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WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

T

TalonsUpPuckDown

Roll along you BG Warriors!
The fight for the Jeff Sauer Trophy begins in a couple weeks. Time to get the WCHA Pick 'Em Playoff thread open for business.

Playoff Seeding
Due to this year’s expansive field, the top 32 players will make the playoffs. Matches are head-to-head, single elimination with snake seeding for bracket pairings (1 vs. 32, 2 vs. 31, etc.). Seeding and tie breakers are determined in the following manner based on regular season results:
1) Total Points (including bonus)
2) Points (excluding bonus)
3) Total Points earned during the final 2 (or 3, or 4, or…) weeks of the WCHA regular season including bonuses until the tie is broken. Basically the “hotter” player down the stretch is favored.

Playoff Rounds
o First round will be based on the Friday, March 8 WCHA Quarterfinal playoff games with bonuses (4 games total, field reduced from 32 to 16).
o Second round will be based on the Saturday, March 9 WCHA Quarterfinal playoff games with bonuses (4 games total, field reduced from 16 to 8)
o Quarterfinals will be based on the Friday, March 15 WCHA Semifinal playoff games with bonuses (2 games total, field reduced from 8 to 4).
o Semifinals will be based on the Saturday, March 16 WCHA Semifinal playoff games with bonuses (2 games total, field reduced from 4 to 2).
o The championship matchup will be based on the WCHA Championship game on March 23 plus bonuses.

Scoring
o Same as the regular season other than games won’t end in a tie so 3 pts for a win, 0 pts for a loss.
o 2-3 bonus questions for each round worth 1-5 points.
o In all cases, ties go to the higher seed.
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

WCHA Pick ‘Em Bracketology. Based on week 19 results, here’s who’s in and what the pairings would be.

<img src="https://jefffrederick.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Bracketology-19-1.png" alt="";">
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

WCHA Pick ‘Em Bracketology. Based on week 20 results, here’s who’s in and what the pairings would be.

<img src="https://jefffrederick.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Bracketology-20.png" alt="WCHA Pick Em Bracketology";">
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

The field of 32 is set. You know what to do, win or go home.

Select games/bonus for both the first and second rounds. I'll try to post results after Friday night's contests so the field can see who advances to the Saturday night games.

Since we are now mano-a-mano I will only be posting a link to the response summaries, not the response details (sorry Wi.HuskiesFan). Good luck!

Playoff Rounds 1 and 2
View response summaries

<img src="https://jefffrederick.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Bracketology-21.png" alt="WCHA Pick Em Bracketology";">
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

There are some very interesting and compelling first-round match ups in the field of 32, let's take a look. First up is the Mankato bracket.

#1 Bronco Hockey Fan vs. #32 Jbakerifm – Bronco Hockey Fan exploded onto the college hockey pick ‘em scene this year with a take-no-prisoners approach that brought home both the McNaughton and Mason Cups with a top performance in both points (438) and bonus points (49). The overall #1 seed in this year’s field will be challenged by Jbakerifm who comes into the playoffs as the #32 seed after missing out on submitting picks during 2 of the last 3 weeks. However, a solid .654 points percentage coupled with 3 first place weekly finishes makes this match-up a lot closer than it would seem at first glance.

#8 IceKnight81 vs. #25 MTUHuskyGold – Looking at the numbers, this is one of the more intriguing first round matchups. Both players have roughly the same top-10 weekly finishes (6 vs. 7) and similar bonus points (12 vs. 15). While both players are above the field average in consistency, IceKnight81 has a slight edge in this category (std dev of .125 vs. .144) and a higher points percentage (.665 vs. .597). However, the bonus is the equalizer. When MTUHuskyGold hits on the bonus, it’s for bigger points. This will be a good match-up to watch.

#9 beaverhockeyfan vs. #24 hawerchuck – Each of these players found themselves in the same regional last year; each faced a first round knockout. beaverhockeyfan posted solid numbers in key categories (.643 win percentage, 9 top-10 weekly finishes) but was average in the bonus. Hawerchuck continues last year’s trend of scoring more points when there are fewer weekly games and was sixth in bonus picking.

#16 Soulbeaver vs. #17 BGFan – The journey these players took to land smack dab in the middle of the field was a study in opposites. Soulbeaver was #2 in the bonus (42) but was tied for last in points percentage (.585). BGFan struggled with the bonus (9) but posted a slightly above average points percentage (.635). Who has the upper hand in this one? Anybody’s guess…a true Pick ‘Em pick ‘em.


