At the beginning of the season, many people had Denver and Notre Dame in Philadelphia for Championship weekend.
But Maryland? Some people may have picked them, but the absence of Goran Murray, the availability of Matt Rambo, and the uncertainty in net were big question marks. Turns out that the defense has been the strength of the Terps all year, which has them against….Johns Hopkins.
Oh the Blue Jays, a preseason Top 5 team to many, but did not look like it for the first half of the year. But everything changed when Eric Schneider replaced Will Ryan in net against Michigan late in the first quarter. He had a tough game against Penn State the week before (an 11-10 2OT win) and looked like Hopkins was about to implode. But they didn’t. Instead, they took down Michigan, followed by an upset win over Maryland (who they play Saturday at 3:30), a Big Ten championship to give the Jays an AQ, followed by wins against Virginia and Syracuse and look like a team that is peaking at the right time.
But let’s look at all four teams and reason why they will and won’t win:
#1 Notre Dame (12-2)
Why they will win: They have one of the best offenses left standing in the nation. Conor Doyle is the man that makes Matt Kavanagh, Mikey Wynne, and the midfielders work together. They also have what many call the best defenseman in the nation in Matt Landis.
Why they won’t win: Goaltending and the output of Kavanagh and Wynne. Shane Doss showed some rust early against Towson and late against Albany. He has two playoff games under his belt, but a big stage like the Final Four is going to be a little different. He needs a big game against Denver’s offense. Also, Matt Kavanagh finally recorded a goal on Saturday, his first this postseason. That’s not the Kavanagh that shined last year. He needs to step up, and so does Wynne.
#4 Denver (15-2)
Why they will win: Denver has plentiful of weapons at offense, but they are one of the most efficient teams when scoring the ball. Trevor Baptiste has been a blessing for the Pios at faceoffs as well.
Why they won’t win: Defensive let downs and Baptiste. We saw early in the first half as well as late in the third quarter what Ohio State did to Denver. Jesse King had three goals and six assists in the game, and Ohio State assisted on twelve of their thirteen goals. Notre Dame can pass the ball very well. Also, Baptiste struggled against Ohio State in the first quarter. I think teams might have picked up his weakness. Wing play will be vital Saturday.
#6 Maryland (14-3)
Why they will win: Out of all of the remaining teams, I think this one is the most complete. The attack and midfield are balanced, the defense is a stone wall, the goaltending has been great for the most part, and the faceoffs are improving every week with Charlie Raffa getting better.
Why they won’t win: Raffa gets off to a bad start, Ryan Brown explodes again, and Bernlohr doesn’t perform to what he has done most of this season. Again, wing play will be a big part of this game on Saturday. It helped Raffa win many faceoffs against UNC last week.
Johns Hopkins (11-6)
Why they will win: Like Duke the past couple of seasons, they’re peaking at the right time. The attack and midfield is young and will kill you if you’re sleeping off ball. The defense, and especially Eric Schneider contained Syracuse last week good enough for another upset win.
Why they won’t win: Facing off against Maryland’s defense will be a challenge again. Also, when they defeated the Terps last time, Raffa left the 4th after being bruised by multiple hits in the game. Hunter Moreland stood his own in the game with Raffa, but Raffa should be feeling better than the first time around.
