Cornell vs. BU

[LynahFan]

Hard to say in the long run whether it's better for BU or Harvard to win tonight.  We play both of them twice in the regular season, but have the possibility to play HU up to 5 times (2 of 3 series that goes to 3 games) before NCAA selection.  From that perspective, it would be better to have HU win, because that has the possibility of helping our opponents' winning percentage in RPI, which is weighted more heavily than our opponents' opponents' percentage.  Also, HU plays fewer games than BU, so their winning will help their percentage more than it will hurt BUs.  In the end, these are all second (if not third and fourth) order effect.  As long as we beat them both, we won't even be talking about this....

[Sperris]

Boston University 6-3-2
Goals for: 3.22
Goals against: 3.49

Doesn't add up...

T 4-4 ot vs Northern Michigan
W 5-1    vs Rensselaer
T 1-1 ot Vermont
L 3-5    at Merrimack
W 6-4    Nebraska-Omaha
W 7-6    at Northeastern   
W 3-2    at New Hampshire
W 2-1    Merrimack
L 2-3    Boston College
L 3-7    Maine
W 3-2    Mass.-Lowell

That makes it:
39 goals for (3.55/gm)
36 goals against (3.27/gm)
They are scoring more than they are getting scored on (to change this weekend hopefully).

[Keith K]

The game's about to start so it's too late to say this really but... I'd be inclined to do regular "Let's Go Red!" cheers at the HU-BU game if you have a big Cornell contingent, just to annoy the Bostonians.  (But only if you are wearing Cornell gear).  And definitely do "Screw BU, Harvard too!".

Now, I'm not saying be overly obnoxious about it.  First and foremost you're there to watch a hockey game between two good college teams.  But a bunch of playful cheering for Cornell and against both of our historical rivals would be fun and appropriate.

[Beeeej]

Of course, Time Warner in Manhattan has Fox Sports World, Fox Sports Español, and probably Fox Sports Dubuque, but not Fox Sports New England.

Which is okay, since I'm outta here in a half hour.

Beeeej

[Greg Berge]

We root for Harvard.  All the ECAC teams have them as an opponent, so every NC win propogates slightly across the whole league's SOS, which in turn helps any given member (read: us).

I can't think of any situation where we wouldn't want an EDCAC team to beat a non-ECAC team, unless it was for precise PWR matchups (which we won't know anything about for months).

[Al DeFlorio]

BU is skating rings around Harvard, but Dartmouth upsets BC in OT!!!! ::laugh::

[Greg Berge]

Harvard's actually been all over BC the last 5 minutes.  The Crimson have 18 third period shots but it hasn't mattered.  Grumet-Morris just left the net with BU having possession!  BU scores and goes up 3-0; ugly.   ::nut::

[Al DeFlorio]

Can't play a five minute game and expect to beat a good team.  (BU got away with it against Lowell, because they aren't a good team.)  Harvard was out to lunch the entire second period and the first fifteen minutes of the third.

Not at all unlike our game at Dartmouth, as a matter of fact--we got started a bit earlier, but still too late.

[jeh25]

But Harvard also controlled the 1st 7 minutes of the 1st. But your point that you can't play 12 minutes of hockey and win against a ranked team remains very true.

[jtwcornell91]

I get FSNE on my DirecTV; unfortunately by last night I had already gone to Kingston for the holiday.

[cbuckser]

If I recall correctly, this weekend's games comprise the second half of a two-year home-and-home series with BU.  Has anyone heard if the contract to play BU will be renewed?  It would be wonderful if we could play BU every year.

[ugarte]

I second that motion.

[Josh '99]

Craig Buckser '94 wrote:

It would be wonderful if we could play BU every year.

Eh...

Don't get me wrong, playing BU is nice, but considering we can schedule a grand total of 7 NC games, and 2 are tied up in a holiday tournament, it'd be nice to get some variety with the other 5.  JMO.

[Al DeFlorio]

Josh Herman '99 wrote:

Craig Buckser '94 wrote:

It would be wonderful if we could play BU every year.

...it'd be nice to get some variety with the other 5.  JMO.

Agree.  Some of the traditional western "powers" would be really nice:  CC, Denver, NoDak, Minnesota.

[ugarte]

I'll take BU every year, even if it just once - and stop scheduling any games against the MAAC.  Ever.  

Then I would try to get the best of the West on our schedule for home games in alternate years.  Or I would occassionally let someone else take our place in Estero and play a tournament out west like the Badger Blowout (or whatever it is called) we played a few years ago.

I like the resurgence of the BU rivalry, and would like to see it come to full force.  They are consistently good, and would be a worthwhile SOS boost to have.  Variety is nice, but I will always prefer a game against BU to a game against CC.