Up until 1991, to advance in the NCAA tourney you had to win 2 out of 3. Some series (Clarkson - LSSU) did go the max. I think one of the reasons the NCAA stopped it was to prevent an exhausted team from coming to the Nationals against a rested team. The reward for a good seed is to avoid 4-5 game. If you finish low in the standings, you gotta face some adversity to become champion. Of course, the WCHA could do what a number of leagues do and eliminate the bottom 2 teams and play with an 8 team tournament... But that is a different thread. 2 cents Joe HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.