The College Hockey Computer Rating
compiled by Keith Instone
 
NOTE: TCHCR is *not* used in conjunction with the NCAA selection process.
 
Includes games on 2/1/92. Last week's ranking includes games on 1/26/92.
 
     Last                      Division I          Schedule Schedule
Rank Week Team                   Record    Rating  Strength   Rank
  1    3  Michigan              20  4  3    86.87    64.42      7
  2    1  Minnesota             22  6  0    86.53    63.59     10
  3    2  Lake Superior         16  6  2    81.94    64.21      8
  4    5  Michigan State        14  6  5    75.29    63.29     12
  5    4  Northern Michigan     15 10  3    73.93    65.45      5
  6    6  Maine                 18  3  1    73.79    46.35     26
  7    8  Western Michigan      14  8  2    73.01    63.34     11
  8    7  Wisconsin             16  8  2    72.74    62.08     16
  9    9  Alaska-Anchorage      17  5  1    66.07    46.44     25
 10   10  Boston University     16  5  2    63.84    46.77     24
 11   15  Michigan Tech         13 14  1    61.93    64.81      6
 12   11  Minnesota-Duluth      11 13  2    61.42    65.66      2
 13   12  Providence            17  8  1    60.69    46.92     23
 14   14  Miami                 11 12  3    60.26    62.28     15
 15   17  Harvard               10  3  3    59.70    41.98     37
 16   21  Illinois-Chicago       8 13  3    58.71    68.00      1
 17   13  St Lawrence           14  5  1    58.55    39.99     42
 18   16  North Dakota          13 14  1    56.84    58.45     18
 19   24  Ferris State           7 12  6    56.16    64.07      9
 20   22  Colorado College      10 12  4    55.82    59.37     17
 21   20  New Hampshire         15  9  1    55.27    45.39     28
 22   23  Yale                  10  4  3    55.15    42.57     35
 23   19  Clarkson              13  6  1    54.76    39.55     43
 24   18  St Cloud               8 13  1    54.04    62.84     13
 25   25  Bowling Green          5 15  4    51.17    65.54      3
 26   29  Ohio State             7 15  4    51.07    65.49      4
 27   26  Cornell               10  6  2    48.31    38.40     45
 28   27  Denver                 8 19  1    47.38    62.64     14
 29   28  UMass-Lowell           8 13  3    45.30    53.68     19
 30   31  Vermont               11  9  1    44.71    39.13     44
 31   30  Boston College         9 12  3    44.24    49.72     21
 32   34  Northeastern           9 13  0    40.03    48.23     22
 33   32  Alaska-Fairbanks      10 13  0    40.01    44.34     30
 34   39  Kent                   5 12  2    38.65    51.43     20
 35   33  RPI                    9 11  1    37.56    41.67     38
 36   36  Colgate                8 11  1    36.74    41.48     39
 37   35  Merrimack             11 14  0    36.47    41.46     40
 38   40  Princeton              7 10  0    34.44    40.31     41
 39   38  Brown                  6 12  3    33.19    43.91     31
 40   37  Alabama-Huntsville     6 11  0    31.45    42.87     34
 41   41  Notre Dame             5 12  0    26.75    45.27     29
 42   42  Union                  1 14  1    12.42    42.53     36
 43   43  Air Force              1 15  0    11.10    43.42     32
 44   44  Dartmouth              1 17  0    10.45    46.32     27
 45   45  Army                   1 13  0    10.27    43.10     33
 
 
The College Hockey Computer Rating uses a connected schedule graph and a
least squares optimization to rate the 45 Division I college hockey teams.
This method considers a team's opponents, and their opponents, etc., until
all 505 Division I games are included.
 
In addition to rating the teams, a strength of schedule is calculated for
each team. The schedule strength can be computed by averaging the ratings
of a team's opponents for each game.
 
For every game, the teams are evaluated based on: the outcome (win, lose,
tie); the margin of victory; percentage of goals allowed; the site of the
game (home, away, neutral ice); and overtime or regulation time.
 
Only games against other Division I teams are considered.
 
 
 
NOTES FOR 2/1/92
 
The updated conference/independent head-to-head standings:
 
          CCHA      WCHA      ECAC      HEA      Indep    Total
CCHA      ----      4-4-1     4-0       1-1-1    8-1      17-6-2
                    0.500     1.000     0.500    0.889    0.720
 
WCHA      4-4-1     ----      1-0       4-4      8-2      17-10-1
          0.500               1.000     0.500    0.800    0.625
 
ECAC      0-4       0-1       ----      12-19    10-6-1   22-30-1
          0.000     0.000               0.387    0.618    0.425
 
HEA       1-1-1     4-4       19-12     ----     26-7     50-24-1
          0.500     0.500     0.613              0.788    0.673
 
Indep     1-8       2-8       6-10-1    7-26     ----     16-52-1
          0.111     0.200     0.382     0.212             0.239
 
 
Since the last time we printed this table (1/4), the CCHA has overtaken HEA
in best total inter-conference record. The CCHA went 4-0 and HEA went 4-4
out of conference in the last month.
 
Here is an interesting way to compare western league schools with eastern
league schools: common opponents (the independents).
 
Team                 vs. WCHA/CCHA    vs. HEA/ECAC
Air Force               0-2              0-10
Alabama-Huntsville      0-0              3-4
Alaska-Anchorage        1-3              5-2
Alaska-Fairbanks        2-4              1-2
Army                    0-0              0-8
Kent                    0-3              3-4-1
Notre Dame              0-4              1-6
 
Alaska-Anchorage, Kent and Notre Dame all have a better winning percentage
versus "The East" than "The West." Air Force and Alaska-Fairbanks have the
same winning percentage against each. Alabama-Huntsville and Army have not
played The West, so we cannot make any comparisons with them.
 
 
Minnesota's sweep of Northern Michigan raised its rating 1.51 points and
would have normally been enough to retain the #1 ranking. But Michigan's
sweep of Lake Superior (along with all of the other results) was worth 3.70
points, giving the Wolverines a slim 0.34 point lead.
 
Maine almost caught the falling Wildcats and stand only 0.14 rating points
out of 5th.
 
North Dakota and Clarkson are two prominent teams that have fallen on hard
times since the new year. Each has lost 8 rating points since the 1/4 TCHCR.
North Dakota has fallen from 10th to 18th while going 1-6-1 while Clarkson
has fallen from 13th to 23rd while going 1-3-1.
 
Vermont's sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence only moved the Catamounts up 1
spot to #30, but they did improve their rating by 4.15 points. Last week,
they were 6.39 points behind #30 Boston College. The Eagles' loss to Kent
hurt them enough to push UVM up the spot.
 
Kent's sweep of BC/Providence vaulted them up 5 places to #34, just 1 behind
second-ranked-independent Alaska-Fairbanks. Kinda makes the Nanooks' trip to
KSU this weekend interesting, doesn't it?