Upset potentials?

[hockeyplayer1]

I'm tired of seeing only talks of new division breakdowns and guys trying to make new teams on here. So what teams (in all divisions) do you think will make a big statement during regionals that they deserve a bid to nationals? Maybe teams that aren't definitely in yet, but need a strong showing to get in?

[MBurke]

ECRHA DII seeds 1-12 are completely unpredictable in my opinion.

Honestly I don't think I can pick a winner from a single division right now.

[Patn Lawton]

In D2 I think that Stony Brook has a lot of potential and will be Neumann's top competition. I realize saying that is dumb because they finished second in D2 but oh well.

[Leaferguy]

Hofstra in DII ECRHA

Again, not exactly a sleeper, but I'd still watch for them.

[minveninato]

honestly anybody in DII can walk out of regionals a champion thats how deep it is in DII but i think maine and vermont r teams that could upset a few teams

[JimmyCruse]

I think Missouri State fits this description for the Great Plains. They've been knocking on the door all season for a "big game" win.

[GoRangrHky]

I'm with Burke. I think anyone in DII could make nationals. Maybe not WIN the ECRHA championship (although I feel that many teams, including [but not exclusive to] Drexel, Stony Brook, as well as obviously Neumann and my own team could win it all) have a shot at nationals. With the right RR matchups, anyone could come out of that.

[spencerhs5]

unless Goldberg stops eating so many cheeseburgers, i look for Iceland to take D1...... sorry it just had to be said.

[MAmato]

Great, the first two responses to this thread are teams in my pool. AWESOME! :)

Here's my darkhorse pick: Brockport. Schrauger and Favre in net means anything can happen.

[Leaferguy]

That's true. The advantage of two goalies in the net at the same time is tough to beat.



:D

[WeakSauce]

WCRHL D1 is pretty much a crapshoot as far as who'll come out of it victorious.

I think they'res been a line, (Albeit fine) drawn between the top 3 teams, and the lower 3 teams that made regionals.

Top Tier- UC Irvine, Cal Poly SLO, UC Davis
2nd Tier- CSU San Bernardino, UC Santa Barbara, Chapman

THE FOLLOWING IS ALL SPECULATION ON MY PART---

The pools (I think) breakdown like this for regionals:
Pool A
UC Irvine
CSU San Bernardino
Chapman

Pool B
Cal Poly SLO
UC Davis
UC Santa Barbara

Honestly, I wouldn't wanna be any of the teams in Pool B, with only two coming out alive (again, speculation). That pool probably has the best chance of upset.

[Leaferguy]

I'm going to write a proposal that each league budget money for some sort of video equipment and a director's pass on YouTube or something. I know it seems crazy, but I'd love to see teams from all of the other regions. It sucks to just hear names and scores.

Also, I forgot to say WCU out of the ECRHA DII (can you tell I don't know about any other divisions?). They definitely ought to be on the radars of most teams at Regionals.

[ninerfan55]

what do you guys think for the secrhl? in d2 i would look for western carolina as my upset team. i know they are 13-4-2 and probably the second seed but i still think people are sleeping on them. i think if they win a game or two in regionals they should get to go to nationals. in d1 i think anything is possible. nc state seems to be struggling lately which could leave anything open. at this point i would put florida as the favorite but ucf could definitly win it.

[William Bourque]

there is no team in the ECRHA who can't pull and upset in the playoffs...every team is so close this season, that there isnt much diffrent from teams 1-12...

[?????]

In the Midwest, I'm picking Miami as the Cinderella team. Last couple of losses have all been by one or two goals. If they can stay out of the penalty box they'll turn some heads.

[nottanitta]

I think Stony Brook is going to give Neumann a run... They are a real deep team top to bottom, and have two real good goalies and a great defense that plays in front of them, remember defense wins championships and Stony Brook had the least goals against in the league... Look for them to make a big playoff run.

Other Teams to look for: Hofstra, Drexel, West Chester, and does neumann really need to be mentioned?

[someaction]

Well, its a thread about upsets. Considering Neumann is 15-0-1 and the #1 seed, I'd say they dont need to be mentioned... since it'd be hard for them to upset anyone... just my opinion...

