With Maine's loss tonight, and with most other results in from around
college hockey, the NCAA picture is starting to take shape...
In the East, we will have
1. BC
2. ME or PC
3. PC or ME (*)
4. StLaw or Cornell (ECAC winner)
5. Mercyhurst or Quinnipiac (MAAC winner)
If PC wins tomorrow, it edges out ME for 2nd in NCAA East, else ME gets
#2.
A PC loss against BC leaves them open to elimination from the NCAAs, as
they will stay home in the unlikely event Neb-Omaha beats Michigan State
for the CCHA crown.
ME can no longer receive a bye, however ...
Unlike other years, the 4 teams to get byes will be the top 4 ranked
teams. This means the West will get 3 byes; BC is the 2nd ranked bye,
so stays in the East as the East 1st seed. The other East bye will come
from the WCHA: either NoDak or StCloud, depending on the WCHA
Championship game. Michigan State gains the #1 seed in the West.
The other West teams can still be jumbled a number of ways, but I think
Mn, CC, Mi and Wisc will be selected in some order, with 2 of them
shipped East.
* (Neb-Omaha plays Michigan State tomorrow for the right to displace
PC(!) or Wisconsin from the NCAAs).
With 3 Hockey East teams in the East regional, either Maine or PC, with
a 1st game win, would meet BC (the other would meet NoDak or StCloud
with a 1st game win). No other HEA team can make the NCAAs.
UNH, Clarkson, Northern Michigan and Western Michigan are all very
good teams that won't make the NCAAs due to late season losses.
- - - - -
The NCAA Selection show will be on ESPN Sunday March 18th at 1:30.
We'll see then how much smoke I'm blowing here. :-)
Special thanks to John Whelan's "You are the Committee" web site at
http://slack.net/hockey/
and US College Hockey's composite schedule
http://uscho.com/
without which these words of wisdom could not be thunk, let alone written
cheers, wayne
Wayne T. Smith
[log in to unmask] Old Town Landing
The College Hockey lists: Hockey-L and Hockey3 at http://lists.Maine.edu/
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