NCAA Hockey 2025- CHA now welcome

[Spartanforlife4]

More surprising in those prior years when it was a best of 3 and the 7 seed had to take 2 games in the higher seed's barn

I, for one, am glad Notre Dame's season is over. I'm not sure how I feel about this year's tournament format yet, mostly due to a midweek game, but I am happy we needn't play that team again.

Seems like the coaches really pushed for it. Nightingale mentioned a scenario that hadn’t happened yet, but would not be ideal for a conference trying to help their best teams in March/April. With the uneven teams and someone needing a bye, it’s possible the conference champ could have a bye the final week, then a bye the first weekend of best of 3, then lose the single elimination semi and be off another week until the NCAA tournament. So that would be one game in almost five weeks by the time they take the ice for the first round.

Under the new format you could still get a champion with a bye in the final week who loses the semi, but it cuts down two weeks on that dead time.

 

[Kepler]

The way to get the best teams in March/April is to eliminate the bottom half of the league after the RS.

The ECAC had it right when 8 of 17 made the conference tournament.

 

[Kepler]

Go to the Penalties tab.

I'll wait.

 

[LynahFan]

I assume the penalties only stopped because they called the game at the 1:49 mark of the 3rd? By which point the teams has put up 167 minutes of penalty minutes….in those 109 seconds.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

I assume the penalties only stopped because they called the game at the 1:49 mark of the 3rd? By which point the teams has put up 167 minutes of penalty minutes….in those 109 seconds.

Why they even let them come out for the 3rd is a great question for that crew.

 

[LynahFan]

Why they even let them come out for the 3rd is a great question for that crew.

Probably just hadn’t finished their popcorn yet and were enjoying the show.

 

[unofan]

Penn State is a lock with their win.

Cornell and Dartmouth can become official locks with sweeps or at least one win and some help (primarily tOSU losing to knock out the chance of the BIG stealing a bid).

Wisconsin is still sitting fine so long as there aren't 3 stolen bids from tOSU, the ECAC, and HEA.

Augustana gets close to a lock with a win.

I actually found a couple of scenarios where Penn State misses out.

Penn State loses to Michigan in the semis
Dartmouth and Cornell both sweep their QFs (keeps them both above Penn State).
ECAC goes to either Princeton or Union (stolen bid)
tOSU takes the Big Ten crown. (stolen bid)
someone other than Providence wins HEA (stolen bid)

PLUS
Quinnipiac sweeps Clarkson (not sure why this matters, but it does)
OR
Quinnipiac beats Clarkson in 3 AND Minnesota State wins the CCHA.

In either case, Penn State falls below Wisconsin and out despite being at #12 in the NPI (as 12-16 are all autobids in this case).

 

[unofan]

Penn State is now a lock after Cornell's loss last night.

Dartmouth can become officially a lock with a W tonight.

Cornell can become a lock with a W and some help (primarily a tOSU loss)

Wisconsin becomes a lock with a tOSU loss.

Augustana still can't become a lock, but a W and a tOSU loss gets them closer.

Everyone else with at-large chances needs lots of help if they don't win their tourney. The landscape will become a lot clearer by this time tomorrow, though.

 

[Spartanforlife4]

ECAC is shaping up to be a bid stealer unless QU and Cornell win two in a row. Otherwise there will be some bubble teams rooting for Dartmouth next week.

 

[Kepler]

< worried noises >

 

[unofan]

I keep finding the one random scenario to keep Penn State out, so technically they aren't a true lock yet.

Basically the same scenario as before, only now Cornell needs to advance to the conference final:
PSU loses tonight,
Dartmouth wins tonight (ensures Dartmouth stays above PSU),
Cornell and QPac both win their QF series (gives Clarkson 2 additional losses),
Cornell beats Dartmouth in the ECAC semis (ensures Cornell stays above PSU),
Princeton or Union wins the ECAC (stolen bid),
tOSU wins the BIG (stolen bid),
someone other than Providence wins HEA (semi-stolen bid), and finally
Mankato wins the CCHA (when combined with Clarkson's 2 losses to QPac, vaults Wisconsin over Penn State).

If all of that happens, Penn State falls to 12th and out. If any part of the chain is broken, they're in.

Also, I haven't found a scenario yet where tOSU loses and either Dartmouth or Cornell falls out, so I think that's all the help either of them need (Dartmouth can also still lock in a bid with a W tonight).