With the new pairwise out it looks like:
 
  HE          ECAC          CCHA        WCHA
  1. BU       6. Vermont    3. LSSU     2. CC
  8. Lowell   7. Clarkson   4. UM       5. Minn
--------------------------------------------------
             12. CORNELL    9. MSU
                           10. WMU
                           11. BGSU
--------------------------------------------------
 16. Providence            14. SLU     13. Denver
                                       15. NDU
 
(Maine deleted 'cuz they cheated)
 
 
Now then:
 
1. St. Lawrence, Denver, and North Dakota have no more games;
2. Providence plays BU in their semi (bye bye);
3. Harvard (the only other wildcard) plays Vermont in their semi;
4. The other conference tourny survivors are all counted among
the current top 12 (Cornell, Vermont, Clarkson, BU, Lowell,
Lake State, Michigan, MSU, BGSU);
5. The set of TUCs cannot change;
6. The schedule strength of MSU and BGSU can only be enhanced in their
tourny, so even if one is swept they aren't hurt.
 
So bids 1-11 above look fixed, and the only battle is for twelfth.
That all comes down to whether Cornell can "hold onto" the last bid
or whether current #13 Denver can "back into" it.  Actually, I suppose
Providence might jump significantly if they beat BU, even if they lost
the HE final.
 
The only wildcards (who could force their way in with the auto bid) are
Providence and Harvard.  I give PU no chance at all (but what do I know?)
and Harvard very little chance (but I didn't think they could get by SLU
either, so what do I know?).
 
If Cornell needed any further motivation against Clarkson
(hint: they didn't), there it is.
 
 
Greg Berge
Let's Go Red!
1995-96 Men's and Women's Ivy League Champions!
See you all in Lake Placid... Keep the Faith!
 
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