[GoRangrHky]

Nothing against Brockport (I actually like that team), but I know people are picking them as sleepers. They need to WIN both games this weekend (against Scranton [basically a given] and Duquesne [little bit tougher] to get in).

That being said, I put my updated round robinology in the other thread.

[Patn Lawton]

Rumor has it both of Brockport's practices got screwed up this week due to poopheads.

[Army Defense]

both practices?? we haven't had one since september.. i guess that explains our stellar record

[Duquesne12]

my head says stony brook or WCU, but my heart says cornell, gotta love the underdog

[CUDangled]

what do you guys think for the secrhl? in d2 i would look for western carolina as my upset team. i know they are 13-4-2 and probably the second seed but i still think people are sleeping on them. i think if they win a game or two in regionals they should get to go to nationals. in d1 i think anything is possible. nc state seems to be struggling lately which could leave anything open. at this point i would put florida as the favorite but ucf could definitly win it.

The problem with Western Carolina's record is that 4 of those wins are from forfeits. They also didn't play as many DI teams as some of the other DII teams like Emory, Elon or Miami. Not to take anything away from WC, but their "strength" based on their record is distorted.

SECRHL D1 - Anyones region to take. The top teams go back and forth and when the top teams play the lower teams they generally only win by a goal or two. Great competition this year.

[spencerhs5]

hmm, practice screw ups eh... interesting!... ucf hasnt practiced in 4 weeks due to practice screw ups!

[wgabelm]

Since some S.E. poeple have actually started talking i guess i'll throw in my two sense.
D1: I think the region champ is a toss up between UF, UCF and NC State. Personally i like UF even though my team has never lost to UF but has been unable to beat the other two :)

D2: I have yet to see miami this year, and so hold reservations on the following: but to me it seems like its gonna be Elon v Emory which is always a fantastic game, decided by one goal 4 out the the last 5 meetings.

As far as upset potentials go, since that's what this topic is about I'd say USC in D1 or miami/WCU in D2.

[Patn Lawton]

Southeast D1 I am going with florida international because i am in love with ben miller.

[CUDangled]

Hard to predict what shape the teams will be in when they show up for regionals. UF seemed to have woken up this semester, NC State looks shaky (injuries?) recently, FIU is a big surprise this year and UCF is having another typical year.

BUT...if you look at the seasons game scores, for the MOST PART, you don't see to much total domination. "First" beats "Worst" by a couple goals in most cases. Not like last year with 10+ goal margin of victory in most of those matchups.

Plus there isn't a CLEAR #1 team (#2, #3 and #4 are right on their heels).

[alex]

WCRHL D1 is pretty much a crapshoot as far as who'll come out of it victorious.

I think they'res been a line, (Albeit fine) drawn between the top 3 teams, and the lower 3 teams that made regionals.

Top Tier- UC Irvine, Cal Poly SLO, UC Davis
2nd Tier- CSU San Bernardino, UC Santa Barbara, Chapman

THE FOLLOWING IS ALL SPECULATION ON MY PART---

The pools (I think) breakdown like this for regionals:
Pool A
UC Irvine
CSU San Bernardino
Chapman

Pool B
Cal Poly SLO
UC Davis
UC Santa Barbara

Honestly, I wouldn't wanna be any of the teams in Pool B, with only two coming out alive (again, speculation). That pool probably has the best chance of upset.

Chapman and San Bernardino were definitely weaker than the other 5 teams last weekend in Huntington Beach. But UC Santa Barbara looked strong. They beat UC Davis and played Cal Poly close (6-4). So UCSB could turn some heads at Regionals. They also knocked off UC Irvine a few weeks ago.

Still think it'll come down to UC Irvine and Cal Poly though. UCI still hasn't beaten Cal Poly this year, will that change at Regionals? I think so.

[spencerhs5]

"First" beats "Worst" by a couple goals in most cases. Not like last year with 10+ goal margin of victory in most of those matchups.


Take a look at the schedules this year compared to last year, in a 16 game season the top few teams (on average) have had 12 of those games against teams that are .500 or better. Basicly my point is that the weakest teams in the region that got worked over last year by the top teams arent playing against them this year.

[spencerhs5]

In all regions a big factor that nobody really talks much about is the fact that many teams will not be bringing their full team. Usually someone has to study or something. That will be a huge factor.

