2019-03-01: Cornell 4 St. Lawrence 2

[Trotsky]

Least improbable path to clinching #1 tonight.

I've got:

Cornell defeats SLU
Quinnipiac loses to Brown
Harvard ties/loses to RPI
Clarkson ties/loses to Colgate  <-- need this because without it if we wind up in a 2-way tie with Clarkson we lose.

In other words, clinching tonight would be Extremely improbable.

So just win.

[Dafatone]

Least improbable path to clinching #1 tonight.

I've got:

Cornell defeats SLU
Quinnipiac loses to Brown
Harvard ties/loses to RPI
Clarkson ties/loses to Colgate  <-- need this because without it if we wind up in a 2-way tie with Clarkson we lose.

In other words, clinching tonight would be Extremely improbable.

So just win.

Improbable, sure. But don't sleep on Brown.

[margolism]

From the Cornell Sun today:

Injury report:
Sophomore defenseman Cody Haiskanen is out for the year, while freshman forward Max Andreev is likely to remain out until at least the beginning of the playoffs. Sophomore forward Cam Donaldson is expected to play this weekend after battling some upper body soreness in recent weeks.

[Dafatone]

From the Cornell Sun today:

Injury report:
Sophomore defenseman Cody Haiskanen is out for the year, while freshman forward Max Andreev is likely to remain out until at least the beginning of the playoffs. Sophomore forward Cam Donaldson is expected to play this weekend after battling some upper body soreness in recent weeks.

Every game counts and we're right in the thick of it, but I would be okay with Cam taking a game or two off to rest up. But if he's good, he's good.

[Trotsky]

If we somehow wrapped #1 up tonight I'd definitely want him on the bench tomorrow.  Not to mention Nuttle really wants to be a forward!  ::popcorn::

It's ironic that Brakel supposedly left because of playing time.  Almost from the exact moment he left he would have been playing every night.

[Dafatone]

If we somehow wrapped #1 up tonight I'd definitely want him on the bench tomorrow.  Not to mention Nuttle really wants to be a forward!  ::popcorn::

It's ironic that Brakel supposedly left because of playing time.  Almost from the exact moment he left he would have been playing every night.

I think I'd agree, but pairwise wants us to be going full speed every game.

[Trotsky]

If we somehow wrapped #1 up tonight I'd definitely want him on the bench tomorrow.  Not to mention Nuttle really wants to be a forward!  ::popcorn::

It's ironic that Brakel supposedly left because of playing time.  Almost from the exact moment he left he would have been playing every night.

I think I'd agree, but pairwise wants us to be going full speed every game.

Is the PWR impact of winning as opposed to losing against Clarkson that big?  I guess winning or tying means locking up that comparison which could matter.  But otherwise it's probably decimal dust.

[Dafatone]

If we somehow wrapped #1 up tonight I'd definitely want him on the bench tomorrow.  Not to mention Nuttle really wants to be a forward!  ::popcorn::

It's ironic that Brakel supposedly left because of playing time.  Almost from the exact moment he left he would have been playing every night.

I think I'd agree, but pairwise wants us to be going full speed every game.

Is the PWR impact of winning as opposed to losing against Clarkson that big?  I guess winning or tying means locking up that comparison which could matter.  But otherwise it's probably decimal dust.

For the most part*, RPI (and PWR is pretty much just RPI these days) is just a function of your win%, your opponent's win%, and your opponent's opponent's win%. The second and third parts are just a matter of who you play, not how you do. The first part is a matter of win or lose, not who you play.

So the difference between a win and a loss vs Clarkson is the same as the difference between a win and a loss against anyone else.

*except that there's a bonus for beating a top 20 team, and road wins and home losses count more than home wins and road losses. Also, there's an adjustment to make sure beating a terrible team doesn't hurt you.

Other than those bonuses, flipping a W to a L (or vice versa) has the same impact for each game we play. There's also the comparison vs Clarkson, which is important. And Clarkson is a common opponent for ASU, who we are currently beating in the rare exception to the "it's just RPI" rule (we beat them head to head AND in common opponents).

Pairwisewise, Clarkson's a big game.

[Trotsky]

Pairwisewise, Clarkson's a big game.

Thank you.

[BearLover]

If we somehow wrapped #1 up tonight I'd definitely want him on the bench tomorrow.  Not to mention Nuttle really wants to be a forward!  ::popcorn::

It's ironic that Brakel supposedly left because of playing time.  Almost from the exact moment he left he would have been playing every night.

I think I'd agree, but pairwise wants us to be going full speed every game.

Is the PWR impact of winning as opposed to losing against Clarkson that big?  I guess winning or tying means locking up that comparison which could matter.  But otherwise it's probably decimal dust.

There are two games left in the regular season, plus however many games we play in the ECAC tournament. We are currently #13 in PWR, and we are playing a team who is #12. In terms of the difference between winning and losing on our chances of making the NCAA tournament, this is just about the most important regular season game one could possibly conjure up. It is monumental in determining whether we make the NCAAs or not and the #1 seed in the ECAC consideration is virtually irrelevant in comparison.

[upprdeck]

really need to win 3 of the next 4 and then it becomes much more clear what we need to do..

[Dafatone]

Every year, my goals are a first round bye, making Lake Placid, and making the NCAAs.

Very much up in the air, but I think if we manage the first two, we'll get the third.

[Beeeej]

Apropos of nothing, I just took a look at the ESPN+ schedule to verify that Cornell @ SLU is on the schedule (it is), and noticed that also on the slate for tonight is Alabama @ Liberty. Yes, Jerry Falwell's university has an ACHA Div. I club team, and they're streaming tonight.

(Rensselaer @ Cornell women's hockey - ECAC quarterfinal - also streaming on ESPN+, 6pm EST.)

[Trotsky]

2 goals by Regush and Cornell up 2-0 after 1 period.

[redice]

Is anyone else experiencing audio probs on the ESPN+ broadcast?   Audio very low in the first period and no play-by-play in the 2nd, at all.