thaller@hydra.DEC (Kurt Tex Thaller, LTN2-2/H17 617 486-6643 [DTN:226-6643]) (03/18/86)
It just doesn't seem fair to me that Cornell who won the ECAC title does not get home ice for the NCAA semi-finals while Harvard who came in 3rd in the ECAC does. There, I got that off my chest. Best of luck to both teams as they again try to make another ECAC U.S. champion. -Kurt*
pro@trwrba.UUCP (Peter R. Olpe) (03/18/86)
>It just doesn't seem fair to me that Cornell who won the ECAC title does >not get home ice for the NCAA semi-finals while Harvard who came in 3rd in >the ECAC does. There, I got that off my chest. Best of luck to both teams >as they again try to make another ECAC U.S. champion. > > -Kurt* I agree with Kurt. It also doesn't seem fair that Clarkson didn't get into the playoffs after coming in 2nd in the ECAC's. In order to get 2nd, Clarkson beat Harvard at the end of the season, beat RPI in the quarter-finals, and beat Harvard again in the semi-finals. Clarkson is a hot team while Harvard is cooling down fast. I was at Boston for the ECAC's and I definitely think Clarkson should have made the NCAA's. Go Red! -- ...ucbvax!\ -Pete Olpe- \ UUCP Path: ...decwrl!decvax!trwrb!trwrba!pro / ...hplabs!/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Where are we going? Planet 10! When? Real Soon! ------------------------------------------------------------------------
ryan@fremen.DEC (DTN 264-8280 MK01-2/E25) (03/19/86)
>Posted by: decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-hydra!thaller >Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation > >It just doesn't seem fair to me that Cornell who won the ECAC title does >not get home ice for the NCAA semi-finals while Harvard who came in 3rd in >the ECAC does. There, I got that off my chest. Best of luck to both teams >as they again try to make another ECAC U.S. champion. > > -Kurt* Well, I think Harvard deserved it on the basis of their regular season record - did one skin-of-the-teeth loss to Clarkson (with Scott Fusco playing well below par with a separated shoulder) nullify a mere three losses in league play? There does seem to be an inconsistency, though, since BU was given the #1 seed in the East despite BC's excellent first-place regular season record. I'd say the difference was that BU beat BC head-to-head (not only in the Hockey East championship, but in the Beanpot championship) and convincingly at that, while Harvard didn't meet Cornell in the playoffs and I believe swept the regular season series, and only lost in a very close game against Clarkson. AND Cornell was out-played in both their semi-final and final OT wins, winning only on the basis of Doug Dadswell's outstanding goaltending (shades of Terreri and Providence...). If the playoffs are all that count, do you think Clarkson should have made the NCAA's instead of Harvard? So, as long as I'm here, I might as well give my predictions. Cornell has to go to Denver for their series. I haven't seen Denver play, but the #1 team in the country (according to the polls, at least) hosting the third-place ECAC team does give a strong hint. I'll have to go with Denver (but keep in mind the similarity in circumstance with Providence and Michigan State last year - the "hot goaltender" effect can't be counted out). Harvard hosts Western Michigan - judging by how CCHA teams have performed against other leagues this year, Harvard ought to blow them out. Even without Fusco healthy, they should win without too much trouble. Harvard's top players compare with anyone's, but they're not as deep as, say, BC, so I won't count on them going much farther (I certainly hope they do, as an ECAC representative). BC goes to Michigan State - BC's mad. They're also an excellent team (attribute last week's blowout by BU to the two-week layoff they "earned" by winning the regular season championship). When they're on, they're unbeatable. BC wins a low-scoring series. BU hosts Minnesota - Finally, a series where I've seen both teams play! Very evenly matched, should be an excellent series. I'll give the edge to BU on the basis of home advantage. Mike Ryan ARPA: ryan%fremen.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA UUCP: {decvax,allegra,ihnp4,ucbvax,...}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-fremen!ryan
pro@trwrba.UUCP (Peter R. Olpe) (03/21/86)
> Well, I think Harvard deserved it on the basis of their regular > season record - did one skin-of-the-teeth loss to Clarkson (with > Scott Fusco playing well below par with a separated shoulder) > nullify a mere three losses in league play? .... I saw the game where Harvard lost to Clarkson in the ECAC Semi-finals, and Clarkson certainly did not win by the skin-of-their-teeth. I was unimpressed with Harvard, actually having expected a lot more, and I think Clarkson out-played them. Also remember that this was the second time that Clarkson beat Harvard in as many weeks.... > ... AND Cornell was out-played in both their semi-final > and final OT wins, winning only on the basis of Doug Dadswell's > outstanding goaltending (shades of Terreri and Providence...). I'm not sure I would say Cornell was out-played in either game. I feel that both games (against Yale and Clarkson) were very even and could have gone either way. As far as Dadswell is concerned, well, one or two outstanding players CAN make a team, especially in the playoffs when only a few games really matter. Is Harvard's Fusco going to be 100% for the NCAA's? Harvard's goalie Grant Blair wasn't all that hot, either. If Harvard is going to win it for the ECAC's, Blair and Fusco are both going to have to be at their best. > If the playoffs are all that count, do you think Clarkson should > have made the NCAA's instead of Harvard? IF the playoffs are all that count, absolutely. But they are not, which is why Harvard is going instead of Clarkson. > >Mike Ryan >ARPA: ryan%fremen.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA >UUCP: {decvax,allegra,ihnp4,ucbvax,...}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-fremen!ryan