[CUDangled]

Take a look at the schedules this year compared to last year, in a 16 game season the top few teams (on average) have had 12 of those games against teams that are .500 or better. Basicly my point is that the weakest teams in the region that got worked over last year by the top teams arent playing against them this year.

That...or the "weak" teams just got better. You also have to look at how many games each DI team has played against DI teams, versus the number of games they have against DII of B.

[William Bourque]

I'd watch out for Eastern Michigan, it seems they are playing better each and every week.

Also, Millersville would be a huge threat if they make it in the playoffs. They have had such a great season once they turned things around. 5-2-3 since Dec.

[Alex Kozik]

In all regions a big factor that nobody really talks much about is the fact that many teams will not be bringing their full team. Usually someone has to study or something. That will be a huge factor.

:confused: what does that mean??

[hockeyplayer1]

That means that there are alot of players that still don't care that much. Roller hockey isn't big enough where it takes preference over everything else (school, social life, etc) for some guys. I know a few guys on my team who miss games to sleep, because they drank too much the night before, and other reasons that wouldnt be acceptable in a real intercollegiate league. As a league, we're just not serious enough yet.

[Duquesne12]

I agree but there's no real way to make it more serious. We had guys miss last year cause they needed to study for mideterms that basically they had to pass to stay in school. This year we start off a little rough and all of sudden guys loose the desire to compete on a sub .500 team. The cost of travel is also a killer too when you get no aide from your school.

[alex]

That means that there are alot of players that still don't care that much. Roller hockey isn't big enough where it takes preference over everything else (school, social life, etc) for some guys. I know a few guys on my team who miss games to sleep, because they drank too much the night before, and other reasons that wouldnt be acceptable in a real intercollegiate league. As a league, we're just not serious enough yet.

Isn't this a case of the league being serious enough, but players not taking it serious enough? It's not the leagues fault the game isn't at the level of major DI sports like football where scholarships and professional futures give athletes incentive to take the league seriously over school or whatever else.

[hockeyplayer1]

As a clarification, I am by no means blaming the league for this problem. Like you said, the lack of scholarships/any other serious incentives other than the glory of saying you're a "regional or national champion" is preventing roller hockey from being a major sport. It will take time, no doubt, to achieve this. I commend the league for what they've done so far. The next steps must be to increase exposure to other roller hockey leagues and also to the entire collegiate world.

[DGlass]

It causes a lot of controversy, but the teams that cannot (and/or will not) out a full squad together at regionals, of all events, has no business being in DI and representing their school and the league as a perceived elite club.

I have no idea who Hockeyplayer1 is, or what team he is on bu his post regarding guys skipping a game because they are hungover or have not properly managed their time are not what the elite level of this league are for. Finals and midterms are perfectly fine excuses to an extent, but only if you have a test on Monday (possibly Tuesday). You don't need to cram and pull all-nighters to pass a test. You need to manage your time and study with great concentration for a few hours every day for a couple of weeks leading up to the test.

As for the drinking, if you cannot take a night (let alone a weekend) off from drinking and play competitive hockey with your friends (and that you probably paid good money for), you have an extremely serious problem and should seek help.

[hockeyplayer1]

It causes a lot of controversy, but the teams that cannot (and/or will not) out a full squad together at regionals, of all events, has no business being in DI and representing their school and the league as a perceived elite club.

I have no idea who Hockeyplayer1 is, or what team he is on bu his post regarding guys skipping a game because they are hungover or have not properly managed their time are not what the elite level of this league are for. Finals and midterms are perfectly fine excuses to an extent, but only if you have a test on Monday (possibly Tuesday). You don't need to cram and pull all-nighters to pass a test. You need to manage your time and study with great concentration for a few hours every day for a couple of weeks leading up to the test.

As for the drinking, if you cannot take a night (let alone a weekend) off from drinking and play competitive hockey with your friends (and that you probably paid good money for), you have an extremely serious problem and should seek help.


First off, I am not one of those guys...I have never missed a game and never will. Second, my point is that the incentive just isn't there for some guys to take it seriously enough. I don't know what you meant by being paid good money for playing, but with no scholarships or any real outside exposure, a minority of players do not take the game serious.

I'd love for roller hockey to be a mainstream elite collegiate sport, and will do nothing to hurt that. But I'm just saying we're not there yet.

