And Now We Wait…

Oswego State Laker fans will be scanning the web Sunday night (Selection Sunday) in anticipation of the D-III NCAA Hockey Tournament bracket release. Oswego will have to rely on an At Large Bid into the tournament due to a heartbreaking 2-1 OT loss vs. Fredonia in the SUNYAC Playoffs. The Lakers are in great shape to get an at large bid, ranked number one in the nation most of the season, and now sitting second in the latest USCHO Poll. But there are no guarantees, the selection committee has snubbed us before, it is not outside the realm of possibilities.

Let’s take a brief look at this year’s selection committee: Bruce Delventhal, Plattsburgh (chair); Timothy Bald, St. Norbert; Michael McShane, Norwich; and Mark Ostapina, Milwaukee School of Engineering.  Already we see a potential bias (i.e. Plattsburgh), and clearly this is not an impartial panel, all four schools they represent are ranked inside the top ten.  


I am confident that the committee will make the correct decision and put Oswego into the dance. Their seeding however is up in the air and will depend of conference championship outcomes this weekend. I predict a tournament field similar to last season, four teams from the West and seven from the East. Here are my thoughts on who’s in, out, or on the bubble.

Pool A (Automatic Qualifiers):

ECAC East: Norwich

ECAC Northeast: Curry

MCHA: Adrian

MIAC: Hamline

NCHA: St. Norbert

NESCAC: Williams

SUNYAC: Fredonia

Pool B (Conferences without an Auto Qualifier):

ECAC West: Elmira

Pool C (At Large Bids):

1.    Oswego: Should be a lock.

2.    Castleton: Currently ranked 4^th, it’s looking good.

3.    Milwaukee School of Engineering: Should have an edge over Wisconsin-Superior.

On the Bubble:

1.    Plattsburgh: Must win SUNYAC to get in.

2.    Bowdoin: Must win NESCAC to get in.

3.    Neumann: Must win ECAC West, still may have a chance, but it would be a shame.

4.    Wisconsin-Superior: Must win NCHA to get in.

Write them off:

1.    Geneseo: Done, the SUNYAC won't get three teams in.

2.    Utica: And Done, sorry Utica Townies you'll have to find somewhere else to drink.