Feature

The NCAA selection committee may have bestowed the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament upon Cornell, but the Big Red doesn’t necessarily see it that way. On Sunday, the committee had conflicting mandates — avoid first-round intraconference matchups, and protect the top teams in the field in terms of the draw. Regional considerations prevailed, … Read more

Out of the frying pan, into the fire. When Colorado College lost the WCHA championship to Minnesota last weekend, it moved the Gophers up to a No. 1 seed, That meant the Tigers, who were assured a top seed regardless of Saturday’s outcome, could not be bracketed with West Regional host Minnesota on the Gophers’ … Read more

Welcome to the USCHO.com staff’s annual picks competition, in which we display our knowledge — or lack thereof — of the NCAA tournament for the entertainment of the Internet-browsing public. This year’s competition is open to all USCHO.com staffers, 10 of whom have elected to participate. The rules are simple: pick all 12 games this … Read more

If the almost-home ice of the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minn., helped Minnesota to the 2002 NCAA championship, what will the Gophers do with the real thing? The Gophers earned perhaps the most critical win of the weekend last Saturday, upending WCHA regular-season champion Colorado College 4-2 in the Final Five title game. The … Read more

Call it the Slot Heard ‘Round The World. Unlike the shots fired near Concord, Mass., back in 1775, there may not be a revolution following the selection of St. Cloud State to the 2003 NCAA tournament. There will, however, be plenty more debate on the heels of the firestorm already seen. Nearly lost in the … Read more

When Ian McCaw says that the NCAA committee went 100 percent strictly by the numbers, he is being completely 100 percent genuine. And the evidence is right in front of our eyes. In fact, the committee went so strictly by the numbers, it’s scary. It was the complete pinnacle of the 100-percent objective system, and, … Read more

The NCAA tournament picks were announced Sunday, but the action was in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday. The fact that NCAA hockey boasts an objective selection system for its national tournament doesn’t prevent controversy — it just changes the nature of the complaints. Basketball teams can complain about the selection committee weighing the factors unpredictably, … Read more