DIII NCAA pairing speculation

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

One thing we rarely hear about is how the structure of DIII women's hockey puts such tremendous pressure on these girls to win every game. Imagine how different Amherst's season could have been if they had gotten a split up at RIT after playing well enough to win. How different Plattsburgh's year could have been if the ref's hadn't given Amherst a 5 on 3 late in the third period with Platty leading 1-0. The list could go on, but the fact is that with only two at-large bids the pressure starts in November and never lets up.

You're correct.

Unfortunately the size of the NCAA Tournament field has not kept up the pace with how fast the D-III women's game is growing. This year shows its even more evident that overall talent pool is growing exponentially.

No longer are there just 4-5 teams you can pick that you know will be there in the end to win it.

This year, you could probably make a case for 10-15 teams being good enough to be in the tournament and have a chance to win it with the right bounce of the puck.

When Amherst, Elmira, and Plattsburgh are all missing the tournament, that's incredible.

Hopefully we can find three more teams soon and at least get one more team into the tournament to expand the field to eight to make it a little better.

It wouldn't shock me if teams like the University of New England, Brockport, Geneseo, SUNY Canton, Fredonia, Stout, MSOE etc looked into it.

Also, I know on the men's side Saint Anselm and Saint Michael's have two years to get classified as D-III teams so that the games count or they are out of the ECAC East. There's two teams right there if they move down to D-III from D-II.

 

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Guess I'll see if 54 wants to get a foursome together!!
Time to hit the links...see y'all in the Fall!!

Easy there Seyless...still some hockey to be played and enjoyed by the EC faithful as the Elmira Soaring Eagles Men's team (17-6-4) have advanced to the quarter finals and travel to Adrian (yes... Adrian) this weekend. A win gets them to the Final Four at Ridder in Minny.

Funny thing that.

At Elmira we always seem to get the opportunity to Seymorehockey...one way or the other.

 

[Phil D. Stands]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

I'm guessing that some people in Plattsburgh are thinking about the disallowed goal in the Midd/Norwich game right about now?

http://community.middlebury.edu/~foph/windex.html

go ahead -- torture yourself... women's link -- video of Norwich game highlights includes disallowed goal --- also check out the Elmira game video if you want to blame refs -- they are part of the rink infrastructure unfortunately and "it is what it is" -- a similar goal was allowed in the Trinity-Amherst semi-final game Saturday -- intent was there if not the actual kicking motion -- we all see what we want to see. My D in net -- no goal. My D scoring -- I gotta have it.

 

[frosty2114]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

What do you mean "again"?


Powers &8^]

on 1/21/11 when Plattsburgh was visiting RIT, Plattsburgh was winning 2-1 at the 17:53 mark in the third when a mysterious "roughing" call was made on Kate Fairfield. I say mysterious because she had the puck.....Anyway, RIT pulled their goalie and scored a 6 on 4 goal with 56 seconds left in the game, to tie it up. Strangely similar to what happened in Sunday's game. The fact that the ref gave Plattsburgh the extra minor with the hitting after the whistle debacle, is ridiculous. There were so many girls shoving and pushing after the whistle, on both teams, there is no way that either team should have been given an extra minor, in a situation like that, in a game in which there was so much at stake. Yet the refs gave the extra minor to PSU.
Also, Saturday when Utica was playing RIT, there was a holding penalty on Utica at the 17:41 mark in the third, and RIT scored with 39 seconds left in the game, basically killing any chance Utica might have to tie up the game. I didn't watch this game, so I don't know if the Utica player was really holding, but it just seems odd to me.

 

[SeymoreHockey]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Easy there Seyless...still some hockey to be played and enjoyed by the EC faithful as the Elmira Soaring Eagles Men's team (17-6-4) have advanced to the quarter finals and travel to Adrian (yes... Adrian) this weekend. A win gets them to the Final Four at Ridder in Minny.

Funny thing that.

At Elmira we always seem to get the opportunity to Seymorehockey...one way or the other.

Oh...Platty Men are in the NCAA tourney too...but I dont really care too much about that...too busy working to keep my handicap under 5.
But you can hang on if you wish there Cowboy!! TTFN...

 

[SeymoreHockey]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Easy there Seyless...still some hockey to be played and enjoyed by the EC faithful as the Elmira Soaring Eagles Men's team (17-6-4) have advanced to the quarter finals and travel to Adrian (yes... Adrian) this weekend. A win gets them to the Final Four at Ridder in Minny.

