Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

[RedFreak]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

I don't think the 1 vs 2 games in a weekend is a big deal. Its the same format as the NCAA tournament. You travel for 1 guaranteed game, and if you win you get a 2nd one. Same expense issues.

Says the man from Minneapolis.

[RedFreak]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

IMHO, the lack of a third place game is a big drawback to traveling fans.

In the current format, if your team is ranked 1-3, you know they are going to play two games. If you're ranked 4-5, you know that if you win one game, you're guaranteed three games. As a traveling fan, getting the reward of seeing your team two or three times makes up for the travel and expense in St. Paul. This weekend, the risk/reward to me for North Dakota was worth the trip.

Next year, the guaranteed games for each team is only one. So, a fan has to be a fan of the league or college hockey in general... I just don' t know about the committment of most fans on this one. I think most folks come to see their team, not the WCHA. ...would be interesting to see what a Denver, CC, Michigan Tech, Alaska-Anchorage, Omaha, and Bemidji Final Five would do to attendance TWO YEARS IN A ROW.

Again, having a two-game guarantee (when you earn it) seems like a very valuable thing to the traveling fan. Next year, two teams would earn a three-game guarantee on Thursday, if there was a Third Place game.

(Finally, I will admit that the chance at a National Championship is the ultimate prize and that playing so many games in the last few weeks is rough. However, the Final Five has consistently been a much better event than the Regionals/Frozen Four for fans.)

As someone who has to make a big commitment in time and dollars every year to go to St. Paul, I think you've nailed it for a lot of us travelers.

[Bakunin]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

Says the man from Minneapolis.

His point is a valid one, though. If you travel to the regional, you are running the risk of seeing your team lose on the first day. If that happens, do you just say * it and leave? Or do you go to the other game(s)?

The 3rd place game is typically not well-attended, the atmosphere is generally dead, and more often than not, one or both teams involved aren't exactly bringing their A game. It's rather anti-climactic when compared to all the other games played in the tournament.

[RedFreak]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

His point is a valid one, though. If you travel to the regional, you are running the risk of seeing your team lose on the first day. If that happens, do you just say * it and leave? Or do you go to the other game(s)?

Nothing to be done about the Regional, but these two weekends (WCHA/Regional) occur back-to-back, which compounds the problem with the new format, assuming you go to both. Speaking as someone who has been to every WCHA Final 4/5, and who goes to all the games no matter who's playing, I have had a lot of experience with the old format. It was VERY nice to be assured that you will get to see your team twice.

An additional kick in the head to the travelers is the first game on Thursday is at 2 rather than 7, which for many means a fourth hotel night (W,R,F,S). All and all, this sticks it to the travellers.

[Bakunin]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

It was VERY nice to be assured that you will get to see your team twice.

I'd rather not see my team twice if the second time is in a meaningless game.

kick in the head to the travelers is the first game on Thursday is at 2 rather than 7, which for many means a fourth hotel night (W,R,F,S). All and all, this sticks it to the travellers.

So book ten nights on hotels.com before then and cash in the freebie for that fourth night in St. Paul.

I wouldn't be opposed to them pushing the start times of the games back - having the first one at 3:30 and the second one at 8 for example.

[RedFreak]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

I'd rather not see my team twice if the second time is in a meaningless game.

So you only went to the very first game of your regular season this year?

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

So you only went to the very first game of your regular season this year?

[Bakunin]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

So you only went to the very first game of your regular season this year?

Based on how the team played, that one appeared to be meaningless too.

And I don't attend Gopher games - it's far too expensive, and the experience of watching them on a big screen tv at home trumps going to the arena and dealing with being surrounded by uptight d-bag fans (corpie sections) or drunken clueless frat morons in / near the student sections. After seeing how various people get treated over the years, I've concluded that I generally hate a significant portion of my own team's fanbase.

[pgrass01]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

From what I read in the Strib, Thursday's games will be a single session with the first game at 4pm and the 2nd game at 7:30. At least that is what the WCHA is considering.

