2008 NCAA Hockey Previews: East Regional

Here at HSR, this is our favorite time of the year. It's the start of the NCAA hockey tournament with Michigan in position to make a run to the Frozen Four. Throughout the week, we'll be posting capsule previews for the entire field that will only by accident give you any real knowledge about the team. For actual hockey info, head over to INCH's preview of this region. TV schedules can be found at CHN

Finally, ALL of the capsule previews can be found in this PDF. Thanks for reading.

East Regional – Times Union Center, Albany, NY

University of Michigan Wolverines 31-5-4; CCHA Tournament Winner (Regular Season Champion) Young Lions At the beginning of the season, Michigan counted 12 freshmen on its roster, a team record. The Wolverines generally skate nine of them every night, with backup goalies Bryan Hogan and Shawn Hunwick on the bench. Freshman Aaron Palushaj leads the team in assists with 29, while Max Pacioretty has accumulated a 14-20-34 line for himself skating mostly with Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik on the top offensive line in the nation. Matt Rust centers the all-freshmen second line, also featuring Palushaj alongside Carl Hagelin, the first Swede to skate with the Wolverines and the first European since Anton Fedorov in 1994. Scooter Vaughan, Chad Langlais, and Tristin Llewellyn all have logged a lot of ice time as blue-liners. None have scored any goals thus far, but Langlais has 19 assists to his credit, good enough for fifth on the team. The Red Baron After playing his last game as a Wolverine, losing in the Frozen Four to Clarkson and winning the consolation game against CC, Berenson became the first collegian to jump directly to the NHL, joining the Montreal Canadiens. He would spend the next 17 years in the NHL, becoming one of the rare players to score six goals in a single game and later winning the Jack Adams award as coach of the year with the St. Louis Blues. Obviously, he was fired shortly after that, so he became an assistant to Scotty Bowman in Buffalo. In 1984, the Michigan hockey program was in a dire state. John Giordano had simply taken over after Dan Farrell retired from coaching to pursue a career in finance and the team had slumped into the lower ranks of the CCHA. This time, legendary athletic director Don Canham was finally able to get Berenson to agree to take over the program after pursuing him for years. Berenson claims that, had he known how long the revival would take, he probably wouldn't have accepted the job. It took until 1987-88 before the Wolverines could claim a winning season and until 1991 before they made a return to the NCAA tournament. But since regaining that plateau, Michigan has now set an NCAA record with its active streak of 18 consecutive tournament appearances. Berenson has now coached 1,007 games with the Wolverines with a 642-297-68 record (including NCAA championships in '96 and '98), good enough for second all-time in both categories to Boston University's Jack Parker. Furthermore, Red has coached over 40% of all games that the Michigan hockey team has played in its history. He's also the owner of the only 30-win seasons in Michigan hockey history, and his teams have earned eleven of them. Thank You, Seniors The Wolverines may only regularly skate two seniors, but they've gotten incredible production and leadership from them. Hobey Baker finalist Kevin Porter and linemate Chad Kolarik have been instrumental in turning the massive class of freshmen into the #1-ranked team in the nation. Porter is the 87th captain of the Wolverine hockey team and Kolarik is an assistant captain and a vocal leader on the ice and on the bench. After going down with a torn hamstring in a game against Lake Superior State, Kolarik watched from the stands as his team fell to Michigan State in an ugly 5-2 loss. The next night, Kolarik was behind the bench in street clothes, encouraging his teammates, who respnded with their own 5-2 drubbing of the Spartans. The two of them are responsible for all the hat-tricks scored by the Wolverines this year, Porter against Nebraska-Omaha and Kolarik against Western Michigan, Lake Superior State, and Nebraska-Omaha. Between the usual top line of Porter, Kolarik, and Pacioretty, the three of them have more goals than 25 Division I teams. Porter and Kolarik have been together for six years now, two at the US National Team Development Program and four at Michigan, and both are Phoenix Coyotes draft picks, so the tandem could continue well into the future.

