Dave Naghski writes:
>From that consideration, does it seem plausible that BG would be better of
>finishing LOWER in the CCHA so they can play a tougher opponent in the first
>round.  Of course if they get knocked out that would seem counter-productive
>but by finishing second and playing a team with a low rating
>that could eventually hurt their ranking again.
>Looking back at last year I believe this kind of scenario hurt Colorado College
>It might not have been so much losing to Mich Tech in the first round but
>that they ended up with 3 extra games against a team with a low rating.
>Thus their strength of schedule took a beating.
 
One very important way in which CC was hurt last season was that by
losing to MTU, they lost the opportunity to move on and both play and
beat teams which would have helped their strength of schedule (and
Win%).  The other teams with which they were in contention for a bid
had won their first round series and drew tougher opponents in the
next round and beyond.
 
So while it might help BG a bit immediately to draw a tougher opponent
in the first round of the CCHA playoffs, it would definitely NOT help
them to lose that series and 1) have their Win% take a drop, and 2) miss
out on the chance to play better CCHA teams in the next round.
Remember that the key is what the RPI shows at the very end when all
games have been played.  If you lose early on in the playoffs, other
teams that go farther have a chance to overtake you while you remain
virtually stagnant.
 
An interesting comparison among the conferences would be the effect of
different playoff formats.  HE is the only one which will play a
single elimination first round.  So, HE teams playing weaker opponents
in the first round would not have their SOS hurt as much as teams from
the ECAC, CCHA, and WCHA (who would play those weaker opponents 2 or 3
times).  However, since the prevailing opinion is that the single
elimination format also seems to allow for more upsets early on, any
teams that did suffer an upset in that single game would face the same
problems CC faced last year in not getting to move on and play better
opposition.
 
The 5 vs 4 games in the CCHA and WCHA could also help the winners of
those games in their attempts to gain bids, especially if they are on
the bubble at that time.  Those games do not take place in the ECAC or
HE.
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93