The way it's shaking out right now it would appear that the worst team in the
west (MSU) which would normally be shipped out east because of their 9th
place finish (Selection Criteria Ranking), instead gets to stay in the west
and play at home!.  The real crime is the fact that Minnesota instead is
forced to go east.  U-Minn finished 5th, won the WCHA tourney, and thus gets
rewarded by being shipped to the east.
 
Well, as we all know I am predicting this to be the fact, and I certainly
hope I'm wrong (4 hours and we'll all know).
The talk about filling the arena has come up as the main driving force behind
the MSU @ home decision. I believe that Munn could be a sell out even without
MSU there.  Michigan sold out Yost for many (maybe even most?) of this year's
games, LSSU fans from around the state will also flock to Munn for their
Lakers, CC, Cornell, and MINNESOTA would send hundreds of their fans, and
Providence theirs too. (I guess you can figure out from above what I think
the grid will look like :-) )
 
 I honestly believe that the place could be filled with MSU out east.  That's
my 2 cents anyway.
                                  -Jerry.
 
P.S.
...And I already know that this is an example of the pre/post selection
complaining that there always is. My only point is that to place teams at
home when they clearly don't deserve it for the sake of crowd numbers is
wrong.  (Move it to Yost,  Michigan earned home ice :-)).
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.