St. Cloud State University Huskies 19-15-5; At-large bid from the WCHA A Tradition of Excellence and Opportunity and Freezing Located along the banks of the Mississippi River, St. Cloud State was founded in 1869 as St. Cloud State Normal School and became St. Cloud State Teachers College in 1921. In 1988, small riots broke out during homecoming week. The riots stemmed from students throwing empty beer cans into the sousaphones as the band marched along the parade route. This escalated until National Guard troops were summoned to put down student unrest regarding the manner in which house parties were dealt with by police. This led to SCSU canceling homecoming parades and future homecoming weeks were scheduled later in the year in the hope that the cold would reduce the risk of riots. We'll Just Make It Up As We Go Along St. Cloud State's most famous alumnus is Richard Dean Anderson. The star of Legend, Stargate SG-1, and MacGyver, Anderson is an avowed hockey fan, and has found ways to work his own love of hockey into several of his characters, particularly on MacGyver. Anderson also was romantically linked to Teri Hatcher, Sela Ward, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Katarina Witt. Let's Go Hockey In addition to having its mascot and cheerleaders on ice skates and the ignominy of having never won an NCAA Tournament game, St. Cloud State features sophomore forward Ryan Lasch. A 2008 Hobey Baker Award finalist, California native Lasch has 25 goals and 28 assists this season. Lasch ended up in St. Cloud after the strange experience of being cut by his Midget AAA team, and thus spent three seasons in Ontario's Central Junior League, scoring 60 goals in his third season with the Pembroke Lumber Kings and earning league MVP status before coming to the Huskies.

Clarkson University Golden Knights 21-12-4; At-large bid from the ECAC (Regular Season Champion) A Workman That Needeth Not to be Ashamed Founded in 1896 in Potsdam, New York as the Thomas S. Clarkson Memorial School of Technology, in 1913 the name was changed Thomas S.Clarkson Memorial College of Technology, which was used in a shortened version as Clarkson College of Technology or CCT. Though the name of the school was officially changed in 1984 to Clarkson University, the hockey pep band at Cheel Arena still uses the rallying cry of "Let's Go Tech!" Clarkson's motto leads one to wonder, what kind of workman needeth be ashamed? Good Knight Clarkson is powered by the 21 goals of senior forward and Sharks' property Steve Zalewski, while sophomore Matt Beca's 24 helpers coupled with ten goals give him the team points lead. Beca also only has 8 penalty minutes this season and shares the lead in shorthanded goals (4) on a team that leads the nation in shorties. Senior David Leggio has been quite sound in the net for the Golden Knights, boasting a .918 save percentage and five shutouts. The Golden Knights already squared off with the Huskies of SCSU twice this season, splitting the November games at the Cheel. Rules are Made to be Broken Among Clarkson's famous non-hockey playing alumni is veteran character actor M. Emmet Walsh. Walsh has over 100 film and television appearances to his credit, including Blade Runner, Blood Simple, and The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh. Walsh is partial namesake of Roger Ebert's "Stanton-Walsh Rule" which states that "no movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad." Ebert later conceded that the rule was violated by 1999's Wild Wild West, which, if you saw it, you'd agree.

