Well, I know we have gone over the pros and cons of the shootout quite
a bit here in the last couple of months, so I will try not to go into
much detail on that again.  I have given my reasons for being against it
and I hope it does not pass.  I would rather see one of the following
three things happen, in the following order of my preference:
 
1) The NC$$ changes OT back to 10 minutes.
2) HE awards a point to each team for the tie *after regulation*, and
   then if someone wins in OT, give them an add'l point.  This will
   prevent teams from playing "not to lose" in OT.  A shootout will
   not do that, because it gives teams a point each only after OT and
   then awards a point to the shootout winner.  Teams will play
   defensively to get to the shootout.
3) HE awards a point to each team after 5 min of OT, then plays
   another 5 min where the sudden death winner gets an add'l point.
   Same reasoning as 2).  If no winner, game over, no add'l point
   awarded.  This encourages offense in the second 5 minutes.
 
I do think there is some curiosity about the shootout among fans, myself
included, but kind of like when you drive past an accident on the highway.
Everybody wants to see it, but no one wants to be involved in it.
 
When I think of the shootout, I think about the weekend we were in
Maine for the Merrimack-Maine series - same weekend as the gold medal
shootout between Canada and Sweden.  What I kept hearing over and over
in the press box and in the stands was, "What a terrible way to lose a
game."
 
Anyway, note the difference in the two regulations listed in the BDN.
The shootout is NOT an NC$$ rule change.  I believe that even if HE
passes it, they will need to get approval from the NC$$ to experiment
with it, as with the proposed 50 minute game that did not pass a few
years ago <Mike wiping his brow in relief>.  I also believe that the
shootout would only be allowed in HE games (regular season, as the
article said).
 
The 4x4 and 3x3 play IS a proposed NC$$ rules change.
 
If HE (and/or any other conferences) passes the shootout and it is not
an NC$$ change, then things will get more complicated next season.  Each
HE team will effectively have 3 records: HE record (by HE rules including
shootouts), overall record (including HE shootouts), and overall record
for NC$$ purposes.  The latter would have to count shootouts as ties
for both teams, as far as I can tell.
 
Of course, many teams have 3 such records anyway, with the latter
excluding games against non-DivI teams.  But when you start changing
results around - counting a game as a win in HE but as a tie for NC$$
tourney selection purposes - it makes things confusing to the fans.
 
From the BDN article:
>If you exclude Maine's forfeits and figure in the real scores of
>those Maine games, 14 of the league's 96 games (14.6 percent) wound
>up as ties.
 
Sure, but 6 of those involved Lowell.  Blame Bruce Crowder or Rollie
for it. :-)
---                                                                 ---
Mike Machnik                                          [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                  *HMM* 11/13/93