Unfortunately when UMN took the money and went to the B1G conference they jettisoned all the natural rivalries except for Wisconsin. No one showed up for games and kids who want to play in fun hockey environments have gone to the other MN schools. Add to the fact that ticket prices are far too expensive when a person can pay nearly the same price for the Wild. At this point, UMN is the least exciting D1 college team in Minnesota.
And so what? Should we all sit around and whine about it for decades to come? Whine and cry about how the B1G ruined Gopher hockey???
Or maybe we should accept this is the way of the world and something none of us could have done anything to change, and MOVE THE FRACK ON ALREADY!!!
Notre Dame is ranked #1 in the nation now in both the KRACH and Massey Ratings, and OSU is ranked #5 in both those ratings, just one spot behind SCSU. Minnesota is ranked Top Ten in them both, as well as in the PWR, too, despite having played the toughest schedule so far by a long shot, and PSU is is ranked among the Top 12 in all 3 rating services as well. That has the B1G with a good chance of having as big of a contingent in the NCAA tourney as any other conference, including the NCHC.
So the B1G "could" do fine in college hockey, if its whiney cry baby fans can get over it already and move on.
There was a time when Bemidji was just a Div 3 school and NOT a rival in any way shape or form. Go back a little further and Mankato and SCSU were both Div 2 schools, and NOT a rival. And even UMD wasn't a rival if you go back far enough. There was a time when B1G schools like Michigan WERE our rivals.
Things change. College hockey has evolved over time, change has been apart of college hockey all throughout its history. There was a time when Wisconsin didn't even have hockey.
And what the hell is this about UMn being the least exciting D1 college team in Minnesota? Are you talking about right now? Or over the past 10 years?
Lucia won back to back titles and was all of a sudden able to recruit incredibly well. Problem is Lucia recruited TOO well, and guys started leaving after a single season, Okposo left part way through his 2nd season, a couple others left after 2 seasons, and several others left after their Junior seasons. I would bet that UMn has lost more legit NHL talent early to the NHL than any other school in the nation over the last 10-13 years. Evidence of this is that all of those players that left early are still in the NHL and are higher up on the points scored rankings than any other school's early departures, and its been this way for the last 3-4 years for sure, because I've been keeping track for the last 3 or 4 years.
So everyone acts like Lucia is such a bad coach, and maybe he is? But Denver went TEN STRAIGHT YEARS without making a Frozen Four after their back to back titles.
UND made ONE SINGLE Championship Game over a 14 year period after their run of Titles and Title games in 1997, 2000 & 2001.
How is it all 3 of these programs struggled to get back to the FF or the Title game for such long periods of time? While programs like Yale and Providence won titles in their first appearances in the Frozen Four EVER, or in decades, and haven't returned since and don't seem like they will this year? Quinipiac and Ferris St and RIT and Bemidji St and SCSU and UNO and UML and Notre Dame all made their first trips to the Frozen Four over the last decade, most of whom have not returned. Union and Quinipiac are the only exceptions, programs that got to a 2nd Frozen Four 2 or 3 years after their 1st trip. Vermont is another program that got to only its 2nd Frozen Four in the last decade, only to never return.
NCAA hockey is a different animal nowadays. The NHL wants it's best players and offers enough money to get them. All of those first or 2nd timers to the Frozen Four in the last decade are programs that were, for the most part, senior laden programs who, because of great team chemistry, were able to put it together for a deep run, then when the senior class graduated, those programs basically fell back to earth, because they can't attract the high level of recruits that programs like Minnesota and Denver and UND can.
Now will SCSU do like Quinipiac and return to the Frozen Four this year seeing as they are #1 right now? Or have they gotten to #1 by playing a weak scedule? I honestly don't think they will. I honestly think that they will lose a lot more games than most people think they will in the coming months leading up to the end of the regular season. They don't play well on the road(3-3-2) and they've got 8 upcoming road games vs Top 20 ranked teams. Only half of their first 8 road games were vs ranked opponents, yet they could only muster 3 wins in those 8 games. And the last 6 games of their regular season are going to be brutal, 2 roads games vs Top Ten ranked WMU, then 2 home games vs the Top Ten ranked Denver team that already swept them in convincing fashion, and then 2 road games vs Top Ten ranked UND. I wouldn't be shocked if they lost all 6 of those games.
Minnesota has played the #1 rated SOS so far in the nation, and has won 3 games out of 6 vs Top 3 rated teams.
Meanwhile SCSU is 1-3 vs Top 5 rated teams, and has played a much easier schedule. SCSU couldn't even manage a win in 2 games vs #42 Princeton.
One of their big wins is vs #7 ranked Mankato??? Mankato got to #7 by playing the 31st toughest schedule. Is Mankato really legit?