[mpeavler77]

Well one upset in the books...EMU takes the 4-peat in the MCRHL...I think this is also the 4th straight year MSU has won the regular season only to come up dry when it matters. It was the best finals at the MCRHL regionals to date however, an over-time thriller!! EMU was actually down all game and made a come back to take the lead 3-2 then MSU tied it back up with 1:30 on a broken play with the EMU goaltender being knocked down with interfearence in front of the net. Then about 2 minutes in to OT an EMU defense men walked in and one timed a pass from the goal line, with a little help from a defender deflection upper cheese to seal the deal! 4 straight! Go EMU!! Congrats!!

[nottanitta]

lets get back to those predictions... a lot more fun to talk about then the dedication of some teams.

[William Bourque]

I'd watch out for Eastern Michigan, it seems they are playing better each and every week.



I think i should win a prize

[nottanitta]

man in previous years this message board was so much more fun.. brutal now.

[JimmyLovesPaddy]

I'd watch out for Eastern Michigan, it seems they are playing better each and every week.

They are getting better, and older. Sadly, half the team will die of old age long before nationals.

[William Bourque]

They are getting better, and older. Sadly, half the team will die of old age long before nationals.

how old are you talking?

[RustyPipes27]

Older than Towson?

[MAmato]

Older than Towson?The running joke is that NCRHA will have to disband and rename itself so that Burke and a couple other guys can keep playing! God bless the five year rule :)

[Patn Lawton]

The CRHL to NCRHA change allows me to play for my upcoming 6th season...woo grad school! I will be playing against people that were in 7th grade when I was a senior in high school, and they were probably better than me back then too.

[DGlass]

Yeah...just wait until I get my MBA in a few years. If there is a team where I go, the battle axe will be back in the 'B' league tearing things up.

[spencerhs5]

it would be interesting to find out the disparity in ages, i believe our oldest this year is 25 and youngest is 18.

[William Bourque]

it would be interesting to find out the disparity in ages, i believe our oldest this year is 25 and youngest is 18.


22 and 18 at ship

[GripperWheels]

Yea. That really hurt the Red Wings in 2002. Having the oldest team winning the cup...............:)

[JLambertUMSL]

As for the drinking, if you cannot take a night (let alone a weekend) off from drinking and play competitive hockey with your friends (and that you probably paid good money for), you have an extremely serious problem and should seek help.

AMEN. The mentality that it's your god-given right to go out drinking every weekend and "who cares that it's a hockey weekend?" -- is infuriating.

Our team has been good about this, at least so far.

[GoRangrHky]

The CRHL to NCRHA change allows me to play for my upcoming 6th season...woo grad school! I will be playing against people that were in 7th grade when I was a senior in high school, and they were probably better than me back then too.

Haha, that makes 2 of us...

[WeakSauce]

If you're searching for upsets, look no further than D1 WCRHL, where 6 teams fought to a championship that featured #4 CSU San Bernardino vs. #6 Chapman.

#1 UC Irvine and #3 UC Davis were both ousted by San Bernardino, 7-3 & 5-2, respectively.

#2 Cal Poly SLO was ousted by #6 Chapman in overtime.

EDIT:

Looking back, it's an attribute to what people have been saying of the region all along, alot of parity and a very high level of skill, from top to bottom, it was the highest skill level the WCRHL has seen in years, if ever.

[KAppel]

As for the disparity in age between players, my team (Drexel B, ECRHA) has 29 as the oldest, 18 the youngest.

[DGlass]

Rumor is Jon Huck and Fred Shrayber will be playing for Pitt again next year...


...along with Dave and Bill Thomas and Mike and Jim Abbott.


Just what the voices in my head told me.

[RichardGraham]

Howdy,

Any idea what Jon Huck is up to these days? I still remember his phantom goal and his not-so-phantom slash on my ankle. :rolleyes:

[socalhockey]

Cal Poly was ousted in overtime with a Michigan by Andrew Dillon of Chapman. Doesn't get any more exciting then that!

[DGlass]

Jon's living the married life out in Pittsburgh last I checked. Got married last summer. He had started his Masters in Civil E. at Pitt in 04-05, assume that's over now. Not sure what his life is up to but I think he's still playing ice 2-3 times a week.