Funny thing that.

At Elmira we always seem to get the opportunity to Seymorehockey...one way or the other.

In case you get bored there in the wild west...check this out too...

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Committee announced the 11 teams set to compete of the NCAA Division III championship Monday morning.

Plattsburgh State, who earned an automatic bid to the tournament as the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) champions, received a first-round bye and will host an NCAA quarterfinal game on Saturday, Mar. 12 at 7 p.m.

The tournament begins Wednesday, Mar. 9 with three first-round games. The Cardinals will host the winner of the Curry/Norwich first-round matchup, which will be held at Norwich University.

The Cardinals are making their fourth straight appearance and NCAA-record 19th overall in the tournament.

 

[LtPowers]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

One thing we rarely hear about is how the structure of DIII women's hockey puts such tremendous pressure on these girls to win every game. Imagine how different Amherst's season could have been if they had gotten a split up at RIT after playing well enough to win. How different Plattsburgh's year could have been if the ref's hadn't given Amherst a 5 on 3 late in the third period with Platty leading 1-0. The list could go on, but the fact is that with only two at-large bids the pressure starts in November and never lets up.

It's not just the number of at-large bids, it's also the disparity in talent. When you have so many teams with only 3 or 4 losses, any one loss could be the one that knocks you out of the tournament. More equitable talent across the board would result in more wins for the poor teams and more losses for the good teams -- so if you lose a game, you don't have to worry about winning out to make the tournament. And a loss in a conference title game after an otherwise stellar season doesn't mean you get left home.


Powers &8^]

 

[RIT Fan]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

on 1/21/11 when Plattsburgh was visiting RIT, Plattsburgh was winning 2-1 at the 17:53 mark in the third when a mysterious "roughing" call was made on Kate Fairfield. I say mysterious because she had the puck.....Anyway, RIT pulled their goalie and scored a 6 on 4 goal with 56 seconds left in the game, to tie it up. Strangely similar to what happened in Sunday's game. The fact that the ref gave Plattsburgh the extra minor with the hitting after the whistle debacle, is ridiculous. There were so many girls shoving and pushing after the whistle, on both teams, there is no way that either team should have been given an extra minor, in a situation like that, in a game in which there was so much at stake. Yet the refs gave the extra minor to PSU.
Also, Saturday when Utica was playing RIT, there was a holding penalty on Utica at the 17:41 mark in the third, and RIT scored with 39 seconds left in the game, basically killing any chance Utica might have to tie up the game. I didn't watch this game, so I don't know if the Utica player was really holding, but it just seems odd to me.

Ok, since you're not letting this go...

I saw all 3 games this weekend in the corner opposite of the crew, where most of those calls came from.
Scrum in front was probably going to be even until Platty goalie punched Dagg in the face with her blocker, that's the extra call. I believe the box score is written wrong, it should be mackrel - roughing - served by...
Last Platty penalty called on Shaubel when she backhand punched Stack in the corner when the puck wasn't anywhere near. Easy call for the ref.

Utica game, you fail to mention RIT was winning the game already, when the "holding" penalty was called it should have read "bear hugged and tackled to the ice" because the RIT forward was going to walk in on a breakaway. But I guess reading the box score for some people gives you a greater understanding of the game.

Platty-Neumann game - no mention of the two calls against Neumann to give the Cards 2 PPs in the last 5min when its 1-1.
Hmmm...I guess we all see the game a certain way. Oh wait, how about the high sticking goal from Moon to put Platty up 2-1 on the PP with 1min to go. I guess the ref was okay calling that because it favored your team.

It was three great games this weekend. All four teams played their hearts out. Leave it at that and move on.

 

[spwood]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Ok, since you're not letting this go...

I saw all 3 games this weekend in the corner opposite of the crew, where most of those calls came from.
Scrum in front was probably going to be even until Platty goalie punched Dagg in the face with her blocker, that's the extra call. I believe the box score is written wrong, it should be mackrel - roughing - served by...
Last Platty penalty called on Shaubel when she backhand punched Stack in the corner when the puck wasn't anywhere near. Easy call for the ref.

Utica game, you fail to mention RIT was winning the game already, when the "holding" penalty was called it should have read "bear hugged and tackled to the ice" because the RIT forward was going to walk in on a breakaway. But I guess reading the box score for some people gives you a greater understanding of the game.

