Howard Quimby writes...
> And as far as the chances of a #7 or #8 go, I think we only have to look as
> far as a #6 team from Providence last season.  #6 is alot like #7 and #8 on
> the surface, but PC's #6 knocked off #3 UNH, #1 Maine, and lost a one-goal
> heartbreaker to eventual National Champion, BU.  Not to mention that the
> coaches were interested in having a clean tourney format free from byes and
> layoffs.  I like 8 teams.  And if HE expands in the future, I still like 8
> teams.
 
        If you're talking about how No. 6 Providence turned some heads at
the Hockey East's then what's wrong with letting in low seeds? Remember,
Providence entered the last weekend of the season with a good chance of
being No. 8. But, as you pointed out the low seed did well and potential
Cinderellas only make a tournament more appealing. One of my favorite
parts of the basketball tournament is how every year there's some completely
random school like Western Montana Tech, or Southeastern Rhode
island State, that livens things up.
        The last sentence contradicts the other section, but I like
having the extra teams for another reason, it makes more teams play
competively at the end. No. 9 is battling to get in, while No. 8 is
battling to stay in either way. Adding a No. 9 seed makes the stretch run
important for the No. 7 seed too. Now, the No. 8 is trying to finish at 7
so that they don't have to play an extra game. With an 8 team tournament,
the 7 and 8 teams can relax knowing that they difference between opening
at Maine or at BU is so small that it isn't worth fighting over. With the
8 team suddenly having to play an extra game, it puts pressure on them to
move up to seven, and pressure on the 7 team to fight the 8 team off.
 
Mike Machnik said that...
> This is only my speculation, but I suspect the fact that the 8 vs 9
> game this past season (BC-UMA) drew only 700 fans - less than 10% of
> capacity - played an extremely large part in the decision.  The game
> likely lost money.
 
        While everything at that game (off the ice-it was incredible
on it) was pathetic, it isn't a reason to do away with the game
all together. The Boston College program has fallen by the wayside (to
understate it), and I've never seen a more apathetic playoff crowd in my
life. Of the 723 in the 7,884 seat Conte Forum about 2/3 was pro-UMass.
(To be fair, BC was on break, and the game was scheduled on short notice)
Buts till, two nights later, a game between UNH and Providence drew twice as
many fans to BC as the Eagles did.
        This one game isn't a reason to do away with the game though, and
I'll offer this example. Suppose the seeds had been reversed this year,
and BC had to come to Mullins.
        The building would have been packed. UMass fans generally despise
BC. 5,492 showed up to see BC play over Christmas break. What would have
happened on a quiet Tuesday night in March? The basketball team would
host the A-10 title game two nights later, and this would have been the
perfect warm-up. The atmosphere would have been electric, and there'd be
no talk of losing the play-in, as instead of a loss, the league would
have earned a HUGE profit on the game, and laid serious inroads towards
establishing both the UMass program, and HE's presence in Western Mass.
 
        As for UMass justifying their birth, there's no question that
they earned their inclusion. First off, they beat BC, and then went up o
Orono and played a solid game in a 7-4 loss. Considering that UMass
didn't have either a team or a rink when Maine won the title just two
years ago, playing a 7-4 game at Alfond is damn impressive. They proved
that they belonged in the tournament and I don't believe that future nine
seeds should be excluded. UMass finished the regular season with one of
the worst records in league history, but as they showed, shrugging them
off and dismissing them would have been a bad idea for the league.
 
                                *****
 
        As for the two rink deal, I say go for it. UMass' single greatest
asset in recruiting is Mullins, with its two Olympic-sized rinks. It
means that the hockey team never has to worry about ice time when there's
a basketball game or concert in Mullins. It gives the University an
opportunity to welcome the public, as Mullins hosts many pee-wee hockey
tournaments and stuff like that. It also makes a women's team feasible,
as they'd never get ice time without the second sheet. It also cuts down
on the wear and tear on the ice in the main arena, which can take a
beating with all the events held at Mullins. An annex to Mariucci will
only benefit the Gophers. I say go for it!
 
                                *****
 
        I really can't comment on the issue of shootouts. UMass was not
involved in one all season. The only shootouts I saw this winter were in
games on NESN and spaghetti westerns.
 
                                *****
 
        The one recruit I can announce at this time is Steve MacKinnon.
MacKinnon (6'2" 225?) played his high school hockey at prep school power
Cushing Academy, where he captained the Penguins this season to the New
Englnd Prep School championship game. The Chelmsford, Mass. native will
add to the UMass front line, giving them some size at the forward
position. The Minutemen will probably be the biggst team in HE in 1995.
UMass only graduated one senior this year, defenseman Brian Corcoran.
Corcoran (an All-American Defensive Lineman in football) has signed a
minor league deal with Anaheim, and after graduating, will join the Ducks
in September.
 
Leigh
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The opinions above are my own and not nesecarily those of any of the
organizations that I represent.