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

[John J. MacInnes]

You might not have seen Tom Serratore go off on the refs on the ice after the game but apparently, he was very upset by the way Mankato had run a pick to get free and score the winning goal and how the refs knew it was a pick and did nothing about it. But I don't think that's the whole story. As you might be aware Bemidji is expert at slowing you down and playing good defense, and they did that during the game as did Mankato in a big way. The Refs it did seem decided to ignore almost all of it.
However, what seemed to me that happened was that on the first goal for Mankato, that they scored off a faceoff, they also ran a pick in order to get loose. I think that is the reason the coach was so angry. Two picks-- two goals, and they lose.

I guess karma caught up on Saturday when the Mavs had two goals chalked off by replay review.

[manurespreader]

I'd rather have lost this weekend than have so many players hurt and out indefinitely. I wish the refs had called games closer and not allowed quite so many shenanigans.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

UPDATED THROUGH 2/28/21

TEAM	POSSIBLE SEEDING	POSSIBLE PTS
MSU	#1 LOCKED	33-39 pts
BGSU	2-3	27 pts **
LSSU	2-5	20-29 pts
MTU	3-5	20-26 pts
NMU	5-6	20 pts *
BSU	2-6	16-28 pts
UAH	#7 LOCKED	08-14 pts
FERRIS	#8 LOCKED	03-06 pts

FIRST ROUND MATCH-UPS
FERRIS at MANKATO
T.B.D. at BGSU

NMU at T.B.D.
UAH at T.B.D.
NMU at T.B.D.

* NMU loses tiebreaker "B" to MTU and LSSU; Tie breaker "B" is win percentage
** BGSU can not finish lower than 3rd; LSSU & BSU will split 6 potential pts between them (games 3/2-3/3), only one of those two teams can potentially pass BGSU

[Bale]

I'd rather have lost this weekend than have so many players hurt and out indefinitely. I wish the refs had called games closer and not allowed quite so many shenanigans.

I'm not sure what games you're referencing, but I thought the officiating in the msu/bsu series was atrocious. I agree that the penalty call on the goalie was asinine. I can MAYBE understand what the ref was looking at, but at best it was a stretch. They were letting pick plays go all night on Thursday, so it's not a surprise they didn't call the one on the gwg. They also called 3 icing on msu when the msu clearly won the race to the puck.

On Saturday, it was one of those games where you felt for the players because you never knew what was and wasn't going to be called.

Earlier this year people were talking about hoping the ccha would call a tighter game so the action moved better. This series was example #1 of what refs need to avoid in my mind .

[JohnsonsJerseys]

UPDATED THROUGH 3/3/21

TEAM	POSSIBLE SEEDING	POSSIBLE PTS
MSU	#1 LOCKED	33-39 pts
BGSU	2-3	27 pts
LSSU	2-4	24-27 pts **
MTU	3-5	20-26 pts *
NMU	5-6	20 pts
BSU	4-6	18-24 pts ***
UAH	#7 LOCKED	08-14 pts
FERRIS	#8 LOCKED	03-06 pts

FIRST ROUND MATCH-UPS
FERRIS at MANKATO
T.B.D. at BGSU
T.B.D. at LSSU
MTU
BSU
NMU at T.B.D.
UAH at T.B.D.

* MTU holds tie breaker "B" (win percentage) over NMU
** If LSSU wins their final game in regulation, they hold the tie breaker "B" (win percentage) over BGSU
*** LSSU would hold tie breaker "C" (wins in regulation) over BSU

[LSSULaker889294]

*** LSSU would hold tie breaker "C" (wins in regulation) over BSU

Incorrect. BSU would have a higher winning percentage over LSSU if the they sweep UAH and LSSU loses to FSU in regulation. Beavers would be 8-5-1 and Lakers would be 8-6-0. Bemidji would win tiebreaker B.

[John J. MacInnes]

Incorrect. BSU would have a higher winning percentage over LSSU if the they sweep UAH and LSSU loses to FSU in regulation. Beavers would be 8-5-1 and Lakers would be 8-6-0. Bemidji would win tiebreaker B.

If Bemidji is 8-5-1 and Lake State is 8-6-0, how would they be tied?

[JohnsonsJerseys]

BSU would have a higher winning percentage over LSSU if the they sweep UAH and LSSU loses to FSU in regulation. Beavers would be 8-5-1 and Lakers would be 8-6-0. Bemidji would win tiebreaker B.

