WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

[John J. MacInnes]

Brian Halonen got his 3rd consecutive game winning goal on Saturday. Anyone have knowledge of another NCAA hockey player who has also accomplished that? I've found a handful of names who did it in the NHL, but no one else in college.

[John J. MacInnes]

All we need to do is get them to substitute "Organization" for "Conference" and then everyone will call them the NaCHo.

[redwing61]

During the first intermission of the Beaver/Laker game, Bill Crawford the LSSU PxP guy referred to the NCHC as “the Nacho league.” Stick taps for Bill.

Dirk Hembroff at Michigan Tech does this too.

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

During the first intermission of the Beaver/Laker game, Bill Crawford the LSSU PxP guy referred to the NCHC as “the Nacho league.” Stick taps for Bill.

[LSSULaker889294]

I wonder if Bob Daniels is on the hot seat at Ferris State?

[pdt1081]

i would take two teams from each conference then have the committee select the rest lightly-based on the PWR... maybe even not so lightly.

GO TECH GOLD!

2 from each conference and be done. ASU counts as part of Big Ten. 6 conferences, 12 teams. Conferences reach choose their one team to enter a random draw for the number 1 seeds (as well as top 4 overall seeds). Remaining 8 teams enter random draw for seeding, with one move up or down to avoid first round conference matchups.

[redwing61]

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has reported that there were 14 COVID-19 cases, all students, within the Northern Michigan hockey program.

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/2MsXk/7/

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

I wonder how they'll actually do NCAA tournament selections. Pairwise seems suspect since conferences aren't playing each other.

Someone is going to be disappointed and complaining about smoky back rooms, just like every year. ;-)

[DrunkTrainPolka]

I wonder how they'll actually do NCAA tournament selections. Pairwise seems suspect since conferences aren't playing each other.

i would take two teams from each conference then have the committee select the rest lightly-based on the PWR... maybe even not so lightly.

GO TECH GOLD!

[Deman]

I wonder how they'll actually do NCAA tournament selections. Pairwise seems suspect since conferences aren't playing each other.

I thought I saw somewhere that they were not going to do it based on pairwise at all, which does make sense. But I haven't seen any alternatives being suggested

[lakersparty]

I know it's early and not every team in the league has played a game, but this week's USCHO poll sees 6 of the 8 conference teams that are planning to finish the season either ranked or RV'ing. Yeah, I get there are 8 other teams outside the conference that have cancelled their seasons but hey -- it's better than what we've pulled off in the past.

It could be an Atlantic/W(C)CHA Frozen Four if enough other teams have to drop out. ESPN would have the sads but it'd still count.

Go W(C)CHA!

I wonder how they'll actually do NCAA tournament selections. Pairwise seems suspect since conferences aren't playing each other.

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

I know it's early and not every team in the league has played a game, but this week's USCHO poll sees 6 of the 8 conference teams that are planning to finish the season either ranked or RV'ing. Yeah, I get there are 8 other teams outside the conference that have cancelled their seasons but hey -- it's better than what we've pulled off in the past.

It could be an Atlantic/W(C)CHA Frozen Four if enough other teams have to drop out. ESPN would have the sads but it'd still count.

Go W(C)CHA!

[net presence]

UAF just announced they are pulling out for the rest of the year....

[John J. MacInnes]

The I-500 snowmobile race in Sault Ste. Marie got cancelled.

NMU and LSSU had moved one of their games away from that weekend to avoid hotel problems for Northern, and that was one of the games during their current pause. In all likelihood, that moves back to become a two game weekend series now.

[pdt1081]

Looks like UAH is offering up $25,000 per series to offset some of the travel costs in their talks with the CCHA and Atlantic Hockey.

https://uahhockey.com/blog/2020/12/0...en-named-rotw/

I believe a lot of their pledged funding relies on gaining conference membership. I'm thinking the CCHA is going to be a rough road to membership for them, being they would make an odd number of teams, and have eliminated their program twice in recent seasons. Even the promise of new funding is going to take some convincing they are in it to compete.