-thinking. They have been successfully replicated elsewhere to the point where the RedHawks continue to rebuild since joining the NCHC.

Going outside the box to hire Blasi means St. Thomas risks missing out on a chance to grab a forward-thinker. In that sense, the Tommies go outside the box compared to other recent new programs.

The Tommies will need to tap into new pipelines and be creative in discovering its own talent despite being in the Twin Cities. It's nothing new for Minnesota schools - Minnesota State, with zero teenagers, appears in the Frozen Four with a team that features players from four countries and states ranging from Alaska to Florida - even if Minnesotans like to pretend it is otherwise. The program will need to create its own culture and D1 tradition much like the Brotherhood in Miami. 

Still, what worked in Oxford in the 2000s will not work in St. Paul in the 2020s. Who Blasi hires as assistants and how well the team can recruit will go a long way to how far and how quickly St. Thomas can compete in the CCHA. 

There is comfort in having someone who knows how to get a program going. St. Thomas bringing in Blasi is a sign acknowledging just that, comfort in being different. It is a sign needed for a program looking to make waves in Division 1 after a successful Division 3 men's hockey tenure and set forth on finding space to build a brand new on-campus rink. 

Blasi has experience there. (In fact, Miami's Steve Cady Arena, which was built while he coached the RedHawks, is a fantastic comparable to what the Tommies should be looking to replicate.) The Tommies hope it ends up being closer to what St. Olaf had with Eaves, where the Oles were able to get national recognition and a brand new ice hockey rink, than what Wisconsin had with Eaves - or Miami had with Blasi - at the end of his tenure.

Miami's history remains defined by when Enrico Blasi took over at age 27. St. Thomas hopes its history will be successfully defined by Blasi taking over at age 49.

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16 Thoughts From NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament Regional Weekend

If the big, non-pandemic-related story coming into the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament was the return of college hockey's blueblood programs at the top, it is no longer a story. North Dakota, Boston College, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were the tournament's top four overall seeds.

None of the four will be going to Pittsburgh.

Instead, the continued rise of the sport's new blood rolls onto the Steel City. The last two teams to play in the Frozen Four - two-time champion Minnesota Duluth and 2019 national runner-up Massachusetts - are joined by two of the sport's most consistent schools over the past 5 years in St. Cloud State and Minnesota State. Only Minnesota Duluth sponsored D1 men's hockey before the mid-1980s. The Bulldogs appeared in as many Frozen Four appearances this decade as the other three teams have in total.

These four being 2021's remaining four is not quite due to parity. Taking out Michigan, who withdrew from the tournament prior to its opening game due to Covid protocol and positive tests, and the four Frozen Four participants were the next four highest seeds playing after the No. 1 seed quartet. Each had plenty of recent NCAA Tournament experience, both good and bad. 

Experience matters over pure skill. It showed this weekend compared to the No. 1 seeds, each of whom returned to the NCAA Tournament after multiple years away. Besides UMass, none of the four remaining schools played its best hockey over the final two weekends before the NCAA Tournament. Those went down one after another. The No. 1 seeds, talented as all are and looked at times, were unable to adjust or find that extra goal in single-elimination hockey.

This Frozen Four may be compiled of familiar names and stories, however, for several, it comes after years of squads with higher ceilings falling short. Coincidentally or not, these four teams were the four No. 1 seeds in 2019.

These are not the most talented recent teams from each of the four Frozen Four schools. Minnesota State finally got its elusive NCAA Tournament win, a year after its upperclassmen-led squad 2020 missed out on a chance to end the 0-6 streak. St. Cloud State beat back the narrative of three massive upsets in five seasons. UMass returns with Cale Makar, Mario Ferraro and John Leonard. Even Minnesota Duluth, the two-time champion, goes for its third with a team that features more question marks than any of the three previous Frozen Four squads.

But none of that matters. What does, and what was given importance in this year, is that in the current age of parity and the fine line between winning and losing, the NCAA Tournament does not reward the best teams. It rewards the best teams to handle the situation. 

These four have the experience to do so.

Here are 16 more thoughts from a wild NCAA Tournament regional weekend.

1. Minnesota State ended the West Regional celebrating while Van Halen's "Top of the World" played over the Loveland speakers. Honestly, it came a little over 24 hours late.

