Brian Morris writes...
 
>What is different this year is that the range of quality top to bottom is much
>narrower this year.  I would label only two schools as also-rans.  Traditional
>cellar dwellars like Princeton have risen up this year to bite the perrenial
>powers, (as well as some of the national powers.)  Yet overall there isn't one
>team in the whole ECAC I would consider "scary".  Even Clarkson IMHO is very
>beatable--look at the success roller coaster RPI has had with them this year.
>Quality-wise the Vermont Catamounts had the potential to emerge as a "scary"
>team, but for one reason or another (injuries, coaching?, tradition?) they have
>been reduced to the category of disappointing.  Of course I have an opinion on
>RPI...
 
>Inconsistency
 
I think you'd have to ask whether or not any ECAC team is consistent this year.
Certainly Clarkson is beatable, but so is everybody else. Princeton throttled
RPI, but then got throtled by Clarkson. Look at Brown's season, also. They
started out of the gate like a ball of fire, but have gone 3-3-1 in their
last seven. The same thing happened to RPI. Consistency does not exist in the
ECAC this year.
 
But, here's something interesting. The ECAC has 4 (four!) teams in the
Hockey-L poll this week. Granted, there are three of them between 12-15,
but they are there. Yesterday, I was trying to determine who, IMO,
would make the final 12, if the season were to be over. The teams I came up
with are, in no specific order:
 
Maine
BU
New Hampshire
Clarkson
Michigan
Bowling Green
Michigan St.
Colorado College
Denver
-----------
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Brown
 
The teams below the line were not so obvious to me. The other teams I struggled
with were RPI, Harvard, & Northeastern.
 
Thus, the league distribution for the poll: HE - 4
                                            ECAC - 4
                                            CCHA - 3
                                            WCHA - 4
 
The league distribution for my "selections": HE - 3
                                             ECAC - 2
                                             CCHA - 3
                                             WCHA - 4
 
So, I'm not sure what to conclude! :) It looks to me like the ECAC may be
the "weakest" league. I'm not sure why. Less games played?
 
Regardless, it's tough to say which is the weakest league. The ECAC is the most
balanced, but the CCHA, WCHA, and HE are top-heavy. (2-3 teams at the top,
with everyone else a healthy distance from the top) I guess it depends on
what perspective you're looking from.
 
Opinions (not flames!) welcome.
 
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
+  Andy Weise                 Let's Go Tech!!     [log in to unmask]  +
=  SUNY Potsdam '93                                                       =
+  Union College '95?         Let's Go U!!        [log in to unmask] +
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