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While we celebrate the greatest day in the proud sports history of Esko, hockey fans can take a far more detached view of the college tournaments climaxing this weekend.  
In case you were sleeping through Saturday night, you need to know that Esko won its first-ever state high school basketball tournament Saturday, then the boys hustled home, trophy in hand, and went right on past Esko to get to Romano Gym on the UMD campus just in time to help cheer on the Esko girls through the second half as they defeated Barnum in the Section 7 final to also reach the state tournament.
UMD had far less success out on the hockey rink.
It was intended as a bit of sarcastic humor when, a week ago, I wondered out loud why the UMD Bulldogs had worked so hard to gain the fourth and final home-ice advantage slot for the National Collegiate Hockey Association’s first-ever playoff quarterfinals.
It was a joke, guys - get it? True, UMD has had a curiously tough time stringing together victories at home, or, to see it another way, the Bulldogs have had amazing success on the road in the first season of NCHC play. Through the regular season, UMD went into last weekend an impressive 11-6-1 on the road, but a mere 5-8-3 at home. In the process, UMD lost 5-3 and won 4-3 against Western Michigan in a mid-December series in Duluth, and swept 5-2 and 3-1 victories over the Broncos at Western at the end of January.
But naturally, the Bulldogs wanted to be at home in AMSOIL Arena for the playoffs to take on Western Michigan last weekend, with the big crowd’s support and the chance to generate some momentum to take a run at this weekend’s NCHC playoff finals at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Western Michigan, though, came prepared. Coach Andy Murray started Lukas Hafner in goal Friday, and the Broncos broke to a 2-0 lead before the final minutes, then hit an empty net for a 3-0 lead before UMD rallied back furiously for two six-attacker goals, only to fall 3-2.
The next night was even more wrenching. UMD jumped ahead 2-0 but couldn’t hold the lead. Still, the Bulldogs regained the lead 3-2 but got stung by two third-period goals and ended their season with a 4-3 setback - despite outshooting the Broncos 38-11. So the Bulldogs are through for the season, and must reflect on a 16-16-4 season that shows a final ledger of 11-6-1 on the road and 5-10-3 at home. Not only that, but the final-game crowd was announced as a mere 4,633. It’s spring break, and the students were gone, and the Duluth residents didn’t exactly break the doors down to get in, possibly assuming there’d be a deciding Sunday game.
Has a team ever forfeited home-ice advantage?
Here, then, is the schedule for the first-ever NCHC and Big Ten playoff finals this weekend in the Twin Cities. In Minneapolis, at Target Center, the NCHC will put on its semifinals: Denver faces Western Michigan at 4 p.m. and North Dakota plays Miami of Ohio at 7:30 in Friday’s semifinals. The two winners meet Saturday at 7:30 for the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Yes, as advertised, the NCHC is so strong that upsets had to be expected, and with No. 8 Miami of Ohio going to No. 1 St. Cloud State and sweeping two, while No. 6 Denver went to Nebraska-Omaha and beat the No. 3 Mavericks in three games, while No. 5 Western Michigan ended No. 4 UMD’s season, proved it.
North Dakota, the No. 2 seed, had to survive an overtime loss to Colorado College to square the series, then escape 4-3 in Game 3 to be the lone upper division team to advance. We won’t talk about how the revenue from the tournament finals will be affected by Denver, Miami and Western playing, instead of St. Cloud State, UMD, and Nebraska-Omaha.
Meanwhile, 10 miles away at Xcel Center, tickets might be available for Thursday’s quarterfinals, with Penn State playing Michigan at 2 p.m. and Michigan State facing Ohio State at 7 p.m. Those winners advance to Friday’s semifinals, where the Penn State-Michigan winner plays No. 2 seed Wisconsin at 2 p.m. and the Michigan State-Ohio State winner takes on No. 1 Minnesota at 7 p.m. The final will be Saturday at 7 p.m.
Don’t forget the old WCHA, which is playing its finals in Grand Rapids, Mich. Minnesota State-Mankato is No. 2 and faces No. 3 Bowling Green at 1 p.m. Friday, while No. 1 Ferris State meets No. 6 Alaska-Anchorage at 6. The final is at 6 on Saturday. Ferris State thumped Bemidji State 8-0, then had to scratch out a double-overtime 3-2 second game. MSU-Mankato beat Northern Michigan 3-2 and 5-4 in overtime. Alaska-Anchorage needed all three games to beat their rivals from Fairbanks in three one-goal games. Bowling Green beat Michigan Tech 2-1 and 5-2 to advance.
Here is a look ahead at the NCAA field from the West. St. Cloud State and North Dakota should be secure, plus any other team that might win the NCHC tournament. Minnesota and Wisconsin are set, but Michigan - or any other Big Ten entry - might have to win the tournament to gain a spot. Ferris State and MSU-Mankato should be set, but any other WCHA team would have to win the tournament to make the 16-team field.