2025-26 Season

[LS71]

^ The Hockey East tournament final is Saturday 3/21. Selection Sunday for hockey is Sunday, 3/22

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Are NCAA selections made prior to or after conference tournaments? I have heard both. It seems wrong to do it before conference tournaments, but this whole NPI business seems flawed.

After, as LS said. The Tournament games factor into the NPI.

[69MG]

That's what I thought. Looking at the standings, we need 3 points to finish no worse than 4th, getting a bye and a home game in the tournament. If 4th, we play the 5th place team, which looks like either Maine or BU. Too many variables to figure out who we play if we get higher than 4th.

However, losing to BC will not kill our chances for an at-large if we make it to the conference finals. We might not make it if we lose, but there are way too many games to be played to have a clue at this time.

[bdance]

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ratings/primer

Conference tournament games are included, but there is no home/road weighting is applied. See halfway down the link.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

However, losing to BC will not kill our chances for an at-large if we make it to the conference finals. We might not make it if we lose, but there are way too many games to be played to have a clue at this time.

I'm not as hopeful that the math works out in our favor in that scenario. Maybe it is possible... but I'd imagine if so, every possible thing would need to go right for the outcome to be achieved.

Gotta handle our own business.

[jjmc85]

but this whole NPI business seems flawed.

Curious about this. Would you mind expanding?

[jjmc85]

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ratings/primer

Conference tournament games are included, but there is no home/road weighting is applied. See halfway down the link.

I think this benefits the western teams who can’t agree on/sell a neutral location for their final four. Hockey East and ECAC actually play neutral location games for two rounds and AHA isn’t good enough to get an at large normally.


I don’t know what the solution is. I agree with CC coaches point about how they were basically punished for being at home and losing a few years ago (when UMass beat PC on the road and was the last team in). I think I’m between either only QF games and before having no weighting OR eliminating the weights entirely for conference games like CHN wrote about.

[69MG]

but this whole NPI business seems flawed.

Curious about this. Would you mind expanding?

We won and tied against a team higher than us and I think we dropped a spot. I don't know how the formula works, but it doesn't seem to have helped us compared to pairwise.

[bunkerhill87]

Big game tonight. Always nice to beat the eagles. Hoping for a big student turnout. would love the mullins to get nutty like Yost Arena
Feel like the midewest fan base goes up another level with enthusiasm . Hrabal has been big. need to stay out of the box and play hard
looking forward to this one!!!

[bdance]

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ratings/primer

Conference tournament games are included, but there is no home/road weighting is applied. See halfway down the link.

I think this benefits the western teams who can’t agree on/sell a neutral location for their final four. Hockey East and ECAC actually play neutral location games for two rounds and AHA isn’t good enough to get an at large normally.


I don’t know what the solution is. I agree with CC coaches point about how they were basically punished for being at home and losing a few years ago (when UMass beat PC on the road and was the last team in). I think I’m between either only QF games and before having no weighting OR eliminating the weights entirely for conference games like CHN wrote about.

Pardon my atrocious grammar, I have an iPhone mini and large fingers.

There was a good article about abolishing the weight altogether a while back. But in it was also a great argument for keeping it- to encourage the bigger name programs to schedule more road games. I took that as a veiled shot at the Big 10.

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/ ... f-Home.php

[jjmc85]

^ This is the article I was referring to. It advocates for eliminating home/road weights only for conference games but keeping them for non league games. I think I agree with it.

[jjmc85]

but this whole NPI business seems flawed.

Curious about this. Would you mind expanding?

We won and tied against a team higher than us and I think we dropped a spot. I don't know how the formula works, but it doesn't seem to have helped us compared to pairwise.

Oh. The reason I’m not bothered by that is that series wasn’t in a vacuum. Maine and Bowling green both swept-and both and BGSU’s wins were on the road. Maine was a home and home-sort of as NU played its home game at UML. Regardless they both had better weekends than UMass.

[mdogt12]

Leagues like the CCHA and NCHC play best of 3 tournament series for the QF round. While all of Hockey East is 1 game for all rounds of the tournament

[LS71]

2-1 good guys 8:57 to go. O’Neil and Murray have the goals.
What a difference in UMass’ play now compared to the 1st period. Playing MUCH more confidently now.

[Stnwaller]

Huge gutsy win !!!!