WCHA Standings Update

[mbenecke]

Yeah, they games will be Friday/Saturday/Sunday (if necessary). I'd imagine UAH is making arrangements to stay up here rather than going home, knowing they'll be on the road in the first round - BG did the same last year for the playoffs, staying in Minnesota all week after beating Alaska because we knew we'd be playing Mankato or Bemidji.

[jpfalcon09]

FWIW, Mike McMahon of CHN has BG getting in as a #4 seed (14th overall) to the dance and playing Minnesota in Colorado. Minnesota State and Bemidji are the other two WCHA programs getting in. Obviously just his opinion and is likely to change headed into the final week of the regular season and conference tournaments.

[Critical Thinker]

Hopefully we can get up to a #3 seed. The top 4 teams (NoDak, Minnesota State, Minnesota, BC) are head and shoulders above everyone else right now. The talent for #2 seeds drops off dramatically after them. Plus there's a team or two that could be vastly overrated (cough Michigan cough) who we could get lucky and play against first. Then we could build up moment and forget that January/February ever happened before having to play one of the top 4.

I'm glad to hear PWR is being considered for the tourney, if it wasn't, I'd be worried about getting in at all.

[jpfalcon09]

Hopefully we can get up to a #3 seed. The top 4 teams (NoDak, Minnesota State, Minnesota, BC) are head and shoulders above everyone else right now. The talent for #2 seeds drops off dramatically after them. Plus there's a team or two that could be vastly overrated (cough Michigan cough) who we could get lucky and play against first. Then we could build up moment and forget that January/February ever happened before having to play one of the top 4.

I'm glad to hear PWR is being considered for the tourney, if it wasn't, I'd be worried about getting in at all.

Depends how heavily PWR is weighted - my guess will be not much given most conferences didn't have a non-conference slate. That being said, BG's road sweep over Quinnipiac is a nice feather in the cap and will help them in any argument against at-large teams. Also, with the ECAC only playing four schools, they'll likely send 1-2 which should free up a spot or two from other leagues.

My guesses:

Atlantic - Conference tournament winner (likely AIC, if you're BG you're pulling for Robert Morris)
Big Ten - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan (hope no one else gets the auto-bid)
ECAC - Quinnipiac, Clarkson
Hockey East - BC, UMass, BU
NCHC - UMD, UND, UNO, SCSU
WCHA - Minnesota State, (two of BGSU, Bemidji, Michgan Tech, LSSU, depending on league playoffs)

There's your 16.

[pdt1081]

Hopefully, Lake Superior has already left for, or is already in, Bemidji. LSSU is closing campus at 3PM today due to weather.

[TommyG]

The WCHA should be a one bid league if Mankato wins the tournament ..if committee actually watches any of the games it’s a pretty easy eye test. Big Ten and NCHC really hurt their overall resumes by not playing non conference games.

[jpfalcon09]

The WCHA should be a one bid league if Mankato wins the tournament ..if committee actually watches any of the games it’s a pretty easy eye test. Big Ten and NCHC really hurt their overall resumes by not playing non conference games.

They could very well become that if non-chalk teams win auto-bids. The committee is most likely going to rely on records though and a 20+ win BG team that went out of their way to play a fully competitive schedule is going to be hard to leave out, assuming BG gets out of the first round of the league playoffs.

[pdt1081]

The WCHA should be a one bid league if Mankato wins the tournament ..if committee actually watches any of the games it’s a pretty easy eye test. Big Ten and NCHC really hurt their overall resumes by not playing non conference games.

Ah, the good ole "eye test." Apparently, Tom Serratore had some interesting comments on just how Mankato is so good this year. The "eye test" depends on how you watch the game and what you are looking for.

[TommyG]

I mean if you watch any other games around the country it’s quite obvious the pair wise are completely misleading this season. If BG hadn’t crapped the bed down the stretch it would have been a no brainer them being in. Just watching the games the last month, you can see we are not in the that top tier of teams, and outside of Mankato, neither is anyone else. It’s not even controversial, it’s just true. Doesn’t mean we couldn’t win a game in the Tournament and upset someone, but if regular non league games were played this year we wouldn’t even be in the discussion.

