WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

[moose97]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Fairbanks & Bemidji are off campus, municipally owned venues. NMU shares their campus arena with BBall.

Thats not the question (and, Mankato is the same as the two you mention). The three off campus are still the primary tenants. I.e., they get top priority for scheduling. UAH does not.

[davyd83]

Thats not the question (and, Mankato is the same as the two you mention). The three off campus are still the primary tenants. I.e., they get top priority for scheduling. UAH does not.

Thanks Moose. My error.

[gfmorris]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Thats not the question (and, Mankato is the same as the two you mention). The three off campus are still the primary tenants. I.e., they get top priority for scheduling. UAH does not.

It's not as a bad as it used to be.

GFM

[LSSULaker889294]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

WCHA commissioner on scheduling scenenarios: http://www.wcha.com/men/articles/202...-scenarios.php

It sounds like the schedule will be released within the next couple weeks despite uncertainty regarding the upcoming season.

[Squarebanks]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Fairbanks & Bemidji are off campus, municipally owned venues. NMU shares their campus arena with BBall.

UAF has the option of playing in the Patty Center if needed.

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and Northern Michigan (minus two non-conference games?) have released their complete schedules. All others are what I have gathered from other sources and speculation due to who owes games.

ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE (0-0-0)
-Mass-Lowell (2) 10/9-10/10
-Nebraska-Omaha (2) 10/16-10/17
-To Be Determined ??
-To Be Determined ??


ALASKA (0-0-0)
-at Nebraska-Omaha (2) 10/9-10/10
-at Minnesota-Duluth (2) 11/27-11/28
-at Arizona State (2) TBD


ALASKA-ANCHORAGE (0-0-0)
-at Clarkson (2) TBD
-at Denver (2) 1/1-1/2
-Arizona State (2) TBD ??


BEMIDJI STATE (0-0-0)
-at Minnesota 10/03
-North Dakota 10/9
-at North Dakota 10/10
-St. Cloud State 11/20
-at St. Cloud State 11/21
-at Merrimack 11/27
-at Mass-Lowell 11/28
-US National Development Program (EXH) 12/28
-Minnesota-Duluth 12/31
-at Minnesota Duluth 1/2


BOWLING GREEN (0-0-0)
-at St. Lawrence (2) 10/09-10/10
-at Western Michigan 10/16
-Western Michigan 10/17
-Miami 10/23
-at Miami 10/24
-RIT 12/31
-vs RIT (Toledo Winterfest) 01/02


FERRIS STATE (0-0-0)
-Michigan State TBD
-at Michigan State TBD
-Western Michigan TBD
-at Western Michigan TBD
-Canisius (2) TBD
-at Robert Morris TBD
-Robert Morris TBD


LAKE SUPERIOR STATE (0-0-0)
-at Union (2) TBD
-Notre Dame TBD
-To Be Determined ??
-To Be Determined ??


MICHIGAN TECH (0-0-0)
-Michigan (2) 10/09-10/10
-at Clarkson (2) 10/30-10/31
-Great Lakes Invitational vs Michigan State (Detroit, MI)
-Great Lakes Invitational vs Michigan/Harvard (Detroit, MI)
-Arizona State (2) 02/12-02/13


MINNESOTA STATE (0-0-0)
-To Be Determined (EXH)
-vs Providence (Duluth, MN) 10/9
-vs Minnesota/Minnesota-Duluth (Duluth, MN) 10/10
-at St. Cloud State (2) 10/16-10/17
-Minnesota Duluth (2) 10/30-10/31


NORTHERN MICHIGAN (0-0-0)
-To Be Determined ??
-Boston University (2) 10/16-10/17
-Colgate (2) 11/27-11/28
-at North Dakota 01/02-01/03

[purpleinnebraska]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Given our losses to graduation/pros, our schedule seems a bit aggressive. But, aim high, right?


Penn State and ASU have shown you can make the tourney by loading up on AH, and going .500 the rest of the year. But i'm not eager to follow that route.

[Sol Diablo]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Given our losses to graduation/pros, our schedule seems a bit aggressive. But, aim high, right?


Penn State and ASU have shown you can make the tourney by loading up on AH, and going .500 the rest of the year. But i'm not eager to follow that route.

I thought a team made the tourney by PWR rating, am I missing something?

[Lost_Husky]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

I thought a team made the tourney by PWR rating, am I missing something?

I believe the feeling is that ASU and PSU are "gaming" the system. While it is perfectly legal it makes schools that challenge themselves in the NC rather upset.