Platty-Neumann game - no mention of the two calls against Neumann to give the Cards 2 PPs in the last 5min when its 1-1.
Hmmm...I guess we all see the game a certain way. Oh wait, how about the high sticking goal from Moon to put Platty up 2-1 on the PP with 1min to go. I guess the ref was okay calling that because it favored your team.

It was three great games this weekend. All four teams played their hearts out. Leave it at that and move on.

Ok...Sorry...now that we have an unbiased opinion we can all move on.....

 

[frosty2114]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Ok, since you're not letting this go...

I saw all 3 games this weekend in the corner opposite of the crew, where most of those calls came from.
Scrum in front was probably going to be even until Platty goalie punched Dagg in the face with her blocker, that's the extra call. I believe the box score is written wrong, it should be mackrel - roughing - served by...
Last Platty penalty called on Shaubel when she backhand punched Stack in the corner when the puck wasn't anywhere near. Easy call for the ref.

Utica game, you fail to mention RIT was winning the game already, when the "holding" penalty was called it should have read "bear hugged and tackled to the ice" because the RIT forward was going to walk in on a breakaway. But I guess reading the box score for some people gives you a greater understanding of the game.

Platty-Neumann game - no mention of the two calls against Neumann to give the Cards 2 PPs in the last 5min when its 1-1.
Hmmm...I guess we all see the game a certain way. Oh wait, how about the high sticking goal from Moon to put Platty up 2-1 on the PP with 1min to go. I guess the ref was okay calling that because it favored your team.

It was three great games this weekend. All four teams played their hearts out. Leave it at that and move on.

Ok, in my defense....I was letting it go, until RT Powers asked me what I meant by "again" I felt I had to explain myself.
I wasn't AT the game on Sunday, but I was watching it.....am I biased in favor of Plattsburgh, without a doubt, just like you are biased in favor of RIT.
I never said that the penalty against Shaubel wasn't justified....It was. Bottom line, we didn't kill the penalty like we should have, and she never should have taken the penalty in that situation.
My biggest gripe was the extra minor tacked onto PSU in the hitting after the whistle calls. I am pretty sure that Mackrell didn't just haul off and hit Dagg in the face for no reason...Wait, I am pretty sure Dagg was in there throwing punches too. THAT was my issue. There was shoving and pushing and punching going on from all directions and just because the ref saw Mackrel defend herself, doesn't mean that there wasn't a whole bunch of crap that proceeded it. Matching minors would have been sufficient, in that situation, in that magnitude of a game.
Yes, Utica was losing, but when the penalty was called with that little time left in the game... even if they would have been able to kill it, would have left them virtually no time to try and tie the game. As I said I didn't see the game, and I am sure there are some Utica fans who have a different perspective of the holding call than what you have.
I didn't mention the Neumann vs. Plattsburgh game, because I couldn't watch that game. And the Utica vs. RIT game, I also did not watch, but I was following live stats.
Basically, I am not stating anything derogitory against RIT....you get calls for you and calls against you. Sometimes the puck bounces your way, and sometimes it doesn't. RIT had a great season and they deserve to be ECAC West Champs.
I guess I am mostly upset that Plattsburgh's season is over, while Norwich not only gets to move on, they are automatically in the frozen four.
I was just making an observation about the reffing in the three games I saw Plattsburgh vs. RIT, and perhaps we can agree that the officiating at this level leaves something to be desired.
Yes, all four teams deserve a big pat on the back for a job well done, and I am not taking anything away from RIT. Plattsburgh had their opportunities and didn't capitalize on them. If they had found a way to win on Sunday, it would be an entirely different story today.

Cheers and good luck to your team in the NCAA's!

 

