Well, my picks last weekend were legendarily bad. Fitting.
Last week: 1-2 (.333)
Season to date: 130-96-29 (.545)
I’m happy to have finished the final CCHA season above .500.
This week
Having only two CCHA teams in the NCAA tournament in the conference’s final season is disappointing. I have Notre Dame winning the whole thing in Pittsburgh in my tournament bracket — I was seriously impressed with the Fighting Irish last weekend — but I’ll be holding my breath until Sunday night, hoping that either the Irish or the RedHawks advance to the Frozen Four.
Notre Dame and Miami both play in the Midwest Regional, which Tyler Buckentine and I preview here so that you can read all about the Irish and the RedHawks, as well as Minnesota State and St. Cloud State. Notre Dame is the top seed in Toledo, Ohio, and Miami is the No. 2 seed in that set.
Here’s the thing: I really think that every team in the NCAA tournament has an equal chance of advancing to the Frozen Four this year. The parity in college hockey in the 2012-13 season was impressive, and as we all know, anything can happen in a one-and-done situation.
I think Notre Dame continues to roll as a solid unit this weekend. I think Miami’s youth and inconsistency gets in its way. We all know, however, how accurate my picks have been this season.
Picks
Notre Dame over St. Cloud State, 3-1
Minnesota State over Miami, 2-1
Notre Dame over Minnesota State, 3-1
In case you’re interested, my Frozen Four: Massachusetts-Lowell vs. Minnesota, Union vs. Notre Dame. Notre Dame over Minnesota in the title game.
The tournament
We have all the tournament information you need on our front page. The schedule is here, which is why I haven’t listed times and television info in my picks.
I’ll be covering the entire West Regional with Katie Carito and John Denny before heading to Toledo Sunday to cover the deciding game of the Midwest Regional with J. Justin Boggs and Timothy Boger. Who knew that living in Flint would result in this NCAA tournament geographic advantage?
Join the live blogging from any of the regionals this weekend to talk hockey with the USCHO crew and other fans.
