2025 Conference Tournament Mega-Thread

[Lord_Zubin]

Fish if u value regular season success so much I suggest u start watching European soccer instead cause otherwise ur beating a dead horse that everyone else is piling on u for.

 

[Sir Nubs]

I don’t fully agree with Fish, but I do find it mind numbing that teams like Fitchburg State, MCLA,Gustavus are going to be in the tournament over teams like Trine or Adrian. How can anyone think that is fair

Fitchburg/MCLA and Gustavus aren't taking any bids away from anybody. Those are one-bid leagues based on the NPI. So it is more than far. Have you been dipping into Fishman's Old Grandad stash?

Before you say anything that bad leagues shouldn't have automatic qualifiers, the automatic qualifiers are what have caused D3 hockey to grow as much as it has. Otherwise you would still have the same 12 teams playing for the same 8 spots like in the 1990s. The growth, depth and parity in D3 hockey has been a boon for the sport.

 

[jerrynu26]

Those better players certainly have fueled Utica’s national championship runs……
(Wait, can you say one and done is a ‘run’?)

 

[Fishman'81]

Don't give a fuck.

Likewise, but I thought you were ignoring me..?

Put the bottle down, Russ

Those better players certainly have fueled Utica’s national championship runs……
(Wait, can you say one and done is a ‘run’?)

Of course not, numb-skull.

And who was touting anything like that?

We're discussing the process in general, not any particular program.

You old guys who apparently derive a degree of vicarious personal validation via "your" team's success truly need to get a grip.

Seriously.

 

[Knights2007]

How about this: keep the auto bids for conference champions and just finally expand the NCAA field so that someone like UNE or St Norbert doesn’t miss out just because MCLA miraculously won their conference playoff?

Seems simple to me, but what do I know


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Russell Jaslow]

How about this: keep the auto bids for conference champions and just finally expand the NCAA field so that someone like UNE or St Norbert doesn’t miss out just because MCLA miraculously won their conference playoff?

Seems simple to me, but what do I know

Every time you expand the tournament, there will always be a team that deserved to get but doesn't. This happened when it was 8 teams. When it was 10 teams. When it was 11 teams. Etc., etc,, etc. There's always someone who misses out who should have been in. The only difference is the line gets moved down.

Interestingly enough, when the D1 women were forced to allow an AQ bid for the NEWHA, which is an absolute crap conference, they did immediately expand the field by one to make up for it. But it doesn't stop everyone from talking about the "other" team that missed out.

 

[Scott_TG]

How about this: keep the auto bids for conference champions and just finally expand the NCAA field so that someone like UNE or St Norbert doesn’t miss out just because MCLA miraculously won their conference playoff?

Seems simple to me, but what do I know


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The number of teams in the field is dependent on the number of teams in the league, they expand it when there are enough new teams in DIII.

 

[Tom Coughlin]

The number of teams in the field is dependent on the number of teams in the league, they expand it when there are enough new teams in DIII.

Yeah, and the problem seems to be more teams -> more conferences -> same number of at large bids.

 

[Sir Nubs]

Likewise, but I thought you were ignoring me..?

Put the bottle down, Russ

Of course not, numb-skull.

And who was touting anything like that?

We're discussing the process in general, not any particular program.

You old guys who apparently derive a degree of vicarious personal validation via "your" team's success truly need to get a grip.

Seriously.

Wow. Project much?

 

[Sir Nubs]

Yeah, and the problem seems to be more teams -> more conferences -> same number of at large bids.

Didn't the at larges go from three to four just last year?

 

[Tom Coughlin]

Didn't the at larges go from three to four just last year?

Yes. However, there have been 4 at large bids almost every year since 2009:

2008: 3​

2009: 4​

2010: 4​

2011: 4​

2012: 3​

2013: 3​

2014: 4​

2015: 4​

2016: 4​

2017: 4​

2018: 5​

2019: 4​

2020: 4​

2021: N/A​

2022: 4​

2023: 3​

2024: 4​

2025: 4​

 

[Fishman'81]

Yeah, and the problem seems to be more teams -> more conferences -> same number of at large bids.

I suppose, but why even recognize the arbitrary/false construct of a "conference" in the first place, especially when D-3 hockey programs have been playing musical chairs, conference-wise, for years now?

The most equitable approach would be to select and seed the field regardless of conference affiliation, using the best metric available -the KRACH is the most accurate, but I digress- and take it from there. (Yeah, that ain't gonna happen... D-3 has way too many roadblocks in place, for a variety of stupid reasons.)

OK, how about another work-around: go ahead and play the end-of-season sideshows, but without any AQ's in the offing. Some banners and trophies are up for grabs, but those results should only count as more data for the metric. Sometimes, that will be significant.

Yes, I rant about this sort of idiocy every single year, and am annually mocked for it, but take a gander at the top 12 teams in the NPI, and tell me I'm wrong. What a tournament it would be, with that field, Not a shred of cannon fodder to be found.

 

[Fishman'81]

Every time you expand the tournament, there will always be a team that deserved to get but doesn't.

Not really, if the field is selected solely on the basis of an agreed-upon metric.

Clearly, there's always going to be a cut-off point, no matter how large or small the field is.

 

[lakont55]

How many are having a problem getting into this website. Every time I I download this site on my I-Pad I get video games , rediculous

 

[Fishman'81]

How many are having a problem getting into this website. Every time I I download this site on my I-Pad I get video games , rediculous

Working well on my Chrome OS, much better than the older format did.

 

[Lord_Zubin]

How many are having a problem getting into this website. Every time I I download this site on my I-Pad I get video games , rediculous

Website works on my phone and computer not problem. U can't really "download" a website to ur i-pad either so not sure what u mean by that.

 

[MilkUniversity]

I don’t hate the AQ but it’s definitely absurd that we’re seeing Fitchburg/MCLA, Gustavus, Eau Claire in this year (ignoring the teams they’ve beat to make it in). Still if a team is able to win their conference championship then fair play for the tourney. But also agree with Russell that conferences need to set a reasonable bar to make the playoffs.

With the MASCAC this year it sucks that Plymouth’s final year they get rid of a first round bye and a 6-19-2 team at the #8 seed bounces us out. If the bar is that low we might as well let Framingham get playoff hockey, or schools like WNE or USM. Still MCLA managed to shock the #1 and #2 (even tho it’s a low bar for MASCAC) and packed the stands at Anna Maria. If they manage to win it all with turnout like they had then the team and students deserve it.

 

[***JCB***]

How many times have at-large teams even won this tournament? It can't be more than a handful over the last 25+ years.

 

[Tom Coughlin]

How many times have at-large teams even won this tournament? It can't be more than a handful over the last 25+ years.

I only checked the past 10 years and Stevens Point has done it in 2016 and 2019 (although they certainly won the WIAC tourney in 2019...I didn't bother to check 2016).

 

[Tom Coughlin]

Before that Oswego in 2007...so yeah, it doesn't happen very often.