[JLambertUMSL]

Cal Poly was ousted in overtime with a Michigan by Andrew Dillon of Chapman. Doesn't get any more exciting then that!

A Michigan in OT of a championship game....I wonder how many times that's happened. :eek:

That's amazing, and I hope someone got it on video. Crazy.

[RichardGraham]

Hey DGlass,

Thanks for the information. I appreciate it.

[KSiordia66]

A Michigan in OT of a championship game....I wonder how many times that's happened. :eek:

That's amazing, and I hope someone got it on video. Crazy.

I found it to be quite cheezy myself

[CUDangled]

A Michigan in OT of a championship game....I wonder how many times that's happened. :eek:

That's amazing, and I hope someone got it on video. Crazy.

Love to see that video!

As far as upsets go, what about FSU over UF from the SE regionals? That really mixed up the expected playoff picture for sure! I saw bits of that game...real close. I bet NC State was REALLY happy. They seem to have a tough time with UF.

[James Lambert]

I found it to be quite cheezy myself

Well, yeah. But frickin' wild anyway.

(I guess it's not really a delay of game either...even though trapping the puck between the bottom edge of your stickblade and the floor - even if you're moving the whole time - still is.)

[KSiordia66]

it was more of an all in one motion scoop of the puck, not really a trapping of the blade. but still Andrew Dillon, great player but if he pulled that crap against me he would have been nailed.

[CRadigan]

James is referring to a call made in the Truman-UMSL game. And even as a Truman player, I'd say that call was weak sauce.

[James Lambert]

James is referring to a call made in the Truman-UMSL game. And even as a Truman player, I'd say that call was weak sauce.

I'm sure it's in the rulebook, though....

I guess I understand the rationale, although the puck WAS still moving.

The way our bench reacted to the move (OOHHHhhhh!!!), and then to the subsequent call (whaaaaaaat??), was hilarious. I'll have to post the video whenever I get time.

(Speaking of video, I don't have the LU-SCCC video...haven't gotten it from the guy who taped it yet.)

[James Lambert]

it was more of an all in one motion scoop of the puck, not really a trapping of the blade. but still Andrew Dillon, great player but if he pulled that crap against me he would have been nailed.

I've always wondered about this ethical issue people have with the "Michigan."

Isn't it up to the opposing team to stop it? I'm an old-school ice hockey purist at heart, so I'm not big on showboating, but I figure if you can score a goal with a Michigan, then why not?

Even in roller, I'd have no problem with someone getting hit with a shoulder while attempting the Michigan, but I don't understand why it means you're putting yourself at risk of getting beat down after the fact.

I've heard varying opinions on the legality of the Michigan, some of which state that carrying the puck on your blade in any form would be delay of game and so a Michigan would be illegal. (Obviously it's not illegal, although if the blade and puck go above the crossbar at any time it should be a high stick).

But since it's not a delay of game to scoop the puck off the surface with your stickblade, then I would figure that basically anything stick-on-puck goes, as long as it isn't a high stick. But that's not the case (as evidenced by the delay of game call on Jason Shields in our game vs. Truman).

[RustyPipes27]

Try it against me and you'll wind up with a broken wrist.

[BccCP33]

Love to see that video!

As far as upsets go, what about FSU over UF from the SE regionals? That really mixed up the expected playoff picture for sure! I saw bits of that game...real close. I bet NC State was REALLY happy. They seem to have a tough time with UF.

Im sure NCS was happy, but the last time UF saw them NCS didnt bring their whole team and ended up going 0 - 4 on the weekend. I think UF got a lil shi**y the night before and took FSU lightly. UF's still solid - maybe it was a nice wake up call, since they still got a bid to nationals. MAJOR upset in my eyes though, since FSU typicly gives up double digits or close to it against solid SEC teams.

[Leaferguy]

Try it against me and my team will laugh at me as I miss it and then proceed to beat me up.

[bobraynor]

I'm of the opinion that the unwritten rule is that it's showboating, and shouldn't be used. But there are times when it's kind of overlooked, like if your team is down by a lot and you try it...then you just look like an idiot. Last year, however, someone from Brockport tried it against us when they were winning by a couple goals. He didn't score and he took a couple wacks for it from our guys, but at the end of the game he apologized to me. I guess it's just a competitive thing, and like it or not, if it's not a penalty, guys will try anything to give their team an advantage.