Playoff Rounds 1 and 2
View response summaries
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

Up next is the Marquette bracket.

#2 gochiefs vs. #31 Hatch_man – While missing out on the Mason Cup by .003 points has to sting a bit, gochiefs’ near perfect pick percentage (.689) coupled with strong bonus picking (28) makes a deep run in the playoffs a strong possibility. After just missing out on last year’s playoffs and spending the last 5 weeks of the season flirting with the cut line, Hatch_man dug deep when it counted posting a strong showing throughout the year with 7 top-10 weekly finishes.

#7 potternmu vs. #26 UAFIceAngel – pottermnu had a successful regular season with 9 top-10 weekly finishes including two first place weeks, a strong .662 pick percentage and 15 bonus points. The only chink in the armor comes in consistency week-to-week. One player’s weakness is another’s strength with UAFIceAngel clocking in as the second most consistent picker in the field. Couple this consistency with a solid 18 bonus points and look out…this will be one to watch.

#10 kckrieg84 vs. #23 BGSURICK – The third match in the North Regional sees a couple of AZZ posters going head-to-head. While both players ended with identical bonus points (12), kckrieg84 had a solid pick percentage (649) and 9 top-10 finishes. However, from week 9 on, BGSURICK improved his rank each week and is the only player in the field to have done so.

#15 mbenecke vs. #18 Deejpuck – Last year’s ROY mbenecke seems to have suffered from a sophomore slump but don’t count him out. He led the field in picking consistency which means his pick percentage of .624 sets the mark you have to beat to knock him off. While Deejpuck struggled mightily with coaching frustration at his alma mater, it did not get in the way of a solid performance with a .618 pick percentage and a week 7 first place finish.


Playoff Rounds 1 and 2
View response summaries
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

On to the East regional.

#3 SweeneyHawksHockey vs. #30 cajunuahfan – It’s telling when finishing as the #3 seed is considered having a “down” year, but last year’s McNaughton and Mason Cup winner (and 2018-19 AHC Pick ‘Em champion!) SweeneyHawksHockey has to feel like he let one slip through his fingers. He ranked in the top 10 for 20 out of 21 weeks and was in either first or second place for 17 of those weeks. Facing off against arguably the most formidable pick ‘em picker on the USCHO boards is cajunuahfan who made the greatest homer pick this season (only player to pick UAH to upset Bemidji in week 10) and is singularly responsible for nearly 10% of the total UAH picks this year. You gotta respect that.

#6 GoNanooks vs. #27 mikeeddy19 – While there is a big difference in total points between these two players, the numbers tell a much different story. GoNanooks and mikeeddy19 have nearly identical bonus points (23 vs. 20), pick percentage (.659 vs. .672), first place weekly finishes (1 each), and top 10 finishes (8 vs. 7). The difference? mikeeddy19 spotted the field 26 games over weeks 1 and 2 which capped his total possible points. Another good matchup.

#11 Wi.HuskiesFan vs. #22 puckdude40 – As last year’s “King of the Bonus” you would expect defending Jeff Sauer Champion Wi.HuskiesFan to emerge as a strong bonus contender this year. Surprisingly, his bonus picking this year was towards the middle of the field (23). However, he only finished towards the back of the pack twice in 21 weeks of picking and is one of the most consistent pickers in the field which lays out a solid case for repeating as champion. With only two top-10 weekly finishes, puckdude40’s strong bonus picking (37) overcame a .592 pick percentage. Strength vs. weakness…this matchup could come down to the wire.

#14 John J. MacInnes vs. #19 crossjcek – Another very even matchup on paper; basically a statistical tie in key categories. Only 8 points separated these players in the final standings. John J. MacInnes leads in pick percentage by .001 (.637 vs. .636), bonus points (12 vs. 8), top-10 finishes (7 vs. 5), and weekly wins (2 vs. 1). However, crossjcek is the runner up from last year with a track record of showing up when it counts. This is the most competitive first round matchup in the field of 32.