Niagara University Purple Eagles 22-10-4; CHA Tournament winner That All May Know You Founded in 1856, Niagara is one of three Catholic Universities in this year's NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament, each representing a different Catholic order. Boston College is one of 28 U.S. colleges in the Jesuit tradition, Notre Dame is one of nine U.S. universities that are a part of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, and Niagara is one of three American schools in the Vincentian Tradition, (DePaul and St. John's being the other two). The Vincentians claim St. Vincent de Paul as their spiritual leader, the priest who "remade the face of France" in the 16th century. Tremendous Upside Potential One of Niagara most prominent alums is Basketball Hall of Famer Hubie Brown. Roommates with Frank Layden at Niagara, Brown has had a long and varied coaching career; assistant coach at Duke and then the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach of the ABA's Kentucky Colonels (whom he led to the 1975 ABA Championship), the Atlanta Hawks (where Brown earned Coach of the Year honors), New York Knicks (head coach during the disastrous 1984 season leading to the Draft Lottery "win" and right to select Patrick Ewing), and, after a long television career, the Memphis Grizzlies (where he would again win Coach of the Year, this time at the age of 70.) A favorite of Bill Simmons, Brown's explanations of a player's NBA prospects at the NBA Draft leads us to believe that every one of us has unlimited upside. Last Dance? Due to the dissolution of Wayne State's men's hockey program at the end of this season, Niagara's victory over Bemidji State in the CHA Championship game likely gave the Purple Eagles the last automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament for the College Hockey America winner. The conference will be down to four teams next season, and while there is pending NCAA legislation which may allow this to change, the conference is struggling to find replacement teams. Niagara will be making its third tournament appearance, having defeated New Hampshire in 2000 before losing to North Dakota. In 2004, Niagara was knocked out in the first round by Boston College.

2008 NCAA Hockey Previews: Northeast Regional

Here at HSR, this is our favorite time of the year. It's the start of the NCAA hockey tournament with Michigan in position to make a run to the Frozen Four. Throughout the week, we'll be posting capsule previews for the entire field that will only by accident give you any real knowledge about the team. For actual hockey info, head over to INCH's preview of this region. TV schedules can be found at CHN

Northeast Regional – DCU Center, Worcester, MA

Miami University RedHawks 32-7-1; At-large bid from the CCHA Darling, Don't You Go and Cut Your Hair Miami leads the nation in offense, and leading Miami this season is senior Ryan Jones, with 30-17-47 at the time of writing this. Currently sporting some excellent hockey hair, Jones will be donating his mane to Locks of Love after the season. Freshman Andy Miele left the USHL's Chicago Steel at midseason, intending to concentrate on his academics and only to practice with the team, but the RedHawks' coaching staff asked Miele to burn his redshirt in exchange for a half-season's production. You'd Think "Ricoville" Would Be Somewhere in Jersey With Miami hockey building a dynasty, the student section has become more dedicated. The RedHawks distribute about 2000 free tickets to students on a first come, first served basis. This led die-hards to camp out for up to 27 hours leading up to the first game of the February 8-9 series versus Michigan in what's known as "Ricoville" after head coach Enrico Blasi. Musical Director: Vanilla Ice While building their own traditions, the RedHawks have stolen borrowed heavily from others. From Michigan State, the band has taken the tune for "Let's Go State". From Michigan, it took the tune for "Let's Go Blue" and stole the post-goal cheer wholesale (taking it from Cornell by proxy). They also play House of Pain's "Jump Around" over the arena's PA system. At least copying Wisconsin football is marginally more creative than theft from teams in your own conference.

Boston College Eagles 21-11-8; Hockey East Tournament winner On Notice! Nathan Gerbe is BC's Hobey Baker Award finalist this year. Gerbe grew up in Oxford, MI, but never dreamed of playing for any of the in-state programs. A diminutive 5'5", he instead wanted to follow in the path of the similarly-sized Brian Gionta. Gerbe's Hobey candidacy may be impacted by his suspension handed down by Hockey East in November after Gerbe was accused of butt-ending a Merrimack player with his stick. Commissioner Joe Bertagna issued a statement saying, "While a suspension might not have been forthcoming on last night's actions alone, this is not the first time this season that I have been made aware of inappropriate behavior from Nathan. Given the fact that he had already been put on notice, I felt that supplemental discipline was in order in this instance." Not on the Schedule: Prometheus The Eagles have been feasting on their non-conference opponents this year. Only 11-9-7 in Hockey East play, BC has gone 10-2-1 against everyone else, including a 0-0 tie with North Dakota in a game that was suspended after two periods due to poor ice conditions. After a very slow start (for BC) of 3-4-5, the Eagles turned things around in December and come into the NCAA tournament on a 5-game winning streak. They survived a triple-OT game with New Hampshire to reach the Hockey East finals, where they crushed Vermont 4-0. The committee has rewarded them by placing BC in the Worcester regional. Coincidentally, Its Theme Song is Also "How Do You Talk To An Angel" Located in Chestnut Hill, Boston College is often referred to as "The Heights", from which the student newspaper takes its name. The school was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1863 under a charter which mandated that it "shall be open to youths of any faith". In 1925, Mary C. Mellyn became the first woman to take a degree from BC. Its fight song, "For Boston", was written in 1885, making it one of the oldest in the country.

