In case there was any doubt that the post-season Division I hockey tournaments are pointless, the NCAA selection committee proved the point by announcing the NCAA tournament pairings on Monday afternoon, hours before the WCHA playoff championship game. The results of the post-season tournaments have not affected seeding in the past, so there was no reason to expect this year to be any different. Perhaps the selection committee should make their formula public, so we can all know when the seedings are final and not wait for such well-timed announcements. The teams and many of the fans at the Civic Center were aware before gametime that the seedings had already been announced. Though the Wildcats and Gophers played an excellent game, it was disconcerting to know that the outcome could not affect either team's placement in the NCAA tournament. There seems to be no reason to have the post-season tournaments, except as fundraisers. Perhaps the WCHA might consider a bake sale next year, instead. Oh, in case anyone cares to know the scores from yesterday, here they are: Championship: Northern Michigan 4, Minnesota 2 Third Place North Dakota 5, Wisconsin 2 **************************************************************************** Erik Biever --GOLDEN GOPHER MMMMM MMMMM St. Paul, Minnesota - Home of the --HOCKEY MM MM MM MM 1991 WCHA & NCAA Championships --Fastest Game MM MMMM MM BITNET: e-biev@uminn1 --In Town MM MMMMMM MM INTERNET: [log in to unmask] MMMMM MMMMM