Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

[RedFreak]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

That is what we were discussing. Pretty sure fixed brackets will be used.

I thought I heard they were going to reseed, but I don't know where I saw that so it's probably wrong.

[blockski]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

Technically the trade isn't the consolation game for another Thursday game, since it's still just one gate on Thursday. The trade-off is the gate from the consolation game for an extra home playoff series, and potentially some extra money on Thursday since you'll have four teams' fans buying tickets instead of two. I trust somebody did the math and felt they come out ahead in that bargain.

No one will know until next year when people start buying tickets, but the WCHA likes to think of the Final Five as a "destination tournament" that will draw enough people regardless of who is playing just because it's great hockey.

UNO fans will travel great if their team makes it. The drive from Omaha to St. Paul isn't that much longer than it is from Madison or Grand Forks, and UNO drew better than just about any CCHA team outside of Michigan and Michigan State at the CCHA tournament in the years where they made it.

On the 'trade', I was speaking from a fan's perspective. Instead of a semi-meaningless game on Saturday afternoon, you get a quite meaningful one (perhaps your team's only appearance in the tournament) on a Thursday afternoon. Regardless of how you slice up the ticketing, that's the net effect. I'm not sold that the fact that the game means something will offset the fact that it's on a Thursday afternoon. Asking people to play hooky from work for two days in a row might be pushing it, to say nothing of those taking a vacation to travel.

Even if it's not an attendance bonanza, I'm sure the WCHA ran some numbers on the potential added gate from the additional first round series, too. I'd also agree that they think the hockey alone is a good enough draw, but I'm not so sure - what makes the Final Five work so well is that it's more than the sum of its parts. In other words, it's not just the hockey.

As far as finances go, the advantages of the CCHA's current format is that 8 of the 12 teams get to host a playoff series, plus you get the gate of 4 games at the Joe. The WCHA's format will feature 6 home playoff series and 5 games at the X. It's understandable why the CCHA would rather rely on home series and the WCHA would rather rely on the X.

[RedFreak]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

I'd also agree that they think the hockey alone is a good enough draw, but I'm not so sure - what makes the Final Five work so well is that it's more than the sum of its parts. In other words, it's not just the hockey.

Yep. It's also the Cream of Minnesota Wild Rice Soup at the St. Paul Grill. Yum-yum.

[4four4]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

With the addition of more money maybe the WCHA can purchase new refs. Who is with me here?

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

Reseeding is dumb. They won't reseed. Gophers at night on Thursday puts them at night on Friday.

Gophers at night on Friday if top two.

Problem solved.

Easy Peazy.

[Dirty]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

With the addition of more money maybe the WCHA can purchase new refs. Who is with me here?

The way SCSU fans are attacking refs, it might be necessary.

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Format for 2011 WCHA final Five

The way SCSU fans are attacking refs, it might be necessary.

eh, it was only Marco