Is it a flaw in PWR? Yes. What does it say about the Athletic Department that targets this kind of schedule?

[purpleinnebraska]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

I believe the feeling is that ASU and PSU are "gaming" the system. While it is perfectly legal it makes schools that challenge themselves in the NC rather upset.

Is it a flaw in PWR? Yes. What does it say about the Athletic Department that targets this kind of schedule?

ASU was in position to make the tournament last year, while going 4-4 against the WCHA, generally regarded as the 5th toughest conference in college hockey. ASU's schedule included 4 home games and 4 road games, against teams that finished 1st, 4th, 6th, and 8th in the WCHA. In other words, a pretty representative sampling of the WCHA, and ASU results were pretty average. Yet no middle of the pack WCHA teams were in a position to make the field. ASU was in the top 15 in the Pairwise by beating up on AH, going 9-1. If I'm a bubble team in the NCHC or HE, I have to look at that and think, is this really the best way to determine the tournament field?
Hey, those are the rules, and that's how the Pairwise works, but I don't know how fair it is to the kids, the fans, and the other teams in college hockey.

[Sol Diablo]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

I believe the feeling is that ASU and PSU are "gaming" the system. While it is perfectly legal it makes schools that challenge themselves in the NC rather upset.

Is it a flaw in PWR? Yes. What does it say about the Athletic Department that targets this kind of schedule?

So if AH is that terrible of a conference then it would affect the PWR wouldn't it? Because most of the teams in WCHA were below ASU's PWR should they not have scheduled them in advance of not knowing what their PWR would be?

Could it maybe say that because ASU is not in a conference and that it appears many teams are adverse to traveling as evidenced by the demand of WCHA for ASU to pay a subsidy for teams to travel to a resort area, that the the Athletic Dept. has to schedule what they can get at this point? That it works out easier to schedule odd number of team conferences? So I say it doesn't say anything negative about the Athletic Dept.

[Sol Diablo]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

ASU was in position to make the tournament last year, while going 4-4 against the WCHA, generally regarded as the 5th toughest conference in college hockey. ASU's schedule included 4 home games and 4 road games, against teams that finished 1st, 4th, 6th, and 8th in the WCHA. In other words, a pretty representative sampling of the WCHA, and ASU results were pretty average. Yet no middle of the pack WCHA teams were in a position to make the field. ASU was in the top 15 in the Pairwise by beating up on AH, going 9-1. If I'm a bubble team in the NCHC or HE, I have to look at that and think, is this really the best way to determine the tournament field?
Hey, those are the rules, and that's how the Pairwise works, but I don't know how fair it is to the kids, the fans, and the other teams in college hockey.

I understand what you are saying. However I struggle with the statements of AH & WCHA teams being all that bad that it helps ASU PWR since they aren't playing "tough" teams. I must be missing something here.

[manurespreader]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

I checked on PSU and they were 6-0 vs AH and 1-1 vs the WCHA. ( a split at home with Alaska)They played very few games vs HE, and did have some quality wins vs other Big teams especially early in the year vs Minnesota. The power is what it is but I think Kratch is a better metric overall. I'd like to see the power be tweaked to be less easily gamed but I doubt it will be changed. You have to wonder how much the schedule, which had like the first 12 straight at home for them, mattered.
I have to say i'm pretty surprised Tech is playing ASU this coming year after what happened.
Honestly, at this point, I very much doubt the schedule goes as planned.

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

I understand what you are saying. However I struggle with the statements of AH & WCHA teams being all that bad that it helps ASU PWR since they aren't playing "tough" teams. I must be missing something here.

What you're missing is how the math works on a loss. You look good with all the wins against "lesser" teams, however, take your RMU series for example. ASU won both of those games by one goal. Were either of those games to simply end in a tie, ASU is out of the top 16 PWR and out of the NCAAs. You're walking a VERY fine line between success and failure, but so far it's working out well. Now no one is saying ASU is no good and isn't deserving (at least that's not how I'm reading it). It's simply saying that if ASU were in a league like the NCHC or WCHA...well...no soup for you.

[purpleinnebraska]

I understand what you are saying. However I struggle with the statements of AH & WCHA teams being all that bad that it helps ASU PWR since they aren't playing "tough" teams. I must be missing something here.

I’m not saying they’re playing tough teams. Just the opposite. I’m saying if you roll up a high winning percentage, it doesn’t much matter who you play. That’s the flaw in the system.