Side note: GoNanooks and John J. MacInnes faced off against each other in the first round of last year’s playoffs with GoNanooks prevailing. Then, GoNanooks went on to upset SweeneyHawksHockey in the second round before being taken out by crossjcek in the semifinals. crossjcek was then bested by Wi.HuskiesFan in the championship match! It’s safe to say this has the potential to be the “Bracket of Revenge…”


Playoff Rounds 1 and 2
View response summaries
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

Finally, the West regional

#4 TalonsUpPuckDown vs. #29 klbaum1077 – A couple of Ohio players with Toledo connections go head-to-head in the first round. TUPD repeats as a #4 seed (though it did no good last year as he was easily bounced in the first round) once again starting out last and slowly working his way towards the front of the pack. Bonus picking is the weak spot in his game (13) making him highly vulnerable to an upset. Unfortunately, klbaum1077 brought up the rear in bonus picking (4). However, a very respectable .633 pick percentage and 6 top-10 finishes is more than enough firepower to advance.

#5 GIWAN vs. #28 Section P – After challenging for the Mason Cup for most of the second half of the season, GIWAN enters the playoffs as one of the most formidable players in the field. A attack comprised of bonus picking (38 – good for third), a top-5 pick percentage of .683, and eleven top-10 weekly finishes (including two weekly wins) makes for a tough opponent. However, while Section P’s pick percentage is .590, bonus picking is solid (32) and the overall rank has improved each week for the past 5 weeks (hot streak!).

#12 Laker Dude vs. #21 Icd80 – Not a lot separates these two players. Laker Dude started the season white hot before cooling a bit through the middle of the season only to pick up the pace the last 3 weeks. Strong bonus picking (36 – good for fifth) should be an advantage. Icd80 also has strong bonus numbers (24 – good for twelfth) and 9 top-10 finishes (including one weekly win).

#13 <3_Blizzard vs. #20 Critical Thinker – Our final pairing sees <3_Blizzard ahead in bonus (30 vs. 14) and top-10 weekly finishes (9 with two weekly wins) while Critical Thinker leads in pick percentage (.621 vs. .611). Down the stretch over the last 5 weeks neither player seemed to catch fire. Dare I say it’s another Pick ‘Em pick ‘em?

Playoff Rounds 1 and 2
View response summaries
 
TalonsUpPuckDown said:
Finally, the West regional

#4 TalonsUpPuckDown vs. #29 klbaum1077 – A couple of Ohio players with Toledo connections go head-to-head in the first round. TUPD repeats as a #4 seed (though it did no good last year as he was easily bounced in the first round) once again starting out last and slowly working his way towards the front of the pack. Bonus picking is the weak spot in his game (13) making him highly vulnerable to an upset. Unfortunately, klbaum1077 brought up the rear in bonus picking (4). However, a very respectable .633 pick percentage and 6 top-10 finishes is more than enough firepower to advance.

#5 GIWAN vs. #28 Section P – After challenging for the Mason Cup for most of the second half of the season, GIWAN enters the playoffs as one of the most formidable players in the field. A attack comprised of bonus picking (38 – good for third), a top-5 pick percentage of .683, and eleven top-10 weekly finishes (including two weekly wins) makes for a tough opponent. However, while Section P’s pick percentage is .590, bonus picking is solid (32) and the overall rank has improved each week for the past 5 weeks (hot streak!).

#12 Laker Dude vs. #21 Icd80 – Not a lot separates these two players. Laker Dude started the season white hot before cooling a bit through the middle of the season only to pick up the pace the last 3 weeks. Strong bonus picking (36 – good for fifth) should be an advantage. Icd80 also has strong bonus numbers (24 – good for twelfth) and 9 top-10 finishes (including one weekly win).

#13 <3_Blizzard vs. #20 Critical Thinker – Our final pairing sees <3_Blizzard ahead in bonus (30 vs. 14) and top-10 weekly finishes (9 with two weekly wins) while Critical Thinker leads in pick percentage (.621 vs. .611). Down the stretch over the last 5 weeks neither player seemed to catch fire. Dare I say it’s another Pick ‘Em pick ‘em?

Playoff Rounds 1 and 2
View response summaries
Click to expand...

Yea I suck at bound picks.
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

Can't wait for tomorrow's games to start. It will be interesting to see who moves on this weekend
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

I currently have 29 entries plus an alternate entry from our 33rd place finisher. I will slot Hockey John into one of the following seeds based on final submissions:

Seed 5
Seed 23
Seed 32
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

First round results are in. All the home teams won. There were 9 goals scored by the away team, 15 by the home team, and zero shutouts. Here's the breakdown:

o Six matches were decided by 1 point.
o 50% of the matches were won by the higher seed; 50% were won by the lower seed. Each bracket had the same number of upsets (2).
o Hatch_man scored the biggest upset of the night taking down #2 seed gochiefs by one point. All the other top seeds advanced.
o Biggest point differential was SectionP's dismantling of #5 GIWAN 16-9.
o The "Why'd I have to play this guy?" award has to go to klbaum1077. 15 points should have been enough to advance. Somebody got lucky...
o Redemption is in the air for Hockey John who advances over fellow AZZ'er kckrieg84.

