NCAA Tournament 2024

[Dlaxva5]

Predictions for elite 8:

Tufts 16 - SJF 10
Salisbury 13 - W&L 8
Bowdoin 10 - Middlebury 9
CNU 14 - RIT 12

That CNU take is wild. I have RIT by at least 5+ in that one. Everything else looks on par.

CNU take by someone who had three kids go to CNU - not really that much of a "stretch"..... More like wishful thinking.

[Can Opener]

First class move by CNU giving Cabrini guys a standing ovation as they walked off the field for the last time. Makes you feel good about the future of this sport and all of these young men.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C69cpLyp ... 03bW02YQ==

[StevieUAlum]

Predictions for elite 8:

Tufts 16 - SJF 10
Salisbury 13 - W&L 8
Bowdoin 10 - Middlebury 9
CNU 14 - RIT 12

That CNU take is wild. I have RIT by at least 5+ in that one. Everything else looks on par.

CNU take by someone who had three kids go to CNU - not really that much of a "stretch"..... More like wishful thinking.

Bias*

[Laxguy703]

Predictions for elite 8:

Tufts 16 - SJF 10
Salisbury 13 - W&L 8
Bowdoin 10 - Middlebury 9
CNU 14 - RIT 12

That CNU take is wild. I have RIT by at least 5+ in that one. Everything else looks on par.

I don’t see the captains losing by 5+. I see it being a 1-2 goal game that can go either way. RIT doesn’t have anyone that can guard Cook and the Captains should have the upper hand in the face-off department.

I think the game will come down to GK play. Both teams will be shooting a ton of shots and whichever goalie is on will prevail.

Mike Grace seems to be injured as he wasn’t in the last 2 games for the Tigers. I hope everything is alright with him.. He is an exceptional player.

[StevieUAlum]

Predictions for elite 8:

Tufts 16 - SJF 10
Salisbury 13 - W&L 8
Bowdoin 10 - Middlebury 9
CNU 14 - RIT 12

That CNU take is wild. I have RIT by at least 5+ in that one. Everything else looks on par.

I don’t see the captains losing by 5+. I see it being a 1-2 goal game that can go either way. RIT doesn’t have anyone that can guard Cook and the Captains should have the upper hand in the face-off department.

I think the game will come down to GK play. Both teams will be shooting a ton of shots and whichever goalie is on will prevail.

Mike Grace seems to be injured as he wasn’t in the last 2 games for the Tigers. I hope everything is alright with him.. He is an exceptional player.

If Mike Grace is playing he's eating Cook up all day long. Sorry that might piss some people off but thats my opinion.

[Laxguy703]

Predictions for elite 8:

Tufts 16 - SJF 10
Salisbury 13 - W&L 8
Bowdoin 10 - Middlebury 9
CNU 14 - RIT 12

That CNU take is wild. I have RIT by at least 5+ in that one. Everything else looks on par.

I don’t see the captains losing by 5+. I see it being a 1-2 goal game that can go either way. RIT doesn’t have anyone that can guard Cook and the Captains should have the upper hand in the face-off department.

I think the game will come down to GK play. Both teams will be shooting a ton of shots and whichever goalie is on will prevail.

Mike Grace seems to be injured as he wasn’t in the last 2 games for the Tigers. I hope everything is alright with him.. He is an exceptional player.

If Mike Grace is playing he's eating Cook up all day long. Sorry that might piss some people off but thats my opinion.

Not at all… Cook dropped 6 on his head in their last matchup lol. There is video evidence of this.

[BigMoose9]

Predictions for elite 8:

Tufts 16 - SJF 10
Salisbury 13 - W&L 8
Bowdoin 10 - Middlebury 9
CNU 14 - RIT 12

That CNU take is wild. I have RIT by at least 5+ in that one. Everything else looks on par.

I don’t see the captains losing by 5+. I see it being a 1-2 goal game that can go either way. RIT doesn’t have anyone that can guard Cook and the Captains should have the upper hand in the face-off department.

I think the game will come down to GK play. Both teams will be shooting a ton of shots and whichever goalie is on will prevail.

Mike Grace seems to be injured as he wasn’t in the last 2 games for the Tigers. I hope everything is alright with him.. He is an exceptional player.

If Mike Grace is playing he's eating Cook up all day long. Sorry that might piss some people off but thats my opinion.

Not at all… Cook dropped 6 on his head in their last matchup lol. There is video evidence of this.