After two straight NCAA Tournaments where the Mavericks led by multiple goals early before collapsing late, Mike Hastings' squad came from behind late to defeat Quinnipiac in overtime. Ryan Sandelin's OT goal ended a 25-year long streak to put Minnesota State and its fanbase on top of the world.

And to be honest, getting the first win led to an easier second. The Mavericks, after being a minute away from another loss and coming off being blown out by Northern Michigan, looked more like the team that shut down the WCHA, besting Minnesota at its own game a day after the Gophers blew out Omaha. Dryden McKay had an easy night for his 24th career shutout.

That's the difference one game can make. That's the difference one night can do for a generation of perception.

2. Can the North Star College Cup come back?

Even before this weekend, the past decade has been a golden age of men's college hockey in Minnesota. Since college hockey's last realignment in 2013, there has not been a year where multiple Minnesota teams finish in the top-10. Dozens of recent banners from the three western conferences hang in arena rafters. 2019 had the top-3 NCAA Tournament seeds all be from the "State of Hockey."

Herb Brooks would be proud for years before this weekend. Still, this might be the best three days in the state's history. All five schools made the same NCAA Tournament for the first time. All five schools won at least one game. Three will represent the state in the Frozen Four, becoming only the second time one state has had three representatives (Michigan in 1992 being the other).

Outside of them not playing nice with one another, the biggest disappointment among the Minnesota schools has been not getting the attention and respect the schools deserve. College hockey has never been better in the state and, up until this season, attention has never been lower. Hopefully, this weekend changes that.

3. The first-game crazies continued this year with Bemidji State upsetting Wisconsin. Since 2007, eight upsets have taken place in the Friday afternoon slot. That does not include crazy opening games where the favored team eventually won, like Yale taking Boston University to OT in 2015, or Michigan Tech nearly upsetting Notre Dame in 2018. Whether it is the afternoon time or added attention, that slot seems to bring out weird results.

The Beavers also added to the streak of at least one No. 4 seed upsetting a No. 1 seed every tournament since 2006. Might be something to remember for next year's bracket when the rest of your pool has four No. 1 seeds playing in the Frozen Four. (Signed, someone whose bracket had a perfect Bridgeport Regional.)

4. There was no better summary of Wisconsin's season than the Badgers playing six forwards in an attempt to overcome a two-goal deficit. As good as Cole Caufield's season was - his 30 goals in 31 games were the best goal-scoring per game margin of any D1 men's college hockey player in the 21st century - Wisconsin needed its forward group to overcome the "cold" days of its hot and cold goaltending. Caufield had two goals, several more chances, and was a pro before the first round was over.

5. What is left to say about the Minnesota Duluth-North Dakota 5 OT Classic? The longest game in NCAA Hockey Tournament history, men's or women's, became one of the few college hockey events that broke through to the casual sports fan. It passed the "non-hockey friends and parents text you about it" test.

For those up Saturday night, the Fargo Regional final was a magical event where Sunday morning you felt like part of a club for staying up to 1:40 AM ET. This game, from start to end of regulation to the goalie change to the posts and no goals to Luke Mylymok's winner, will be brought up for years to come. 

The longer the Bulldogs and Fighting Hawks battled, the higher the tension became. North Dakota looked like it would end the game multiple times, hitting three posts in OT after coming back from 2-0 down with less than two minutes to play. UND also had the luxury of a potential Minnesota Duluth game-winning OT goal called off for the slimmest of offsides.

In the end, UMD's OT streak lives on for another day. The Bulldogs have won nine straight OT games in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 1985. It's the fifth straight tournament where the team needed an extra period to win its opening game. Scott Sandelin prepares his team for the occasion and finds ways to win.

It's unfortunate someone had to lose because for the fans watching, everyone won. 

6. Massachusetts forward Carson Gicewicz was the player of the weekend, scoring four goals. The Sandelins (Ryan and Scott) easily end up being the family of the weekend with a pair of Frozen Four trips and legendary stories.

