The bracket is set, and the tournament field is announced. But what about the competition that REALLY matters — the fantasy hockey competition among thirty-ish people on the internet, several of whom are anonymous?

Fantasy Standings, 2019-03-12

Now we’re up to ELEVEN 600-point scorers, but none have scored more than Grant Salzano’s 1.21 GigaWatts, who continues to romp joyously ahead of everyone else like a youthful robot. Meanwhile, this week’s top scorer is Fearless Leader Michelle Jay, who hasn’t made a trade since November 15.

With only eight teams left in, everyone is running afoul of the two-trades-this-week rule. I’ve added another column to the right of the table that lists how many players each manager has on teams that have been eliminated. With one fewer eliminated player, can Moose close the gap this week?

What happened this week?

All the top seeds made it through to the non-CHA conference finals (except that Clarkson was technically not a top seed, which, lol), but it wasn’t straightforward for a lot of them.

CHA

The fun started on Friday as Syracuse completely blew out Robert Morris in the CHA title game 6-2. Senior goalie Maddi Welch (Syracuse, $21.20, 21.2 SP, 0 WP, 0 picks) played the quarterfinal, but backup-for-most-of-the-year Ady Cohen (Syracuse, $10.70, 10.7 SP, 1.35 WP, 0 picks) took the reins for the last two games. Allie Olnowich (Syracuse, $6.80, 6.8 SP, 3.1 WP, 0 picks) was Syracuse’s highest scorer. It was the seventh CHA championship game for Syracuse since the program was started in 2008-09, but its first win — congratulations, Syracuse! This earns the team its first trip to the NCAA tournament, where the players will face Wisconsin at home.

The moment it was all over.

The moment history was made. pic.twitter.com/Kgo7f8xi94

— Syracuse Ice Hockey (@CuseIce) March 9, 2019

ECAC

On Saturday, Cornell trailed Princeton 2-0, pulled it back to 2-2, and won 3-2 in the second overtime. It didn’t end Princeton’s season, because there were no surprise tournament winners, but it was another slightly anticlimactic result after they were so dominant in December and January.

Both teams made interesting goalie choices.

Cornell led with Marlene Boissonnault (Cornell, $27.30, 27.3 SP, 0.1 WP, 0 picks), but after she let in two goals on eight shots, the coaches replaced her in net with sophomore Lindsay Browning (Cornell, $9.70, 9.65 SP, 2.7 WP, 0 picks). Browning had only played six previous games this season, but (a) one of them was when she came in in relief against Clarkson and pitched a shutout after the team went down 4-0 after one period and (b) in every single game she played she improved her total save percentage for the season. Browning lived up to her big-game billing and let in no goals on 34 shots.

Princeton, after trusting Rachel McQuigge (Princeton, $24.30, 24.25 SP, 0 WP, 0 picks) most of the year, turned back to last year’s star Steph Neatby (Princeton, $14.70, 14.7 SP, 1.5 WP, 0 picks), who made 36 saves on 39 shots. The game-winner was scored by Micah Zandee-Hart (Cornell, $27.70, 27.7 SP, 3.1 WP, 1 pick).

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS from @CornellWHockey's double overtime win against Princeton in the ECAC Hockey semifinals! #YellCornell pic.twitter.com/LwhmRM1Bd0

— Cornell Video (@CornellVideo) March 10, 2019

In the other semifinal, Elizabeth Giguère (Clarkson, $80.60, 75.7 SP, 3.8 WP, 15 picks) and Loren Gabel (Clarkson, $71.90, 66.7 SP, 2.6 WP, 18 picks) scored in the first period to give Clarkson a 2-0 lead, which they hung on to. Colgate outshot Clarkson 28-27 and had five power plays to Clarkson’s one, but couldn’t put one in. That ended Colgate’s season and the career of some of the best players in D1 this season, including Jessie Eldridge (Colgate, $61.80, 58.4 SP, 0.1 WP, 12 picks) and goalie Julia Vandyk (Colgate, $41.70, 38.8 SP, 1.1 WP, 3 picks), who didn’t quite match last season’s heights, but made a difference for the Raiders.

In the final, Clarkson beat Cornell 4-1 despite being outshot 36-25. More points for Giguère and Gabel!

