It’s that most wonderful time of the year again in women’s college hockey, when we break down conference playoff possibilities and tiebreakers. Obscure statistics like “goal differential against the top four teams” suddenly take on an added importance, but hey, that’s better than a coin flip and far more straightforward than the NCAA selection process. See the sidebar for all conference tiebreaking procedures.
This article will attempt to break down the playoff possibilities in all four women’s D-I college hockey’s conferences as well as the Ivy League title race. It will not systematically analyze every possibility, as the aim is to illuminate rather than complicate. This article will be updated on a regular basis with more details throughout the next couple weeks.
The Ivy League Picture
(Last updated: 2/25)
The Ivy League title is based on the head-to-head results between the six Ivy teams in the ECAC, and there are no tiebreakers (as many as three teams have shared the title in one year on the men’s side.) There are no Ivy playoffs, so only the Ivy title race matters.
Princeton (7-2-1) clinched the Ivy title on Feb. 25 with a 3-0 win over Yale. The title is the Tigers first in 11 years and first outright title in 14.
The ECACHL Picture
(Last updated: 2/25)
Summary
Brown, Harvard, and Clarkson finished in a three-way tie for third place. Brown wins third place based on head-to-head results (Brown swept Clarkson, Brown tied Harvard twice, Harvard split Clarkson). Harvard then wins fourth place based on a better record against the conference’s top four teams. Harvard went 1-2-3, while Clarkson went 1-5.
Dartmouth and Colgate finished tied for the sixth. Dartmouth wins the tiebreaker based on a 1-0-1 head-to-head mark against Colgate.
Thus, the ECACHL quarterfinals will be
No. 8 Yale at No. 1 St. Lawrence
No. 7 Colgate at No. 2 Princeton
No. 6 Dartmouth at No. 3 Brown
No. 5 Clarkson at No. 4 Harvard
The WCHA Picture
(Last updated: 2/25)
Summary
Minnesota wins the tiebreaker for second place with Minnesota-Duluth. The teams split their head-to-head series, and the Gophers have more conference wins.
The WCHA quarterfinals are almost set.
No. 8 North Dakota at No. 1 Wisconsin
No. 7 Minnesota State at No. 2 Minnesota
No. 6 Bemidji State at No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth
No. 5 Ohio State at No. 4 St. Cloud State
The Hockey East Picture
(Last updated: 2/26)
Summary
There are no ties to break and the pairings are set:
No. 4 Maine vs. No. 1 New Hampshire
No. 3 Providence vs. No. 2 Boston College
The CHA Picture
(Last updated: 2/25)
Summary
Mercyhurst is the No. 1 seed and Wayne State is the No. 2 seed. Robert Morris, with two games left against Mercyhurst, has a two-point edge in third place over Niagara, who has two games left against Wayne State. Robert Morris can wrap up the No. 3 seed with a split or better against Mercyhurst. If Robert Morris gets swept by Mercyhurst, Niagara will need three points against Wayne State to get the No. 3 seed. If Robert Morris gets a point against Mercyhurst, Niagara will need to sweep Wayne State for the No. 3 seed.
