College Hockey is finally done

The Frozen Four is in the books. An amazing win by BU caps off what was one hell of a hockey season. I spent the past few days in DC contemplating the season...not just the Sioux season, but the entire NCAA season. So the following are a few reflections I have made. I will talk about the Sioux, the WCHA, the NCAA, and the FF. Enjoy.

First, the Sioux season:

- People on SiouxSports need to relax. Hakstol won't be fired. He's a good coach
- Walski didn't pan out...
- Duncan is a game-changer
- The Sioux fanbase is the best in the WCHA. No questions asked
- I swear my stress level rises tenfold in the 2nd half of every Sioux season
- The best game they played all season, IMO, was the 2nd Gopher game
- The most exciting game, IMO, was the CC game in which the Sioux won in overtime
- The F5 was a huge disappointment...and the beginning of the end
- I was sad after the UNH game, but it could have gone either way
- Eids is good, but not great...he's going to have more growing pains
- I hope VV stays around

Now, the WCHA

- The Sioux had a magical season...one that sadly ended too early
- Wisconsin sucks. I hate their program. I always will
- Minnesota is going to be mediocre for a few years to come. Gopher fans are going to be miserable
- The WCHA Final Five is amazing. It is a yearly highlight
- UAA was a pleasant surprise. They are on the upswing
- Duluth was as well. Too bad they will return to near the bottom next year
- DU has some of the stupidest fans in the country
- I hope tDon gets better. Seriously
- Bachman = most overrated player in the last 4 years

Now onto the college hockey season:

- Air Force proved their doubters wrong. And Frank is awesome
- Northeastern was a big surprise this year. Honestly, who would have picked them?
- I'm happy two teams from the CHA found homes. Let's hope the other two can find homes as well
- The WCHA was mediocre. The AHA is still mediocre...although RIT gave Air Force a run at the end
- The parity in college hockey is closing. With the exception of about a dozen teams, on any given night, any team can beat any other team
- The passion for college hockey is as high as ever
- The swing of dominance from west to east is happening...and looks to continue for years to come
- Boston College is falling...and falling fast
- The ECAC continues to disappoint. Cornell or RPI need to rise up and get this league some respect
- BU was a steamroller of a team that just destroyed their opponents all season
- The regionals were the craziest in memory. Seriously...no team could be counted out

And finally, the Frozen Four:
- Bemidji making the Frozen Four = awesome
- Same with Miami of Ohio
- Love the support of Bemidji in Washington DC
- At the beginning of the season, I said there would be two of four college hockey teams in the Frozen Four that no one thought would be there. I was only one off...should have said three teams
- BU found a way to win when all the chips were down. Hats off to them. Seriously
- Their student section is probably the best in college hockey
- The Verizon Center sucks to watch hockey in
- Vermont fans were quick to leave on Thursday...seriously people. Support hockey!
- It's great to see people you haven't seen in a year
- Others, you wish you didn't have to see at all
- I love being able to drink with important people
- It's great to be able to talk to some of the bigger names in hockey. Coaches, AD's, SID's, players, etc.
- Only 5 schools in college hockey had no representation at the Frozen Four. In other words, we couldn't find anyone in a jersey, hat, jacket, etc. Those 5 were Bentley, Quinnipiac, St. Lawrence, Merrimack, and Huntsville. Every other school was represented in some way
- In addition, there were several others represented, including Navy, Penn State, Arizona State, Oswego (GLM), Tufts, Towson, UMBC, Virginia and Virginia Tech, MIT, West Virginia, St. Olaf, Augsburg, Wayne State, University of Illinois-Chicago, and Concordia-Moorhead
- The Frozen Four is a great gathering. Every college hockey fan should attend, even if your team is not in it. It's an experience all in its own