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CCHA Pick 'EM - Even though it's the Inaugural Season, We're Back Baby!!!

Congratulations to giwan, winner of the inaugural CCHA Pick ‘Em MacNaughton Cup who had us looking at his taillights from week 1 to week 20. He led wire-to-wire this year…what an amazing accomplishment!

Congratulations to TalonsUpPuckDown who went with his gut instead of his heart this weekend. By picking the Lakers to sweep he vaulted past two contestants to claim the inaugural Bill Began trophy by .002 over Bronco Hockey Fan.
Code: 
Contestant         Pick %
TalonsUpPuckDown    .717
Bronco Hockey Fan   .715
giwan               .712
Congratulations to Critical Thinker who is our week 20 winner with 29 points and went 7-for-8 on picks this week along with 8 bonus points. With this performance, he has grabbed onto one of the coveted #1 playoff seeds. Well done, sir!

Congratulations to MTUHuskyGold who led the way with 9 bonus points this week. Here’s the bonus breakdown:
Code: 
Contestant       Points
MTUHuskyGold        9
Critical Thinker    8
Mbenecke            6
Iwearpurple         5
Potternmu           5
Atanarjuat          4
puckdude40          4
Soulbeaver          4
Bronco Hockey Fan   2
Footballguy51       2
Wi.HuskiesFan       2
Gochiefs            1
TalonsUpPuckDown    1

After a board meeting with the CCHA Pick ‘Em president, the decision has been made to pull the old WCHA Jeff Sauer trophy out of the storage locker and award it to the contestant with the highest number of bonus points. Congratulations to beaverhockeyfan who collected 43 bonus points this year! Sorry about the dent in the cup, apparently it was tossed haphazardly in the storage locker after last season. Here’s the top 5 bonus point getters (grammar check needed):
Code: 
Contestant      Bonus Points
Beaverhockeyfan     43
Critical Thinker    40
Soulbeaver          36
MTUHuskyGold        31
puckdude40          28

The final standings are shown below; the yearly bonus has been applied to the “This Week” column.

Thanks folks for a great year and congratulations to everyone who brought home some hardware. Now on to the playoffs!

 
Last edited:
The regional locations are now known and the brackets are set. It's Pick 'Em Playoff Time! By now you know what to do. For the playoffs, fill out both the first and second round games/bonus on the form. I'll update the brackets between rounds so everyone knows who advances. As we are now head-to-head, access to the response summaries and response details will be delayed until all entries have been submitted. Reminder that in all cases a tie goes to the higher seed. giwan, by virtue of winning a contest with 31 participants, receives an automatic bye to the second round.

The battle for the Mason Cup is on. Good luck!

First and second round picks

 
Let’s take a more detailed look at each regional starting with the Mankato bracket. But first, here's a link to this week's forms:

First and second round picks

giwan (1) Bye: As mentioned previously, our MacNaughton Cup winner had a season reminiscent of the 2005 White Sox also who led the pack from opening day to the final game of the season. Will giwan be able to close the deal with a Mason Cup win? A .712 pick percentage with 24 bonus points says there’s a pretty good chance.

gochiefs (16) vs. Soulbeaver (17): While only 3 points separated these contestants in the standings, the path each took to the statistical middle of the field was quite different. gochiefs finished the season with 13 top 10 weekly finishes, a .646 pick percentage and 23 bonus points. Soulbeaver captured 2 weekly wins along with 9 top 10 finishes, 36 bonus points and a .591 pick percentage. Strong picking vs. strong bonus play. One of the field’s most even matches is rated a pick ‘em.

Manurespreader (9) vs. <3_Blizzard (24): This bracket has its share of evenly matched contestants, and while this 9 vs. 24 matchup may seem to break the mold, remember that <3_Blizzard spotted the field 16 games which led to a lower-than-normal result in the standings. A .651 pick percentage, 19 bonus points, 9 top 10 finishes, and a weekly win goes up against Manurespreader’s 12 top 10 finishes (the best performance over the past 2 years!), 2 weekly wins, 20 bonus points and a .645 pick percentage. Draft Kings gives ‘Spreader a slight edge here.

beaverhockeyfan (8) vs. Atanarjuat (25): This match resembles a tale of two cities. On one hand, beaverhockeyfan took home a whopping 43 bonus points (and a slightly dented Jeff Sauer trophy) which more than compensated for a middling .607 pick percentage. Moreover, their place in the standings improved week-to-week starting out of the gate in 28th place and finishing in 8th. That’s the type of performance scouts are on the look for. On the other side, Atanarjuat was a model of consistency, rarely deviating from the lower quartile in the standings, but posting a comparable .604 pick percentage. The difference: only 15 bonus points. However, two weekly wins has betters mulling over the possibility of an upset in this match.
 