It my understanding that tie breaker "B" is simply total wins divided by total games, meaning both teams would have identical 0.571. But I could be wrong.

If Bemidji is 8-5-1 and Lake State is 8-6-0, how would they be tied?

They could be tied on pts even with different records. That's because of all the goofy rules the WCHA has about awarding conference points for OT, shootouts, etc. A "win" (some of which are officially counted as ties) is not always worth 3 pts in the WCHA standings. It matters HOW / WHEN you win. Stupid in my opinion, but that is how the WCHA does it. LSSU is currently 2-2 in OT and Bemidji is 3-2 in OT.

[lakersparty]

Is the CCHA going to get rid of all of this math? Because if it is, I am all for it.

[pdt1081]

Is the CCHA going to get rid of all of this math? Because if it is, I am all for it.

No idea. "Winning percentage" has to be one of the stupidest metrics in this system. Head-to-head, league wins, league losses would quickly and easily settle most tie-breakers. Makes winning in regulation even more important.

*And I'm not just saying this because it would benefit any team this season. I can't say I've heard the "winning percentage" as a tie breaker before this year.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

"Winning percentage" has to be one of the stupidest metrics in this system. Head-to-head... would quickly and easily settle most tie-breakers. Makes winning in regulation even more important... I can't say I've heard the "winning percentage" as a tie breaker before this year.

Agreed. Why it is popping up so much this year is that normally tie breaker "A" (most points in head to head games) would settle most ties, but "A" stipulates that the teams in question must all have four conference games against each other. This year's reduced schedule of only two conference games between opponents takes "A" out of the equation for 2020-21.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Well it is March 1st [2020] and two teams, the Alabama Huntsville Chargers and the Ferris State Bulldogs, are already making their tee times and putting together their plans for the 2020-21 season. Here are some story lines we will be watching this season:

Just looking back to the start of this thread just over a year ago, some of the answers are now becoming clearer and the title of this thread coming true seems like a very real possibility.

• Will UAF, UAA or UAH win the MacNaughton Cup (regular season champion) and hold it ransom for a spot in the CCHA? NO
• Will UAF, UAA or UAH win the Super Sticky Sauer Syrup Cup (playoff champion) and hold it ransom for a spot in the CCHA? WITH UAH, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.
• Will all 10 teams leave the WCHA to join the CCHA and then wonder what the heck just happened? SIGNS POINT TO NO.
• Will the two Alaska schools secure the two top seeds for the playoffs and hold the entire conference hostage in Alaska for three weeks? NO
• Will the 70th Anniversary of the WCHA actually be celebrated by the league? YES, BUT ONLY VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
• Will the departing teams find a web developer who can take them into the 21st Century? YES
• Is the universe finite or infinite? (Geof, can you take this one?) Time is up. We need your answer Geof.
• How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop? So far the average count after 97 trials is 763 licks, but more data is needed, especially with the grape flavor.

[beaverhockey]

The tie-breakers have changed for this year...and the league's standing page does NOT indicate this. Tiebreaker A is head-to-head...even though all teams played just twice.

So, in the "old" tiebreakers, there were several that only applied if teams played four times. That is NOT the case this year. Just delete the 4 games requirement from the old tiebreakers, and that's the "new" tiebreaker for this year.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

UPDATED THROUGH 3/6/21 (w/ corrected tie breakers)

TEAM	POSSIBLE SEEDING	POSSIBLE PTS
MSU	#1 LOCKED	39 pts
LSSU	#2 LOCKED	27 pts **
BGSU	#3 LOCKED	27 pts
BSU	#4 LOCKED	21-24 pts
MTU	#5 LOCKED	20 *
NMU	#6 LOCKED	20 pts
UAH	#7 LOCKED	08-11 pts
FERRIS	#8 LOCKED	03 pts

FIRST ROUND MATCH-UPS
FERRIS at MANKATO
UAH at LSSU
NMU at BGSU
MTU at BSU

NOTE: For 2020-21 season, all tie breakers are valid w/ only two head to head games played.
* MTU holds tie breaker "A" (head to head points) over NMU
** LSSU holds tie breaker "A" (head to head points) over BGSU

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Well it didn't take the very last game of the regular season to lock in all the seeds, but it did go all the way to the second to last game of the season. Playoffs are set for next weekend.