7. More than any of the other No. 1 seeds, North Dakota showcased the cruelty of single-elimination hockey. The Fighting Hawks had the talent and ability to score in bunches, doing so both against AIC and Minnesota Duluth, and the majority of overtime chances in the Fargo regional final. Like the Minnesota State win over Quinnipiac where the Mavericks controlled play late in the third and OT, no one would be surprised to see the Fighting Hawks end UMD's NCAA Tournament streak and dethrone the national champion. Unfortunately, two years of being the top team in college hockey end short of a Frozen Four appearance.

8. Speaking of single-elimination hockey cruelty, College Hockey News' Greg Cameron tweeted this photo of Quinnipiac's seniors taking their time in what could be their last collegiate game.

Following the 4-3 overtime loss, Quinnipiac seniors Odeen Tufto, Keith Petruzzelli, Josh Mayanja and Joe O'Connor share a hug on the ice well after the teams salute each other and depart. pic.twitter.com/PGzgfsyLDX

— Greg Cameron (@gregdcam) March 28, 2021

It's a common reality in a sport where all except 1 team ends the year with a loss. This time of year is full of awkward and difficult postgame press conferences where seniors come in still wearing their uniforms 10-15 minutes removed from their final appearance. I need two hands to count the number of times I've had to console players. Anyone who says they don't care has no idea what they are saying.

While this season is different than all other seasons because of the extra year of eligibility, it's still a reminder the rosters will be different next year. Players will be graduating and moving on with their lives.

9. And now for something somewhat similar: The WCHA is not dead yet.

For a while on Saturday afternoon, it looked like the WCHA's nearly seven decades of sponsoring men's hockey would be coming to an end with almost simultaneous losses by Bemidji State and Minnesota State. The Mavericks came back to buck the trend and in the process became the first WCHA team post-realignment (and first since St. Cloud State went to Pittsburgh in its only other Frozen Four appearance in 2013) to make the Frozen Four. 

It was a big weekend for the WCHA, which saw more wins in three days than it had in the seven previous seasons post-realignment. Only Ferris State (2014 and 2016) had won NCAA Tournament games.

When given the chance for the thing casual sports fans in Minnesota wrongly have been saying for a while - that Don Lucia (now the commissioner of the CCHA that 7 of the remaining WCHA schools are reviving) and the Gophers - to technically happen, the Hockey Gods said see you on next Thursday.

10. The moment I knew this was a different St. Cloud State team than in years past came Saturday afternoon following Boston University's opening goal.

After failing to score on a five-minute first period major and going down 1-0 eight seconds into the second period, the Huskies spent multiple shifts creating chances. David Hrenak made a couple of good saves. The energy was different on the bench than in 2016, 2018 and 2019, where once things went wrong there was almost a panic by St. Cloud State to make it right. Goalies can steal games this time of year (and that pretty much happened in 2018 against Air Force), however, teams can make it easy with shot selection and scoring chances. I knew once AIC went up 2-0 in 2019 that this was doomed for a repeat.

SCSU did not play tight. There were no heads down. The Huskies continued to work to create chances. It paid off with a pair of goals inside a minute against BU, a penalty shot goal, and a similar performance the next afternoon after going down 1-0 against a rested Boston College team and losing Easton Brodzinski to injury. 

Speaking of the two Boston teams, I am curious to see how each looks next season. Both could see several players leave for the pros. As of this writing, one - BU defender David Farrance - already signed an NHL entry-level contract after returning for his senior year. BC's Matt Boldy, Alex Newhook and Spencer Knight could all leave early. BU's Jay O'Brien is a first-round pick three years removed from being selected by Philadelphia.

10a. The aforementioned penalty shot goal.

The @SCSUHUSKIES_MH Penalty shot goal. pic.twitter.com/dKv4KQXxPZ

— Chris Lynch (@cclynchwall) March 27, 2021

10b. That bit about St. Cloud State being at its best when expectations are lowest turned out to be accurate. The same can be said with how Wisconsin could be upset and Massachusetts can win. Let's not discuss the part about the Gophers getting better as the weekend goes on, though.

11. For the first time in a long time, I did not spend the weekend at a regional. Following along on TV, two standouts were Leah Hextall doing play-by-play at the Fargo regional with Dave Starman, and Colby Cohen being the third man in at Bridgeport and the studio Sunday. It would be great to see both get expanded roles when ESPN gets the NHL rights back next season.

