Here's my thoughts on the whole tourney, as we watched every game.
Michigan Tech could be an up and coming team, but I don't know how their roster is, as far as age goes...more upper classmen or more young kids. They obviously played well, to take DU to OT.
St. Cloud...I really couldn't get a read on them. The Sioux played rather sloppy against them, but still carried the game relatively easily, though the 2 empty netters made it seem like more of a blowout than it was.
Duluth has a hell of an offense, and simply peppered Brittain. If they come out firing like that in the NCAA tourney, they'll be a tough team to beat. Their goaltending was decent in that game, as he faced over 40 shots himself. They have a Hobey Baker finalist, and his talent showed in that game.
The U of M showed that they do have talent and some speed. The Sioux looked sluggish against them for about half the game. They were moving well and had the puck flying all over. But what that game showed is a vulnerability. That they can be come back on in a hurry. That they may not have the killer instinct or be as confident as maybe they should be (or did they just get too confident).
DU is a tough team. They may very well have been beyond exhausted heading into Saturday, but with the game the Sioux played, I don't know if it would have mattered. With Brittain, they have a strong goaltender, and it sucks for them that he missed as much time as he had this year, or they would likely be one of the top 3-4 teams in the country, IMO.
I'll do my best to not be biased talking about the Sioux. What can I say...they were simply dominant after Hakstol called the timeout in the 2nd period against Minn. If they keep playing like that, I think they've got a good shot at title #8. But, IMO, this team has already overachieved this season. They lost 6 of their top 7 scorers from last year, and their top recruit has been out most of the season. I expected a ~.500 season, not a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney, riding a 7 game win streak.
The game of the tourney was not a Sioux game. To me, it was the DU/Duluth game on Friday afternoon. That had to be about the best hockey game I've ever seen. 119 shots on goal combined. They weren't just shots, either. I thought there was a lot of good scoring chances, and both teams were giving it everything they had. I'm just glad that I can say I was there and saw such an epic game.
:-)
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