Way To Early 2022 NCAA Field

[IceKnights20]

Since everyone is done playing for the fall semester here is the NCAA field if the season ended today, based on PW/ conference standings on USCHO:

Seed, team, PW rank, bid
1. Adrian (1) NCHA auto
2. Augsburg (2) MIAC auto
3. Geneseo (3) SUNYAC auto
4. Utica (4) UCHC auto
5. Wilkes (5) at large
6. Babson (6) at large
7. Curry (7) at large
8. UNE (7) CCC auto
9. Endicott (9) at large
10. Hobart (10) NEHC auto
11. Plymouth State (24) MASCAC auto
12. Williams (37) NESCAC auto

Good luck putting this in a bracket with #s 1 & 2 the only west teams.

[spwood]

Adrian doesn't count as a western team, remember? There is no one local to Augsburg, so a QF flight would be unavoidable... Adrian would probably be paired against the winner of Hobart and Geneseo...

[Fishman'81]

Since everyone is done playing for the fall semester here is the NCAA field if the season ended today, based on PW/ conference standings on USCHO:

Seed, team, PW rank, bid
1. Adrian (1) NCHA auto
2. Augsburg (2) MIAC auto
3. Geneseo (3) SUNYAC auto
4. Utica (4) UCHC auto
5. Wilkes (5) at large
6. Babson (6) at large
7. Curry (7) at large
8. UNE (7) CCC auto
9. Endicott (9) at large
10. Hobart (10) NEHC auto
11. Plymouth State (24) MASCAC auto
12. Williams (37) NESCAC auto

Good luck putting this in a bracket with #s 1 & 2 the only west teams.

I was surprised to see Norwich at #19 last night. Guess they have to make some hay against the rest of the putative "best conference in D-3" down the road a bit.

(Fire away, fellas!)

[PrezdeJohnson09]

I was surprised to see Norwich at #19 last night. Guess they have to make some hay against the rest of the putative "best conference in D-3" down the road a bit.

(Fire away, fellas!)

basically 4 ties = 2 more wins and 2 more losses.

norwich would be 8-3 with that in mind for winning percentage. Haven’t played Hobart at all yet so that will be a big measuring stick. But, have road dates at UMB, NEC and Babson in second semester.

should get a good test right off then at holiday tournament with Hamilton and then either Williams or UNE followed by the Hobart road trip.

[Fishman'81]

basically 4 ties = 2 more wins and 2 more losses.

norwich would be 8-3 with that in mind for winning percentage. Haven’t played Hobart at all yet so that will be a big measuring stick. But, have road dates at UMB, NEC and Babson in second semester.

should get a good test right off then at holiday tournament with Hamilton and then either Williams or UNE followed by the Hobart road trip.

Well, woulda-shoulda-coulda... But I get it.

If Utica hadn't allowed a very late goal v. Adrian, they'd be #1 PW right now. Same deal v. Genny.

I feel your pain just the same.

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Well, woulda-shoulda-coulda... But I get it.

If Utica hadn't allowed a very late goal v. Adrian, they'd be #1 PW right now. Same deal v. Genny.

I feel your pain just the same.

I'm not whining about where they are right now. I'm saying they probably deserve to be about where there are right now in the Pairwise. Just saying, lots of hockey left and the NEHC has quickly shown it's likely the deepest conference in the East and maybe the country with seven teams that could be ranked at any time or receiving votes in the top 15 poll.

Coach Ellsworth has always had his teams playing their best hockey in February and March. I'm confident that this year's team will be trending in that direction again.

[Fishman'81]

I'm not whining about where they are right now. I'm saying they probably deserve to be about where there are right now in the Pairwise. Just saying, lots of hockey left and the NEHC has quickly shown it's likely the deepest conference in the East and maybe the country with seven teams that could be ranked at any time or receiving votes in the top 15 poll.

Coach Ellsworth has always had his teams playing their best hockey in February and March. I'm confident that this year's team will be trending in that direction again.

NU has been the best program in the East during my 21 years of following D-3 hockey, yes.

But, of course, history and the polls mean nothing, and Norwich has a few teams to climb-over to get from #19 PW to an AL berth.

Our season is about half over. It'll be fun to see how things shake-out going forward.

Time for EVERY team to make hay.

[Scott_TG]

I came up with a bracket that keeps all 4 top teams in the PWR with a bye and has only the one unavoidable QF flight of an eastern team to Augsburg.

Fortunately for Utica, Wilkes is 496 miles from Adrian per the official TES calculator.

(Hobart vs Wilkes) vs Adrian
(Babson vs Endicott) vs Utica
(Curry vs Williams) vs Augsburg
(UNE vs Plymouth State) vs Geneseo

EDIT: swapping Williams and Endicott to avoid intra-conference in the first round.