Ben Holden and Fred Pletsch were fantastic in the West Regional. It's been a blast getting the pairing back this season on BTN for Big Ten games. Having a studio with live coverage to react made a big difference. It could get repetitive by the end of the weekend watching 10 games but original commentary beats showing the same segment 10 times.

12. On the other hand, there were way too many errors in graphics and player names for what should be college hockey's premiere weekend. I understand that storylines are going to be promoted and simplified for people who are not following along all season. This was not the case. Too many small mistakes brought down what was a good weekend of coverage otherwise.

Also, has anyone else ever abbreviated Nebraska Omaha as NEOM?

13. This might need to be a bigger future article diving into Massachusetts but Greg Carvel's team's regional success of late is the "win close games" exception that proves the rule. In the four regional games in 2019 and 2021, the Minutemen outscored its opponents 17-1. Ashton Calder's goal Friday night for Lake Superior State is the only one Filip Lindberg has given up. 

Alongside Carson Gicewicz's four goals (including his first collegiate hat trick that John Buccigross willed into existence - the first natural hat trick in the NCAA Tournament since Jarid Lukosevicius in the 2017 National Championship Game), Lindberg was outstanding all weekend. Splitting time with Matt Murray, he may not get the respect or award nominations that several others of Lindberg's contemporaries do. After another weekend performance like this, Lindberg should. 

14. Another thought that likely needs to be its own article is where Minnesota goes from here. The Gophers took a massive step forward in Bob Motzko's third and the program's 100th season. Minnesota built upon past success and a solid 2019-20 second half to return to the country's elite. 

Minnesota is going in the right direction mixing skill and veteran players. Of all the Big Ten teams, Motzko is closest to perfecting his ratio. I thought the Gophers utilized its depth well against Omaha before having no answer for Minnesota State. Scott Reedy and Sampo Ranta scored, but so did Mason Nevers (0 entering the game) and Ryan Johnson (1 ENG in two seasons). 

There will be changes for next season even before the opening of the transfer portal and the possibility of an extra senior season. While early departures and seniors leaving are to be expected, the defensive core should remain intact, which is good news on both sides of the ice. Jared Moe will get his chance in goal after a Mike Richter Top-3 season (and possibly more) from Jack LaFontaine. 

It's a team that has a lot to look forward to yet also a season that will sting with how it ended. There's a missed opportunity while three other Minnesota teams play onward. Those do not come along every year.

At the end of the weekend, the Gophers had one outstanding performance and one that was anything but. We all know which one will be remembered more.

15. One issue that seems to be a yearly one is ice conditions at regionals. When it's a problem at multiple regionals, as it was at Albany and Bridgeport (and Loveland to a lesser extent), something needs to be done. There are no large crowds. There really should be no excuses. Six months of games should not be decided on bad ice.

If the NCAA just wants to hire Fargo's ice team to oversee all future regionals, please go ahead. Scheels Arena was the exception to the rule despite having a five OT game thanks to putting in the extra effort months beforehand. Have to think Spencer Knight would rather play there than kick the net off its moorings a half-dozen times and St. Cloud State seeing leading scorer Easton Brodzinski go down with what appeared to be a major injury. He wasn't the only player who took an odd spill in Albany.

16. Finally, I'm not sure if we learned everything we would want to from this weekend. Half the Big Ten teams - Michigan and Notre Dame - withdrew before the NCAA Tournament began due to Covid protocol. Add in St. Lawrence and it's 3 of 17 teams. 

Playing in a pandemic was likely going to bring complications. Unfortunately for this year's tournament, it did, and then some. I can't imagine the disappointment for the Wolverines and Fighting Irish players to achieve their goal and see it snatched away by something out of their control. It would not surprise me to see either team reach the Frozen Four if they were able to play. Sadly, we'll never know how well each would fare.

Finding the middle ground between taking lessons from what happened on the ice and knowing that nothing is guaranteed is as fine of a line as winning and losing. (It makes the sweeping generalizations made from one game look like concrete opinions.) I am looking forward to the UMass-UMD rematch and seeing Minnesota State and St. Cloud State finally each get their due. 

However, I know nothing is guaranteed during a time where the United States is still experiencing 70K new cases of Covid daily.

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