Any time you pick an NCAA field, there’ll be complaining from teams and fans who disagree with the selections or the seedings. This year was no exception, as Wisconsin and Notre Dame, a couple of teams that struggled down the stretch, got invites based on the objective system used by the NCAA Ice Hockey Committee. Unlike most other sports, the selection criteria in D-I hockey are written in stone, and never has the committee gone against the numbers.
And again this season, it looks like their decisions have been vindicated. Wisconsin made it to the regional finals, and Notre Dame, the last at-large team in the tournament and 13th seed overall, has made it to the championship game.
“We’ve been though a lot the second half of the season,” said Notre Dame defenseman Kyle Lawson. “It think it was good to get some redemption.”
Let’s hope this process, especially its transparency, continues.
