Tom writes:
>Not that I think Harvard deserves an NCAA bid (I don't), but does the game
>against RPI really count as a loss for selection purposes? Isn't it true
>that regular season tournament games where a winner must be decided go
>into the standings as ties if the overtime lasts more than five minutes?
>And isn't it true that the selection committee weights regular season
>games and playoff games the same?
 
This is a very good question.  My understanding is that it is counted as an
RPI win (and Harvard loss).
 
Regular season tourney games that go longer than 5 min of OT are still counted
as a win/loss in both teams' overall records for NC$$ purposes, and that is
not different than this situation.
 
Sometimes a regular season tourney game needs to be counted in the conference
standings (VERY rarely), like this year's Union-RPI game in the RPI
Invitational.  Thus, if the game had gone into OT and lasted more than 5 min
of OT, it would have been a tie for ECAC purposes.  But it would have been
counted as a win/loss in the overall records.  Very strange, I know.  It
just goes to show the separation of conference and overall records.
 
There have been many OT playoff games in recent years that went more than 5
min (or 10 min, when OT was that long).  All were considered wins/losses.
 
 
- mike