Mike wonders:
 
>I did not vote this week, but if I did, I would have put Maine in my top
>10, let alone top 15.  I could not believe that four other HE teams
>came in ahead of Maine and all four made the top 15.  Hmm...and they
>are also the #1-4 teams in the HE standings!  Are HOCKEY-L poll
>voters really any better than the media?
 
Aw C'mon, Mike:  you of all folks should remember about ceramic dalmations! :)
However, fearing that perhaps I'd really done the Black Bears an injustice, I
went back over my own poll submissions for the season.  Had I unfairly
condemned Maine to the nether regions??  Nope.  Actually, I started them at #7
(pre-season), and had them as high as #2 by the fifth week.  After that it was
downhill -- based only on their performance.  They slipped off my chart about
the twelfth week.  You're right in that they've been doing much better lately,
but for "poll purposes" they have a lot of scrambling to do to catch up to
higher-ranked teams, IMHO.
 
This could all be academic in any event.  I would not be surprised if Maine
ends up ineligible for post-season play ... and not just in hockey.
 
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Dr. Stephen E. Roth                        BITNET:            ROTH@CANISIUS
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