Nationals D1 rankings

[sid21]

Regular season and regionals over: an opinion on how teams look heading into the national tournament...your thoughts?

TOP 10
1. Lindenwood
Obvious pick.

2. UMSL
Haven’t been impressive against Lindenwood yet but they have beaten the 3 teams below them and that’s good enough to remain the top contender to LU.

3. Michigan State
Close loss to LU was impressive, hopefully they can keep that going at nationals.

4. Buffalo
Shaky at Chicago interregionals but dominant at ECRHA regionals.

5. Central Michigan
Winless in their last 5 but still too talented to move them too far down the list.

6. Rhode Island
6-3 loss to Buffalo in regional final cements them as #2 out of the east.

7. Florida Atlantic
Impressive in beating UCF 3 times to win regionals, earning #1 status in the southeast.

8. Central Florida
Not a good regional tournament losing 3 times to FAU, but they were all close at least.

9. North Texas
Strong showing at Chicago interregional and then won their regional title. Hoping to be first southwest team to make “Elite 8” round at nationals since 2005.

10. Arizona State
Almost dropped off this list for poor showing at regionals. Lost to UNLV and Long Beach State: not sure if ASU has been overrated all along or UNLV and LB have been underrated.

Contenders?
Long Beach State/UNLV: They both beat ASU at regionals but lost the season series to them, seems like they might be able to contend but not sure.

North Carolina State: They’ve got multiple wins over UCF so perhaps they can surprise some teams and go deep in San Jose.

Ohio State: Beat Central Michigan at regionals and played Michigan State close, we’ll see if they can play at that level against new competition at nationals.

Mizzou: Still have done nothing impressive but nationals will prove if they’ve deserved to be mentioned on here each time in spite of their record.

[William Bourque]

UL Lafeyette: They’ve played North Texas close who has played close games with 3 of the top 5 teams. Not sure if that’ll translate to ULL doing some damage at nationals.

They are not going to be at nationals.

[sid21]

They are not going to be at nationals.

Oh yeah. What the **** was I thinking? Fixed it.

[ISFN]

Whats up with ULL?

Did they just forfeit the rest of the season?

No Bid to nationals which I'm sure isn't because they weren't good enough, interested in knowing what happend.

Burke mentioned (I wish he would explain) a new seeding process at Nationals which could shake things up, I wouldn't be surprised to see 2 new teams in the championship game.

Dark Horses: Ohio, Long Beach, and West Point

[William Bourque]

Burke mentioned (I wish he would explain) a new seeding process at Nationals which could shake things up, I wouldn't be surprised to see 2 new teams in the championship game.

The general gist of it, is that the "Seedings Meeting" that was held each year at nationals, following the conclusion of Round Robin play has been eliminated.

Teams will now advance out of the pools, knowing, that they won't play a team they played in the pools until at least the final four. Anyone who is familiar with the World Cup or followed the ECRHA Regional Championships this season should have a general idea on how things will play out. However, unlike at ECRHA Regionals, no teams will be eliminated in Pool play.

I looked for the article that Burke reference, however, I could not find it.

[ISFN]

I see some flaws in that, but as shown in the seeding meeting there were also flaws.

So the teams must be seeded before the tournament then, right? I know these pools aren't just randomly selected, how is that process done?

Sorry If I'm asking the wrong person, just curious because I was certainly in favor of the seeding committee.

[William Bourque]

I see some flaws in that, but as shown in the seeding meeting there were also flaws.

So the teams must be seeded before the tournament then, right? I know these pools aren't just randomly selected, how is that process done?

Sorry If I'm asking the wrong person, just curious because I was certainly in favor of the seeding committee.

The process can't start until all teams are committed to going, but once it starts, I am sure that we will be able to relay that information to you. But as of now, I am not 100% sure, and it wouldn't be proper to speculate.

[mustachemarty5]

Speaking from the east, I think every team in this region will be competitive and surprise teams at nationals. It may seem silly that 8 teams got in from this region, but there is a reason and I think they should all be there if you want top competition.

Buffalo (24-2-2) With the impressive season they have had, I think it is established that they are the top team. With big, skilled players like Walzer, Durinka and Kendall leading the way and role players like Felber and McNeil also with big points, they will look to finish strong. Sometimes they tend to not really skate (maybe because they don't have to, but who knows) and they could be caught off guard if a team can really move the puck and skate well, but for the most part, they will simply control the game and set the tempo. They also have a solid goalie in Christie to back them up. Good showings against UMSL and LU to go with a win over Central Michigan help their case and put them as a top tier team in the tournament, but Nationals is a whole different game. Look for them to at least get to the Final 4.

Rhode Island (18-6-3) It's fair to say that they stand out as the second best team in the region. They are a quick team that can score goals in a hurry. They often have slow starts, but can put up goals to come back as quick as they give them up. At regionals, they came back from deficits of 3-5 goals regularly. They have solid players like Lundh, Rieger and Borbidge, but it is Nelson that runs the show by never getting frustrated and scoring clutch goals. They are a great team, but the goaltending is very shaky. That's something to watch out for in the tournament. When they went south, they didn't exactly do as well as expected with loses to NC State and FAU, but that may be a testament to the rising talent down there. Expect them to get to the Elite 8 with a chance to go further if they can get the defense and goaltending they need.

Rutgers (16-8-1) The third best team is really a toss up, but I'll give it to Rutgers based on Regionals. They don't really look good or have star power, but they play solid defense and seem to get the job done by playing a box on defense. Reisman and Masino work well together and provide most of the scoring. They also have solid goaltending which is what may take them far. A solid inter-regional win against Ohio State shows they can play with and beat good teams. I think they get to the Sweet 16 fairly easily either through a bye or first round win, but I don't know about their prospects going beyond that.

