On Tue, 26 Mar 1996, Cheryl A. Morris wrote:
> Doug Peterson writes:
>> I had noticed how tired the team that played the first night looks the
>> second night versus the bye teams
>
> Actually I didn't see evidence of that at the Knick.
  ....
> In my memory, there is only one game in recent years where the Friday night
> team visibly tired in the Saturday game, UML vs. Minneosota in 1994.
 
  I think you can add to this the UNH-Harvard game at the 'Knick in 1994
as well.  After besting RPI 2-0 on Friday night (maybe that's why Brian
doesn't care to include it in his list of examples :-) the 'Cats skated
with the rested Crimson for two periods the next night, then collapsed in
the third period, surrendering 5 unanswered goals.  The bye team *does*
have, IMHO, a decided advantage in these situations, and makes it clear
why Jack Parker's stated goal for his BU teams (as it is for the remaining
DivI squads as well) is not so much to get hot at season's end and win the
Conference Tournament, but to play well enough throughout the long regular
season to be a position to get one of those coveted bye spots ....
 
> Also, one team in recent history has gone from the Friday night game to the
> national championship--LSSU, again in 1994.
 
  That may be, but don't forget John H's axiom that the Lakers only win NC$$
titles in Winter Olympic years (1988, 1992, 1994 :-)  Watch out, world, come
the 1998 Phinal Phour in Boston <g> ....
 
> Playing two nights in a row is something that every D-1 school does the
> entire season.
 
  Yes, but BOTH teams have played the night before !!  Apart from the usual
raod weariness, both teams are aon more of an equal footing, fatigue-wise,
during the regular season ....
 
> The unexpected can happen in the games involving the bye teams: remember the
> Saturday Night Massacre in 1992?  Without more evidence linking that physical
> play of the teams in the Regional finals to the games' outcomes, it remains
> difficult to prove that the Friday night teams suffer an unfair disadvantage
> against the bye teams.  I agree however it should be examined.
 
  There was a reason the NC$$ did away with the older Thursday-Friday semi-
final set-up: the rested Thursday night winner was winning the Championship
game a disproportionate amount of the time.  So it is now with the 12-team
set-up with bye teams.  If the NC$$ won't expand to 16 teams (I agree that's
too many) or shrink back to eight (unlikely, remember - this is the NC$$)
then at a minimum the opening rounds should be staged on a Friday-Sunday
basis (with the Friday losers sent home to cut lodging costs) to give the
Friday winners a fighting chance to be competitive vs. the rested Top Seeds.
 
  Cheers from Solomons - Jim
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.