2024 NCAA Ice Hockey Championship (Frozen Four and what not)

[brian]

Andy Bernard shouting “Sparty No!!!!”

[EdRomero]

Let's go Bentley!

[A_B]

Andy Bernard shouting “Sparty No!!!!”

Season may as well be over for those hacks. Here Comes Treble? How 'bout here comes the pain! Meet me in St. Louis!

[govmentchedda]

The Women's Frozen Four ending was nuts.

I'm going to quote the Read Rodge (Rodger Sherman's email about it)(which is where I heard about it).

Meet the clutchest woman alive
Kirsten Simms is the bane of the entire state of Ohio’s existence. She has now scored two national championship-winning goals against the Ohio State Buckeyes, but even that undersells what Simms did in Sunday’s title game, an act of

Wisconsin was far and away the best team in women’s college hockey this year, leading the nation in both scoring offense (5.39 goals per game, nobody else scored more than 4) and scoring defense (1.17 goals per game.) But they found themselves trailing in the closing moments of the national title game to OSU. But with 20 seconds left, an Ohio State skater covered the puck in the crease, giving Wisconsin a game-tying penalty shot opportunity. It’s a scenario so dramatic they might put it in a sports movie. Come to think of it, I think it’s literally the exact same scenario as the ending of The Mighty Ducks.

As the commentators debated which Wisconsin player should take the shot, cameras caught Badgers head coach Mark Johnson asking the same question to his team: “Who wants it?” A pause. “Who wants it?” A hand shot up. It was Simms, who scored the only goal in Wisconsin’s 1-0 win over OSU in the 2023 national championship game.

What Simms did on the penalty shot is absolutely sick. I should not be allowed to post it on Substack. It is violence. It is filth. It is an entire lifetime of planning out the exact shot you’d do in the closing moments of the national championship game, then actually having that scenario present itself, and then actually doing it.




Badger Extra noted that Simms had a penalty shot against Thiele two seasons ago and had almost the exact run-up… but finished on the backhand side, which perhaps explains why Thiele bit so hard before the final deke.

That sent the game to overtime. Three minutes in, Thiele saved a shot that rebounded directly to Simms. Game over, season over, Wisconsin wins:

ESPN’s broadcasters smartly shut up and just let the whole scene speak for itself. Some Wisconsin fans were almost too shocked to celebrate, Ohio State’s entire team spontaneously collapsed on the ice, heaving and crying for minutes after the final goal buzzer. (To be clear: Totally understandable!)

[brian]

B1G definitely did better in women’s tourney than mens. Jebus. Not a good day yesterday.

[A_B]

Let's get Frozen, bitches!

[brian]

Western Michigan is the highest seeded team left because of course.

[wlu_lax6]

The Ryan Leonard Caps contract watch starts now.

[wlu_lax6]

The Ryan Leonard Caps contract watch starts now.

Apparently, we will see his skate for the Caps in Boston tomorrow night. Whose spot does he take?

[mister d]

Don't at all get NYR burning a year on Perreault both given where they stand and the fact that he probably needs some games against man-sized men before the NHL.

[brian]

Welp, Western playing in national title game Saturday. Talk about conflicting feelings.

[sancarlos]

Bummer. I thought DU might repeat.

[duff]

Welp, Western playing in national title game Saturday. Talk about conflicting feelings.

Did a college tour of Western on Wednesday. Kid ranked it at the bottom of her list. Hope that helps.

[rass]

Welp, Western playing in national title game Saturday. Talk about conflicting feelings.

Did a college tour of Western on Wednesday. Kid ranked it at the bottom of her list. Hope that helps.

Ha. Luckily we're sticking to the eastern seaboard because I think the existence of a hockey team, while not required, is playing a non-negligible role in how our kid is handling this process.

[A_B]

FREEZE UP, LADS!

[brian]

Welp, Western playing in national title game Saturday. Talk about conflicting feelings.

Did a college tour of Western on Wednesday. Kid ranked it at the bottom of her list. Hope that helps.

It doesn’t hurt.

[brian]

I begrudgingly have to acknowledge. Ugh, can’t do it. Fuck Western.

But congratulations too.

[A_B]

I watched I’d say half of that. Fairly flattering first two periods for BU because their goals were ugly. Western was better team.

[govmentchedda]

I watched I’d say half of that. Fairly flattering first two periods for BU because their goals were ugly. Western was better team.

I had it on in the background. Fuck Western!

[sancarlos]

Must be tough for Brian. A school from Michigan wins the Natty - but it's your hated rivals!

[rass]

Must be tough for Brian. A school from Michigan wins the Natty - but it's your hated rivals!

When was the last MAC national champ? Google is a mess and I can’t find it. I did read that WMU last won a natty back in the fifties in XC.

[brian]

Must be tough for Brian. A school from Michigan wins the Natty - but it's your hated rivals!

When was the last MAC national champ? Google is a mess and I can’t find it. I did read that WMU last won a natty back in the fifties in XC.

Akron won in men’s soccer about 10 or so years ago.