Hockey East by the Numbers

[amkirby10]

I was attempting to read through and wrap my head around the tiebreaker procedure for seeding in Hockey East this season, since it has the potential to directly impact my team. But holy hell, it's so convoluted and confusing. This is why we should just have W-L-T. Two points for a win, one for a tie, none for a loss. Dosen't need anything extra than that.

[Chuck Murray]

I was attempting to read through and wrap my head around the tiebreaker procedure for seeding in Hockey East this season, since it has the potential to directly impact my team. But holy hell, it's so convoluted and confusing. This is why we should just have W-L-T. Two points for a win, one for a tie, none for a loss. Dosen't need anything extra than that.

Agreed 110%.

[Split-N]

...Two points for a win, one for a tie, none for a loss. Doesn't need anything extra that.

I typed the tiebreaker procedure into BingAI. Sydney, the snarky chatbot, responded that something like that could only have been produced by artificial intelligence.

[Jim F.]

A quick correction to Sean's post from Sunday. The Lowell tiebreakers at 38 points depend on whether they get there with two ot/so losses or one ot/so win and a regulation loss. UConn can finish 7th. If UConn loses two in regulation, Providence and Maine win two in regulation and Lowell loses twice in overtime, there is a 4-way tie. Maine gets 4th with the best regulation record 10-8. Then, in the remaining 3-way tie, UConn loses the tiebreaker with their 8-8 regulation record vs. 8-7 for both Providence and Lowell. Then Lowell wins the remaining 2-way tie with Providence based on head to head. Would have written earlier, but I just got admitted today.

[Jim F.]

Does anyone know how Hockey East defines "best regulation winning percentage in all conference games"? Is it just the won-loss record in the games decided in regulation? Or does it include overtime/shootout games as ties. For example, if Maine and Providence each get exactly one point this weekend and BC wins both in regulation, there's a 3-way tie for 6th. The regulation records would be BC 9-10, Maine 8-9 and Providence 6-8. The winning percentages using only the regulation games would be .474, .471 and .429, respectively. BC would get 6th and then Maine wins the remaining 2-way tie with Providence based on head to head. But, if overtimes and shootouts are included as ties, the records become BC 9-10-5, Maine 8-9-7 and Providence 6-8-10. Then BC and Maine both have the same winning percentage (.479). Providence would get 8th with their lower winning percentage (.458). Then Maine wins the 2-way tiebreak with BC based on head to head.

[Jim F.]

BU clinched 1st.

Northeastern has tiebreak over Merrimack. Whoever gets more points on Saturday gets 2nd. If they get the same points, Merrimack gets 2nd.

UConn will play Lowell as 4 vs. 5. UConn has tiebreak. Home team will be whoever does better on Saturday night. If they do the same, Lowell will be #4 and UConn #5.

BC must win in regulation to have a shot at 6th. If they do, they get 6th if Maine gets 0 points and Providence gets 0 or 1 point. If BC wins in regulation and Maine and Providence each get one point, that creates a three way tie where the tiebreaker depends on Hockey East's definition of "best regulation winning percentage" (See my last post above.)

If BC doesn't get 6th then Maine will be 6th unless Providence gets more points than Maine does on Saturday, then Providence would be 6th.

BC wins 2-way tiebreaker with Providence and loses 2-way tiebreaker with Maine.

BC's win and UMass's win locks UMass into 9th place and UNH 10th. UVM was locked into #11 on Saturday.

[Jim F.]

Thanks to UVM sharing info with me from Hockey East, I learned that overtimes and shootouts are included as ties in determining the "regulation winning percentage" (see my discussion above). So, in a 3-way tie, BC and Maine would have the same winning percentage and better than Providence's. So Providence would get 8th and then Maine wins the remaining 2-way tiebreaker with BC based on head to head. So, BC gets 6th if and only if they win in regulation, Maine loses in regulation and Providence gets 0 or 1 point. Otherwise, Maine gets 6th unless Providence gets more points than they do, in which case Providence would get 6th. Maine wins 2 or 3 way tiebreak at any point level. BC loses tiebreak to Maine, but beats Providence. Providence loses all tiebreakers.

[J.D.]

My guess is the only change we'll see today is UConn jumping over UML

1. BU
2. Merrimack
3. NU
4. UConn
5. UML
6. Maine
7. PC
8. BC
9. UMass
10. UNH
11. UVM

[UncleRay]

UConn is already in front of UML.

[DLG]

UConn is already in front of UML.

only because they won after JD post

[UncleRay]

only because they won after JD post

Sorry. USCHO doesn't usually update league points for a day.