[CARDS_rule_the_Burgh]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Ok, in my defense....I was letting it go, until RT Powers asked me what I meant by "again" I felt I had to explain myself.
I wasn't AT the game on Sunday, but I was watching it.....am I biased in favor of Plattsburgh, without a doubt, just like you are biased in favor of RIT.
I never said that the penalty against Shaubel wasn't justified....It was. Bottom line, we didn't kill the penalty like we should have, and she never should have taken the penalty in that situation.
My biggest gripe was the extra minor tacked onto PSU in the hitting after the whistle calls. I am pretty sure that Mackrell didn't just haul off and hit Dagg in the face for no reason...Wait, I am pretty sure Dagg was in there throwing punches too. THAT was my issue. There was shoving and pushing and punching going on from all directions and just because the ref saw Mackrel defend herself, doesn't mean that there wasn't a whole bunch of crap that proceeded it. Matching minors would have been sufficient, in that situation, in that magnitude of a game.
Yes, Utica was losing, but when the penalty was called with that little time left in the game... even if they would have been able to kill it, would have left them virtually no time to try and tie the game. As I said I didn't see the game, and I am sure there are some Utica fans who have a different perspective of the holding call than what you have.
I didn't mention the Neumann vs. Plattsburgh game, because I couldn't watch that game. And the Utica vs. RIT game, I also did not watch, but I was following live stats.
Basically, I am not stating anything derogitory against RIT....you get calls for you and calls against you. Sometimes the puck bounces your way, and sometimes it doesn't. RIT had a great season and they deserve to be ECAC West Champs.
I guess I am mostly upset that Plattsburgh's season is over, while Norwich not only gets to move on, they are automatically in the frozen four.
I was just making an observation about the reffing in the three games I saw Plattsburgh vs. RIT, and perhaps we can agree that the officiating at this level leaves something to be desired.
Yes, all four teams deserve a big pat on the back for a job well done, and I am not taking anything away from RIT. Plattsburgh had their opportunities and didn't capitalize on them. If they had found a way to win on Sunday, it would be an entirely different story today.

Cheers and good luck to your team in the NCAA's!

Wasn't at any of the games in question, so I can't comment on what did or didn't happen, but as for the extra minor by the goalie... it doesn't matter if the goalie had a reason to or not, and it does not matter what else was going on at the time. Any ref will tell you that the moment a goaltender becomes involved in a scrum, the whole situation becomes different. The reason? Well, put yourself in the skaters' eyes. Existing fight or not, if you see your goalie take a swipe at somebody, and that player reacts and hits your goalie back, how are you going to react? "Oh well Mandy, you started it, now you've gotta finish it?" ABSOLUTELY NOT! You're going to get in there and protect your goaltender. That's where the situation can get out of control and dangerous. And that's why a referee is always going to make the call when a goaltender throws a hit.

I've personally seen two specific scenarios where this came into play.

One scenario: Team 1 Goalie got boarded, ref made the call, Team 1 D got in there and facewashed the player, and the goalie came back and threw a punch. Team 2 Player got the boarding call, Team 1 D got the DQ for the facewashing, and the Team 1 goalie got a 5minute for unsportsmanlike conduct. Ref flat-out said he was just going to call the boarding, until the goalie threw a punch in.

Second scenario: Team 1 Player takes a cheap shot at a D, ref makes the call. During the delayed penalty, Team 2 pulls the goalie as play continues up the ice. On his way to the bench, the goalie gives the player who took the cheapshot a "love tap" on the back of the leg with the stick. The player immediately drops to the ground, sliding across the ice (clearly trying to sell it a little). The player got his penalty, and the Goalie got a Game Misconduct. Ref said he knew it wasn't much of a hit, but he had to throw the goalie out because he KNEW things would get out of hand with the goalie involved in hostilities.


Bottom line: goalies are treated differently, and it's not always to their advantage. While I wasn't there, and acknowledge that I can't comment on what actually occurred, if what you and the other poster have said is true, then I would have to say the extra minor to Plattsburgh was the least he could have done. He would have been well within his right judgement to give a 5, 10, or even game to Mandy if she really threw a swing at someone during a scrum, depending on the severity of the situation and the hit she gave.

 

[Plugger]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Ok...Sorry...now that we have an unbiased opinion we can all move on.....

That is funny, but I agree with your assessment, I would not expect a different opinion from a RIT fan

 