Next up, the Houghton bracket. But first, here's a link to this week's forms:

First and second round picks


TalonsUpPuckDown (2) vs. Maverick2009 (32): TUPD finally broke the hardware drought on the last week of the regular season by winning the Mason Cup in an incredibly close race. Good thing his picking this year was stellar because his bonus play of only 9 points was the second worst out of the entire field. What can you say about Maverick2009? No, seriously. I have no idea what to say here besides the fact that even though this late addition to the field doesn’t have much of a track record for the sports books to comb through, it’s probably an upset in the making.

potternmu (15) vs. njmav (18): This matchup is a study in commonality; each took a similar path to reach the statistical middle of the field. potternmu started the season on fire, cooled in the middle, then finished strong posting seven top 10 finishes. njmav started the season on fire, cooled in the middle, then finished strong posting 6 top 10 finishes and a win in week 1. With all things being relatively equal, this match will come down to njmav’s picking (.641 pick percentage) and bonus (8 points, worst in the field) versus potternmu’s bonus play (24 points) and picking (.623 pick percentage). One contestant’s strength is another’s weakness. Draft Kings lists this match as a tossup.

John J. MacInnes (10) vs. Wi.HuskiesFan (23): A couple of Husky fans go head-to-head in this matchup. John J. MacInnes posted an impressive resume this season. Three weekly wins, ten top 10 finishes, and a .647 pick percentage round out a solid performance. The only chink in the armor is a middling 18 bonus points. It’s been a bit of a hot and cold year for Wi.HuskiesFan. He either finished in the top 10 each week or the bottom 10. A .634 pick percentage is in the middle of the field, however, bonus play has been a strength for this contestant and 23 bonus points is nothing to shake a stick at. Dirk has his eye on this one.

MTUHuskyGold (7) vs. Footballguy51 (26): This is a very interesting matchup. On one hand, you have MTUHuskyGold who started a tad slow but steadily picked up momentum with each passing week. What’s not to like about a rock solid .671 pick percentage, 31(!) bonus points, and 11(!) top ten finishes? On the flip side, a .549 pick percentage and 20 bonus points may seem somewhat challenged. However, Footballguy51 made what has to be the Hail Mary pick of the season scoring double points for Ferris State’s week six upset over Mankato (and the only player to do so!) which led to the first of his two weekly wins. This match features “slow and steady” vs. “throw caution to the wind.”
 
Moving on to the Bemidji bracket. But first, here's a link to this week's forms:

First and second round picks

Critical Thinker (3) vs. Scrum Bucket (31): Aside from the first two weeks, top seed Critical Thinker spent the final 18 weeks in the top 10, and 10 of those weeks in the top 5. Helped along with two weekly wins and two weekly seconds and a balanced attack of 40 bonus points and a .651 pick percentage, this is one of the strongest contestants in the field. Scrum Bucket didn’t join the fray until week 7 and ran hot/cold throughout the balance of the season finishing 8 times in the top 10 but 5 times in the bottom 10. A .650 pick percentage foreshadows “what might have been,” so while on paper the differences look stark, in reality this match is tighter that it seems.

Deejpuck (14) vs. mikeeddy19 (19): Deejpuck started the season on fire coming in #1 the first two weeks (3 weekly wins in total), and spent nearly the entire season hovering near the statistical averages turning in a solid .639 pick percentage and 18 bonus points. mikeeddy19, who gets props for correctly predicting his playoff seed this year, took a different path spending 15 weeks in the top 10 before struggling down the stretch. A comparable .639 pick percentage and 23 bonus points makes this match a tossup unless mikeeddy19 can regain his mojo.

Icd80 (11) vs. SectionP (22): Finishing just outside of the top ten may bruise the ego a tad, but Icd80 still turned in a strong performance this season with a .671 pick percentage and 22 bonus points. Throw in eleven top 10 finishes and you start playing the “what if” game had he been eligible for the week 1 bonus. SectionP had two weekly wins and seven top 10 finishes but spent the final 15 weeks of the season in the third quartile of the field. With a pick percentage of .560 and 18 bonus points, SectionP will need to find another gear in order to advance.

