Here it is, finally, the first OFFICIAL TCHCR. Normally, I will be analyzing the ups and downs a bit and providing some stats to help explain what goes on. But for the first week, I am just including the mailbag and other introductory material for those first-time readers. You all on HOCKEY-L have already read about it all, so you only get the rating this week. Keith PS Again, this mail will have a bogus address. Your reply to it will surely bounce. (Send mail to [log in to unmask]) ===================================================================== The College Hockey Computer Rating compiled by Keith Instone Includes games on 12/14/91. Last week's ranking includes games on 12/7/91. Last Division I Schedule Schedule Rank Week Team Record Rating Strength Rank 1 2 Michigan 9 3 3 77.84 62.13 1 2 6 Yale 6 0 1 77.31 48.33 33 3 3 Maine 11 1 0 77.29 45.38 40 4 1 Lake Superior 11 4 1 75.46 57.48 9 5 5 Minnesota 10 5 0 72.29 57.79 7 6 7 Clarkson 9 2 0 71.59 47.16 36 7 4 Michigan State 7 2 4 70.38 57.28 13 8 8 Alaska-Anchorage 11 2 0 70.28 44.26 42 9 13 St Lawrence 8 2 0 68.80 45.69 39 10 11 Northern Michigan 10 5 2 66.94 53.11 24 11 9 Harvard 4 1 2 66.75 48.17 34 12 12 New Hampshire 9 4 0 64.67 50.42 28 13 10 Western Michigan 7 5 2 62.97 57.40 11 14 14 Providence 10 4 0 60.54 43.73 44 15 15 Boston University 8 4 0 60.44 50.33 29 16 16 Wisconsin 9 6 1 58.27 53.25 23 17 17 UMass-Lowell 6 5 0 55.96 53.73 20 18 25 Miami 7 7 2 55.39 55.71 16 19 20 Vermont 4 5 0 54.24 56.09 15 20 18 Minnesota-Duluth 7 8 1 54.00 57.28 14 21 21 North Dakota 9 7 0 52.72 48.09 35 22 26 Cornell 2 4 2 52.32 61.03 2 23 23 St Cloud 5 7 0 52.05 59.10 4 24 19 Boston College 7 7 1 51.82 53.64 21 25 22 Michigan Tech 7 8 1 50.36 52.78 26 26 27 Brown 3 4 1 48.73 54.22 18 27 30 Ferris State 2 6 4 47.03 58.61 6 28 28 RPI 5 6 0 45.92 50.05 30 29 24 Illinois-Chicago 4 8 2 45.59 57.40 10 30 29 Colorado College 5 8 2 45.17 52.58 27 31 33 Northeastern 3 7 0 43.53 60.25 3 32 35 Princeton 4 6 0 42.68 48.86 32 33 36 Ohio State 4 8 2 41.86 53.96 19 34 32 Bowling Green 3 8 1 41.27 58.61 5 35 31 Alaska-Fairbanks 6 8 0 41.20 45.35 41 36 34 Merrimack 6 8 0 34.93 39.72 45 37 38 Denver 3 12 1 34.82 57.38 12 38 37 Kent 2 8 1 32.36 49.24 31 39 40 Alabama-Huntsville 2 9 0 32.03 55.16 17 40 41 Colgate 1 6 1 30.89 53.63 22 41 42 Dartmouth 1 4 0 29.17 52.78 25 42 39 Notre Dame 3 8 0 25.96 46.37 38 43 44 Union 0 6 0 21.47 57.51 8 44 43 Air Force 1 6 0 20.58 44.12 43 45 45 Army 0 7 0 9.14 46.44 37 The College Hockey Computer Rating uses a connected schedule graph and a least squares optimization to rate the 45 Division I college hockey teams. This method considers a team's opponents, and their opponents, etc., until all 270 Division I games are included. In addition to rating the teams, a strength of schedule is calculated for each team. The schedule strength can be computed by averaging the ratings of a team's opponents for each game. For every game, the teams are evaluated based on: the outcome (win, lose, tie); the margin of victory; percentage of goals allowed; the site of the game (home, away, neutral ice); and overtime or regulation time. Only games against other Division I teams are considered.