It is time to go dancing at the national tournament and while the season saw its fair share of crazy results on a week in and week out basis, the 2022-23 NCAA tournament field is not surprising other than the NESCAC entrant from Bowdoin. Then again, that should not be too much of a surprise considering the parity across D-III hockey at-large and NESCAC specifically. The top four seeded teams (Utica, Hobart, Endicott and defending champion, Adrian) will wait for the outcome of first round games to identify their quarterfinal opponents with the hope of advancing and hosting this year’s Frozen Four. Last season in our writer competition for picking the national tournament games, Mr. Brian Lester came away the champion on the basis of his picking Adrian in the final against Geneseo. It is a new season and a clean slate for the rivalry to resume. First round games commence on Saturday evening, and these are the hauntingly similar picks independently produced from Brian (BL) and me (TC) to kick-off the NCAA tournament:
Saturday, March 11, 2023
NCAA First Round
(10) University of New England v. (8) Plymouth State
TC – Ah, what a difference a year makes! Last year saw these two teams meet in the opening round with UNE emerging victorious in overtime which springboarded their run to the Frozen Four. Plymouth State plays host this year and the change in venue should be enough for this year’s edition of the Panthers to pick up a dramatic overtime win over the Nor’easters for their first-ever NCAA tournament win. Myles Abbate and Will Redick figure prominently for the home team – PSU, 3-2
Plymouth State (23-3-1) vs. New England (19-6-2) BL – The No. 8 Panthers come in as champions of the MASCAC and are in the NCAA tournament for the sixth time. And they are as hot as any team in the nation right now, riding a 19-game winning streak into Saturday night.
The Nor’easters are in the tourney for the fourth time after getting an at-large bid. They are hoping to repeat history after beating the Panthers a year ago and going on to play in the national semifinals.
While Plymouth is the favorite on paper, do not discount New England, which is 3-1-1 all-time against the Panthers. All four meetings between the two schools have been decided by a goal, with the last two going to overtime. Could we see another OT thriller? Most definitely. And I feel like the historic season will continue for Plymouth. Though it will not be easy – Plymouth State, 4-3, OT
(15) Augsburg v. (6) Wisconsin – Stevens Point
TC – The Pointers return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since their magical unbeaten season of 2019 and have played solid hockey entering the post-season going 6-0-1 in their last seven games. The visiting Auggies are 5-1-1 in their last seven games but were just a .500 team on the road, including a loss to the Pointers, a squad that has only lost once on home ice this season. Look for some magic from Fletcher Anderson and Andrew Poulias to spearhead a win for the home team – Wisconsin – Stevens Point, 4-2
UW-Stevens Point (19-5-4) vs. Augsburg (16-9-2) BL – This is one of those matchups you would love to see in the final four or title game. Both programs have a lot of history.
The sixth-ranked Pointers won the WIAC and are back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since winning it all in 2019. The No. 15 Auggies won the MIAC and are hoping for another long postseason run. A year ago, they played in the final four.
These two teams met once already this year, with the Pointers dominating the Auggies 4-0 at home. That night, Alex Proctor recorded his first career shutout, making 27 saves.
The big thing for the Pointers is they are at home, where they own an 11-1-3 record this season. They also have a lot of momentum on their side, having won six consecutive games.
The Auggies, though, are hardly a pushover. They are a different team than they were since that Jan. 4 loss to the Pointers and come in having won seven of their last nine games.
This could go either way, but I give the Pointers the edge at home – UW-Stevens Point, 5-4
Bowdoin v. (7) Curry
TC – It is always an interesting match-up when the team that has been consistent all season but coming off a championship game loss faces-off against the hot team that just ran the table in their conference tournament playing their best hockey of the season. This game has all those elements with both teams playing on the national stage for the first time in many years. Curry was stung by Endicott in the CCC title game and now gets to reset for a bigger prize. They should not take the Polar Bears lightly and do not with the combination of Reid Cooper, Mark Zhukov and home ice factoring into a first-round win – Curry, 3-2
Curry (21-5-1) vs. Bowdoin (15-9-3) BL – Curry is in the tournament for the first time for the first time in more than a decade, with the Colonels getting here for the first time since 2011. It is the program’s fifth appearance all time.
Their opponent is the Polar Bears, who are unranked and taking on Curry for the first time since 2010.
While Curry received an at-large bid, Bowdoin comes in as the winner of the NESCAC. However, the Polar Bears are not your typical NCAA team. They were unranked all year and did not have a single player on the all-conference team. Bowdoin has won four in a row and has nine players who have reached double digits in points. Andy Stoneman leads the way with 10 goals and 15 assists.
The Colonels have a high scoring offense that puts up 4.2 goals per game, which is the top average in the nation, and that could make things tough on the Polar Bears. You never know what can happen in a one-game scenario, but Curry should be able to go out and get the job done – Curry, 5-2
(5) Plattsburgh v. (9) Norwich
TC – The teams have split two games from the regular season, and both were low scoring. The commitment to team defense and the outstanding goaltending of Norwich’s Drennen Atherton and Plattsburgh’s Eli Schiller may make this an “only” goal contest. The Cadets have struggled to score goals this season despite some great contributions from Clark Kerner and Joe Nagle. The Cardinals went into a hostile rink last week and took down Oswego to punch their ticket to the tournament so look for Bennett Stockdale and company to keep the season going – Plattsburgh, 1-0
Plattsburgh State (20-5-2) vs. Norwich (19-6-2) BL – It is a battle of top 10 teams when the Cardinals square off against the Cadets for the right to keep their season alive.
The fifth-ranked Cardinals won the SUNYAC and are up against the Cadets in the NCAA tourney for the first time since 2011. Plattsburgh State won that game 3-2 more than a decade ago. The two teams also played in the regular season, splitting the regular-season series. Plattsburgh State prevailed 3-1 on Nov. 26 and Norwich came through with a 2-1 win on Dec. 6.
Four players have tallied at least 20 points for the Cardinals, led by Bennett Stockdale, who has 15 goals and 11 assists. They are in the tourney for the first time since 2017 and hoping to begin a quest for their first title in 22 years. The ninth-ranked Cadets lead the all-time series 35-24-7 and have a balanced attack led by Clark Kerner, who has eight goals and 11 assists – Plattsburgh State, 3-2
So, both Brian and I are riding with each of the home teams in the first round which means there will not be any blood spilled in the first round of this year’s tournament. Game On. The four top seeds are waiting to see the outcome of the first-round games and the watch parties/scouting opponent activity will be seen at Adrian, Endicott, Hobart, and Utica alike in anticipation of next week’s quarterfinal matchups – “Drop the Puck!”