[Fishman'81]

I came up with a bracket that keeps all 4 top teams in the PWR with a bye and has only the one unavoidable QF flight of an eastern team to Augsburg.

Fortunately for Utica, Wilkes is 496 miles from Adrian per the official TES calculator.

(Hobart vs Wilkes) vs Adrian
(Babson vs Endicott) vs Utica
(Curry vs Williams) vs Augsburg
(UNE vs Plymouth State) vs Geneseo

EDIT: swapping Williams and Endicott to avoid intra-conference in the first round.

It's too early, yes, but that Hobart/Wilkes/Adrian bracket would be a complete blood-bath.

[PrezdeJohnson09]

I came up with a bracket that keeps all 4 top teams in the PWR with a bye and has only the one unavoidable QF flight of an eastern team to Augsburg.

Fortunately for Utica, Wilkes is 496 miles from Adrian per the official TES calculator.

(Hobart vs Wilkes) vs Adrian
(Babson vs Endicott) vs Utica
(Curry vs Williams) vs Augsburg
(UNE vs Plymouth State) vs Geneseo

EDIT: swapping Williams and Endicott to avoid intra-conference in the first round.

I'm pretty sure for this year and this year only there is a one-year trial of 600 mile rule for flights/buses etc.

I know it was used for football and I think it applies to all sports this year.

[Fishman'81]

I'm pretty sure for this year and this year only there is a one-year trial of 600 mile rule for flights/buses etc.

I know it was used for football and I think it applies to all sports this year.

No "cliff" of an exact mileage really makes any sense. Either seed and site the thing equitably, or just don't seed it in the first place, and admit that the whole process is primarily about saving the NCAA some chump-change.

[Scott_TG]

I'm pretty sure for this year and this year only there is a one-year trial of 600 mile rule for flights/buses etc.

I know it was used for football and I think it applies to all sports this year.

Thanks for the info, I missed that news.

[Scott_TG]

For funsies, I tried running this again. I was having trouble with the Colby/Williams tiebreakers so I took Colby as they have a higher PWR. I gave the tiebreaker to Adrian since they led on tiebreakers in games through the end of Friday.

Bid	School	PWR Rnk	Seed
CCC	Endicott	12	10
MASCAC	Plymouth St	27	12
MIAC	Augsburg	3	3
NCHA	Adrian	1	1
NEHC	Hobart	8	8
NESCAC	Colby	18	11
SUNYAC	Geneseo	2	2
UCHC	Utica	4	4
Pool C	St. Norbert	5	5
Pool C	Elmira	6	6
Pool C	Wilkes	7	7
Pool C	Trine	9	9

This is my attempt at a bracket with the field above:

First Round:

Hobart @ Elmira Plymouth State @ Colby
Endicott @ Wilkes
Trine @ St. Nobert

QF
Hobart/Elmira @ Adrian
Plymouth St/Colby @ Utica
Endicott/Wilkes @ Geneseo
Trine/SNC @ Augsburg

[Tom Coughlin]

No need to get down to tiebreakers in the NCHA...Adrian leads outright with 12 regulation wins (36 points), compared with 10 regulation wins/2 OT wins for SNC (34 points).

The NCHA has two big weekend series coming up that should shake up the top 10 in the PWR. Trine @ SNC this weekend for a pair, and SNC @ Adrian for a pair to close out the regular season Feb 11/12.

[Scott_TG]

Here is what the field would look like if the season ended today based on AQ's for current conference leaders and the PWR for Pool C bids.

Bid	School	PWR Rnk	Seed
NCHA	Adrian	1	1
SUNYAC	Geneseo	2	2
MIAC	Augsburg	3	3
UCHC	Utica	4	4
Pool C	St. Norbert	5	5
Pool C	Elmira	6	6
NEHC	Hobart	7	7
Pool C	Babson	8	8
Pool C	UW-Stevens Point	9	9
CCC	Salve Regina	14	10
MASCAC	Plymouth St	18	11
NESCAC	Colby	21	12

My bracket for the field above

First Round

Hobart @ Elmira
Colby @ Babson
Plymouth State @ Salve Regina Stevens Point @ St. Norbert

Quarterfinals

(Hobart @ Elmira) @ Adrian
(Colby @ Babson) @ Utica
(Plymouth St @ Salve) @ Geneseo
(UW-SP @ SNC) @ Augsburg

My hesitancy with this bracket is the first round matchup between Elmira and Hobart. But to remove that one has to put Elmira @ Utica in a first round headed to Adrian and put Hobart, three seeds behind Utica, straight into the quarterfinals instead. Would the NCAA give a bye to 7 seed over a 4 to prevent an intra-conference first-round matchup?