All-Blogs.net directory Light the Lamp - a Columbus Blue Jackets blog: OSU men's hockey team eliminated from the CCHA tourney

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Monday, March 16, 2009

OSU men's hockey team eliminated from the CCHA tourney

The OSU men's hockey team lost a heart breaker in the final seconds of the 3rd and deciding game in the 2nd round of the CCHA tournament.

From their web site:

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Ohio State and Alaska were scoreless through more than 59 minutes but Alaska’s Ron Meyers scored at 19:10 of the third period to lift the Nanooks to a 1-0 win over the Buckeyes in game three of the CCHA quarterfinal series Sunday in the Carlson Center. The Nanooks (17-13-6) advance to face Michigan in the CCHA semifinals next weekend. Ohio State (23-14-4) is eliminated from the CCHA tournament.

The winner of the tourney get an automatic bid in the the NCAA Frozen Four tournament. Ohio State, who is considered a bubble team, will likely miss out on its chance to get to its 6th Frozen Four appearance with this 2nd round loss.

I'm sure they are all asking themselves a lot of "what ifs" this morning. What if we hadn't allowed #2 ranked Notre Dame to tie the score with 1 second remaining in regulation and then go on to lose in OT? What if we could have won at least a game against unranked Michigan State down the stretch?

Regardless of if they make it or not this team has nothing to hang their heads over. This team is primarily a collection of freshmen and sophomores and nobody picked these guys to do anything this year. They came out and made a statement and this will be a team to watch closely over the next couple years.

Speaking of Ohio State. Michael Arace has an excellent blog entry about the Jackets game ops staff forcefully and needlessly incorporating Buckeye traditions into a Jackets game:

At this stage, the Jackets have their own identity, their own fans and their own budding traditions. Granted, there is no reason for the Jackets to alienate themselves from the great state university. But nor is there a reason to intrinsically tie themselves to the Buckeyes. The NHL can stand on its own two feet in Columbus.

Ohio State has a long and glorious football tradition and it is part and parcel of Columbus’ identity. But Columbus is no longer a university, a state house and a cornfield. It outgrew that picture decades ago. The Jackets are a piece of a bigger, more diverse city, and they can concentrate on hockey. Throw the OSU score up on the Jumbotron, fine, but don’t go overboard – and at least get the score right. In actuality, Purdue had a lead on Ohio State for most of the second half, and the Boilermakers won the game, 65-61.

Well said Mr. Arace.

My stance... respect it but don't kiss its ass.

-LTL

5 comments:

Barga said...

your poll is broken...

rocket said...

Beautifully stated post by Arace. Hockey gets zero respect, thank god to VS, or else it wouldn't even get televised nationally (except the NBC telecast every other leap year). It does not need to be dilluted even more by associating it with the Ohio State tradition. Standalone CBJ's is just how I like it.

It's amazing how many of my friends are all of a sudden interested in the Jackets, that's what having a solid team will do. Lets allow this city to develop into a somewhat hockey town, we all know it's a college football town already, no need to keep building that reputation up. I guarantee you there are some idiots who don't even know who our NHL team is.

Now let's bring on those Hawks.

Dutchman1350 said...

Well said. There are plenty of people in Cbus who are tired of being force-fed Ohio State. A great university, but not the only game in town.

JAL said...

I commented on Arace's blog, so won't bore people here, but what a few are starting to realize is that really being a fan of a pro team is an entirely different deal, requiring patience -- something the average OSU zealot lacks. 82 games is a whole different ballgame than 12.

When I moved here from California, I was dumbfounded by the 24/7/365 on OSU football. I wasn't born with the tradition, but like to see OSU do well, and it's fun to get into the whole Michigan thing. But that's it -- fun, for 4 months of the fall/winter. Leave it alone for the other 8 months.

It is slow, but inroads are being made.

--JAL
A Shot From The Point

Someone Said said...

I do not know what is worse, the kiss-cam or the Blue Jackets joining in on the 24/7 pandering of OSU football.