Hockey East

The Hockey East semifinals went emphatically with seeding. Northeastern trailed Providence after 18 seconds, tied it up after 1:52, and never trailed again. Avery Fransoo (Providence, $24.40, 24.4 SP, 2 WP, 0 picks) and Christina Putigna (Providence, $28, 28 SP, 2.1 WP, 0 picks) got two points each for Providence, and Chloé Aurard (Northeastern, $31.60, 30.8 SP, 3.1 WP, 8 picks) was a two-point hero for Northeastern in the 3-2 win.

BC dismantled BU 5-1, with two goals for Daryl Watts (BC, $44.80, 44.8 SP, 5.2 WP, 12 picks), who gets her first ever Player of the Week award. Jesse Compher (BU, $64, 64 SP, 1 WP, 11 picks) and Sammy Davis (BU, $50.70, 50.7 SP, 0.1 WP, 6 picks) are the highest-scoring players to have been eliminated. In fact, this maybe shows how concentrated the talent is that seven of the top 10 skaters are on the eight of 35 teams that are still in (and two of the eliminated ones are on BU).

The final did NOT go according to script. Northeastern dominated the first period and came away up 1-0; BC dominated the second, improvising the lines a little during some temporary injuries, to level at 1-1. The third was much more even till Northeastern struck just as Megan Keller was exiting the box from a penalty at around 14:50; in the confusion of Keller’s re-entry, a bouncing Alina Mueller (Northeastern, $49, 47.7 SP, 1.7 WP, 15 picks) shot pinwheeled over the pads of Maddy McArthur (BC, $38.80, 38.8 SP, 1.75 WP, 8 picks) to give Northeastern a 2-1 lead.

Then things got crazy.

An empty-netter for Northeastern with one minute to go was waved off as offside! BC finally stepped the pace back up to their second period levels and trapped Northeastern in their zone! The puck came flying down the ice with Keller after it for icing with ten seconds left! Or maybe it was 7.8 or 7.2 or something else! There was a LOT OF SHOUTING about what time the clock should be reset to and it was reset to the wrong time, twice! A clipboard came flying onto the ice from the BC bench just as BC was taking the faceoff! BC scored literally right off the faceoff with 4.9 seconds to go! Someone from the BC bench surreptitiously retrieved the clipboard! The referees reviewed the goal for what seemed like two minutes and we weren’t sure why! Too many clipboards on the ice? Then it stood! Then it was overtime!

One of the most incredible moments in program history went for naught as the Huskies claimed the overtime win for the Hockey East title https://t.co/KwELwThAII

— BC WLaxerruption (@bcinterruption) March 11, 2019

Overtime wasn’t quite at the intensity of that crazy third period, but was still played at a pretty high tempo. Twelve minutes in, Kasidy Anderson (Northeastern, $32.20, 31 SP, 1 WP, 1 pick) stripped the puck off GOLD MEDALIST Cayla Barnes (BC, $29.60, 29.6 SP, 2.6 WP, 4 picks) in the neutral zone and scored on a breakaway.

Game Winner in OT!!! @GoNUwhockey pic.twitter.com/7SkQXqhw6S

— Jim Pierce (@sportsphotog23) March 11, 2019

Northeastern has been undefeated in the Hockey East championship game since Tori Sullivan (Northeastern, $17.20, 16 SP, 0.3 WP, 0 picks) transferred from BC. They celebrated like a bunch of jerks:

Back-to-Back Hockey East Champions 🏆🥇 #2peat #huskies @GoNUwhockey pic.twitter.com/S7iFeQA6vH

— codiecross (@Codie_Cross) March 10, 2019

WCHA

In the WCHA semifinals, Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth had quite the box score after one period:

It looked like Olympics Maddie Rooney (Minnesota-Duluth, $48.30, 48.25 SP, 1.7 WP, 11 picks) was back. Sadly for the Bulldogs, even a .930 save percentage from Rooney wasn’t enough and Minnesota took the game 4-1 with an empty netter at the end.

Meanwhile, Ohio State tried to do to Wisconsin what they’d done to them in the last two games of the regular season and came up just short. The Buckeyes led 2-1 in the second, but the Badgers leveled the game just before the second ended and added another goal late-ish in the third to take the game 3-2. As a writer I regret the end of the season of women’s hockey’s most quotable coach, Nadine Muzerall, and look forward to hearing from her again next season. Ohio State’s best scorer for the year was Emma Maltais (OSU, $50.50, 46.5 SP, 1.1 WP, 7 picks), who’ll be back next year.

