OK. The bids have gone out. Initial reactions:
1. Stout is a good choice. The Blue Devils got hosed last year, but this is more than a make-up call.
2. I hope the MCHA gets an auto-bid next year, so Adrian will have a real shot. Their strength of schedule killed them, and it won’t be much better next season, which isn’t Ron Fogarty and the Bulldog’s fault. He’s trying to get games, but is having a tough time due to the NCHA/MIAC scheduling arrangements. I think Adrian’s non-conference games next year are again Potsdam and Neumann as well as St. John’s. Fogarty is trying to put a tournament together, but it’s probably two years away from happening.
3. I’m wondering about UMass-Dartmouth hosting Trinity. Are the Corsairs the sixth or seventh seed in the East? I think they should be seventh, but they are hosting the play-in. Did Trinity not put in a bid? Remember that UMD got hosed last year and had to go to Middlebury instead of hosting, so this is payback in a way.
More to come.