SweenyHawksHockey (6) vs. Hockey John (27): The contestant with the longest screen name who plays every pick ‘em contest on the planet spent 9 consecutive weeks in the #2 spot chasing down giwan before struggling down the stretch. Even though a 6th place finish may be considered a down year, a .671 pick percentage and 25 bonus points still makes SweenyHawksHockey one of the most dangerous contestants in the field. Hockey John struggled to put it all together this season spending an uncharacteristic 18 weeks in the lower quartile of the standings. A .552 pick percentage and 16 bonus points makes the challenge of taking down the #6 seed daunting but now’s the time to get hot!
 
Last but not least the Soo bracket (which is far and away the toughest bracket this year). But first, the forms https://forms.gle/j7shnjAYt61t23uJ7

iwearpurple (4) vs. jpfalcon09 (29): The journey iwearpurple took to claim the regional top seed was non-traditional – started off white hot (first place after two weeks), stunk it up through the middle of the season (low point of 23rd in week 10), then caught fire down the stretch (4th place finish). Alongside a 31st place weekly finish came four weekly wins and four second place finishes with a .675 pick percentage and 27 bonus points. jpfalcon09 posted a respectable .596 pick percentage with 14 bonus points on only 16 weeks of casual play. Extrapolating these numbers into a full season make this matchup closer than it would appear at first glance.

mbenecke (13) vs. BillyLP (20): Has mbenecke lost some mojo? Finishing as the 13 seed has to be a disappointment as a .635 pick percentage is roughly 10 games off his traditional pace. His 22 bonus points tracks towards the middle of the field. BillyLP posted a .62 pick percentage but only 11 bonus points. However, 6 top 10 finishes and a weekly win gives some hope for an upset if mbenecke can’t capture that elusive mojo.

puckdude40 (12) vs. GoNanooks (21): A balanced attack of 28 bonus points and a .658 pick percentage explains puckdude40s two weekly wins and 8 top 10 finishes. GoNanooks hovered around 21st place for the balance of the season with a .620 pick percentage and 20 bonus points. Six top 10 finishes and a weekly win round out what looks to be a close match

Bronco Hockey Fan (5) vs. BGSURICK (28): The contestant coming out of the Soo bracket has to be a favorite to win the whole shebang. Bronco Hockey Fan spent the final 8 weeks of the season in the top 5 missing out on a #1 seed by only 3 points. Despite the whopping .715 pick percentage and 21 bonus points, that’s gotta sting a bit. Rounding out the field is BGSURICK who posted a .601 pick percentage with 24 bonus points but only played 17 weeks. An upset here will be difficult but not impossible.
 
What an exciting first round! First off, stick taps to Scrum Bucket and puckdude40 who each posted 14 points, the highest point total of the first round. We'll start with the most boring bracket, the Houghton bracket, where all the favorites advanced. TUPD and MTUHuskyGold each tied their way into the second round while potternmu and John J. MacInnes each dispensed with their first round opponents by actually winning their matches outright.

The only upset in the Mankato bracket saw Atanarjuat outlasting beaverhockeyfan 10-9. Higher seeds gochiefs and manurespreader each tied there way to the second round.

UPSET ALERT! In the Bemidji bracket, Scrum Bucket upset #1 seed Critical Thinker and Hockey John upset our Miami Stater SweeneyHawksHockey to advance to the second round. Favorites Deejpuck and Icd80 each advanced by identical 9-6 scores.

UPSET ALERT! The Soo bracket didn't disappoint as another #1 seed, iwearpurple, was upset by jpfalcon09 who will face off against fellow Falcon fan BillyLP who upset mbenecke. puckdude40 advances with a win over GoNanooks while Bronco Hockey Fan tied his way into the second round.

This was one of the more exciting first rounds I've seen in all the years I've been doing this. Let's keep it going. Second round is set for Saturday night. Here are the brackets after the first round.

 
Bump. I still don’t see picks from our MacNaughton Cup winner. 3h to puck drop for the second round. Feel free to post them here if need be.
 
The second round is in the books, let's look at how the matches played out. First off, stick taps to gochiefs who did the impossible and collected the maximum 17 points available this round and posted the high score. Probably got 1600 on the SATs too. Impressive, very well done!

The boring Houghton bracket lived down to everyone's expectations as the higher seeds both advanced. In another lackluster performance, TUPD tied his way to the quarterfinals over potternmu while MTUHuskyGold sent fellow Husky John J. MacInnes to the showers with, you guessed, another tie victory. The quarterfinal match from this bracket will likely be broadcast on The Ocho.

