Wcrhl

[alex]

Just trying to get some west coast talk going here. How about UC Irvine? Can anyone in the west beat them? Charlie Middleton and Mike Tasch, that's a nasty duo, #2 and #3 in the nation in scoring, Middleton averaging more than 6 points a game, ridiculous

[WeakSauce]

It is ridiculous, they're an amazing team.

That being said- the west is going to be a shootout the rest of the way. I think that Cal Poly SLO and Long Beach St. both have legitimate shots at taking down UC Irvine, but almost all the teams have shown glimpses of being a team to contend with.

So far I've been suprised at how well UCSB has done, especially in this solid of a division. I still tend to think of them as overrated a bit, but I know they're just dying to prove me wrong.

Chico St. looked much improved their second tourney in, I think they'll bridge the gap that stands between the upper and lower echelon of D1 WCRHL.

UC Davis is only rolling with 5 or 6 guys for the first half of the season, but they are apparently getting a few guys back from overseas for the second half. They're usually competitive, so we'll see what they're really made of in the spring.

UNLV is a team that has played with eachother for a lot longer then they've been in the league, and it shows.

Even Cal isn't the same pushover as last year, look for them to stay close and pull a few out before all is said and done.

Overall, a very competitive and exciting year for D1 play in the WCRHL.

[rollerhockey8]

Just trying to get some west coast talk going here. How about UC Irvine? Can anyone in the west beat them? Charlie Middleton and Mike Tasch, that's a nasty duo, #2 and #3 in the nation in scoring, Middleton averaging more than 6 points a game, ridiculous

I think that Long Beach has the most legitimate chance at beating them. The first game they played in D1 was against UCI and they came out slow but still only lost by a goal. UCI might have the #1 and #2 scorers but look at LB. They have Burrows, Hackworth, Davis and Courtney who are ranked 1, 4, 6 and 8. I would say that 4 solid scorers is a bit more balanced. It will be an exciting game when these two teams meet next

[jsp047]

UCI might have the #1 and #2 scorers but look at LB. They have Burrows, Hackworth, Davis and Courtney who are ranked 1, 4, 6 and 8. I would say that 4 solid scorers is a bit more balanced.

When you're looking at the stats, you also have to take into account LB has played three more games then Irvine. Having the top 2 scoring leaders and a 3rd player at #8 is impressive seeing as they only brought 4 skaters to san jose.

[rollerhockey8]

you are right. But another way to look at it is, with the 4 skaters being on the rink the entire game of course their numbers are going to be through the roof. Everyone of those 4 players is really good. But perhaps the best thing to look at is goal a game average and goals against average. Both Long Beach States and UCIrvines numbers are pretty impressive. They both are around 9.3 goals for and 2.5 against. I believe those numbers cannot be disbuted