Bracketology Wednesday Week 1 2007

Well the long wait is over. Bracketology Wednesday is back for 2007. Before we get to the teams that are in lets breakdown the confrence bids.

CCHA: 5
WCHA: 4
Hockey East: 3
CHA: 2
ECACHL: 1
Atlantic Hockey: 1

The confrence bids are in, but who are the automatics? Here are the projected first place teams in their confrences.

Atlantic Hockey: Sacred Heart
CCHA: Notre Dame
CHA: Bemidji State
ECACHL: Clarkson
Hockey East: New Hampshire
WCHA: Minnesota

Now for the 10 at-large teams.

Atlantic Hockey: None
CCHA (4): Lake Superior, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State
CHA (1): Niagara
ECACHL: None
Hockey East (2): Boston College, Maine
WCHA (3): Colorado College, Denver, St. Cloud State

You know the teams now lets rank them.

#1 Minnesota (19-1-3)
#2 New Hampshire (16-3-1)
#3 St. Cloud State (14-3-3)
#4 Maine (14-3-2)
#5 Notre Dame (17-4-1)
#6 Denver (15-7-2)
#7 Clarkson (13-5-1)
#8 Boston College (10-6-1)
#9 Miami (16-7-1)
#10 Colorado College (13-8-1)
#11 Michigan (14-8-0)
#12 Bemidji State (12-5-3)
#13 Michigan State (12-8-1)
#14 Lake Superior (13-6-3)
#15 Niagara (13-6-3)
#16 Sacred Heart (13-4-4)

Now its time to place the teams in their regions.

Here are the 2007 regional sites

East: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY, March 23-24 (ECACHL host)
Northeast: Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH, March 24-25 (New Hampshire host)
Midwest: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI, March 23-24 (Western Michigan host)
West: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO, March 24-25 (Denver host)

So now that you know the regional sites, lets place them.

Midwest: #1 Minnesota vs #16 Sacred Heart
#8 Boston College vs #9 Miami

Northeast: #2 New Hampshire vs #15 Niagara
#7 Clarkson vs #10 Colorado College

West: #3 St. Cloud State vs #14 Lake Superior
#6 Denver vs #11 Michigan

East: #4 Maine vs #13 Michigan State
#5 Notre Dame vs #12 Bemidji State

Teams on the bubble:

Boston University
Cornell
Vermont

So the Frozen Four bracket would look like this

Midwest Regional Champion vs East Regional Champion
Northeast Regional Champion vs West Regional Champion

Thats all for the week one edition of Bracketology 2007. Tommorrow the weekly preview will give you all the information you need about the college hockey action happening this weekend.