College hockey is the friggin best sport in the world.But in case you hanker for a little more, consider everything that happened yesterday in the NCAA.
— Joe Yerdon (@JoeYerdonPHT) March 24, 2012
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| Courtesy Patrick Dodson |
What snapped me back to reality, ironically, was a sense of déjà vu. Over the course of this season, there has a veritable mountain of "pinch-me" moments. Union traveling to Michigan and winning at Yost Arena. The Dutchmen playing an outdoor game at Fenway Park and winning. The Red Sox cathedral turning into a glorified Union rally. Winning the Cleary Cup with the thrilling help of a rival. Sweeping RPI out of the playoffs (and going 5-0 against them overall). Triumphantly hoisting the Whitelaw in Atlantic City. And now, advancing to the Elite Eight after a nailbiting (and often controversial) game against Michigan State.
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| Union Faithful (Courtesy Patrick Dodson) |
But to limit your college hockey worldview to a Dutchmen-centric one last night would have been tragic. Fellow ECAC traveller Cornell pulled off the upset of the tournament, defeating #2 Michigan in Green Bay. The game was anything but pretty: penalties marred the flow of the game, there were disallowed goals (sound familiar?). Despite the fits and starts, Cornell held on to a slim 2-1 lead over Michigan going into the third. But with four minutes left, Michigan slipped a puck past Andy Iles. In the ensuing extra frame, Rodger Craig (not to be confused with original Met Roger Craig) deposited a shot past an out of position Shawn Hunwick. With that, Friday saw two ECAC teams move on. But as Michigan departed the ice, we were reminded why hockey, despite its chippiness and rivalries, is still very much a gentleman's game. From CHN's recap:
After Hunwick took a couple of seconds to absorb seeing his season end with an OT goal in an NCAA game for the third straight season, he picked up the puck that Craig deposited in the net, skated to the Cornell bench, and gave it to an assistant coach to give to Craig..."It's one of the classiest things I've seen in 25 years of coaching," Schafer said. "To think of that in such a disappointing moment showed a lot of class for the kid and character, and those things don't go unnoticed. ... I was very impressed by it."But wait, there was more. Miami of Ohio mounted a furious comeback during the second game at Webster Bank Arena after UMass-Lowell jumped off to a quick, seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead. Miami roared back with three tallies in the third. With a five minute powerplay that would ultimately spill over into overtime, the Red Hawks seemed poised to steal an improbable win. But thanks to UMass-Lowell's Doug Carr (no relation to Daniel Carr), and a well-timed save by the post in OT, the River Hawks survived the onslaught before Riley Wetmore scored the game winner, propelling his team to the their first NCAA win since 1996. Miami settled for another heart-rending tournament loss.
Just in case you were wondering, Ferris State eliminated Denver in an equally thrilling 2-1 win. Only a day of back-and-forth drama and compelling narratives could push this game to the very bottom of our recap.
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As the dust settled after the whirlwind action of Friday night, a few stories came into focus. The Dutchmen would move on, winning their first ever Division I NCAA tournament game. Their opponent? Massachusetts-Lowell, stranger to the tournament since 1996. No matter what, one team will emerge from today's 6:30 game as a first-time Frozen Four participant.
But then there is Cornell. If all goes according to plan, Union could meet up with Cornell in Tampa for the final. Most assuredly, that prospect has not yet registered on Coach Bennett's squad's radar. Nor should it: much of the success of the Union program (beside stellar goaltending, a rock solid defense and timely scoring) is rooted in the mantra: "one game at a time." To the casual fan, who can't help but dream of the next step--and the one after that--the Dutchmen live by the platitudes that seem mundane to the rest of us. But these are not players merely rehearsing the company byline. Their even-keeled steadiness is a hallmark of their success and one of the end results of the program's lofty aspirations. Don't be mistaken, the boys understand that last night's win was the biggest in program history. But they also understand, more importantly, that hockey is a fickle game, especially in the NCAA Tournament (simply look above to witness the thrilling volatility of last night's action). To paraphrase Hobey Baker finalist Troy Grosenick in nearly every post-game conference, the sport is not about looking at past failures or missed opportunities. It is, instead, predicated adding each brick to the growing accomplishments of this program, piece by piece. Before you know it, the team is advancing to the Elite Eight, with an eye on the Frozen Four. You don't have to pinch yourself to wake up from this splendid dream: this is a splendid reality.
Tidbits:
Tidbits:
- Disallowed Goal: It was a common theme last night, also changing the complexion of Cornell's contest. From my view in the stands, the flurry in front of Grosenick's net resulted only in some emphatic Michigan State celebrations and an equally emphatic "no goal" signal from the official; the red light never flashed. The call needed to be entirely conclusive to overturn the on-ice ruling, and luckily for Union, it wasn't. But upon further review, the goal probably should have counted. The puck appeared to cross the goal line just as the net was lifted off its moorings by Josh Jooris. It's impossible to know what the officials conferred on in the box (for quite a long time), but in the end, the call on the ice stood. I imagine if the red light had gone on, they would have overturned it.
- Rent-A-Band: There's no secret to the tunes that wafted down from one of Union's sections yesterday. They were fun, peppy, and loud, but weren't strictly Kosher. See, Union had hired the Sacred Heart Band instead of bussing down the Nott Noisemakers for the contest. This smacks of a bad PR move for Union Athletics, which has done everything else right. Let the band that has played every game at Messa Rink play in Bridgeport. This should not an indictment of a lack of interest from Union fans. The head of Union's pep band is rightfully infuriated. This is, instead, a cost-efficiency move. The faux-U-Crew was good last night, but it certainly struck the wrong chord with Union fans. Let an integral piece of the hockey team travel with them; they certainly deserve it.
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