Division I Elite Eight Preview

Division I has been a wild ride so far, but there are not many surprises when you look at who is left. 7 of the 8 teams from the top two pools are still alive; the only outlier being Northeastern who deserves to be there as much as anyone. The first game will feature those Huskies against the top seeded Lindenwood Lions at 6:45 pm EST. Lindenwood cruised through pool play generally unscathed but, Long Beach State played them tough all the way through their playoff game with a strategic defensive plan and strong goaltending. Lindenwood would eventually prevail 3-1. Northeastern has been a powerful team in the ECRHA all year. They're one of the few teams to make the jump to DI and be extremely successful. Prior to their quarterfinal match with LU, Northeastern finished number one in pool "C" and beat UCCS in a rematch on last years DII championship. This game should be fast, physical, and a real crowd pleaser. 

Our next quarterfinal game will be Michigan State and the Hofstra Pride. Hofstra is the ECRHA regional champion and has plenty of talent, however, their bread and butter is their tenacity. They pulled away late from a scrappy Grand Valley State team and it was their consistent effort that really wore down the Lakers. Michigan State, the MCRHL champion, will have their hands full with Hofstra. The Spartans are lead by goal scorer Zack Rourke (52) and Zack Paul (42) along with steady goal tending from Everet Bommarito. Look for Michigan State to impose their will on the underdog Pride, but don't expect it to be easy. That game will begin at 7:30 pm EST. 

The next match up in DI's Elite Eight, will be the hometown Neumann Knights and the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs. Neumann has been the more consistent team between the two thus far. They have started the tournament with 4-0 record, including their most recent dismantle of Eastern Michigan University, 7-1. They're an exceptionally fast team with some guys who could literally stick handle in a phone booth. On the flip side, Cal Poly was a dominant force in the WCRHL all season and have arguably two of the best players in the tournament with Ryan Newens and Chris Kumata. The two combined for 6 goals in their teams commanding win over ASU. The Mustangs scored early and often on the Sun Devils en route to a 10-2 victory and will look to do the same against Neumann. The Knights have been great hosts of the event and bring energy to the building with a rowdy fan base. This ones shaping up to be a classic at 8:45pm EST. 

Our last quarterfinal game will feature the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels and the Bethel Wildcats. These teams have played one another twice the past few years with each program winning one a piece. Bethel cruised past West Chester and UNLV snuck past UC Santa Barbara in a battle that almost saw the Gauchos complete an improbable comeback in the third period. Bethel has plenty of skill and is the only team to beat the division's number one team, Lindenwood, all season. They have experience in deep playoff runs, winning a national title in 2012. However, the Rebels aren't rookies to this event, either. They're loaded with juniors and seniors who have been to back to back Final Fours and big games all year. UNLV point leaders Andrew Tamura and Austin Shannon will need to find a way to score on the always dependable Bethel goalie, Ewan MacPherson. Look for the rubber match to begin at 9:45pm EST. 

Stay tuned for the DII playoff preview and B Division round robin highlights!