Question on the Maine forfeits:  assuming the Black Bears aren't banned
outright from the 1994 NC$$ tournament (and you would think that if they
were, the NC$$ would have announced that along with the 21 forfeits), how
will the forfeited games be treated when the tournament rankings are drawn
up?  IMHO, it would be unfair to simply treat them as Maine losses, because
that would result in a fairly significant strength-of-schedule hit for those
teams that have played the Black Bears, especially their fellow Hockey East
members.
 
Here's a thought. (Maybe they already plan on doing it this way, I dunno)
Keep Maine's record at its non-forfeit level of 16-12-4 with a winning per-
centage of 0.5625, as it is currently in RPICH.  Calculate all the oppo-
nents' and opponents' opponents percentages as normal (RPICH is similar, if
not identical, to the rankings the selection committee will use).  Then when
compiling the final ranking, change Maine's winning percentage from 0.5625
to 0.1719 for their forfeited-games record of 5-26-1 and do the Black Bears'
rating with this number.  In other words, all the winning, opponents' win-
ning, and opponents' opponents winning percentages stay exactly the same as
the current RPICH, except that Maine's winning percentage drops.
 
I doubt the Maine folks are going to like this idea, since it would drop
Maine from #5 in the rankings all the way to #36!  Would that reflect
Maine's true strength as a team?  Of course not -- but it would reflect that
Maine had to forfeit 21 games for using an ineligible player.  Although it
was not the fault of the team, I can't see the NC$$ ordering forfeits and
then turning around and ignoring them when it comes time to figure out who
gets the at-large tournament bids.
--
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Bill Fenwick                        |  Send your HOCKEY-L poll responses to:
Cornell '86 and '94 (.5)            |  [log in to unmask]
LET'S GO RED!!
Reporter:    "What do you think of the team's execution?"
John McKay:  "I'm in favor of it."
-- an exchange that occurred while McKay was coaching the 0-14 Tampa Bay
   Buccaneers in 1976