the other NCAA Semi-final

As an eternal infracaninophile in neutral games, I wanted Notre Dame to upset Michigan. But after watching how the Wolverines fought back from 0-3 to 3-3, I find it hard not to like their team play and spirit.

It's tied 4-4 after three periods.

update: Notre Dame wins in OT.

ND wins 5-4

So BC vs. Notre Dame...does the Pope get to be an honorary ref?

sah67
So BC vs. Notre Dame...does the Pope get to be an honorary ref?

It will be a BYORB (Rosary Beads) event.

Notre Dame vs. BC, who would Jesus pick?

That's like when the President goes to see Navy play the Coast Guard Academy, which one does he pick? (Yes, Mister President, they're actually different.)

Careful on comments. Some say anti-Catholicism is the last refuge of the upper class bigot.

Very entertaining game. Frustrating couple of periods for those of us rooting hard against Michigan but it worked out in the end. After the way Michigan came back from 3-0 and 4-3 deficits I was very surprised to see how much ND carried the play in the overtime.

Both teams were clearly exhausted in the third as they were constantly missing passes that would have conected earlier and not moving their feet.

This posting is late, but in probably its first college ice hockey story of the season, the Chicago Tribune profiled Notre dame's Christian Hanson yesterday (full story). The focus is on his being the son of Dave "Killer" Hanson, of Slapshot fame, and how although his skills are better than his father's but he hasn't had the drive and the spirit.

Start of story
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Father-son stories can be mythologized easily, always have been, even if reality doesn't quite match the hyperbole. Then there is Christian Hanson's favorite story about his father, about which everything is inarguably, hysterically epic.


His father, playing with the World Hockey Association's Birmingham Bulls in the mid-1970s, was about to square off on the ice with Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet himself. Preparing to throw a punch, Hanson's father grabbed the top of Hull's head, then abruptly lost his grip.

Seconds later, Dave "Killer" Hanson realized he had a fistful of Hull's toupee.

"My dad said he had no idea what to do," Christian Hanson recalls. "He said he threw the thing in the stands and skated right into the penalty box. He got death threats for months after that."

I'm a Michigan fan but Christian Hanson was obviously hurt in the first period and toughed it out and played. He showed a lot of determination. I was surprised at how big he, Cole and a couple of the Notre Dame kids were. I haven't looked at the rosters but they have to be bigger than B.C. They were slower than Michigan but passed well and forced a lot of offsides and icing calls against Michigan (I've never seen them that confused). I think Michigan and B.C. are probably on par in terms of team speed, I will be interested to see if Notre Dame can basically repeat what they just did.

That third goal by Thang was just exceptional. Blew by the defender and then to put the puck right in the top corner with your backhand while skating that fast..........wow.

Michigan showed a lot of determination, but the tourney humbles everyone.

The number of times Michigan got whistled for being offsides was amazing. By the 3rd we were joking about it on every rush it seemed.