[Critical Thinker]

if regular non league games were played this year we wouldn’t even be in the discussion.

5 wins in 6 games isn't a good enough indication of how we'd have fared with a complete OOC schedule?

[TommyG]

Okay for those of you who don’t understand. The more talented leagues (NCHC, Hockey East, and Big Ten) on a year in year out basis are not playing out of conference games this season. This this year the computer rankings are way off what they normally would be. BG’s wins wouldn’t be as valuable because their SOS would be more realistic (likely in the 30s) Once again, not saying anything controversial, it’s just true.

At this point BG will get in if they get to semis of the WCHA tournament, unless the committee just throws out computer rankings. My point is that if you watch college hockey on a national level, you could maybe make the argument for BG getting a 4 seed, but in my opinion I think the WCHA is extremely weak and should be a one bid league unless Mankato gets upset.

[mbenecke]

Okay for those of you who don’t understand. The more talented leagues (NCHC, Hockey East, and Big Ten) on a year in year out basis are not playing out of conference games this season. This this year the computer rankings are way off what they normally would be. BG’s wins wouldn’t be as valuable because their SOS would be more realistic (likely in the 30s) Once again, not saying anything controversial, it’s just true.

At this point BG will get in if they get to semis of the WCHA tournament, unless the committee just throws out computer rankings. My point is that if you watch college hockey on a national level, you could maybe make the argument for BG getting a 4 seed, but in my opinion I think the WCHA is extremely weak and should be a one bid league unless Mankato gets upset.

I agree with this, for the most part. The WCHA isn't as strong as the PWR and polls might suggest - I think we all know that.

I do, however, feel like BG might have a shot to win a tournament game or two if we get hot at the right time... which may be happening right now.

Let's make the semis, go to war there, then worry about where we are on a national level at that point, alright? Go Falcons.

[jpfalcon09]

I mean if you watch any other games around the country it’s quite obvious the pair wise are completely misleading this season. If BG hadn’t crapped the bed down the stretch it would have been a no brainer them being in. Just watching the games the last month, you can see we are not in the that top tier of teams, and outside of Mankato, neither is anyone else. It’s not even controversial, it’s just true. Doesn’t mean we couldn’t win a game in the Tournament and upset someone, but if regular non league games were played this year we wouldn’t even be in the discussion.

Valid argument. ECAC only having four schools playing is going to benefit someone else though, and that is likely going to be the WCHA. The other at-large to watch is Providence (sound familiar?), and maybe Northeastern, but that's it. Biggest issue intra-conference for BG is losing the head-to-head with Bemidji and LSSU. If it comes down to a comparison for a final spot or two and those two teams are in the mix, argument can be made their wins vs. BG make them more attractive.

Best thing for BG to do is put together a strong playoff run. Make it to the final and they're likely safe. Getting to the semis and losing to Tech/Bemidji/LSSU? Different story.

[mbenecke]

I'm curious - why does Bemidji get projected in the tournament (even over BG) so often? I know they kicked us around a few times this year, but they're also only 10-7-3 overall, including being swept by a poor NMU team and having a tie against a pitiful Ferris team. We're sitting here with 19 wins, playing in the same conference... I just don't understand how they would get a nod over us, when you consider that we went out and played Quinnipiac and challenged ourselves out of conference.

[pdt1081]

I'm curious - why does Bemidji get projected in the tournament (even over BG) so often? I know they kicked us around a few times this year, but they're also only 10-7-3 overall, including being swept by a poor NMU team and having a tie against a pitiful Ferris team. We're sitting here with 19 wins, playing in the same conference... I just don't understand how they would get a nod over us, when you consider that we went out and played Quinnipiac and challenged ourselves out of conference.

Look where the people throwing them out there are from.