University of Minnesota Golden Gophers 19-16-9; At-large bid from the WCHA Does Kangas Wear Roos? Minnesota started the season with junior Jeff Frazee as its top goaltender, but it was freshman Alex Kangas who was named MVP of the WCHA tournament. Although they won the IceBreaker to start the season, they struggled through much of the season, leading coach Don Lucia to make the switch to Kangas. They found their footing in time to make a run all the way to the WCHA tournament championship game before falling to Denver. Their first-round series against Minnesota State-Mankato was so evenly matched that all three games went to overtime, totalling an hour and 22 minutes of extra hockey. In the final game of the series, fourth-liner Tom Pohl took an awkward hit that landed him in the ICU with a fractured skull. After St. Cloud State, the Gophers again went to overtime in defeating Colorado College 3-2 (Minnesota has gone to an astonishing 16 times this year with a 3-4-9 record), before their 2-1 loss to Denver in the final. Back to the Future In the 14 years when Doug Woog was Minnesota's head coach, the Gophers always fielded teams provided solely of Minnesotans (Total NCAA titles: 0), but Don Lucia ended that practice (Total NCAA titles: 2). However, this year the Gophers again find themselves with a team composed entirely from in-state talent. Plymouth's Blake Wheeler leads the team in goals (15) and assists (19) and is second in penalty minutes, wiht 72. Super Sophomore Kyle Okposo departed the team halfway through the season to sign a contract with the New York Islanders. His seven goals still put him tied for fifth on the team. Star-Crossed Between the two of them, Minnesota and Boston College hold a combined 19 appearances in the NCAA title game with a .368 winning percentage, though they've never faced each other in that game. In its 11 appearances, Minnesota is 5-6, while BC is only 2-6 when the championship is on the line. In fact, the last time these two programs met was in a holiday tournament in 2002, despite the fact that BC came out to Minnesota twice this season for the IceBreaker and the Dodge Holiday Classic. BC lost in the first round to Michigan in the former and Minnesota lost to Air Force in the first round of the latter.

United States Air Force Academy Falcons 21-11-6; Atlantic Hockey Tournament Winner Hensick's Revenge Eric Ehn won't be matching his junior season, when he scored 24-40-64 en route to being named to the Hobey Hat-Trick along with North Dakota's Ryan Duncan and Notre Dame's David Brown. That's because Ehn crashed feet-first into the boards during a January 19 game against Colorado College, breaking his fibula and doing severe damage to his ankle ligaments. Still, Ehn could possibly be in the lineup on Saturday when the Falcons take on the RedHawks. In the meantime, junior Brent Olson has paced the team with 18 goals and 20 assists and sophomore goaltender Andrew Volkening boasts a .912 save percentage. V for Victory Vic Heyliger had been the prime mover behind the establishment of the Frozen Four and than proceeded to win an amazing six NCAA championships as coach of the Michigan Wolverines before retiring from coaching in 1957 due to health problems. Heyliger, a severe asthmatic, had noticed how much easier it was for him to breathe in the thin, dry air when his teams played in the NCAA tournament, then always held at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, and moved there. He returned to coaching with the US national team in 1966 and then oversaw the fledgling Air Force team from its inception as a Division II program in 1968 until his permanent retirement in 1974, compiling a record with the Falcons of 85-77-3. In their history, Air Force has only had four coaches since the team gained varsity status. Stretching the Definition By defeating Mercyhurst in the final, the Air Force Academy has now won the Atlantic Hockey tournament crown both years the've been in the conference. The Falcons used to compete in College Hockey America from 1999-2006 before departing for the now-nominal Atlantic Hockey so as to be in the same conference as Army. We hear they get a discount on airfare. Navy stands opposed to frozen water on principle and does not field a varsity squad.

