NCAA Div I Women's "Country Classic" (29-30 Nov 2019)

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Four Top 20 ranked women's teams - Wisconsin, Minnesota, Boston College & Harvard - will be playing in a showcase tournament in Bellevue, TN (western suburb of Nashville) on the weekend after Thanksgiving. The most comprehensive web description of this event that I could find was published on SB Nation's BC Interruption fan site back in May. I can add from some more digging that the games will be at 1:00 PM & 4:30 PM Central each of the two days, with each participating team playing two games in a Midwest vs. East format. General admission ticket packs for all four games or for individual matches are being sold in mobile format only on the Nashville Predators' My Smashville Tix site.

This showcase should be able to build on the NWHL's success with their 2019 All-Star Weekend in Nashville, as well as on the continuing growth of youth hockey in the area. These four squads will have 10-12 games played each before they reach this first-time event, so it should feature very competitive hockey for a holiday weekend. The Ford Ice Center Bellevue is scheduled to open in September with 2 NHL-sized rinks; one will have a 1,000 seat capacity, so I'm assuming it will be the sheet hosting this showcase. The tickets could go fast once local hockey fans see more news of the Ford Ice-Bellevue facility opening & Country Classic details. I'll post more updates here as I see them.

Click to read more...

 

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Basic tournament & ticketing info has finally been posted on the Nashville Predators' Ford Ice Center web page. I guess it's official now.

 

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Two weeks out, the event is getting a bit of local media attention ... NashvilleLifestyles.com: Country Classic Women's D1 College Hockey Tournament

 

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Some updated event info from the Preds ...

2019 Country Classic:

• Friday, Nov. 29 1:00 p.m. CT - No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Boston College
• Friday, Nov. 29 4:30 p.m. CT - No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 9 Harvard
• Saturday, Nov. 30 1:00 p.m. CT - No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Boston College
• Saturday, Nov. 30 4:30 p.m. CT - No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 9 Harvard

* USCHO.com rankings as of Nov. 17, 2019

Following each of the two games on Friday, fans will have opportunity to attend a player meet and greet and autograph signing! ...

 

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And some current team profiles from the Nashville Post ...

... The Division I women’s hockey tournament will showcase four of the top teams in the NCAA in Harvard (5-1), the University of Minnesota (12-1-1), Wisconsin (12-1-1) and Boston College (10-2-1).

Each team is currently ranked in the NCAA top 10, with Minnesota occupying the No. 1 spot, Wisconsin ranked No. 2, Boston College ranked No. 6 and Harvard ranked No. 9.

All four teams have an NCAA top-10 scoring offense and three rank in the top 10 in terms of goals allowed. Wisconsin leads the NCAA with 5.21 goals per game (first) and has allowed 18 goals in 14 games (sixth). The Badgers have three of the top five goals scorers in the league — Abby Roque, Sophie Shirley and Daryl Watts all have 12 goals, tied for second-most.

Harvard and Minnesota are tied for second in the NCAA in scoring with 4.5 goals per game, while the Crimson have allowed 17 goals in six games and Minnesota has allowed 20 goals in 14 games (seventh). The Gophers boast three top 10 goal scorers: Grace Zumwinkle (11), Taylor Heise (10) and Sarah Potomak (10).

Boston College ranks seventh in the NCAA in scoring with 3.85 goals per game and 11th in goals allowed with 24 in 13 games. The Eagles feature Hannah Bilka, whose 11 goals are third-most in the NCAA. ...

 

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Country Classic preview will be on Nashville's ESPN 102.5 The Game in the 8:00 p.m. CST hour on Tuesday, Nov. 26th.

ETA: Minnesota Golden Gophers' captain & senior defensewoman Patti Marshall was interviewed for a few minutes, to promote the weekend tournament. Very well spoken, very enthusiastic. Sounds like the Gophers are focused on keeping their #1 ranking & getting two wins in Bellevue to help their eventual Pairwise position.

 

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Travel weather update for the teams involved in this weekend's event ...

• Minneapolis/St. Paul received 5 to 8+ inches of snowfall over the last 24 hours, with another 1-2 inches expected today & another chance of snow on Thanksgiving night.
• Looks like Madison won't be getting their next snowfall until Friday & rain/snow/wintry mix conditions scattered through the weekend.
• Boston area forecast is a wet Thanksgiving, with some snow/rain chances on Sunday.

Looks like wet driving but no freezing temps for the bus routes to Nashville & back home, with the exception of the Golden Gophers' travels through Southern MN. Safe travels to all.

