college hockey and a question for you

Friday night, I watched college hockey (via a so-so online feed) for the first time ever. THE FIRST TIME EVER. I couldn't see it online till the NCAA semifinals, and I didn't get to any games in person this season.

I haven't written about college hockey (or any college sports now that I think about it) on this blog yet because, well, I don't have teams I follow yet. I went to an arts and communications college that didn't have sports, so there's no alma mater to root for. in football and basketball I have a nostalgic fondness for the Iowa State Cyclones because they're the team where I grew up (and now, I'll pause for the time it takes to explain to all non-Iowans which school and city is ISU and which is Iowa.
.....................................................................) ISU does have hockey too, but I'm talking about one of the teams in the major hockey conferences (I'm still learning this, bear with me).

it was easy to choose which NHL and AHL teams to follow, since I've got good ones in my city--though alas most Blackhawks fans I know are Rockford IceHogs fans because they're the Hawks affiliate, and not fans of the Wolves, the local team. (that's angst for another time. but I do like/try to follow the IceHogs too.) it was easy to choose favorite Eastern teams too. and in other hockey leagues, I just like seeing whatever games I can (and buying whatever merchandise with amusing logos I can).

but college hockey? if neither the college I went to nor the one I grew up near qualify, and there isn't a major team in the Chicago area, it's a bit more work (but that's exciting!). (I should note, this is more about picking a team to follow NEXT season; not about picking a fave for the Frozen Four).

some thoughts: I know a lot of Boston University fans. (and a Lowell fan--so I know lots of Boston College haters.) Notre Dame and Wisconsin are the closest teams at this level to Chicago. Wisconsin and North Dakota have recent connections to the Blackhawks, so I know Hawks fans following them. I like the idea of rooting for a Rust Belt (Great Lakes/western/upstate New York) college team since I love that part of the country, and I can't be a fan of Detroit or Buffalo in the NHL due to following Chicago and Boston. (I also really like Denver and Minneapolis as cities and can't root for their NHL teams either.) and that's about the extent of my thoughts on this so far. any opinions would be welcome.

as for the first game I saw, Wisconsin defeating Vermont? I wish I'd watched closer, but I was getting ready for the trip I'm on now. right as I was writing the Blackhawks-Blue Jackets recap (where the phrase "a little chippy" was used), the Wisconsin game was described as being..."a little chippy." that seemed like a good omen during my first college game...

I watched a little of the St. Cloud-Northern Michigan game on after (but that was a rerun and I'd already heard the result). I seem to get a lot of screenshots of goalies...

grueling games, Twitter, Predators & Sharks

so the game I was all excited about going to tonight? well, I'll post any interesting photos later (Chicago Wolves looked great in their new green jerseys), but the laziest recap:

I got home to find out on Twitter, thanks to the knowledgeable and entertaining @HockeyJoeGM  (see, I'm doing a Twitter "Follow Friday," but on my blog instead. ha!) that a men's college hockey game was about to become the longest college hockey game in history. Quinnipiac was playing at Union (these are in Hamden, CT, & Schenectady, NY respectively--I had to look those up just now). there's the score at bottom (what's that cool building?):

and you could have watched it unfold here: 

so this game was starting around the time I left for the Wolves game, and still going on when I got back. and it's a CTA bus, CTA train, and Pace bus each way for me to get to Allstate Arena. a relatively brief 2.5 hours to see the home team lose doesn't seem so bad now.

speaking of other crushing defeats...how about the Predators at Sharks game Thursday night? I doubt many east coasters stayed up for that but it would have been worth it. I wanted Nashville to win, to keep some points away from San Jose. not just because I've recently become enamored, like so many others, of Preds' goalie Dan Ellis' Twitter account, @dellis39 (my favorite "verified" sports celebrity Twitterer, though I can't say I've sought out many yet. @OzzieGuillen is...well, did you SEE the feud, possibly one-sided, with Sean Penn? he's always, um, interesting.) linked in this tweet are photos each of us posted of the demolition of the Lafayette Building in downtown Detroit (he threw in a swipe at Detroit...and the Preds were beaten badly by the Red Wings that night)! 

anyway, it was a fine back-and-forth game, with the Predators leading for much of the first two periods. late in the second, in a few minutes of game time, the score went from 3-2 Preds to 4-2 to 3-2 back to 4-2. the Preds seemed to score a goal and the score went up but the goal was disallowed (the "distinct kicking motion" call). then right after, they scored a 4th goal for real. but I guess this messed with them a bit, because then in the third period...the Sharks starting scoring. 
 

A LOT. even a goal which was questionable, for..."distinct kicking motion." but was allowed. (I don't think I've seen TWO goals under review in any game I watched this season. interesting that both were decided in the home team's favor, though I haven't watched them enough to judge for myself.) after 4 fairly quick Sharks goals (another from Preds too), Dan Ellis was pulled. goalies often get pulled when that many goals happen quickly, but to put in the other goalie with only 5 minutes left in the game?!

then Marleau got his 40th goal of the season...then Jay Leach got an empty-netter, his first career NHL goal. and then I learned the Sharks set an interesting NHL record (this surprised me):

boy, I hope no one left that game early to beat traffic. I checked NHL.com after the game hoping for a spectacular headline, but I guess they were in bed for the night, nothing on the main page. in the morning, Joe Pavelski got this salute on the front page (and I agree with the Blackhawks fan who said he looks like he could be Kris Versteeg's brother):

I'll let Dan Ellis have the last word, which did appear before I went to bed: