Two NCTs: Compare and Contrast

[mackertm]

I believe that I'm one of three people that were at both CRHL NCTs this season, the other two being Gary Del Vecchio (USAHIL) and Eric Habert (CRHL Development). I figured I'd toss out a few comments about both tourneys, as someone who could compare them both firsthand.

First off, I think both tournaments were well-run. There were certainly some problems and controversy at each (like the power outage and rink change at the Premier NCT, and the Florida jersey issues at Competitive NCT), but that's to be expected at almost any tournament that includes so many teams and games. All in all, though, things ran smoothly at both locations.

The single biggest drawback of the Premier NCT was that it was so much smaller than in seasons past, with just the six Premier teams at the event. It took away some of the NCT-ish atmosphere, seeing teams and players you haven't seen all year. But going into the season all the Premier teams knew this would be the case, and were willing to make that sacrifice for the long term success of Premier. That said, it was nice having all six teams at the rink at the same time (we hadn't done that all year), and the double elimination format was a good plan with the smaller number of teams. Yes, there was some controvery over the gameplay at points in the tournament. But I don't think anyone would argue that the best team didn't win, Lindenwood had a great season and earned that NCT title. I'm already looking forward to another season of Premier, and another Premier NCT next season - with more teams, I would have to suspect. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable NCT, and there were certainly a good number of people there for the final. Some people had expressed concern over that, but I'd estimate there were more people at the Premier final than the DI, DII, or DIII finals. A big congratulations to Aaron Haschel on putting together a great tourney, and a good season.

The Competitive NCT was a lot like previous NCTs in terms of atmosphere - lots of teams there, etc. I think it was definitely odd without some of the traditional favorites from the past few seasons around, though - Lindenwood (with their top team), Michigan State, Purdue, Michigan, Ohio State, and Eastern Michigan. Looking at the brackets and everything else, it just seemed weird to not see the now-Premier team in the round robin pools and brackets. There were some great aspects of the tourney, and one of them (in my opinion) was certainly the Internet radio broadcasts. Bill was great, it was always entertaining to sit next to him as he was broadcasting, calling play-by-play for the game I was watching. I think getting those radio broadcasts was an excellent move. It was also good seeing Rink Rat, Red Bull, and other companies at the tourney showing their support of CRHL. The DIII final was certainly exciting (an overtime thriller), and it was classy to see St. Charles and Meramec pose together for team pics after the final, two Missouri teams that met in the finals for the second straight season. The DII final was similarly exciting, and also included a picture with both teams that played in the finals (they both play in the ECRHA). The DI final was certainly a little controversial, the whole Florida jersey thing. But Pomona played a good tourney, and outlasted everyone, a big congrats to them. I think one of the more interesting pieces of the Competitive NCT was seeing the upsets in DI - Towson and Colorado State pulling big ones in the Sweet Sixteen over Western Michigan and Cal Poly SLO, for example. That's something there wasn't much of at the Premier NCT, it worked out as it should have according to the seeds. Thanks and congrats go to Huck, Rebecca, Brennan, Jimmerson, Brad, Burke, and everyone else who worked so hard to make the Competitive NCT a success.

Well, that's an exceptionally long post, so I'm just going to let it end now. Just figured I'd throw out some thoughts about the Premier and Competitive NCTs.

Mike Mackert
Michigan State University

[bonesy21]

uber geek,

did you just say that the best team in premier didnt win, or was that a typo? cuz if thats what you said and you were being sarcastic, man you fooled me, but Lindenwood was the best team in my opinion, and Michigan state like all the other teams woulda been, was the underdog, but without his bone. anyways, in closing, i again would like to congradulate all the peeps that made this even special, and maybe next year, ill have my hommies bring back the toga's and the "warm-up the bus" slogan...all in all, good luck in the offseason.

bones

[mackertm]

No, I was saying Lindenwood was the best team. No one would try to argue someone else (like MSU, PU, whoever) was better and didn't win.

Mike Mackert
Michigan State University