Hockey East 2020-2021

[Chuck Murray]

The big one just dropped with Michigan just shutting down Athletics. Can't see how the NCAA can continue to allow this to go on

Is there any way you can try to contain your giddiness? It's bordering on ghoulish at this point ...

 

[buoldtimer]

The big one just dropped with Michigan just shutting down Athletics. Can't see how the NCAA can continue to allow this to go on

Certainly, you make no effort to disguise your glee. I guess I understand how persons who aren't sports fans may view the current situation, but not someone who is a dedicated sports fan. Why not persevere, and try to complete the cobbled together season? Why just give up? Given the number of pauses, it's obvious every school is making the effort to protect players to the greatest degree possible. If the situation becomes untenable, they'll abandon the season, as they did last March.

Actually, I'm surprised you stay so well-informed hiding under your bed with a vat of hand sanitizer and a gross of masks.

 

[Split-N]

Certainly, you make no effort to disguise your glee...Why not persevere, and try to complete the cobbled together season? Why just give up?...

This!!!!

(And now I find myself on the same side as BU fans...as if agreeing with the BC folk on this thread weren't enough.)

 

[The Zlax45]

Zlax, what the **** are you talking about? Michigan is shutting down for 2 weeks. That is not "the big one dropping". Plenty of other programs have done a two week shutdown. Why do you always have to exaggerate with your propaganda? There has been absolutely nothing on the NCAA shutting down all sports.

Well, Michigan Athletics said they were following a government MANDATE to shut down. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said it was a recommendation but they are done for some time.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/s...t-no-choice-but-shut-down-2-weeks/6694672002/

 

[J.D.]

Yes, two weeks. Like I said.

 

[Drew S.]

Drew, I have no use for the shootout. And I know 3 on 3 OT is to have fewer ties but I have never really understood the big deal about that. I am perfectly content with ties. And I don't love 3 on 3 OT either. Not when it's being counted as a W/L for PWR (I know there isn't a PWR this year). Is it a weighted W/L? I think i would rather see 4 on 4 OT. 3 on 3 definitely has a gimmick element to it.

My understanding is an ot win counts 55/45 in the pairwise so really isn't much different than a tie. A shootout win is a 50/50 in pairwise so exactly like a tie. For me it would make more sense to just skip ot and do a shootout if you want to go that route. Hopefully at some point sanity prevails and they go back to 5x5 or 4x4 for five minutes and if no one scores its a tie.

Have there really been that many ties in recent times? Maybe I just haven't noticed but not something I ever really considered a problem.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Have there really been that many ties in recent times? Maybe I just haven't noticed but not something I ever really considered a problem.

I think if you ask most hardcore hockey fans, they'd be in agreement that RS ties are a non-issue.

OT's in the postseason are magical things, as are penalty shots in live game action, we all enjoy those, but the powers-that-be saw the appeal of both, and using the old adage that "there's no such thing as too much of a good thing", they "fixed" things.

Except, of course, nothing was "broken" in the first place ...

 

[Split-N]

...Except, of course, nothing was "broken" in the first place ...

This is what happens when you let marketers dictate the nature of athletic competition. The big advantage of the point-based standings system used in hockey since forever is it recognizes that one team may legitimately not be better than the other in a given game so the standings points are evenly distributed and thus, the standings accurately reflect competitive results. Gimmicks like 3-on-3 and shootouts are #NotHockey and don't accurately reflect the true results of game competition. Why the marketers want to ape soccer is beyond me.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Have there really been that many ties in recent times? Maybe I just haven't noticed but not something I ever really considered a problem.

I've posted this before, but counting only regular season games between the start of the 2012-13 season and the end of last season between 10.6% (2018-19) and 13.8% (2015-16) of games have been ties, with an average of 12.1%. Back in the eighties the first two seasons after overtime was shortened to 5 minutes 5.4% and 6.3% of games were ties, and for 2 of the last 3 seasons of 10 minute overtimes just 3.2% and 3.9% of games were ties.

Sean

 

[Sean Pickett]

Why the marketers want to ape soccer is beyond me.

Actually, they are not "aping" soccer, as during the regular season, and usually round robin play in tournaments, soccer games end as ties after regulation. It is only when soccer games get to tournament single game knockout rounds that extra time and then shootouts are used.

Sean

 

[Split-N]

Actually, they are not "aping" soccer, as during the regular season, and usually round robin play in tournaments, soccer games end as ties after regulation. It is only when soccer games get to tournament single game knockout rounds that extra time and then shootouts are used.

Sean

Well Sean, you have laid bare my almost total lack of soccer knowledge, though in my defense I'd note that the youth leagues in my neck of the woods seem enamored by OT penalty kicks. The rest of the quote stands, especially the part about 3-on-3 and shootouts being #NotHockey

 

[Drew S.]

I've posted this before, but counting only regular season games between the start of the 2012-13 season and the end of last season between 10.6% (2018-19) and 13.8% (2015-16) of games have been ties, with an average of 12.1%. Back in the eighties the first two seasons after overtime was shortened to 5 minutes 5.4% and 6.3% of games were ties, and for 2 of the last 3 seasons of 10 minute overtimes just 3.2% and 3.9% of games were ties.

Sean

Given the parity in the league that sounds pretty reasonable to me. If you have teams that are similar to each other playing a low scoring game you should have a decent number of ties. In a year that is only two or three per team on average which I don't think is too many.

The league needs to get back to fundamentals. Have reasonably priced tickets, easy parking, and decent concessions. Have rules and standings that are easy to understand for the casual fan. Another thing that would be nice to see is that instead of three stoppages per period just have one and make it a little longer, at least for games that aren't being televised. It almost seems like year after year they make small changes that continue to send the league the wrong way.