West Point (14-6-5) This team is solid top to bottom. The entire team is big and strong on the puck, in phenomenal shape, and they can shoot. Would you expect anything less from the Army? Graham is the big point getter, but don't focus on one guy with this team because they can all play. Their biggest asset is that they are physical and they never get tired. It's like playing against a team of robots because they don't let up the whole game. They have proved themselves through their strong regular season which includes a tie with Buffalo. They also won all their out of region games and will look to continue that success in San Jose. Look for this team in the Elite 8 as a sleeper.

Towson (11-11-1) This team had questions coming into the season, but got out to a great start. Unfortunately they have lost 8 of their last 9 and had a poor showing at Regionals. Cowdell is talented, but clearly isn't as effective without Inge and Houser who are out the rest of the season. Questionable losses to Michigan and Texas-Dallas hurt this teams perspective chances at going anywhere. This team has a lot of question marks around them and are obviously hurt by the absence of key players. They will be lucky to get out of the First Round.

UConn (10-11-4) Here's a team that really turned up their play at the right time. They are much improved from the first half of the season and looked impressive at Regionals. The team revolves around the offense of DaSilva as he is one of the top difference makers in the league. He is very tough to contain and he scores very difficult and opportune goals. Don't overlook Tomczyk or Gabor though because they can play as well. They also beat Ohio State which shows the strength and depth of the east against top competition. The goaltender, Back, is usually solid and if he gets hot, mixed in with a little luck, this team could surprise people and find themselves in the Elite 8.

Stony Brook (10-17-1) Here is another team who, after a disappointing first half, got their act together and went 11-6 in the second half (including Regionals). 4 of those wins came against weak teams from the southeast, but they destroyed those teams by winning those games by a combined score of 46-8. They were also very impressive in conference play. Cartwright will lead this underrated squad who looks good now that they have a flow and have players who are recovered from injury. Don't write them off at all, just remember their historic National Championship run in DII a few years ago. I think they storm into the Sweet 16 with a chance to go further.

Hofstra (7-16-0) From the outside, this team looks weak and appears to have stumbled into the tournament. Don't be fooled by their sub-par record. They lost 9 of those games by 1 or 2 goals to the top competition in the country. In 3 games against Rhode Island, they lost by a combined 4 goals. That isn't a good argument for them because they are still losses, but in a different region, their record could be reversed. They showed this by beating Michigan and Texas-Dallas out of region. This team has trouble finishing games and scoring goals in general, but they can skate hard for the whole game. No real big names, but they have a great leader in their captain, Ketcham, who leads by example with his great work ethic and as a whole, they are tough to play against top to bottom because they work so hard. I can see them getting to the Sweet 16 and being a tough team to play there.


*Records include Regular Season, Inter-Regional, and Playoffs (not pre-season)

[sid21]

Wow, great ECRHA analysis. Anyone from other regions with good info like that on their D1 teams?

[NCSU17]

From the SECRHL

1a.) UCF: Can be a very streaky team, but when they are on their game they can be a top team. Connor Cafferty and goaltender Dan Moon are the cornerstones of this team, but they also have 5 or 6 very strong supporting players. If the Knights play good, disciplined hockey, expect them to be among the final 8 teams.

1b.) FAU: They had an impressive regionals. Thiefault is a great finisher, and Greg Boyd is an amazing all around player. They have alot of team speed and move the puck well, but they lack a solid defensive core and are prone to defensive breakdowns. Like their Floridian counterpart, FAU has struggled with consistency, but this could be a good thing for them. If they play they way they are able to, I wouldn't be surprised to see them finish in the final four or better.

3.) NCSU: We have struggled with inconsistency more so than any of the other D1 SECRHL teams. We are heavily dependent on the production of Chris Davis and Mike Iadanza, and our goalie Bobby Child. If we can play within ourselves we could surprise, but I think it is clear we are not as dangerous as the Florida teams.

[Ben Lambert]

It wouldn't surprise me if it was an all-gp final for the third year in a row. Then again, it wouldn't surprise me if only 1 GP team makes it. At least one will be in the finals, just like always...

There are about 4 or 5 teams tops who have the capability to make it there, usually it becomes abundantly clear which ones in the pool play at nationals.

[InlineMBA]

Hofstra (7-16-0) From the outside, this team looks weak and appears to have stumbled into the tournament. Don't be fooled by their sub-par record. They lost 9 of those games by 1 or 2 goals to the top competition in the country. In 3 games against Rhode Island, they lost by a combined 4 goals. That isn't a good argument for them because they are still losses, but in a different region, their record could be reversed. They showed this by beating Michigan and Texas-Dallas out of region. This team has trouble finishing games and scoring goals in general, but they can skate hard for the whole game. No real big names, but they have a great leader in their captain, Ketcham, who leads by example with his great work ethic and as a whole, they are tough to play against top to bottom because they work so hard. I can see them getting to the Sweet 16 and being a tough team to play there.

Hofstra was an Alternate - Did they get in because of a team not accepting their bid? If so, who backed out?

Steve Inge - ROXBURY 8

[MIDWESTCLAPPER]

I think that if there was going to be a year in DI where neither team in the finals was from the Great Plains this would be the year. Buffalo, Rhode Island, FAU, Michigan State, Central Michigan are all not to far off skill wise from UMSL and Lindenwood. Though chances are very unlikely that both UMSL and Lindenwood wouldnt make the finals it could happen.

[William Bourque]

Hofstra was an Alternate - Did they get in because of a team not accepting their bid? If so, who backed out?

Steve Inge - ROXBURY 8

Central Michigan

[kleinberg13]

Central Michigan

Is central michigan B not going either?