I don’t think Cook will drop 6 goals like he did last year but I think he’d get a few if they leave him on an island with Grace. Didn’t realize he was out last two games, hope he plays that would be a great matchup to watch. I think faceoffs will be 50/50, the Merrimack transfer for RIT has performed well this year. The Captains have had 3 straight elite 8 overtime games, wouldn’t be surprised if we see another.

[ICGrad]

First class move by CNU giving Cabrini guys a standing ovation as they walked off the field for the last time. Makes you feel good about the future of this sport and all of these young men.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C69cpLyp ... 03bW02YQ==

Thanks for posting that...

[laxrules]

Predictions for elite 8:

Tufts 16 - SJF 10
Salisbury 13 - W&L 8
Bowdoin 10 - Middlebury 9
CNU 14 - RIT 12

That CNU take is wild. I have RIT by at least 5+ in that one. Everything else looks on par.

I don’t see the captains losing by 5+. I see it being a 1-2 goal game that can go either way. RIT doesn’t have anyone that can guard Cook and the Captains should have the upper hand in the face-off department.

I think the game will come down to GK play. Both teams will be shooting a ton of shots and whichever goalie is on will prevail.

Mike Grace seems to be injured as he wasn’t in the last 2 games for the Tigers. I hope everything is alright with him.. He is an exceptional player.

If Mike Grace is playing he's eating Cook up all day long. Sorry that might piss some people off but thats my opinion.

Not at all… Cook dropped 6 on his head in their last matchup lol. There is video evidence of this.

I don’t think Cook will drop 6 goals like he did last year but I think he’d get a few if they leave him on an island with Grace. Didn’t realize he was out last two games, hope he plays that would be a great matchup to watch. I think faceoffs will be 50/50, the Merrimack transfer for RIT has performed well this year. The Captains have had 3 straight elite 8 overtime games, wouldn’t be surprised if we see another.

Winners will be tufts, Bowdoin, Salisbury, RIT

[StevieUAlum]

Predictions for elite 8:

Tufts 16 - SJF 10
Salisbury 13 - W&L 8
Bowdoin 10 - Middlebury 9
CNU 14 - RIT 12

That CNU take is wild. I have RIT by at least 5+ in that one. Everything else looks on par.

I don’t see the captains losing by 5+. I see it being a 1-2 goal game that can go either way. RIT doesn’t have anyone that can guard Cook and the Captains should have the upper hand in the face-off department.

I think the game will come down to GK play. Both teams will be shooting a ton of shots and whichever goalie is on will prevail.

Mike Grace seems to be injured as he wasn’t in the last 2 games for the Tigers. I hope everything is alright with him.. He is an exceptional player.

If Mike Grace is playing he's eating Cook up all day long. Sorry that might piss some people off but thats my opinion.

Not at all… Cook dropped 6 on his head in their last matchup lol. There is video evidence of this.

I don’t think Cook will drop 6 goals like he did last year but I think he’d get a few if they leave him on an island with Grace. Didn’t realize he was out last two games, hope he plays that would be a great matchup to watch. I think faceoffs will be 50/50, the Merrimack transfer for RIT has performed well this year. The Captains have had 3 straight elite 8 overtime games, wouldn’t be surprised if we see another.

Won't give RIT the 20-piece nugget out of respect to CNU.

I've got RIT 18-11 at home.

[Dlaxva5]

Predictions for elite 8:

Tufts 16 - SJF 10
Salisbury 13 - W&L 8
Bowdoin 10 - Middlebury 9
CNU 14 - RIT 12

That CNU take is wild. I have RIT by at least 5+ in that one. Everything else looks on par.

I don’t see the captains losing by 5+. I see it being a 1-2 goal game that can go either way. RIT doesn’t have anyone that can guard Cook and the Captains should have the upper hand in the face-off department.

I think the game will come down to GK play. Both teams will be shooting a ton of shots and whichever goalie is on will prevail.

Mike Grace seems to be injured as he wasn’t in the last 2 games for the Tigers. I hope everything is alright with him.. He is an exceptional player.

If Mike Grace is playing he's eating Cook up all day long. Sorry that might piss some people off but thats my opinion.

Not at all… Cook dropped 6 on his head in their last matchup lol. There is video evidence of this.

I don’t think Cook will drop 6 goals like he did last year but I think he’d get a few if they leave him on an island with Grace. Didn’t realize he was out last two games, hope he plays that would be a great matchup to watch. I think faceoffs will be 50/50, the Merrimack transfer for RIT has performed well this year. The Captains have had 3 straight elite 8 overtime games, wouldn’t be surprised if we see another.