2008 NCAA Hockey Previews: West Regional

Here at HSR, this is our favorite time of the year. It's the start of the NCAA hockey tournament with Michigan in position to make a run to the Frozen Four. Throughout the week, we'll be posting capsule previews for the entire field that will only by accident give you any real knowledge about the team. For actual hockey info, head over to INCH's preview of this region. TV schedules can be found at CHN

West Regional – World Arena, Colorado Springs, CO

University of New Hampshire Wildcats 25-9-3; At-large bid from Hockey East (Regular Season Champion) Radja, Regan, over and out. New Hampshire is led by senior forward Mike Radja and senior netminder Kevin Regan, who had previously been teammates at Waterloo of the USHL. A Chicago native, Radja's 19 goals (including six on the power play) lead the team, matching his career high of 19 last season. Between the pipes, Kevin Regan, a Bruins draft pick from South Boston, who unfortunately names Patrick Roy as his favorite player, has played over 80% of the netminder minutes for the Wildcats, boasting a .933 save percentage and three shutouts. Live Free or Die New Hampshire has had 24 players named to the All-America team, starting with goalie Rod Blackburn in 1961. Cap Raeder is notable for serving as the U.S. goalie in the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup and served one game as the interim coach of the San Jose Sharks in 2002. Jason Krog, one of five UNH two-time All-America selections, won the Hobey Baker in 1999. Horrible Single Use Dress, Flowers, Killer Heels, yep we're all set to go here. Often dubbed the University of No Hardware, New Hampshire is NCAA Hockey's perpetual bridesmaid, having made the Frozen Four in 1977, 1979, 1982, 1998, 1999, 2002, and 2003, only making the finals in 1999, where they lost to Maine in Anaheim (which may be why no one remembers it), and in 2003, losing to the Gophers in Buffalo.

Colorado College Tigers 28-11-1; At-large bid from the WCHA (Regular Season Champion) We've Been Saving These Up Colorado College is a crazy quilt of awesome tidbits, and since they didn't make the tournament last year, none of these are repeats. Colorado College has just under 2,100 students, making it the smallest school to sponsor a Division I athletic team (doing so in women's soccer as well). The students attend school on the "block plan", dividing the school year into eight academic terms; a single class is taken for three and one half weeks during each term, equaling four semester hours. The rendering of Sacagawea on the U.S. golden dollar coin was by CC alum Glenna Goodacre. Strike Up the Band! Wait, Scratch That. Colorado College's Fight Song "Colorado 'C' Men" (to the tune of the "Washington and Lee Swing") is a classic in the old school tradition, lots of repetition, the words "yes by Gosh", "give 'em Hell", and a passing reference to rolling up old Boulder, though the teams are no longer rivals. It's just a terrific number. Unfortunately, Colorado College has neither a marching band nor even a pep band to play the song when the team scores. Like Nothing Else at the World The World Arena, the site of this year's West Regionals, is CC's home rink. It serves as the replacement for another World Arena. From 1948-1957, the Broadmoor Resort's World Arena in Colorado Springs played host to the NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament. In those days just a four-team tournament, two representatives each from the East and West would square off for the national championship. The Tigers, playing just down the street from their campus, would claim titles in 1950 over Boston U and in 1957 over Michigan (who had dropped the Tigers in the final game in both 1952 and 1955).