Round 2 on Saturday!

<img src="https://jefffrederick.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Bracketology-1st-Rnd.png" alt="";">
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

TalonsUpPuckDown said:
First round results are in. All the home teams won. There were 9 goals scored by the away team, 15 by the home team, and zero shutouts. Here's the breakdown:

o Six matches were decided by 1 point.
o 50% of the matches were won by the higher seed; 50% were won by the lower seed. Each bracket had the same number of upsets (2).
o Hatch_man scored the biggest upset of the night taking down #2 seed gochiefs by one point. All the other top seeds advanced.
o Biggest point differential was SectionP's dismantling of #5 GIWAN 16-9.
o The "Why'd I have to play this guy?" award has to go to klbaum1077. 15 points should have been enough to advance. Somebody got lucky...
o Redemption is in the air for Hockey John who advances over fellow AZZ'er kckrieg84.

Round 2 on Saturday!

<img src="https://jefffrederick.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Bracketology-1st-Rnd.png" alt="";">
Click to expand...

Darn i scored the most of anyone who lost. good luck everyone
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

The WCHA is down to 4 teams; the WCHA Pick 'Em is down to 8. Once again, all the home teams won. There were 7 goals scored by the away teams, 17 by the home teams, and zero games decided in overtime.

Three of the four top regional seeds are still in the fight. Bronco Hockey Fan dispatched BGFan while beaverhockeyfan by way of being the higher seed tied their way to a victory over MTUHuskyGold. In the East, SweeneyHawksHockey cross checked crossjcek out of the running while Wi.HuskiesFan also tied his way to a win over mikeeddy19. This quarterfinal matchup pits the 2018 McNaughton/Mason Cup winner against the 2018 Jeff Sauer winner. Two men enter, one man leaves! Out West, TUPD sent fellow Falcon Critical Thinker to the showers while Laker Dude sent SectionP home for the season. This quarterfinal pairing is a rematch of last year's first round which was not won by TUPD. In the Marquette bracket, mbenecke seems to have recaptured his ROY form from last year and hatcheted Hatch_man while Hockey John continued his Cinderella run by edging out potternmu.

Here are the total points scored in each regional:
Midwest - Mankato: 142
West - Sault Ste. Marie: 141
North - Marquette: 133
East - Bowling Green: 124

Links to response details will be posted after everyone's picks are in. Bonus is the same for these two rounds as the previous rounds. Win or go home.

Quarterfinals and Semifinals
View response summaries

<img src="https://jefffrederick.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Bracketology-2nd-Rnd.png" alt="Playoffs – Round 2";">
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

Bump. We have one quarterfinal match-up in. TUPD going with the homer pick.

Code: 
Player	        TalonsUpPuckDown   Laker Dude
LSSU@MSU	Minnesota State	   Minnesota State
BGSU@NMU	Bowling Green	   Northern Michigan
Away Goals	     5	               5
Home Goals	     5	               7
Shutouts	     0	               0
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

Bump. Two more match-ups are in.

Code: 
Player	        mbenecke           Hockey John
LSSU@MSU	Minnesota State	   Minnesota State
BGSU@NMU	Bowling Green	   Bowling Green
Away Goals	     5	               5
Home Goals	     7	               5
Shutouts	     0	               0
Code: 
Player	        Bronco Hockey Fan  beaverhockeyfan
LSSU@MSU	Minnesota State	   Minnesota State
BGSU@NMU	Bowling Green	   Northern Michigan
Away Goals	     5	               4
Home Goals	     6	               8
Shutouts	     0	               0
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

Alright Bronco Hockey Fan, looks like bonus points could decide one's fate. My gut was telling me Minnesota State big and NMU over BG in a one goal game.
 
Re: WCHA Pick 'Em 2018-2019 <<<<< PLAYOFF EDITION >>>>>

Looks like the field is set. Got my picks in. Good luck to all....should be a fun weekend of games. I think there will be Sunday games. I think goal tending will be the difference for Northern on Friday...it took all of me to say it ( I could be wrong). Northern is really on a role.
 
Last edited:
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