April 12, 2003
NCAA Championship Game
Everybody Loves Umile

NCAA Tournament Coverage

Brackets | Info Championship Recap Championship Notebook The Awesome Austrian Everybody Loves Umile Other Stories --------------------------------- Friday Notes Minn.-Mich. Recap Minn.-Mich. Notes UNH-Cornell Recap UNH-Cornell Notes Michigan's Andy Burnes Minnesota's C. Harrington Cornell's Sam Paolini UNH's Patrick Foley --------------------------------- Midwest Reg. Final East Regional Final Northeast Regional Final West Regional Final Midwest Reg. First Round East Regional First Round Northeast Reg. First Rd. West Reg. First Round --------------------------------- East Reg. Capsules Northeast Reg. Capsules Midwest Reg. Capsules West Reg. Capsules East Reg. Preview Northeast Reg. Preview Midwest Reg. Preview West Reg. Preview

By Nate Ewell

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Plenty of impartial observers at HSBC Arena Saturday night had one rooting interest in mind: Dick Umile.

Umile, the New Hampshire head coach, is one of the most popular guys in the profession, and many of his colleagues would have liked to have seen him and New Hampshire capture their first national championship.

Minnesota head coach Don Lucia, who earned his second crown, said as much Thursday before the game: "If we weren't playing in the game, I'd probably be rooting for New Hampshire. They're a program that definitely deserves to win a national championship. Just not this year."

"It was nothing against Minnesota, but I think there was some sentiment for UNH," said Joe Bertagna, executive director of the American Hockey Coaches Association. "He's a very likeable guy. I don't know too many more popular guys in the business."

At the end of the game, Umile, with his head down, went to shake Lucia's hand. Lucia grabbed the Wildcat coach in a big embrace, bear hugging him for a few seconds. While Gopher fans held up a sign that read "UNH: Umile Never Gonna Happen," their coach disagreed.

"I said, 'Hey, you're going to get yours soon,' " Lucia said of their post-game meeting. "He's a class guy. He's a good friend, and there's nobody I respect in the business more than him."

For Umile, it's a frustrating end to a season in which he came oh-so-close to that elusive title. And while the Wildcats do lose five talented seniors from Saturday's lineup, plus leading scorer Lanny Gare, as Lucia said there's a definite sense that UNH will continue to be in the national title hunt.

In 1990-91 Umile took over a New Hampshire team that hadn't posted a winning record in the previous six years. That team finished 22-11-2, the first of 11 20-win seasons in his 13-year tenure. He's made the NCAA Tournament nine times, and to repeat another Lucia saying, if you're consistently there eventually the breaks will go your way and you'll win the thing.

If and when that does happen, there will be plenty of people happy for Umile.