Mike writes:
 
>Since the move to 12 teams, which occurred in 1988, the regular season
>champs from all four conferences have always gotten bids.  That was
>usually the case under the eight team tourney, but there were notable
>exceptions where the regular season champ from a conference fared poorly in
>the tourney and actually did not get a bid.  The chance of that happening
>now is virtually nil, although technically it could happen.
 
Actually, it has happened under the 12-team tournament -- last year, ECAC
regular-season champ Harvard did not receive a bid, after losing in the
quarterfinals to #10 seed RPI (losses during the season to eventual tour-
nament teams Michigan, Michigan State, and Boston University didn't help
either).
 
>                                                                 I think it
>is unlikely that we will see anyone throw games to avoid UAA, especially
>when they'd be hosting UAA in the series, but the possibility still exists
>since they are hard-wired into that 10th spot whether they were to go 0-34 or
>34-0.
 
A couple of other things also may lower the possibility of anyone ducking
UAA in the first round.  The WCHA, with the MacNaughton Cup, makes a fairly
big deal out of winning the regular season (I don't know about the other
three leagues -- I believe the ECAC instituted some trophy a couple of years
ago, but there certainly is not the tradition that exists with the Mac-
Naughton).  Also, the WCHA race has been close all year, and will probably
remain so.  Near the end of the season, whoever is in first place might face
the possibility of winding up THIRD, rather than second, if they decide to
throw a couple of games.  And even though that might still give them an
easier opponent than UAA in the first round, I can't see any coach per-
mitting that to happen.
--
Bill Fenwick                        |  Send your HOCKEY-L poll responses to:
Cornell '86 and probably '94        |  [log in to unmask]
LET'S GO RED!!
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