SJHovey

There is a big gap in NPI points between us and #2 Michigan (1.46 points). That's the same gap as between #8 Denver and #15 Wisconsin.

We would still be #3, but our NPI would be a lot closer to Michigan and MSU. As it is now, we have pretty much no chance to move higher than #3

The other thing to remember is that there is a bonus that comes with beating any team with a 51 or higher in the NPI. Every single one of BC's final six games are against teams at or higher than 51, so I disagree with the idea that their remaining games won't really "move the needle" much. Also, three of them are on the road. Do I expect BC to run the table? No. But I think they'll win enough of them that combined with any wins in the HE playoffs, will be enough to jump them to the #9-11 spot as I hypothesized.

I think the way the customizer works is that it assumes the outcomes of all of the other unplayed games (where I don't put in the exact outcome) and makes those assumptions based upon KRACH or maybe a monte carlo simulation of some sort. That's not to say that if BC ran the table they would absolutely be #8. It's just that #8 is the most likely spot if they run the table in the regular season. I've personally played around with it during the second half of this season and at least on a week to week basis, it's pretty good about predicting where a team will end up depending upon that weekend's games.

The CHN customizer puts them at #8 if they run the table in the regular season games.

Just my guess, but I don't expect BC to be anywhere near the bubble. They're playing pretty decent hockey and they have a ton of regular season games left, plus the playoffs. I expect BC to be in the #9-11 range in the NPI by the time selection Sunday rolls around. Personally, I also expect them to have the Hockey East autobid.

I would guess that 5 of those 10 seasons we were a lock to make the tournament in February.

If we tie in points, aren’t we considered co-conference champions, with the tiebreaker just used to determine seeding? 2021-22, for example, with us and DU.

College Hockey News has a "customizer" function to their NPI data that allows you to go in and either change the outcome of any particular game or games, or plug in the outcomes of future games, and then see the effect on the NPI. I think what this feature does when you plug in outcomes for future games is figure that all of the rest of the future college hockey games will have a result that is the most likely result of that game, maybe based upon KRACH or something else, but I'm not 100% sure about that. In any event, it's a fun feature to fool around with if you're bored. Using that feature, it suggests that if UND were to win 3 of 4 against SCSU and Miami, and split with WMU, we'd stay in the three spot, most likely. It doesn't appear to matter whether our loss is to Miami or SCSU, which sort of makes sense given both series are at home and the two teams are in a generally similar spot in the rankings.

Exactly. Same thing for much of the year, and a mistake, imho.

I thought he was better playing center like we often had him playing.

Sandelin said in the Duluth Tribune that he didn’t challenge because the ref came over and said it was a dive by the UMD player.

Medak was a mediocre college hockey player, so yay, life consistency, I guess?

Burds of a feather, so to speak?

Any truth to the rumor this is the first person McKenna has hit since arriving on the PSU campus?

Didn’t UMD run a pick near the blue line against us to score a crucial goal?

I see that Corey Pronman at The Athletic has KV at the top of the draft board.

Here is the strange thing about Reschny’s season. All of his goals and 16 of his 20 points have come on the road.

Yeah, finally started working

Yep

Sort of. He obviously chose his words very carefully, as he has done in some other interviews. He never specifically refers to the college path, and when comparison numbers are used, it's always against the USHL. But then he'll add in little asides like "the CHL is still the best direct path to the NHL." I personally think the CHL is making a huge mistake, one which I sort of think they'll be dragged kicking and screaming into changing. They should more directly target the USHL, because the USHL is going to end up as their main competition. They should be publicly stating that if you want to play college hockey, your best path is through the CHL, not the USHL or high school hockey.

It was a fun game to watch. Also pretty fun to see the head of the CHL during the second intermission try to convince, himself(?), that the CHL is still the premier path to the NHL. I would have loved it if College Hockey, Inc., during that intermission, had run an ad that said, "Twenty-seven of the forty-five players you are watching tonight have already committed to playing college hockey. More to come. Will you be next?"

Fortunately for them, after tomorrow they get two against MN, two against RIT, two more against MN and two against Notre Dame. Five of the eight at home.

The USCHO Weekend Review podcast guys are pumping up the NCHC, and UND, DU and UMD in particular, to a level I can’t recall eastern guys doing before. We’re probably due to fall on our faces. 🤣

Here's a semi-amusing stat. If you look at the Top 50 players in scoring in the country right now, only a handful have a "minus" for a +/- rating. Two of those are the worst, at -4 on the season. McKenna and O'Mac.