Michigan State University Spartans 24-11-5; At-large bid from the CCHA You're Welcome The Spartans went on a Cinderella run last year to win the NCAA title as a 3 seed. After being badly outplayed in the CCHA tournament semifinal by Michigan, MSU had to go to overtime against Lake Superior State in 7-6 offensive slugfest in order to even secure a spot in the NCAA field. The Spartans were then sent to the Grand Rapids regional, an hour and fifteen minutes from East Lansing, where they beat BU and Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Michigan was "rewarded" with a first-round matchup against North Dakota. In the Frozen Four, the Spartans took down an improbable Maine team before a thrilling final against Boston College, scoring the game-winning goal with 19 seconds left in regulation. The Goaltender From Omicron-Persei 8 MSU's diminutive goaltender, Jeff Lerg, won the well-deserved Most Outstanding Player title from the 2007 tournament. Beyond his play as one of the best big-game goalies in the nation, Jeff Lerg is a severe asthmatic, a subject that has been profiled in innumerable soft-focus pregame/intermission segments for TV broadcasters. Coach Rick Comley called Lerg a 4.0 student earlier in the year, and he's a finalist for both the Hobey Baker Award and the Sullivan Award, given to the nation's top amateur athlete. It's Either Carbon Monoxide Poisoning or MSU Has a Third-Period Lead The Spartans play an effective defensive strategy, but one that can make for deadly boring hockey. In their game against Michigan at Yost this year, MSU staked a 1-0 lead and began lining up four skaters at their own blue line. Against lesser teams, they don't play as conservatively, but MSU knows how they're going to protect a third-period lead. It will be interesting to see how the Spartans react to the Olympic-sized sheet in Colorado Springs, whether their trap can be effective on ice that wide. MSU lost both of their games in Marquette on Northern Michigan's Olympic ice, though the Wildcats were on a hot streak then.

University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish 24-15-4; At-large Bid from the CCHA Our Life, Our Sweetness, and Our Hope Founded in 1842 in northern Indiana by priests from the Congregation of the Holy Cross, under the charter from the state of Indiana, the school is officially named the University of Notre Dame du Lac, which means University of Our Lady of the Lake. This is in spite of the fact that the campus actually contains two lakes. According to a legend, when Father Edward Sorin arrived at the school, everything was frozen. He thought there was only one lake and named the university accordingly. In 1972, Notre Dame became a co-educational university after proposals to merge with nearby Saint Mary's College were rejected. Righting the Ship Dave Poulin played for Notre Dame in the early 1980s and returned to his alma mater as coach in 1995. In 1999, Notre Dame had its first winning season in 11 years and in 2003-04, freshman goalie David Brown helped the Irish secure their first NCAA tournament bid. However, following a five win campaign the next year, former Lake Superior State coach Jeff Jackson was brought in to turn the program around. After a 13-19-4 season, Jackson and the Irish roared to a 32-7-3 campaign last year, winning the CCHA Regular and Post-Season titles and earning the #2 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, downing Alabama-Huntsville in double overtime before losing to eventual NCAA champion Michigan State in Grand Rapids. Many expected Notre Dame to take a significant step back without Brown in the net this year, but Jackson's team finished fourth in the CCHA, losing a very close CCHA Semi-Final game in overtime against Miami after the Redhawks tied the game in the last five seconds. They then dropped the consolation game against Northern Michigan that actually helped them more for tournament consideration than winning. They just didn't want a tie. He's Out of Control! Here at the HSR, we'd like to take some time to discuss our favorite Notre Dame alumnus. The problem is, he's fictional. But President Bartlett, we are thinking of you, even if you needed a right hand man from Michigan. So instead, we'll talk about one of America's most prominent Notre Dame alums: Regis Philbin. According to Guinness, no man has spent more hours on camera than Reeg. Whether it's the host chats with first Kathie Lee and now Kelly, asking if that's your final answer on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, or making the most appearances on Celebrity Jeopardy! (the real one, not the skit) of any celebrity, Regis is everywhere.

