NCAA QF - Denver

[abmarks]

But those memories are often washed out and faded deeply by the heartbreak and gut-punches that all happened a day or two later. But we had good times there for the regional stay. Frustrating that the feeling is always so fleeting.

This quote needs to be held at the ready for these eventual situations:

Next time we finally win a QF game and then lose the Semi. Except the heartbreak and gut punches will be 2x what people are being now.

And just imagine making the final, but losing in a tight, winnable game that plays out just like most of these QF losses. Heartbreak and gut punch factor now 10x today.

And should we make a final and play a virtual replica game with Wisco... I can't even imagine how bad that one will hurt.

TLDR:
Getting to the semi isn't the answer.
Making the championship game isn't the answer.
The only thing that ends the "but if onlys", "why can't we make it to a damn semi" and every other repeated whine about luck will be winning the entire fucking thing.

Because winning is the only thing.

[arugula]

But those memories are often washed out and faded deeply by the heartbreak and gut-punches that all happened a day or two later. But we had good times there for the regional stay. Frustrating that the feeling is always so fleeting.

This quote needs to be held at the ready for these eventual situations:

Next time we finally win a QF game and then lose the Semi. Except the heartbreak and gut punches will be 2x what people are being now.

And just imagine making the final, but losing in a tight, winnable game that plays out just like most of these QF losses. Heartbreak and gut punch factor now 10x today.

And should we make a final and play a virtual replica game with Wisco... I can't even imagine how bad that one will hurt.

TLDR:
Getting to the semi isn't the answer.
Making the championship game isn't the answer.
The only thing that ends the "but if onlys", "why can't we make it to a damn semi" and every other repeated whine about luck will be winning the entire fucking thing.

Because winning is the only thing.

This lacrosse only lacrosse has gotten to the sf and final and lost in crushing fashion.

[RichH]

But those memories are often washed out and faded deeply by the heartbreak and gut-punches that all happened a day or two later. But we had good times there for the regional stay. Frustrating that the feeling is always so fleeting.

This quote needs to be held at the ready for these eventual situations:

Next time we finally win a QF game and then lose the Semi. Except the heartbreak and gut punches will be 2x what people are being now.

And just imagine making the final, but losing in a tight, winnable game that plays out just like most of these QF losses. Heartbreak and gut punch factor now 10x today.

And should we make a final and play a virtual replica game with Wisco... I can't even imagine how bad that one will hurt.

TLDR:
Getting to the semi isn't the answer.
Making the championship game isn't the answer.
The only thing that ends the "but if onlys", "why can't we make it to a damn semi" and every other repeated whine about luck will be winning the entire fucking thing.

Michigan has a streak of 8 Frozen Four appearances without a championship. A quarter century of coming back empty.

I think about the hell Miami fans have. They led the Final by 2 with 1 minute remaining.

http://collegehockeystats.net/0809/boxes/mbu_mia1.a11

A month later, we got to experience the same tragedy in the lax final.

[DL]

The views in here have been really thought-provoking. As crushing as this loss was, I can't ignore the fact that these guys played better than I ever remember seeing us, including Buffalo in '03. One bad penalty and one shitty call while playing a side stuffed with talent is probably all that separates any quality team on any given year from taking the crown.

[Trotsky]

One bad penalty and one shitty call while playing a side stuffed with talent is probably all that separates any quality team on any given year from taking the crown.

I would add one puck bounce.

So many games are decided by fluke events.  Great teams can only put themselves into position where those events cut their leads rather than costing them their leads.

[DL]

I would add one puck bounce.

Indeed, though that is perhaps more agonizing a thought, since it really is random. One has to have real faith in probabilities at that point to shake confirmation biases of curses and such.

[abmarks]

One bad penalty and one shitty call while playing a side stuffed with talent is probably all that separates any quality team on any given year from taking the crown.

I would add one puck bounce.

So many games are decided by fluke events.  Great teams can only put themselves into position where those events cut their leads rather than costing them their leads.

This!!!


Winning a title or tournament in any competitive league, at any level, is brutally difficult.  Pro, college, high school, even your average adult rec.league that's not riddled with ringers on playoff rosters.

You can't control luck.
You can't control outcomes
All you can ask for is to find yourself in that moment where you give yourself the opportunity to finish it off and win.  Knowing that the game is yours for the taking if you simply execute/perform in the way or to the level that  you've trained and sacrificed etc for so long to do.

That's why I'd rather be Michigan or BC in the abstract.  They haven't won obscene numbers of titles; nobody has.  But they have been so good that they can put themselves in legit contention to win the tournament year after year, showing deep run after deep run.

And come the semis and the finals, even if they are favored in a matchup, it's up to the fates.  Hot goalies, puck luck, illness or injury, bad calls, the occasional bone headed play or blown assignment,etc, etc, etc.  and the odds.on favorite is just not going to win that day.

And in NCAA play, it's one and done.  It's not a best of 7 where the better team should take a series even after having bad luck or whatever on one game.

that's a long winded way of agreeing that there isn't much separating the teams on one single day.