Won't give RIT the 20-piece nugget out of respect to CNU.

I've got RIT 18-11 at home.

CNU - Face-off % down from last year, save % down from last year; defensive efficiency flat, offense eff down over last year.

RIT - Face-off % up from last year, save % up, Defensive eff flat; offensive eff up over last year

CNU does have the talent and they can get hot, so by no means a guarantee. If they start out hot in the first quarter it will be a long battle.

17-7 RIT after 3. Gets to 19-8 with 4 minutes left. RIT with some shot clock violations and 5 garbage goals make it look closer in the final boxscore. 19-13 final.

[EasternShoreLaxGuy]

CNU RIT game is going to be good. CNU struggles on the road but I don’t see them rolling over. Honestly, I think Mikey Thompson is probably happy about his draw because they have a chance to make it to Philly without seeing Salisbury. I’m sure the players feel the same. They’d rather be in this situation then going through the same old story with bury. Give me CNU 14-13 OT.

[The12lov3]

CNU RIT game is going to be good. CNU struggles on the road but I don’t see them rolling over. Honestly, I think Mikey Thompson is probably happy about his draw because they have a chance to make it to Philly without seeing Salisbury. I’m sure the players feel the same. They’d rather be in this situation then going through the same old story with bury. Give me CNU 14-13 OT.

RIT Is vulnerable. RPI beat them twice. York took them to a one goal game. My only comment is that CNU should be looking at the Tufts game and correct those mistake because if I was the RIT coach, I would be looking at that tape. CNU needs to come out swinging and figure out how to handle the deep defensive zone pressure on the ride. That will be key to their success.

[Motorman]

CNU RIT game is going to be good. CNU struggles on the road but I don’t see them rolling over. Honestly, I think Mikey Thompson is probably happy about his draw because they have a chance to make it to Philly without seeing Salisbury. I’m sure the players feel the same. They’d rather be in this situation then going through the same old story with bury. Give me CNU 14-13 OT.

If CNU is just happy to get to Philly then they won’t win. CNU is not building for next year. It’s all or nothing for the foreseeable future.

[Nosey Ned]

I’ll take a stab at it ….

This side of the bracket seems easier to pick.
Salisbury over W&L by 7 - SU defense will stifle the Generals.

Tufts over SJF by 6 - congrats to Fisher on a memorable Cinderella run but the party ends here.


This side a bit trickier….
RIT over CNU by 3 - the Captains have really only beaten the teams that you would have expected them to beat. They even lost 1 or 2 that going in, we would have expected them to win. They definitely didn’t beat any of the D3 elite. I think RIT is another one of the elite in D3 so I have CNU losing. But they will put up a better fight than they did against Salisbury or Tufts.

Middlebury over Bowdoin by 2 - these teams split the two games they have played this year. The Panthers out scored the Polar Bears 27-25 winning the most recent tilt so I’ll give them the edge. But hey, throw 2 NESCAC teams at each other and anything can happen. This one could/should be very entertaining!

Good luck to all 8 teams. Thanks for a great season to date and here’s hoping everyone plays to their potential and may the better teams win!

[BigMoose9]

CNU RIT game is going to be good. CNU struggles on the road but I don’t see them rolling over. Honestly, I think Mikey Thompson is probably happy about his draw because they have a chance to make it to Philly without seeing Salisbury. I’m sure the players feel the same. They’d rather be in this situation then going through the same old story with bury. Give me CNU 14-13 OT.

If CNU is just happy to get to Philly then they won’t win. CNU is not building for next year. It’s all or nothing for the foreseeable future.

Don’t necessarily agree with the second part of this take. They have been building for the past 5-6 years and it has shown. Yes, they lose a lot of guys but so do a lot of teams.
I think the only teams that we can count on being top 5 every year are Tufts, Salisbury, and RIT. I believe MT has built a culture that will allow continued success. Will they make the elite 8 next year? Not likely, but you never know. The only guarantees to make it this far year in and out are the teams previously mentioned. Especially in the world of D3 it only takes 1 or 2 transfers/good recruits to turn your team around.

[Motorman]

CNU RIT game is going to be good. CNU struggles on the road but I don’t see them rolling over. Honestly, I think Mikey Thompson is probably happy about his draw because they have a chance to make it to Philly without seeing Salisbury. I’m sure the players feel the same. They’d rather be in this situation then going through the same old story with bury. Give me CNU 14-13 OT.

