Hi -
 
On Sun, 22 Mar 1998, Greenie wrote:
>> As impressive (or a fluke :-) as that [Top 12 Winning Percentage Teams
>> making the Tournament] may be, note also that NONE of the teams with
> the nation's Ten Toughest Schedules made the Tournament.
>
> Although NONE of the ten toughest schedules made it in, it makes sense that
> the SOS rating was lower for many of the tourney teams -- after all, when
> you play a lower ranked opponent, your SOS suffers. Play a higher ranked
> opponent, your SOS improves.
 
  That's certainly true, and was in the back of my mind as I wrote my comment
that Greenie quotes above .... But what I was also thinking was the case of,
say, Maryland in the the round-ball Tournamant.  Their post-ACC Tournament
record was something like 23-10, yet they still sported the #1 toughest sche-
dule in the nation, and were rewarded with a #4 seed (meaning they were
judged no worse than 16th in the nation).  I was surprised that a similar
situation hadn't occurred in the hockey Tournament (did any of the Top 10
Toughest Schedules make the Tournament *last* year ??), although in hindsight
I'm thinking now that the pool of NC high-winning-percentage teams that can
be drawn from is much smaller for hockey than round-ball.  Michigan hoop can
schedule both High Win% Eastern *and* Western Michigan (and thus boost their
OppWin% and RPI), but high Win% NC opponents available to the Wolverine
Icers are fewer.  I think it's a matter of numbers more than playing weak
in-conference games in the league tournaments that ultimately depresses the
*season-long* SOS of the top teams (who can't play each other all season).
 
> To mirror Adam's comments, "PRINCETON!!!!!!!" And you all thought I was
> nuts back in December when (after defeating BU) I said that this was a team
> that could play the big games.
 
  I'm very happy for the Tigers as well .... Having moved to Maryland a
decade ago, I've sort of "adopted" the Princeton Icers as my 2nd favorite
team (I still bleed UNH blue/white :-)  They're the closest DivI team to
me now, so I usually try to take in 2-3 games a year to satisfy my urge
for "live" college hockey.  The campus and central NJ environs is lovely,
Hobey Baker rink is a wonderfully glorious anachronism, the Tiger fans are
amongst the friendliest I've met, and the HISTORY .... I still get chills
looking at Hobey Baker's skates and clippings in the display case of the
rink named in his honor .... Hip Hip Hooray and Three Cheers for the 1998
ECAC Champion Princeton Tigers !!!  Give 'em hell in Ann Arbor !!!
 
> Parker said an interesting thing on the selection show today (live from T's
> Pub, no less) -- the last time BU won the regular season and lost the first
> round of the HEA tournament was in 1978. In other words, he's not too worried.
 
  Does anyone else think it odd that, alone amongst the bye team coaches
being interviewed, Parker again (as last year) chose to showcase his team in
a bar !?!  All the other teams conducted their interviews from the more appro-
priate (and more dignified, IMO) site of their home rink training/locker rooms
(NoDak certainly must have hustled to get back to Grand Forks so quickly :-);
the Eagle and Hockey East banners on the back wall of the BC training room
looked great !!  It just doesn't sit well with me that Parker would choose
an off-campus bar to present his school to the world, however important it
undoubtedly is to the off-ice well-being of his players ....
 
> Think about it though -- MSU v BC, NoDak v BU -- there will be some HEAVY
> Bahhhsten sentiment flowing through the North End two weekends from now,
> especially if there's a possible BU-BC final matchup.
 
  This would be a *tremendous* Frozen Four, but - with Boston being now the
10th Phinal Phour I'll have attended in person - the teams really don't
matter; the EVENT is the thing, and I wouldn't miss it for the world !!
 
  See y'all at the Hockey-L Dinner !!!  [if not in Albany first] ....
 
  Cheers from the Chesapeake - Jim
 
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