There has certainly been a lot of traffic on the list lately.  I'll try and add
some.  A few random observations.
 
Put me firmly in the camp who *likes* the seedings (I better be careful here--
there are a lot of HE people I will be sitting with this weekend.)  While I do
sympahtize with the UML people who thought they would finally get a chance to
root for their team in Albany, I think the Committee's decisions were the best
for the future of college hockey.  If the attendance at the Knick is big (and I
will continue to try and get some hard information) this could really repressenmt
another milestone in the growth of collegiate hockey.  The Albany area seems on
the verge of becoming a hockey town--the River Rats now draw substantial crowds,
in fact they hold the record for hockey in the Knick.  But if the Regionals can
pack in the crowds, even exceed the attendance for the Friday night in 1994 when
RPI went down in flames to UNH, the NC$$ will have succeeded in establishing a
venue for the Regionals.  With the Frozen Four now into the category of
guaranteed sell-out (even a lottery for the 1997 show at Bradley) the next l
logical step is to broaden the exposure of collegiate hockey by showcasing the
Regionals.  I think the Committee had this in mind when they put together the
draw in Albany, along with the other considerations (no intra-conference
match-ups) which have been so painfully scrutinized on Hockey-l.
 
Obviously, I think the Regionals were a great invention by the NC$$ (OK, maybe
one of their few) and have provided a spark to grow the sport.  At least in the
East, the use of regional arenas has provided a means for the area to appreciate
teams which the fans don't usually see, and to increase the awareness for
colllegiate hockey in general.  I have noticed that RPI fans now follow HE
nearly as much as the ECAC, and share a recognition for the perennial powers
like LSSU.  Take it back to 1985, and I doubt that they would have been able to
name any other major teams except for North Dakota and Michigan, who they played
that year.
 
With Worcester also becoming a relatively sure thing attendance-wise, I can't
think of a single reason to return the First Round to campus arenas in the
East.  And I think the problem in the West is largely due to geography, and the
overall tendancy of Michigan fans to shun the Joe (CCHA fans jump in here).  But
speaking as an Easterner, why would you want to put the Regionals in a campus
arena which at best could seat 8,500 (I think this is the capacity at Mullins
and Conte Forum) when you can fill 10,000 plus at the Knick, the Worcester
Centrum, and probably the Providence Civic Center or the Fleet Center?  Why
would you want to make it difficult for fans of college hockey who aren't alumni
of a particular college to obtain tickets?  For that matter, what is the split
between MSU fans and the rest at Munn Arena?  The East Regionals are a success--
why would you want to monkey with something that works?  And no, I don't think
that college hockey is solely the province of the students.  Representing the
more senior members of the list that should seem self-apparent.
 
Which segues me to Kurt Stutt's proposal--I like it.  And not because RPI would
have got the #2 in the East last year.  Actually I like it because it sets up
competitive tournaments, and takes out some of the teeth gnashing that every
year seems to have.  I am in the minority who doesn't think that statistical
exercises can entirely predict who the best teams in hockey are.  I think that
an over-reliance on computer programs and purely statisticaly exercise to
evaluate relative strengths of competing teams is as dangerous as purely
political machinations of Committee representatives who look to satisfy the
people who pay for their bread and butter.  (Whew, a very long sentence there.)
More simply, I diverge from the group that exhorts the top twelve (in the RPI
PWR, CHODR, HEAL, or whatever statistical system you choose) for the tournament,
seeded in the order the system ordains.
 
I like Kurt's proposal because of the certainty--you know who will be in, and
you know how they will get in.  The downside of the proposal is obviously that
some conferences which have a plethora of very good teams will suffer, currently
the CHHA for example.  But the counter-argument would run that the absence of
substantial inter-conference play nullifies the validity of true national
rankings of teams, and casts doubt regarding the validity of statistical
evaluations of competitiveness.  And since it is doubtful that the WCHA will
ever have much inteconference play, this isn't going to change in the near
future.  Perhaps the problem in selecting the Top Twelve has been in picking
the at-large teams--the NC$$ seems to share this concern since they now give
the "courtesy" bid to regular season champions.  If it is true that most fans
cherish their intra-conference match-ups over all others, maybe the hockey
community should just give in and seek to build on the fan's desires.  And of
course this will make the NC$$ Tournament a very interesting conclusion to the
season.
 
And speaking of conclusions, (utilizing some very poor transition devices) a
couple of notes concerning the upcoming Knick Regionals.
 
1. It should be an interesting homecoming for Troy native Matt Alvey, who seems
to have blossomed in the CCHA play-offs.  Matt seems to be playing much better
this season for LSSU, and it should set up a good personal interest story in
the T-U, like the return of Rich Brennan with BU in 1994.
 
2. Three teams in this year's edition share the record for most appearances at
the Knick: LSSU (1992 national championship), BU, and Western Michigan (1994
Regionals.)  Also tied with two is the Wisconsin Badgers (1992 nationals, 1994
regionals.)
 
3. This year's tournament features the greatest number of ECAC teams to play
at the Knick.  In fact, only two ECAC teams have played there before (Harvard
and RPI in 1994.)  It should be interesting to see whether the appearance of
the more familiar Cornell, Clarkson and Vermont teams will result in a bigger
turn-out.  (A no-brainer--it will.)
 
I will try to post some more drivel tomorrow about the Knick.  But I cant help
saying, I can't wait until the weekend!
********************************************************************************
Brian Morris                      RPI Engineers--An Underachieving Team
[log in to unmask]         Host Fan for the East Regionals
 
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