>> Maine has won 14 of 16 games not decided by tie for a .875 winning
>> percentage.
 
While the official line on figuring a team's winning percentage may be to
count ties as "half" a win (as evidenced in the formulas shown in other
posts), the simple fact is a team with a record of 14-2-4 has won only 70%
of it's games.
 
Ties don't win championships.
 
As far as opinions go -- which is after all what polls are about -- a team
that starts to rack up ties does raise a lot of questions. Perhaps this is
the biggest reason the recent poll shows Maine receiving no first-place votes.
 
Ties happen because:
a. The team that was ahead "blew" their lead
b. The other team "rallied from behind"
c. Combination of a + c
 
In the case of teams like Maine or North Dakota, a tie is somewhat of a
losing in most circumstances. If you're trying position yourself as the top
team in the country, the only tie that matters is the one against a similar
top team. And as far as the critics go, a tie will only prove that the
lower-ranked team was able to "hang" with the top-ranked squad.
 
 
Again, what matters most is the numbers that place the teams into the
tournament. At the same time though, the press increasingly refers to D1
hockey teams by their national ranking, and there's definitely personal
pride involved for the players themselves.
 
And for the press, fans, and in many cases players, a team needs to prove
it can defeat an opponent, not just tie them.
 
 
 
greenie
 
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