Jim Love sent me the following mail with permission to post it:
>     Thanks for the information re: the Hockey East quarterfinals.  I faxed
>this to friends at UNH who were quite unaware that the league had decided to
>spread out the quarterfinals over four days - they were still under the
>impression that all 4 games were to be played the same night, as was the
>custom during the pre-HE ECAC playoffs.  This new format has the unfortunate
>side-effect of forcing the Wednesday quarterfinal winner to wait *9* days
>before its HockeyFest semi-final the following Friday, long enough for any
>"edge" it may have built up to grow cold.  I never liked it when TV reserved
>the right to dictate the tip-off times of basketball games as a condition for
>live coverage - this sell-out to NESN is almost as bad.  But, considering it
>might have been far worse had the league agreed to 2, 25-minute periods in
>the interest of increased TV coverage, maybe I shouldn't complain too loudly.
>
>     Now, my question: What are the tie-breaking criteria for HE playoff
>seeds ??  With four league games left, it's possible that UNH and PC could
>wind up with identical league (10-9-2) and head-to-head (1-1-1) records in
>the battle for the last remaining home-ice berth (assuming a UNH victory vs
>PC on Friday night in Durham).  What's the next tie-breaking criterion ??
>League Record vs. higher ranking seeds (BC, BU, Maine) ??  Total Goals in
>head-to-head play ??  Total Goals in league play ??  Something else ??
>As Jesse Jackson used to say in a memorable "Saturday Night Live" skit -
>"The question is moot" if PC defeats UNH on Friday, but I'm still curious
>as to the league tie-breaking procedures .....  Thanks, Jim
 
    Kap and I were just discussing this when your mail landed in my mailbox.
    Here are the HE tie-breakers when two teams tie with the same number
    of points:
 
         1) Head-to-head league records
         2) Most league wins
         3) Best record vs. other league teams in descending order
              [This is really six tiebreakers - record vs. first-place team
               (if the teams aren't tied for first), record vs. second-place
               team, etc.]
         4) Coin flip
 
    I believe the tiebreakers for > 2 teams tied begin as follows:
 
         1) Head-to-head record among teams
         2) Best record vs. other league teams in descending order
 
 
    - mike