So a few numbers to make us feel worse...! :)
by wearendhockey (2018-04-09 11:02:19)

Only Michigan State, in 1966, had a lower winning % for a champion, .552 versus UMDs .602. Michigan State actually had a losing record in the WCHA that season before getting hot and winning both the WCHA playoff and then their 2 NCAA tournament games.

UMD had more losses (16) than any other national champion. Wisconsin in 1981 and Minnesota in 1976 had 14. Providence (2015) and Michigan state (2007, 1966) won titles with 13 losses.

Scott Sandelin knows how to coach in the NCAA tournament, though, that's for sure. During his career at UMD he has a winning % of .521 in regular season and WCHA/NCHC playoff games. In the NCAAs it is an astounding .739.

In the 53 seasons of the NCAA tournament before Sandelin arrived in Duluth, UMD made the NCAA tournament just 4 times. In Sandelin's 18 years at UMD they have made the NCAAs 8 times, won 2 titles and made 2 other FFs.

His teams have won at least one game in the NCAAs in each of the 8 seasons they've been selected for the tournament. In the 16 team era (first year 2003) 49 current teams and one defunct program have made at least one NCAA tournament. Only 3 other teams have at least one win in each year they've made the NCAAs, UMass Lowell (5 times),Ferris State (3) and UMass (1). To make this crapshoot of a tournament 8 times and win at least once every single time is remarkable.



The NCAA numbers for Sandelin are interesting.
by Mr Wednesday  (2018-04-09 19:16:21)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Small sample size and all that, but I wonder if there is something systematic that he's doing that doesn't wear well when the opponents have more of a history?


Perhaps similar to the Syracuse zone D?
by Tex Francisco  (2018-04-11 18:53:33)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

On numerous occasions, Syracuse outperformed a low seed, and I believe it is at least partially attributable to teams not being familiar with their defense.


It is a small sample size,
by wearendhockey  (2018-04-10 13:33:37)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

but what I find impressive is it is in every season he's taken a team to the NCAAs. No matter the turnover in players he's never a one and done. I don't know what it is, but it has to be something Sandelin is specifically doing.

UMD has also been pretty patient with him (as they were with his predecessor). They allowed him a couple of bad seasons to get his feet wet, and then did not go overboard when a FF trip in his 3rd season was followed a few years of mediocre or bad hockey. They've been rewarded with 3 FFs and 2 NCAA titles, to go along with 7 overall NCAA bids in the last 10 seasons. Not too shabby.


And a couple to make us feel better.
by basicbasket  (2018-04-09 12:28:29)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The record of 1 seeds vs. lower seeds in the semifinal and final games since 1981 (when it went to 8 teams) is 33-32. In the NCAA basketball tournament, by contrast, the record of 1 seeds vs. lower seeds since 1985 (when it went to 64 teams) is 34-15. That suggests a higher degree of parity and/or randomness to me.


Its a Sweet 16 tournament
by DakotaDomer  (2018-04-09 13:02:49)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The gap between 1 and 16 varies for each college sport but when we’re talking about SPORT variation...there’s just too little margin in hockey for single game elimination.

There was a MUCH bigger gap between SCSU and Aur Force in this hear’s Tourney and AF handled them no problem.

We were playing the last at large team in but we were also playing last year’s runner up. We were undoubtedly the better team over the course of the year but they were more ready for that game and likely would have been over any other team too.


But Minnie fired Lucia to get Motzko instead....
by DakotaDomer  (2018-04-09 12:24:35)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Morons

I’d also call UND morons for giving Hakstol the job over Sandelin

Berry...we’ll see