They will have to bump up the Thursday's ticket price to make up for having two games in one session. Then again, teams 3-6 play on Thursday. Better chance that the big draw teams (Gophers, Sioux) will have to play on Thursday, helping attendance.

I am looking forward to the change.

[motox]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

His point is a valid one, though. If you travel to the regional, you are running the risk of seeing your team lose on the first day. If that happens, do you just say * it and leave? Or do you go to the other game(s)?

The 3rd place game is typically not well-attended, the atmosphere is generally dead, and more often than not, one or both teams involved aren't exactly bringing their A game. It's rather anti-climactic when compared to all the other games played in the tournament.

I like the new format and agree that the 3rd place game is meaningless, but I can see the travelers argument for the guaranteed two games. To that point, maybe that's a reason why not as many fans travel to the Regionals when their team could be one and done (insert SCSU joke here.) Fortunately for us Minnesotans we have the X in our backyard.

[RedFreak]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

There is an aspect to this concept of a "meaningless" game that I find disturbing. No game in which your team is playing is meaningless.

While the goal of each team is to win a championship, it is not the point to playing the game.

[Eaglefan06]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

There is an aspect to this concept of a "meaningless" game that I find disturbing. No game in which your team is playing is meaningless.

While the goal of each team is to win a championship, it is not the point to playing the game.

The consolation game is a meaningless game because neither team wins anything. When you play in the regulation, you play for a shot at the NCAA tournament, when you play in the Quarterfinals, you win a shot at the Final Five, when you play in the Play-In game, you win a shot at the Semifinals, when you play in the Semis, you win a chance at the title, and when you play in the Finals you win a chance at the Trophy.

However, you win nothing in the 3rd place game other than an unwarranted chance to boost your PWR standing. You didn't earn that shot to boost your PWR standing, so why should you get it?

[aparch]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

However, you win nothing in the 3rd place game other than an unwarranted chance to boost your PWR standing. You didn't earn that shot to boost your PWR standing, so why should you get it?

That "unwarranted chance to boost your PWR" are all some teams have while being a bubble team. While that "throw away" game may not mean much to a Wisconsin or Denver, Ferris State needed to win their third place game for a shot at making it.

Hell, had UMD beat UND, and lost in the semi-finals, they definitely could have used the third place game to posture themselves to not fall from the PWR.

Or Notre-Dame/Northern Michigan two years ago in the third place game, where a win or loss by Notre Dame put them into the Tourney. A tie to NMU would have eliminated ND.


If third place games are that useless, let's also eliminate them from holiday tournaments. They're also just "unwarranted chances at boosting your PWR" because you're not playing for a holiday tourney trophy.

[RedFreak]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

The consolation game is a meaningless game because neither team wins anything. When you play in the regulation, you play for a shot at the NCAA tournament, when you play in the Quarterfinals, you win a shot at the Final Five, when you play in the Play-In game, you win a shot at the Semifinals, when you play in the Semis, you win a chance at the title, and when you play in the Finals you win a chance at the Trophy.

However, you win nothing in the 3rd place game other than an unwarranted chance to boost your PWR standing. You didn't earn that shot to boost your PWR standing, so why should you get it?

Well, if you don't get it, I can't explain it to you.

[pyhtboss]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

Sorry for the new thread....thought this was important

http://www.startribune.com/sports/go...Unciaec8O7EyUr

highlights -
6 teams get in. 3-6 and 4-5 play Thursday. Winners play the 1st and 2nd seeds on Friday. Championship game on Saturday night.

NO THIRD PLACE GAME!

Xcel is working on scheduling a Wild game on Saturday afternoon as a warm up for the championship game...wondering how this will work ticket-wise?

The name will stay the same and refer to the number of games instead of the number of teams.

I wish the WCHA had kept the same ten-team tournament & five-team finals format as before, just drop the #11 and #12 teams from the post-season tournament. If you are a team in the basement of the regular season you don't deserve to compete in the post-season.