2008 NCAA Hockey Previews: Midwest Regional

Here at HSR, this is our favorite time of the year. It's the start of the NCAA hockey tournament with Michigan in position to make a run to the Frozen Four. Throughout the week, we'll be posting capsule previews for the entire field that will only by accident give you any real knowledge about the team. For actual hockey info, head over to INCH's preview of this region. TV schedules can be found at CHN

Midwest Regional – Kohl Center, Madison, WI

University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux 26-10-4; At-large bid from the WCHA The Fighting Sioux Leading the country in penalty minutes, the Sioux haven't endeared themselves to the rest of the WCHA. Defenseman Joe Finley slashed Bucky Badger back in November, and later a fight broke out. Captain Ryan Kaip got in a fight at Minnesota State, Darcy Zajac fought Minnesota's Tony Lucia (the coach's son), and Kyle Radke earned himself a two-game suspension after fighting Denver's Brandon Vossberg and then continuing the fight with the back of Vossberg's head when he was lying on the ice. Even coach Dave Hakstol earned a two-game suspension for flipping off official Don Adam during a game against Minnesota, and star forward TJ Oshie was suspended for a game after an arrest for disorderly conduct. The Sound of Settling According to a settlement reached with the NCAA at the end of October 2007, the Fighting Sioux have three years to obtain permission from both Sioux tribes living in the state to continue using their mascot. The Spirit Lake tribe has yet to give a new opinion on the issue, but the Standing Rock tribe has already reaffirmed a council resolution opposing the nickname. If UND fails to convince both tribes to come around, it will have to change its mascot and logo or face NCAA sanctions barring its teams from hosting postseason play and competing in the postseason with any reference to Native American culture. Ralph Engelstadt Loved His Hostile Or Abusive Mascot Former North Dakota backup goalie and casino magnate Ralph Engelstadt funded construction of the arena that bears his name. A fanatical supporter of the Fighting Sioux name, Engelstadt threatened to halt construction when he learned the school was considering a name change. As a result of Engelstadt's devotion/spite, The Ralph bears over 2000 Fighting Sioux logos, including a 30' image in granite at the entrance, while every side of the building bears either "HOME OF THE FIGHTING SIOUX" or another 30' logo. With a nickname change, the university would also have to remove most of the Indian imagery from its campus; however, the Ralph is currently owned not by the university, but by an Engelstadt trust. In 2031 the arena will pass to the university; at that point, further action may be necessary. In the meantime, it's unclear what would have to be changed for the Ralph to host post-season play.

University of Denver Pioneers 26-10-4; WCHA Tournament winner Soviet Relations Experts Are Surely in High Demand One of Denver's most prominent alumni is current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Dr. Rice graduated Phi Beta Kappa from DU in 1974 at age 19 with a BA in political science. She chose poli sci after realizing that she didn't quite have the talent for a career as a concert pianist. Ex-Pats When Murray Armstrong came to Denver, he loaded up his teams with players from his previous gig as head coach of the Regina Pats, a Montreal Canadiens farm team. His recruitment of 22-year-old Canadian freshmen didn't sit well with other coaches in the league, but Colorado College's Tony Frasca took it to absurd lengths. Frasca (age: 30) skated one Jack Smith (age: 36) from 1957-1960. Abuses like these led 7 teams to withdraw from the old WIHL and to later reconstitute as the much looser WCHA. The WCHA allowed teams to make their own conference schedules, allowing Minnesota to boycott Denver for over a decade. Young Pioneers DU carries 12 freshmen on its roster this year, along with 6 sophomores, 4 juniors, and 4 seniors. The seniors carry the dual distinction of being both the last Denver team to win a national championship and the last team to even appear in the tournament. Now-senior goaltender Peter Mannino was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2005 NCAA tournament.

