While it gets none of the hype or television coverage of the basketball tournament, the NCAA Hockey Championships, also known as the Frozen Four, is a fabulous event. Here at HockeyDirt, we thought it would be fun to set up a "bracket pool."
Thanks to the awesome people at Ballistik Hockey we have an amazing prize for the winner - a Ballistik Caliber composite stick.
The rules are simple:
1. Download the Hockeydirt.com 2007 NCAA Frozen Four Bracket by clicking here:
Download hockeydirt_ncaa_bracket.doc
2. A first round win is worth 1 point. A second round win is worth 2 points. A semifinal round win is worth 3 points and if you pick the ultimate winner it is worth 5 points. Ties will be broken based on entrants' predictions of the score of the Championship game.
3. Fill in your name, and make your picks. Be sure to provide the final score of the final game in case there is a tie.
3. Save the file.
4.- Email it back to us at HockeyDirt.com. The deadline for entries is Noon on Friday March 23.
Now we know that some of you may not be "experts" on NCAA Men's Hockey, so here are a few tips.
Six teams received automatic births by winning their respective conferences.
Atlantic Hockey Association – Air Force Falcons
Central Collegiate Hockey Association – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
College Hockey America – Alabama-Huntsville Chargers
Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League - Clarkson Golden Knights
Hockey East Association – Boston College Eagles
Western Collegiate Hockey Association – Minnesota Golden Gophers
The remaining teams were selected as "at large" participants.
- the top seeded team in the tournament is the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers who won their conference on an amazing overtime goal by Blake Wheeler. Erik Johnson, selected number one overall in last year's NHL draft is a Golden Gopher.
- the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are seeded second in the tournament, but the Irish are ranked number one by USCHO.com
- the #3 seed are the Clarkson Golden Knights, and the New Hampshire Wildcats are seeded #4
- the Michigan Wolverines are coached by former NHL star Red Berenson
- 8 of the 10 finalists for this year's Hobey Baker Award will be in the tournament
- Michigan's T.J. Hensick (21G, 45A in 40 games) is the leading scorer in US College hockey this season. Hensick was selected 88th by the Avalanche in 2005.
- Jonathan Toews, one of the stars of Canada's 2007 Gold Medal winning World Junior team, plays for the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux
- Notre Dame's David Brown is the top goaltender in the nation, with a ridiculous 1.58 GAA
- If you are looking for a Cinderella pick, look no further than the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers. The Chargers are the lone team in the tournament with a losing record (13 wins, 19 losses, 3 ties) and the only team from south of the Mason-Dixon line. They are in as a result of an upset win to capture the College Hockey America Conference.
- The Air Force Academy Falcons are another longshot, making their first tournament appearance.
- The St. Lawrence University Saints (enrollment 2,182) is the smallest school represented, and Canadians make up over half of the roster. Hockey analyst Pierre McGuire is a former Saints' coach.
- Adam Reasoner (brother of Marty) & Andrew Orpik (brother or Brooks) both play for Boston College.
Links to check out for more information:
Offwing Opinion will be blogging the tournament.
Thanks for creating a NCAA pool... bracket contests like these are what can really help college hockey from a media standpoint, hopefully we'll see one again next year.
Posted by: Eric Caterina | March 20, 2007 at 08:33 PM