 

[walrus]

Maine is done until Feb 4th

 

[Chuck Murray]

I've posted this before, but counting only regular season games between the start of the 2012-13 season and the end of last season between 10.6% (2018-19) and 13.8% (2015-16) of games have been ties, with an average of 12.1%. Back in the eighties the first two seasons after overtime was shortened to 5 minutes 5.4% and 6.3% of games were ties, and for 2 of the last 3 seasons of 10 minute overtimes just 3.2% and 3.9% of games were ties.

Sean

It was a higher scoring game back in the day, more wide open, less defensive-system oriented.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Actually, they are not "aping" soccer, as during the regular season, and usually round robin play in tournaments, soccer games end as ties after regulation. It is only when soccer games get to tournament single game knockout rounds that extra time and then shootouts are used.

Sean

Yup. If anything, they're trying to distance themselves from soccer. The view from this side of the pond has always tended to be that there are "too many ties" in soccer. Not shocking, though, it is a lower-scoring sport in general than hockey is, even modern-day hockey.

I've said before, and I'll say it again ... if you want to "solve" the "problem" with too many ties in hockey, make a win worth 3 points, ties worth 1 point, and zip for a loss. Skip OT except for the playoffs. THAT would be "aping" soccer as it is played in the biggest leagues in the world.

 

[The Zlax45]

Given the parity in the league that sounds pretty reasonable to me. If you have teams that are similar to each other playing a low scoring game you should have a decent number of ties. In a year that is only two or three per team on average which I don't think is too many.

The league needs to get back to fundamentals. Have reasonably priced tickets, easy parking, and decent concessions. Have rules and standings that are easy to understand for the casual fan. Another thing that would be nice to see is that instead of three stoppages per period just have one and make it a little longer, at least for games that aren't being televised. It almost seems like year after year they make small changes that continue to send the league the wrong way.

Every Hockey East game Men and Women is broadcasted either online or on cable so not going to get rid of the media timeouts.

 

[Sean Pickett]

It was a higher scoring game back in the day, more wide open, less defensive-system oriented.

True, but the gap between the top teams and bottom teams was also much larger. Here are the goal differential percentages for games from select seasons:

GD  2017-18  1998-99  1984-85  1975-76
0    10.3%     9.0%     3.8%     3.3%
1    30.8%    29.3%    27.7%    25.2%
2    21.3%    20.0%    18.0%    19.3%
3    16.2%    14.5%    15.4%    15.7%
4    10.3%     9.8%    10.5%    12.2%
5+    7.5%    13.6%    21.7%    23.6%

As can be seen the number of ties tripled, 1 goal games increased by 20%, while 2, 3 and 4 goal games remained about the same. However, 5+ goal games dropped by 2/3rds.

Sean

 

[boblav1]

HOCKEY EAST ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE UPDATES (JANUARY 26)
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2021
WAKEFIELD, Mass. - The Hockey East Association announced today the following schedule update:

Upcoming Schedule:

Tuesday, January 26
UConn at Northeastern (Women) - 5:00 p.m. (NESN+)

Friday, January 29
UConn at Merrimack (Men) - 3:00 p.m.
Boston College at Boston University (Women) – 3:30pm (NESN, TSN2)
Merrimack at Northeastern (Women) – 4:30 p.m. (NESN+)
New Hampshire at Providence (Women) – 6:00 p.m.
Boston University at Boston College (Men) – 6:00 p.m. (NESN)
Providence at New Hampshire (Men) – 7:00 p.m. (NESN+)
UMass Lowell at Massachusetts (Men) – 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 30
Boston University at Boston College (Women) – 3:00 p.m. (NESN)
Merrimack at UConn (Men) - 3:00 p.m.
Northeastern at Merrimack (Women) - 4:00 p.m.
Boston College at Boston University (Men) – 6:00 p.m.
Massachusetts at UMass Lowell (Men) – 7:00 p.m.
Providence at New Hampshire (Women) – 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 31
New Hampshire at Providence (Men) – 3:30 p.m. (NESN)

 

[The Zlax45]

HOCKEY EAST ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE UPDATES (JANUARY 26)
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2021
WAKEFIELD, Mass. - The Hockey East Association announced today the following schedule update:

Upcoming Schedule:

Tuesday, January 26
UConn at Northeastern (Women) - 5:00 p.m. (NESN+)

Friday, January 29
UConn at Merrimack (Men) - 3:00 p.m.
Boston College at Boston University (Women) – 3:30pm (NESN, TSN2)
Merrimack at Northeastern (Women) – 4:30 p.m. (NESN+)
New Hampshire at Providence (Women) – 6:00 p.m.
Boston University at Boston College (Men) – 6:00 p.m. (NESN)
Providence at New Hampshire (Men) – 7:00 p.m. (NESN+)
UMass Lowell at Massachusetts (Men) – 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 30
Boston University at Boston College (Women) – 3:00 p.m. (NESN)
Merrimack at UConn (Men) - 3:00 p.m.
Northeastern at Merrimack (Women) - 4:00 p.m.
Boston College at Boston University (Men) – 6:00 p.m.
Massachusetts at UMass Lowell (Men) – 7:00 p.m.
Providence at New Hampshire (Women) – 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 31
New Hampshire at Providence (Men) – 3:30 p.m. (NESN)

Only 3 women's series this weekend....

 

[J.D.]

I'm devastated by that. What is the latest on mask wearing?