Now I've digested all the RPI rankings, and the Comley explanation, but let's
stir the pot anyway.  Let's review the torunament from an attendance
perspective.  Indeed Rick Comley indicated last week that $elling out the
regional $ites would be a prime consideration in composing the tournament
field.  Looking at it through jaundiced eye$, several *coincidences* appear.
 
East
RPI gets to play at home.  No surprise, Comley said they would.  Wisconsin
with its contingent of faithful Cheeseheads, gets pulled East.  This should
fill up the endzone for the first game, since Western Michigan probably won't
bring a whole lot of fans with them.  RPI again draws the marquee game at 8:30.
This may be the first hockey sell-out in Knick history.  Saturday morning the
only seats available were in the upper deck, the higher rows.
 
If RPI and Wisconsin make it through Friday night, big attendance is again
guaranteed for Saturday.  Cheeseheads and Terriers fill up the endzones.
RPI gurantees $$$ for Knick-at-Night.
 
West
Michigan State guarantees a sell-out for its game against Lowell.  I bet it
gets the 6:30 start.  Lowell gets stuck out West because it doesn't figure to
bring many fan$ with them, so they become the sacrificial lamb for the
Spartans.  (No flames, this is NOT a prediction--who knows which Spartan team
shows up?  Only a cynical treatise.)
 
Sunday Minnesota gets the preferential treatment so their fans can see a home
game the next weekend.  Instead of facing dangerous LSSU with a hot Lacher,
they end up with M-State or Lowell.  Michigan gets the dreaded fourth meeting
with LSSU.  But since their fan$ are all tied up with the b-ball tournament,
who cares?  St. Paul is a sell-out anyway.
 
St. Paul
The set-up almost guarantees that one West team will make it through.  The NC$$
avoids the 1992 debacle, which cost Albany big $$$.
 
More cynical ramblings
Jack Parker made sure RPI got the 6W instead of the 5W.  RPI would probably
have a better chance against BU than Harvard, which should be viewed along with
LSSU as most feared team. OK this one doesn't work out too good since BU ends
up with a game against a West team.  I don't think Parker would be looking
forward to a match-up against a schizoid Badger team.  Who knows?  They could
do a re-play of '92.
 
Does any of this have a shred of truth?  Maybe.  But it does make for some
interesting whining.  In a less cynical vein...
 
U Mass Lowell got screwed.  Actually I think that statement can be taken at
face value.  Lowell had a right to play closer to home since they beat UHN
in the tournament.  Had they stayed in the East their chances would have been
greatly improved, with Lowell able to draw upon the revenge factor from their
Xmas-time drubbing at the hands of the Engineers.  For the first time this
season I agree with Steve Twombly.
 
RPI gets the best match-up possible.  RPI gets to draw upon the revenge
motivator against UNH, which thoroughly disgraced the Engineers at the
Fieldhouse in November.  If they make it to Saturday, they draw a match-up
against Harvard, who they always play well against at home.  Will Aaron Israel
get the nod over Tripp Tracy?  Does Tomassoni want to see the Mall of the
Americas?
 
Finally, it's awfully tough to rationalize only 2 teams from the WCHA.  In this
case I think it shows either 1)flaws in the RPI index or 2) over-reliance on
the computer ranking.  St. Cloud IMO had a right to make the tournament.  Their
situation wasn't much different than RPI's, with the only exception being the
Engineers' success against ranked opponents outside their conference.
Northeastern's second half record isn't that impressive, and I think St. Cloud
would have to be considered the stronger team at this point.  Western Michigan
gets in with a strong second half drive, St. Cloud stays out.  Very tough.
 
Partisan Ramblings
Buddy Powers should get an award for "schedule of the year".  Without his
prowess at scheduling all those Hockey East teams, RPI would have been left-
out.  And don't you think 4 Hockey East teams into the tournament will help
the RPI's administration with its migration decision?
 
Between periods on Saturday night WRPI had Blaine Kennedy in the interview
booth.  Kennedy said that the ECAC was going to strongly encourage RPI tostay
put, and would offer a number of inducements to keep RPI as the 12th team.
Does that mean Harvard will change its early ECAC schedule, which always
results in the Crimson getting a jump-start on the conference race?  I
think ideally RPI would want to be able to schedule outside opponents in the
first weeks with Harvard doing the same.  Harvard of course will respond that
their schedule is a result of their Ivy League status, and their participation
in the Beanpot.  Can the schedule "problem" be satisfied--No.  Whatever Mr.
Kennedy has in mind as an inducement will probably not make any difference in
RPI's decison-making process.
 
Well, this is the week I've been waiting for!
                    _
            "NYS   // Hockey"
        Go 'Gate  //   Brian Morris
          Go RPI //      Albany, NY
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***************************On to St. Paul!*********************************