If CNU is just happy to get to Philly then they won’t win. CNU is not building for next year. It’s all or nothing for the foreseeable future.

Don’t necessarily agree with the second part of this take. They have been building for the past 5-6 years and it has shown. Yes, they lose a lot of guys but so do a lot of teams.
I think the only teams that we can count on being top 5 every year are Tufts, Salisbury, and RIT. I believe MT has built a culture that will allow continued success. Will they make the elite 8 next year? Not likely, but you never know. The only guarantees to make it this far year in and out are the teams previously mentioned. Especially in the world of D3 it only takes 1 or 2 transfers/good recruits to turn your team around.

Time to raise the bar.

[Dlaxva5]

CNU RIT game is going to be good. CNU struggles on the road but I don’t see them rolling over. Honestly, I think Mikey Thompson is probably happy about his draw because they have a chance to make it to Philly without seeing Salisbury. I’m sure the players feel the same. They’d rather be in this situation then going through the same old story with bury. Give me CNU 14-13 OT.

RIT Is vulnerable. RPI beat them twice. York took them to a one goal game. My only comment is that CNU should be looking at the Tufts game and correct those mistake because if I was the RIT coach, I would be looking at that tape. CNU needs to come out swinging and figure out how to handle the deep defensive zone pressure on the ride. That will be key to their success.

Curious. If RIT losing to the same team with an All-American goalie by a combined 2 goals, 1 in OT, 1 in the last seconds is "vulnerable", what does that make a a 5 loss CNU team?

[EasternShoreLaxGuy]

CNU RIT game is going to be good. CNU struggles on the road but I don’t see them rolling over. Honestly, I think Mikey Thompson is probably happy about his draw because they have a chance to make it to Philly without seeing Salisbury. I’m sure the players feel the same. They’d rather be in this situation then going through the same old story with bury. Give me CNU 14-13 OT.

RIT Is vulnerable. RPI beat them twice. York took them to a one goal game. My only comment is that CNU should be looking at the Tufts game and correct those mistake because if I was the RIT coach, I would be looking at that tape. CNU needs to come out swinging and figure out how to handle the deep defensive zone pressure on the ride. That will be key to their success.

Curious. If RIT losing to the same team with an All-American goalie by a combined 2 goals, 1 in OT, 1 in the last seconds is "vulnerable", what does that make a a 5 loss CNU team?

Not sure what it says but losing twice in a year to an RPI team that I can’t say I ever thought was that impressive (in terms of a top 5 team) says a lot about RIT. If RIT is as good as some people think (and say) they are they should’ve beaten RPI one of those times by atleast 5. Losing to a team twice in a year speaks volumes. CNU went through some things early in the year but they have one of the best players in the country. RIT is not matching up with him IMO.

[Dlaxva5]

CNU RIT game is going to be good. CNU struggles on the road but I don’t see them rolling over. Honestly, I think Mikey Thompson is probably happy about his draw because they have a chance to make it to Philly without seeing Salisbury. I’m sure the players feel the same. They’d rather be in this situation then going through the same old story with bury. Give me CNU 14-13 OT.

RIT Is vulnerable. RPI beat them twice. York took them to a one goal game. My only comment is that CNU should be looking at the Tufts game and correct those mistake because if I was the RIT coach, I would be looking at that tape. CNU needs to come out swinging and figure out how to handle the deep defensive zone pressure on the ride. That will be key to their success.

Curious. If RIT losing to the same team with an All-American goalie by a combined 2 goals, 1 in OT, 1 in the last seconds is "vulnerable", what does that make a a 5 loss CNU team?

Not sure what it says but losing twice in a year to an RPI team that I can’t say I ever thought was that impressive (in terms of a top 5 team) says a lot about RIT. If RIT is as good as some people think (and say) they are they should’ve beaten RPI one of those times by atleast 5. Losing to a team twice in a year speaks volumes. CNU went through some things early in the year but they have one of the best players in the country. RIT is not matching up with him IMO.

All fair points. By "some things" I'm guessing that is losing to a 9-7 NESCAC team that couldn't get out of the first round of their tournament, a Liberty League Team that didn't make the championship game, a Tufts team that RIT beat, etc? CNU has one of the best, but RIT's three with 80+ points, won't match up? I find that an interesting take. Again, I think CNU has a chance, especially if they get off to a good start, but so far I find the examination of the RIT body of work a little more in-depth than the CNU body of work.