Up until 1991, to advance in the NCAA tourney you had to
win 2 out of 3.  Some series (Clarkson - LSSU) did go the
max.  I think one of the reasons the NCAA stopped it was to
prevent an exhausted team from coming to the Nationals
against a rested team.
 
The reward for a good seed is to avoid 4-5 game.  If you
finish low in the standings, you gotta face some adversity to
become champion.
 
Of course, the WCHA could do what a number of leagues do
and eliminate the bottom 2 teams and play with an 8 team
tournament...  But that is a different thread.
 
2 cents
 
Joe
 
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