University of Wisconsin Badgers 15-16-7; At-large bid from the WCHA The Wisconsin Idea Chartered as a part of the Wisconsin state constitution in 1848, the University of Wisconsin is known for "The Wisconsin Idea". Begun in 1904 by school president Charles Van Hise, his notion was that he would "never be content until the beneficent influence of the university was available to every home in the state." The basic premise of the Wisconsin Idea is that the university's boundaries are those of the state and that the primary goal of the university and the state university system should be the betterment of the state of Wisconsin in practical and pragmatic matters. It's Not As Important As You Think From the state that claims Vince Lombardi as one of its great heroes, with his oft-quoted (he didn't actually say it) maxim "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.", the Badger hockey team has proven, in a mildly controversial fashion this season, that winning is perhaps not prerequisite for making the NCAA Tournament. Having won 11 PairWise comparisons to Minnesota State's 10, the Badgers earned the "last" at-large spot in the NCAA tournament as the committee adhered strictly to the PairWise standings. However, Wisconsin's role as host of the Midwest Regional at the Kohl Center has some conspiracy theorists thinking there were ulterior motives in play. For further reading, please follow this link to CHN. Mushroom! Mushroom! Known as the Badger State due to the early presence of lead miners in Wisconsin who lived in their mines until they could build an appropriate house, the university's first badger mascot was a live badger who was too difficult to deal with and was quickly retired (Early residents did not have access to WhatBadgersEat.com). Art Evans drew the cartoon version of the mascot in 1940, and he was named Buckingham U. Badger in 1949. On the internet, dancing badgers resemble the Camp Randall "Jump Around" tradition at badgerbadgerbadger.com.

Princeton University Tigers 21-13-0; ECAC Tournament winner Not a Clown College Founded in 1746, Princeton is the oldest university in this year's tournament. James Madison and Woodrow Wilson both graduated from Princeton, as did Aaron Burr (they're not as fond of mentioning that one). I could go on, but it's the fourth oldest university in the United States; a lot of famous people graduated from it. Princeton is rare among colonial colleges in that it never has had any religious affiliation. Flyboy Princeton's connection to college hockey is one of the most prominent. The namesake of Princeton's home arena as well as the award given annually since 1981 to college hockey's outstanding player is named for Hobart Amory Hare Baker, better known as Hobey Baker. A two-sport star at Princeton in the early 20th Century, Baker helped lead the Tigers to the national championship in football in 1911 and two in hockey (1912 and 1914). Penalized just once in his Princeton hockey career, Baker went to work for J.P Morgan before enlisting in the U.S. Army as the United States entered World War I. Baker then joined the Lafayette Escadrille, commanding the 103rd Aero Squadron and painting his Spad XIII orange and black in honor of his alma mater. Baker died weeks after the armistice while taking a newly repaired Spad for a test flight. He was immortalized by fellow Princeton man F. Scott Fitzgerald in his novel This Side of Paradise. Dancing Days Princeton makes just its second appearance in the NCAA tournament; in their first they played Michigan in the opening round of the 1998 West Regional at Ann Arbor's Yost Ice Arena. There the Tigers gave Michigan all they could handle before succumbing 2-1 to the eventual tournament champions. Their opening round match-up with North Dakota will mark just the third game between the two schools, with the Sioux having taken victories in both the 2000 and 2003 meetings. The Tigers will be paced by ECAC Tournament MOP Zane Kalemba. The sophomore netminder and New Jersey native posted three shutouts against Yale and Colgate before allowing just one goal to Harvard in the conference final.

Sources
Wikipedia
College Hockey News

• North Dakota
  St. Cloud Times, Denver Post, Indian Country, USA Today

• Denver
  Blue Ice: The Story of Michigan Hockey by John U. Bacon, DenverPioneers.com