[videohockey]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Ok, in my defense....I was letting it go, until RT Powers asked me what I meant by "again" I felt I had to explain myself.
I wasn't AT the game on Sunday, but I was watching it.....am I biased in favor of Plattsburgh, without a doubt, just like you are biased in favor of RIT.
I never said that the penalty against Shaubel wasn't justified....It was. Bottom line, we didn't kill the penalty like we should have, and she never should have taken the penalty in that situation.
My biggest gripe was the extra minor tacked onto PSU in the hitting after the whistle calls. I am pretty sure that Mackrell didn't just haul off and hit Dagg in the face for no reason...Wait, I am pretty sure Dagg was in there throwing punches too. THAT was my issue. There was shoving and pushing and punching going on from all directions and just because the ref saw Mackrel defend herself, doesn't mean that there wasn't a whole bunch of crap that proceeded it. Matching minors would have been sufficient, in that situation, in that magnitude of a game.
Yes, Utica was losing, but when the penalty was called with that little time left in the game... even if they would have been able to kill it, would have left them virtually no time to try and tie the game. As I said I didn't see the game, and I am sure there are some Utica fans who have a different perspective of the holding call than what you have.
I didn't mention the Neumann vs. Plattsburgh game, because I couldn't watch that game. And the Utica vs. RIT game, I also did not watch, but I was following live stats.
Basically, I am not stating anything derogitory against RIT....you get calls for you and calls against you. Sometimes the puck bounces your way, and sometimes it doesn't. RIT had a great season and they deserve to be ECAC West Champs.
I guess I am mostly upset that Plattsburgh's season is over, while Norwich not only gets to move on, they are automatically in the frozen four.
I was just making an observation about the reffing in the three games I saw Plattsburgh vs. RIT, and perhaps we can agree that the officiating at this level leaves something to be desired.
Yes, all four teams deserve a big pat on the back for a job well done, and I am not taking anything away from RIT. Plattsburgh had their opportunities and didn't capitalize on them. If they had found a way to win on Sunday, it would be an entirely different story today.

Cheers and good luck to your team in the NCAA's!

Don't apologize

 

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

In case you get bored there in the wild west...check this out too...

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Committee announced the 11 teams set to compete of the NCAA Division III championship Monday morning.

Plattsburgh State, who earned an automatic bid to the tournament as the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) champions, received a first-round bye and will host an NCAA quarterfinal game on Saturday, Mar. 12 at 7 p.m.

The tournament begins Wednesday, Mar. 9 with three first-round games. The Cardinals will host the winner of the Curry/Norwich first-round matchup, which will be held at Norwich University.

The Cardinals are making their fourth straight appearance and NCAA-record 19th overall in the tournament.

Excellent reporting Seyless...you can cut and paste with the best of em...

Notice the article didn't mention that your boys finished 4th in their league and failed to beat the # 1 team in the league yet ended up the # 2 seed and the luxury of hosting!

Geez...your Cards are kinda like the *Norwich Women of D3 Men`s hockey....anointed.

Any who...Good Luck and maybe we see a Platty-Elmira matchup yet. Wouldn`t that be something!

 

[SeymoreHockey]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Any who...Good Luck and maybe we see a Platty-Elmira matchup yet. Wouldn`t that be something!

You mean like when my D and Cubberly ended up on the same CWHL team??? YIKES!! That was "uncomfortable"...for a while anyway! Then it was good.

 

[Phil D. Stands]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

I guess I am mostly upset that Plattsburgh's season is over, while Norwich not only gets to move on, they are automatically in the frozen four.

PLATTSBURGH, NY --- Coach Houle announces the inaugural "Platty Plush" Tournament, Nov. 1-3, 2011 at Stafford Arena. Invitees are Chatham, Plymouth State, and Wesleyan set to play against the host Cardinals. Houle offered this statement, "in recognition of the growing parity in D3 Women's Hockey, we are trying to take advantage of the diverse talent and competitiveness that's out there to showcase good women's hockey. We've replaced the Cardinal-Panther Classic with this new-look tourney since it highlights the lesser-known fresh faces of our growing sport. Last season's results showed that strength-of-schedule is overrated and that these kind of games appeal to the fans and judges. The fans want fireworks and flash, and this tournament will have it all -- with luck, goal differential, total goals and total wins will be the steroid bump that this sport needs to boost interest and profits." He went on the comment, "if this outing goes well, we might be able to schedule a follow-up Platty Plush II in February 2012 to keep numbers up. After all, who really cares about a #1 SOS versus a #13 SOS when you're racking up the wins? Go Cards!"

