Never Say Never

If we ever have a nuclear war, G-d forbid (I'm not about to go making Zach Parise jokes for something like nuclear war), I've got a sneaking suspicion that the Boston University and Minnesota hockey teams will be among the survivors. I mean, I always figured Don Lucia's hair could survive a nuclear war, but his team?

The latest edition of the PairWise Rankings sees the Terriers and Gophers as part of a four-way tie for 11th. While I was taking in Army's 4-0 win over American International, BU was finishing off a 2-0 win and a weekend sweep against Providence, while Minnesota beat Minnesota Duluth by a 4-1 margin.

It amazes me that those two schools could have the kind of disappointing seasons that they did and still make the NCAA tournament.

And you know what? Good for Minnesota. I know the Gophers are the team everyone loves to hate, and there was plenty of schadenfreude going around when the Gophers were really down and out. However, this is a team that got half a season from Kyle Okposo, is getting half a season from Mike Carman, and got all of two games from Ryan Stoa. Oh, and they lost half of their defensive corps - and the really good half, at that - from the 2006-07 season, not to mention a first-round draft pick who was supposed to move back to D to help alleviate the loss. Alex Kangas has made a huge impact in goal, and even though this will be the first Minnesota team in decades not to have a point-per-game scorer, they are on track to make the NCAA tournament. It's hard to envision the Gophers as underdogs, but if they do finish this off and get into the tournament, it may well go down as one of Don Lucia's best coaching jobs in his career, and this is a man who's won two NCAA championships, won 500 games, and been to the Frozen Four with two different programs.

BU, meanwhile, has won nine of its last 10 games and gone 13-5-2 in the second half of the season. One of those losses was the overtime loss to Boston College which would have been a tie if the Beanpot didn't have full overtimes. Pete "The Prophet" MacArthur and Bryan "Boomer" Ewing have had a great senior year, and Colin Wilson has contributed a point per game as a freshman. Wilson will be a first-round pick in the NHL draft, and if the team that drafts him is college-friendly (think Colorado, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, etc.), he could have the opportunity to be a very special player for BU.

Yes, I have a soft spot for the Terriers. Their fans were among the first to really embrace what I did at CSTV, and I've never forgotten that. I've also really enjoyed the atmosphere around the program: the way they make the balcony and pressbox shake at the KurtCenter when they do "The Song," the frequent appearances by "Sasquatch," the painted faces, and of course, the wit of Jack Parker (and it never hurt that BU's press meal is extremely consistent in terms of high quality). The BU players have also been a lot of fun to work with, although I wouldn't be surprised if Pete MacArthur was happy to see me gone from CSTV, given how often I've referenced his freshman year promise to deliver a national championship before he graduates.

I kid...Pete is a great guy, just like every other BU player I've been privileged to talk with. But I'm not too worried about BU right now, since the Terriers aren't playing tonight.

Army, however, is, and I'll be up at West Point again.