Hey, this thread is supposed to be about upset potentials...now that bids have been given out, does anyone see any big upset potentials looming in STL??

[GoRangrHky]

Mosenson did it (at full speed mind you, he skated from the right circle, went behind the net, and did it without stopping) against Shippensburg 2 years ago in a playoff elimination game. That game ended up going to overtime, and Shipp came very close twice to winning it. He made what I considered to be an excellent play in a timely situation in a close game. He wasn't trying to showboat- he did what he could do to get the puck in the net. And it worked.

[William Bourque]

Mosenson did it (at full speed mind you, he skated from the right circle, went behind the net, and did it without stopping) against Shippensburg 2 years ago in a playoff elimination game. That game ended up going to overtime, and Shipp came very close twice to winning it. He made what I considered to be an excellent play in a timely situation in a close game. He wasn't trying to showboat- he did what he could do to get the puck in the net. And it worked.

Agree.

He clearly didn't do it to showboat. And nobody on our team attempted any cheap shots on him. We did our fighting on the scoreboard and battled back from a 6-2 deficit to force overtime. I think that the Michigan is a great move if your down in the game or up by a little, because you can so easily take the other team out of the game because they lose their heads over something silly.

[patb16]

As a defensemen... I feel don't really have an issue w/it. If you're playing defense and you allow someone the time to get the puck up on there stick and walk out from behind the net, you deserve to get scored on that way. I personally make it a point to meet the opposing player at the post when they come out from behind the net. This way their chance's of pulling this move are greatly diminished.

just my 2 cents

[socalhockey]

If a player has enough talent to pull a Michigan off in a tight game as in the overtime winner in the Chapman game in the regional semi-finals out west, then I think he should do it. If the game isn't close then I think it's showing up the goalie and the other team and the player should be drilled by someone. I think the creativity by some of the players is what makes roller such a great game. Many of the shootout moves that we are currently are seeing in the NHL are similar to the moves that roller players have been doing for years. I personally think and hope that someone will do it in the NHL soon. Sidney Crosby did it in major juniors A few years back. Showcasing a players talents can never be a bad thing for the game!

Good Luck WCRHA at Nationals!

[CUDangled]

Im sure NCS was happy, but the last time UF saw them NCS didnt bring their whole team and ended up going 0 - 4 on the weekend. I think UF got a lil shi**y the night before and took FSU lightly. UF's still solid - maybe it was a nice wake up call, since they still got a bid to nationals. MAJOR upset in my eyes though, since FSU typicly gives up double digits or close to it against solid SEC teams.

FSU only gave double digits 4 times this year...to any team. So I wouldn't say "typically"... You think UF got "shi**y"? They seem like one of the more deciplined teams in the SE. At least this past spring. And regardless of who they played first, they were expecting to move on beyond that round and play 1-2 more games that same morning.

But yeah, still a big upset.

[BccCP33]

FSU only gave double digits 4 times this year...to any team. So I wouldn't say "typically"... You think UF got "shi**y"? They seem like one of the more deciplined teams in the SE. At least this past spring. And regardless of who they played first, they were expecting to move on beyond that round and play 1-2 more games that same morning.

But yeah, still a big upset.

I dont think UF did, i know they did. Im not trying to rank on FSU or anything , but they are not good, plain and simple. I doubt I'll get much of an argument on that.

Also, I said: "FSU typicly gives up double digits or close to it against solid SEC teams... I dont expect them to be giving up double digits to Emory or Virginia Tech

[JLambertUMSL]

I think the creativity by some of the players is what makes roller such a great game. Many of the shootout moves that we are currently are seeing in the NHL are similar to the moves that roller players have been doing for years.

Yeah, I was watching those crazy Rob Schremp videos on YouTube, and kept saying "well geez, Greg Thompson can do that....Greg Thompson can do that...Greg Thompson can do that..." :)

[cdolan]

i hope bcccc is a really good because he sure does like to talk on these boards

[BccCP33]

i hope bcccc is a really good because he sure does like to talk on these boards

I gotta say , its tough making a point on these message boards when u have 3 or 4 defenesive people against one person.