What caught my eye: Hoops and hockey heartbreak

Hockey headaches
We all know people makes mistakes. Often those people are game officials. At least that how Cornell Men’s Hockey fans see it. The loss to Clarkson in the ECAC title game leaves an unsettling feeling in the stomachs of those who were watching the contest. From the questionable decision to let play continue to the non-reviewable, reviewable offside call that cost the Big Red the title, it’s safe to say that rule enforcers are not at the top of Ithaca’s favorite people list.

Frozen at Four
Cornell Women’s Hockey put together the best run since 2012 by making it to the Frozen Four. As was the case seven years ago, the Big Red was stopped by the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. A 2-0 defeat is not a case of Cornell playing a sub-par game, but rather a testament to the caliber of talent that the Gophers have. That said, Cornell played an amazing season. The questions that were going to need to be solved for next year are already answered or have been reduced to little more than a secondary concern. The Big Red will be back for vengeance.

Bracket in shambles
Surprise, surprise. Everyone is sobbing over brackets being busted by 12 seeds or by that one team that shouldn’t have been that low of a seed to begin with, and it’s actually more of an annoyance than anything. Every year people get so upset about “great” teams falling to “nobodies.” Don’t let your bracket dictate how exciting March Madness is. Fill out your brackets, but leave them alone until after the tournament. Watch the games for the action and excitement, not because it helps you brag to your friends. It’s a million times more exciting.

Hear Mark Shelley regularly with Nick Karski on Between the Lines, from 5 to 6 p.m., on ESPN Ithaca at 107.1 FM/1160 AM. Did we miss something? Contact him at MarkS@VizellaMedia.com.