Wisconsin took the final 3-1, leading all the way and prevailing in an intense, but low-shooting third period to put the game to bed with an empty netter.

FINAL IN MINNEAPOLIS!
The #Badgers are your 2019 WCHA Final Faceoff Champions!!! pic.twitter.com/FsbutMXOyJ

— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 10, 2019

What’s happening next weekend?

The Ice Garden has that information for you!

1 Wisconsin (WCHA) vs. 8 Syracuse (CHA) March 16, 2 pm CDT

4 Clarkson (ECAC) vs. 5 Boston College (At-Large) March 16, 2 pm EDT

3 Northeastern (Hockey East) vs. 6 Cornell (At-Large) March 16, 1 pm EDT

2 Minnesota (At-Large) vs. 7 Princeton (At-Large) March 16, 4 pm CDT

Related

NCAA Bracket released

Weekly Awards

Individual Awards

First player of the week award for Daryl Watts! And another near season-doubling performance from a player, this time Allie Olnowich for Syracuse — all the more impressive for doing it in a single game.

Most points: Daryl Watts (BC, 5.2 points this week (WP), 44.8 points this season (SP)), from Kassidy Sauvé (4.1 WP) and Kali Flanagan (3.8 WP)

Most overlooked (highest scoring player that no one picked): Allie Olnowich (Syracuse, 3.1 WP, 6.8 SP)

Biggest boost (highest scoring player that only one manager picked): Kali Flanagan (BC, 3.8 WP, 32 SP)

Biggest contribution (highest value of points this week * number of teams they’re on): Daryl Watts (BC, 5.2 points * 12 picks = 62.4 total contribution)

Best Freshman: Chloé Aurard (Northeastern, 3.1 WP, 30.8 SP)

Best Sophomore: Daryl Watts (BC, 5.2 WP, 44.8 SP)

Best Junior: Ella Shelton (Clarkson, 3.8 WP, 39.3 SP)

Best Senior: Kassidy Sauvé (Clarkson, 4.1 WP, 50.25 SP)

Best D: Kali Flanagan (BC, 3.8 WP, 32 SP)

Best F: Daryl Watts (BC, 5.2 WP, 44.8 SP)

Best Goalie: Kassidy Sauvé (Clarkson, 4.1 WP, 50.25 SP)

Team of the Week

It’s a low total score for the Team of the Week this week because of the low number of games. Likely to be higher than the score for the next couple of weekends though. Interestingly, I didn’t have to do any rebalancing to enforce the three players per school rule — each school had three or fewer standouts.

Roster: Daryl Watts (BC, F, 5.2), Kassidy Sauvé (Clarkson, G, 4.1), Kali Flanagan (BC, D, 3.8), Elizabeth Giguère (Clarkson, F, 3.8), Ella Shelton (Clarkson, D, 3.8), Skylar Fontaine (Northeastern, D, 3.7), Aerin Frankel (Northeastern, G, 3.2), Micah Zandee-Hart (Cornell, D, 3.1), Chloé Aurard (Northeastern, F, 3.1), Allie Olnowich (Syracuse, D, 3.1), Nicole Schammel (Minnesota, F, 3), Lindsay Browning (Cornell, G, 2.7), Cayla Barnes (BC, D, 2.6), Annie Pankowski (Wisconsin, F, 2.5), Emily Brown (Minnesota, D, 2.4),

Score: $50.10

Cost: 583.00

What now?

The league runs right to the weekend of the Frozen Four.

For the trade with a deadline of March 14, you can trade TWO players and you can have up to FOUR players from a single school. The NCAA quarterfinals happen that weekend and are single game elimination held at the higher seed’s site on March 16.

The Frozen Four takes place at Quinnipiac on March 22 (semifinals) and March 24 (finals) . For the trade with a deadline of March 21, the final trade of the season, you can trade THREE players and you can have up to FOUR players from a single school.

The requirement for 12 skaters and three goalies on a team still holds. Players count for their position whether or not their team has been eliminated.

Good luck in the last few weeks, everyone! Costs are here on the spreadsheet, trades to tigFantasyHockey@gmail.com by 11:59 p.m. eastern on Thursday, March 14 please.