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

PLATTSBURGH, NY --- Coach Houle announces the inaugural "Platty Plush" Tournament, Nov. 1-3, 2011 at Stafford Arena. Invitees are Chatham, Plymouth State, and Wesleyan set to play against the host Cardinals. Houle offered this statement, "in recognition of the growing parity in D3 Women's Hockey, we are trying to take advantage of the diverse talent and competitiveness that's out there to showcase good women's hockey. We've replaced the Cardinal-Panther Classic with this new-look tourney since it highlights the lesser-known fresh faces of our growing sport. Last season's results showed that strength-of-schedule is overrated and that these kind of games appeal to the fans and judges. The fans want fireworks and flash, and this tournament will have it all -- with luck, goal differential, total goals and total wins will be the steroid bump that this sport needs to boost interest and profits." He went on the comment, "if this outing goes well, we might be able to schedule a follow-up Platty Plush II in February 2012 to keep numbers up. After all, who really cares about a #1 SOS versus a #13 SOS when you're racking up the wins? Go Cards!"

Let's keep this in context a little bit here. Norwich isn't exactly some joe-schmo off the street that sneaked into the tournament. Norwich split with Plattsburgh this season and severely outplayed them in the game they lost on every place but the scoreboard.

Norwich can't control its conference schedule. They play who they have to play and they got five wins taken away in the primary criteria because of D-II and D-I teams in their league.

The Cadets scheduled one of the most, if not the most aggressive out of conference schedule this year with two games against Plattsburgh, and one against RIT, Elmira, Trinity, Amherst, and Middlebury. You can't get better than that out of league.

Lastly, I thought Plattsburgh was going to get in. I thought their SOS advantage would be the tie-breaker. But, if you look at the secondary criteria, Norwich wins in that and that legitimizes the choice of Norwich.

 

[hahaha]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

PLATTSBURGH, NY --- Coach Houle announces the inaugural "Platty Plush" Tournament, Nov. 1-3, 2011 at Stafford Arena. Invitees are Chatham, Plymouth State, and Wesleyan set to play against the host Cardinals. Houle offered this statement, "in recognition of the growing parity in D3 Women's Hockey, we are trying to take advantage of the diverse talent and competitiveness that's out there to showcase good women's hockey. We've replaced the Cardinal-Panther Classic with this new-look tourney since it highlights the lesser-known fresh faces of our growing sport. Last season's results showed that strength-of-schedule is overrated and that these kind of games appeal to the fans and judges. The fans want fireworks and flash, and this tournament will have it all -- with luck, goal differential, total goals and total wins will be the steroid bump that this sport needs to boost interest and profits." He went on the comment, "if this outing goes well, we might be able to schedule a follow-up Platty Plush II in February 2012 to keep numbers up. After all, who really cares about a #1 SOS versus a #13 SOS when you're racking up the wins? Go Cards!"

+10

 

[SeymoreHockey]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Let's keep this in context a little bit here. Norwich isn't exactly some joe-schmo off the street that sneaked into the tournament. Norwich split with Plattsburgh this season and severely outplayed them in the game they lost on every place but the scoreboard.

Norwich can't control its conference schedule. They play who they have to play and they got five wins taken away in the primary criteria because of D-II and D-I teams in their league.

The Cadets scheduled one of the most, if not the most aggressive out of conference schedule this year with two games against Plattsburgh, and one against RIT, Elmira, Trinity, Amherst, and Middlebury. You can't get better than that out of league.

Lastly, I thought Plattsburgh was going to get in. I thought their SOS advantage would be the tie-breaker. But, if you look at the secondary criteria, Norwich wins in that and that legitimizes the choice of Norwich.

Remind me, who signs your pay cheque??

 

[Mr. Kitty]

Re: DIII NCAA pairing speculation

Lastly, I thought Plattsburgh was going to get in. I thought their SOS advantage would be the tie-breaker. But, if you look at the secondary criteria, Norwich wins in that and that legitimizes the choice of Norwich.

True, true -- but as always...the truth of a coin flip hurts more than a demonstrated difference after so many games and close contests and might have beens.

In a related development:

Plattsburgh, NY -- President John Ettling announced a temporary name change for the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. "Mount Plattsburgh State University" is acclaimed as the new moniker until the Board of Governors approves a more comprehensive new name ("Art Institute at Plattsburgh"). Said Ettling, "viewing the strong performance and history and effort of our athletic programs, we chose to enhance our chances for post-season play with the NCAA by improving our standing in tertiary criteria (alphabetical order). You can't dance if you don't get the chance, and Mount Plattsburgh expects to be first in line in the future. With a renewed focus on art in the future, we expect to add a nice wall hanging museum and offer fifth-year programs for our older, more experienced players from other countries who haven't had the same benefits that a more limited four year program offers."