>1. These games are important for all teams when it comes to the end of
>season and the Tournament. Placement in the Round of 16, being "on the
>bubble" on selection, and even the seeding at a regional site, all are in
>the balance in EVERY game.
>
>The loss to Niagra for NH, ND for the Eagles or if Maine had lost to the
>Saints, the U-18 or the other little sisters of the poor they have had so
>far can come back to bite them in their RPI numbers or more arbitrarily when
>the selection committee is faced with a non-numbers driven seeding decision
>for March.

The U-18 game was an Exhibition and has no effect on NCAA ranking ...
maybe some effect in the polls :-)

All NCAA games count, of course, but games against NCAA tournament
contenders count more!  Certainly, once the NCAA Tournament Selection
Committee gets past its published ratings (RPI & PWR-ish thing), what
goes on would/will probably make us all wince and shake our heads!  ;-)

>...
>Personally, I don't want Maine as #1 either. While you wonder sometimes how
>the voters in the poll are thinking, you surely must be relieved that their
>majority vote isn't the seeding decision for the Round of 16 -- the ONLY
>poll that really counts..

I think that this is a good enough and young enough team that being
ranked too high might be good for them in that other teams might play
more conservatively/better ...  and better prepare our team for the
playoffs.  Maybe we won't make the playoffs, but maybe we'll be playing
in Boston in April.

cheers, wayne