Moving to the Maknato bracket, gochiefs' 100% score was enough to send the overall #1 seed giwan home for the season. Atanarjuat completed the upsets in this bracket by besting Manurespreader by a 6 point margin. If you thought a 16-25 matchup would be the battle of the Cinderella stories, well, you'd be wrong because the Bemidji bracket has been turned upside down. The 31 seed Scrum Bucket dispatched Deejpuck 12-10 while the 27 seed Hockey John outlasted Icd80 by a score of 12-11.

Finally, in the Soo bracket, BillyLP tied his way to the quarterfinals over fellow Falcon jpfalcon09 while Bronco Hockey Fan also got the tie win over puckdude40.

Forms for the quarterfinals and semifinals will be made available at the conclusion of the Sunday games.

 
The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are now up. Due to the CCHA scheduling the next round as a 1-and-done rather than best-of-3 we will use the Bemidji/Tech game for our quarterfinals and the Northern/Mankato game for our semifinals. I know it's not ideal, but it'll have to do. Fill in both games and bonuses; we'll know who our two finalists are by the end of the evening.

Same as last week, access to the response summaries and response details will be delayed until all entries have been submitted. Reminder that in all cases a tie goes to the higher seed. Good luck!

Quarterfinal and semifinal picks
 
Quarterfinal and semifinal picks are in, here are the links.

View response summaries
View response details

Here's how the individual quarterfinal matches line up:
Code: 
Seed    Contestant        Pick            Away Goals    Home Goals     Shut Outs
16      gochiefs          Michigan Tech        2             4             0
25      Atanarjuat        Bemidji State        4             3             0

 2      TalonsUpPuckDown  Michigan Tech        2             3             0
 7      MTUHuskyGold      Michigan Tech        1             3             0

31      Hockey John       Michigan Tech        2             3             0
27      Scrum Bucket      Michigan Tech        2             4             0

20      BillyLP           Michigan Tech        2             4             0
 5      Bronco Hockey Fan Michigan Tech        2             4             0
Reminder that semifinal matches will also take place based on the Northern/Mankato game. Check the links to see who picked what for that game.
 
With the Beavers upsetting the Huskies in Houghton by a score of 5-2, the following contestants advance to the semifinal round:

#16 gochiefs: 1
#25 Atanarjuat: 6

#2 TalonsUpPuckDown: 2
#7 MTUHuskyGold: 2

#31 Scrum Bucket: 1
#27 Hockey John: 2

#20 BillyLP: 1
#5 Bronco Hockey Fan: 1

The semifinal matches, which will be decided by the Northern Michigan at Minnesota State game, are as follows:

#27 Hockey John vs. #2 TalonsUpPuckDown
#25 Atanarjuat vs. #5 Bronco Hockey Fan
 
The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are in the books. To recap the quarterfinals, Atanarjuat gets a round of stick taps for posting the most number of points in the quarterfinals and for sending gochiefs to the showers. This was also the biggest upset of the round. Elsewhere, in a battle of two top 10 seeds, TUPD tied his way into the semis over MTUHuskyGold, while in the battle of the two lowest seeds, Scrum Bucket's Cinderella run came to an end at the hands of Hockey John. In the final bracket, former WCHA Pick 'Em champ Bronco Hockey Fan tied his way to the semi's over BillyLP.

In the semifinal round, Atanarjuat shook up the world with a 5-4 upset of Bronco Hockey Fan while TUPD took out fellow AZZer Hockey John.

So, after 5,367 picks, it comes down to this - #25 Atanarjuat taking on #2 TUPD. Since I never expected something like this to happen, I wasn't quite prepared to deal with ensuring the integrity of the contest. To alleviate any concerns, I'll post my picks on the BG message board. Once Atanarjuat finishes picking, I'll post everything for all to see and contemplate.

Championship picks

 
I want to point out that as the #25 seed Atanarjuat has had to win outright every match and that by leveraging his #2 seeding TUPD has tied his way through 3-out-of-4 matches.
 
The stage is set. The final picks are in. As expected, it'll come down to the bonus -- how many goals Bemidji scores and the time of the game winning goal. Nothing to do now except drop the puck!

Code: 
                    TalonsUpPuckDown       Atanarjuat
Winner               Minnesota State    Minnesota State
Goals: Away Team            1                  2
Goals: Home Team            4                  4
Time of GWG                25                 42
 
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