For those University of Denver hockey fans who believe it was unfair that Colorado College got an NCAA Tournament at-large berth over the two-time defending national champion Pioneers, consider:
The Tigers, who tied for fourth in the WCHA – five points behind the No. 2 Pioneers – went 8-2 in nonleague play. DU was 3-5.
CC went 4-0 against nonleague teams that made the 16-team national tournament. DU was 0-3.
The Tigers lost just once at home to a team that finished below .500. The Pioneers lost four times in Denver to teams that finished below .500.
Those points provide the systematic basis of CC’s inclusion and DU’s demise. If the selection committee’s by-the-book computer formula had room for subjectivity, perhaps the Pioneers’ 3-0-1 head-to-head record against their Front Range rival, and a better WCHA finish, would have meant more.
As it is, CC has a shot at becoming Colorado’s third consecutive NCAA champion. The Tigers (24-15-2) begin their quest Saturday against Cornell (21-8-4) in the semifinals of the Midwest Regional in Green Bay, Wis. (3:30 p.m., Altitude)
“We got in because we beat Michigan and Michigan State in Detroit, BU on the road and Maine at home,” coach Scott Owens said of CC’s big wins, each on NHL-size ice sheets similar to the Resch Center in Green Bay. “In a lot of ways, we earned it, and we’ve played well on NHL sheets (4-1-1), so in theory we should be excited to play and considered one of the teams to beat.”
CC hasn’t played since being ousted from the WCHA playoffs March 12 by St. Cloud State.
The Tigers hope to become the second team in three years to win the national championship after failing to advance to the final of its league tournament. DU did so in 2004.
“Imagine the similarities with Denver (in 2004), needing to get mentally and physically fresher,” Owens said. “We got our heads cleared and are excited to be playing.”
The game against Cornell pits the three players who made up last year’s “Hat Trick Finalists” for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the country’s top player. As juniors, forwards Brett Sterling and Marty Sertich represented CC. Big Red goalie David McKee was a sophomore when he and Sterling watched Sertich win the prestigious award.
“Cornell is a tough team because McKee is a talented goal- tender and they play a very defensive style,” Sterling said. “We just have to penetrate the middle and get grade-A chances and really go hard after the rebounds.”
Footnotes
Altitude will televise all 12 NCAA Tournament regional games, beginning with today’s 2 p.m. Nebraska-Omaha vs. Boston University contest from Worcester, Mass. … Owens is one of the four coaches at the Midwest Regional who are alumni of their programs. … CC is 1-3-1 in its past five games, and Cornell is coming off a 6-2 loss to Harvard in last week’s Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League championship game.
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