 

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From: GoCrimson.com > Sports > Women's Hockey

Women’s Hockey Eyes Country Classic Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.

photo credit Gil Talbot
Posted: Nov 26, 2019

Live Barn
Live Stats: vs. Wisconsin | vs. Minnesota
Game Notes: Harvard | Wisconsin | Minnesota
Twitter: @harvardwhockey
Tickets

How to Stream
A live stream of all four tournament games will be available on LiveBarn.com. Fans can receive a 10 percent discount by using "ford-pred" in the promo code box. Once signed up, fans can search by venue and rink to watch the games live.

What to Know

• Harvard, Boston College, Minnesota and Wisconsin will be playing in the inaugural Country Classic Tournament at the Nashville Predators' Ford Ice Center - Bellevue.
• Anne Bloomer continues to lead the nation in goals per game, averaging one score a contest with seven total this season. Her 10 points in the first seven games is double her single season total from her 2018-19 campaign.
• Kat Hughes will play in her 100th career game on Friday against No. 2/2 Wisconsin.
• Harvard is 1-7-0 all-time against Wisconsin but took the Badgers to back-to-back overtime contests last Thanksgiving break in Madison. Kristin Della Rovere tallied points in both games, scoring the opening goal of the series and assisting on Kate Hallett's game-tying goal in game two.
• The last time Harvard faced Minnesota was in the 2014-15 National Championship game. The Crimson lost 4-1 and trails 5-13-1 all-time against the Gophers.
• On Friday, Nov. 29, following the game against Wisconsin, Harvard will be available to sign autographs for fans at the Ford Ice Center.

At the Helm
One of the most well-known coaches in college hockey, Katey Stone, enters her 25th season as The Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Ice Hockey. Throughout her storied career, Stone has coached 13 Olympians, 24 All-America selections, six Patty Kazmaier winners and has accumulated a 476-239-53 overall record, prior to the 2019-20 season. ...

 

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Game #1 of the tourney in the books, 2-2 tie between the Golden Gophers & the Eagles. Even first period, BC dominated the second, then were lucky to survive regulation after looking gassed & only recording 1 SOG in the 3rd. 5 minute OT gave Minn. several chances at even strength & on the PP, but the Eagles goalie kept her team in the game to the extra-end. Consolation shootout agreed to by both coaching staffs, one shooter each, BC scored & celebrated.

Warmups for Harvard & Wisconsin wrapping up now, before Zambonis & Game #2. Hockey in Smashville continues.

 

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End of one period, Lady Badgers lead in SOGs 38-4. 1-0 Wisconsin over Harvard.

ETA: Make that after *TWO* periods. Time flies.

 

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The third period of Wisconsin vs. Harvard was about offense. The Badgers took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd minute of the final 20, but the Crimson rallied with sustained pressure to climb back within a goal. That's when WIS caught fire in all three zones & finished with a flourish. Final score = 5-1. Final SOGs = 57-15. Another very good hockey game, but the Lady Badgers were clearly the superior team.

Two more matches on Day 2. I expect the announced attendance for each of those to match Day 1's games: 1250, which is capacity @ Ford Center-Bellevue. That number might've been a slight over count based on what I saw in the stands, but the crowd was definitely large & decidedly enthusiastic.

 

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Wisconsin Lady Badgers make it a 2-win weekend with a 5-3 victory over the Boston College Eagles. Nail-biter of a 3rd period, after BC chipped away at the early WIS 3-0 lead. An ENG with just seconds left gave the Badgers 4 important points, and they racked up another impressive shot total: 48-23 for Saturday's game.

4th & final game of this "First Annual" Country Classic tournament coming up: Harvard vs. Minnesota. The Gophers need a second win to keep the poll voters from giving Wisconsin the collective nod for the #1 spot this week.

 

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Final score of the final game = Minnesota 4 - Harvard 0. Their 2 wins should keep the Lady Gophers in the #1 ranking spot.

Great tournament, well organized & presented. Friendly & helpful staff @ Ford Ice-Bellevue. I hope this "First Annual" event yields many more annuals with equally competitive teams.

 

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My facility & game-related photos from this tourney have been posted on my Flickr page: Ford Ice Center (Bellevue, TN). No Pulitzer Prize winners in the bunch (my "point 'n' shoot" skills with a camera are only slightly better than those with a hockey stick), but some of the images may satisfy hockey fan curiosities re. the Ford Ice Center-Bellevue interior details & give some perspective to the game play of this past weekend.