ECAC first round

Argh! I can't stand the wait any longer! Somebody drop a puck! (I guess I'll have to make do with the two HE games tonight to get me through this day.)

Here's a quick observation that makes me think that the first round is going to be hotly contested (my gut tells me that 4 of the 5 series will go three games --with Cornell very likely being one of those): No one swept their first round opponent in the regular season (Cornell went 1-0-1 against Yale, the other four pairings were split 1-1).

The fact that #3 - #10 are separated by 3 points is an even bigger reason to assume that the QFs will be hotly contested. Both #10 teams lost a lot of 1 goal games this year too. (Hopefully both lose a couple more this weekend...)

I'm guardedly optimistic that we can take Yale in two this weekend. This is the playoffs and the games are at Lynah.

Like Keith, I am optimistic about the chances of a Big Red sweep this weekend. Cornell hasn't lost a home playoff game since 1988 and has done better in home playoff games than the regular season against its playoff opponents.

1989-90, Harvard, 0-2 RS, 2-0 QF
1990-91, Colgate, 1-1-1 RS (1-0-1 in ECAC), 2-0 QF
1993-94, Princeton, 1-0-1 RS, 1-0 prelim round
1995-96, Colgate 1-1 RS, 2-0 QF
1996-97, Harvard 2-0 RS, 1-0-1 QF
1999-2000, Harvard 1-1 RS, 2-0 QF
2000-01, Princeton 1-1 RS, 2-0 QF

The records do not take into the account the blowouts in both QF games against Colgate in 1991 and 1996.

I'd be shocked if Cornell doesn't rise to the occasion and play its best hockey this weeked.

. . .Knock on WoOD!!!!!

I know the feeling!! The hockey games this weekend are getting me through this weekend and the trip to LP will get me through next week. I don't even want to think about what I will do if we don't win this week. The games should be exciting and another chance for the Red to show Higgins where he should have gone to college if he wanted to win.

Added incentive to root against Harvard: Brown must avoid being swept (losing in 3 is ok) to stay a TUC, very important to Cornell's PWR. (Cornell, please, please just win it all so I can stop giving a damn about PWR.)

Cornell, please, please just win it all so I can stop giving a damn about PWR.

Something I think we can all agree on.

Anyone can win a short series, as the Cats proved at Clarkson last year (who would have thought that the first #1 to tank a best of three would have been a school that had NEVER lost a playoff game at their new rink?).

Recall, the first two Yale games were virtual ties!

Shots in the first two games:

Cornell 27 Yale 24 (1-1 tie).
Cornell 26 Yale 22 (3-2 win, winning goal at 19:45 of the third).

Greg, I know, it's giving me ulcers thinking about Yale and the games are 24+ hours away!

Cornell, please, please just win it all so I can stop giving a damn about PWR.


Dont stop giving a damn about PWR, because it matters for seeding, and bye selection

It doesn't matter for seeding beyond bye selection.

Does it?

Yes, PWR matters in seeding. The byes are given based on PWR. Then the teams are sent to regions based on whatever arcane formula the committee decides to use this year: attendance, hosting, PWR, travel, whatever. Then once the regions are set, matchups are chosen to avoid interconference matchups. But then the final seeds are chosen based on comparisons against other teams in the region. For instance, a 2nd round conference matchup is acceptable if it requires an upset, with the favorite chosen based on PWC. Once a matchup is chosen, the team that wins the comparison becomes the higher seed. Thus did Cornell wear red against Miami in '97 even though they won more comparisons since Miami won the H2H comparison.
In short, yes it does matter for seeding. No, PWR is not the first or probably second consideration with seeding.

That '97 Harvard (sucks) series listing reminds me of a question... are we technically on first to 3 points, with 5 minute OTs? or is it the good ol' play-til-someone-wins NHL-style format?

Edit: in connection with that, I assume if game three went to OT, someone would have to win NHL-style (meaning, unending OTs) - I'm praying we don't do something stupid like a shootout or goal-diff.

All games are NHL-style format - if they go to OT, the last shot wins. It has been this way since 2000. (If it weren't, the first game of last year's Princeton series would have ended tied, as Kozier's game-winner was at 7:25 of the overtime.)

Wow, I'm totally blanking on that - but at least I'm glad to hear it. That's the way it should be. OT is OT and that's all there is, anything else is a rip off . I'd smack my head a couple times to see if I can shake out that memory, but at the moment I'm afraid I'd knock out some prob & stats info I need.

-DeltaOne81 '03, Fred

every night, I think to myself, "Please Cornell, make it to LP. Don't pull a Clarkson!" I've been thinking this since Saturday. The time between Saturday night 10:30pm or so and Friday night 7pm is just way too long!

amen!

Well, less than 24 hours to go now... (nibbles fingers nervously).

Thanks for the reminder. Maybe I should bring some extra tapes tonight.

So, the biggest matchups in the first round, other than Cornell of course, are:

+ Colgate at Dartmouth. If Gate wins the series, Dartmouth drops from TUC and really helps Cornell.

+ Brown at Harvard. If Brown can win at least 1 game in this series, then they are assured of finishing as a TUC, which helps Cornell.

So:

GO CORNELL!!!
Go Gate
Go Brown

The lights went out near the end of the first period at Thompson. So it's an extended break. Last I heard, the lights haven't even started coming back on yet.

Elsewhere:

Clarkson 3, St. Lawrence 1
Harvard 4, Brown 1
Rensselaer 5, Princeton 3

Dartmouth 5, Colgate 4 - final in 2 OT

And a shocker in the CCHA: Lake State 4, Michigan 3.

Dartmouth wins in 2OT, 5-4. Sonnofabitch.