Kevin Tompkins wrote:
>
> Since you asked, here would be my top 10:
>
> 1) Michigan (far and away the best team in the country and probably
>                 one of the best of all time)
> 2) Miami
> 3) North Dakota
> 4) Lake Superior St.
> 5) Clarkson
> 6) Vermont
> 7) BU
> 8) UNH
> 9) Michigan State
> 10) Minnesota
>
> Some of the justification for the above:
> 1) CCHA is the toughest league, followed by ECAC, with Hockey East and
>     WCHA bringing up the rear
 
If the CCHA is the toughest league, why do the CCHA teams in question all
have such weak opponents winning percentage?
 
From the USCHO RPI listing:
 
         Opp %  Rank
Michigan 0.4494 39th
Miami    0.4616 35th
Mich St  0.4860 28th
Lake St. 0.4823 30th
 
You belittle BU and UNH for beating up on "weak Hockey East" competition, but
the two teams in question show the exact opposite:
 
UNH      0.5400  6th
BU       0.5056 19th
 
One could actually argue that the CCHA from top to bottom may be the weakest
league.  Their top is very strong, but their bottom is very weak.  This is
where historically Hockey East comes out on top.  Their bottom is much closer
to their top than other leagues.  Even in a down year, this seems to be true.
This is just off the top of my head, but you have last-place Northeastern
playing one-goal games against BU, the top team.  You have next to last
Merrimack tying BU.  My guess -- and this is without checking Michigan's
schedule -- is that you wouldn't see the same thing with Michigan and whoever
the bottom two teams are in the CCHA.
 
-----------------------------------------------
Dave Hendrickson   [log in to unmask]
Hockey East writer for US College Hockey Online
        http://www.uscollegehockey.com