An interlude with links and commentary ...
Time for a post with a news round-up. Here it is, on a segment-by-segment basis.
CW AWARD WINNERS
Links:
GoBisons: [St. Croix named as CW First Team All-Star, Henry Second]
CW: [Philp, Cooke headline CW major award winners]
CW: [Former WHL standouts highlight CW all-star and all-rookie teams]
Here are the CW all-stars:
1st team:
G Jordon Cooke - Saskatchewan
D Jason Fram - Alberta
D Jesse Lees - Mount Royal
F Luke Philp - Alberta
F Josh Roach - Saskatchewan
F Michael St. Croix – Manitoba
2nd team:
G Matt Hewitt - UBC
D Kendall McFaull - Saskatchewan
D Adam Henry - Manitoba
F Logan McVeigh - Saskatchewan
F Mitch Maxwell - Lethbridge
F Chris Collins - Calgary
The remaining award winners can be found at the links.
MEN'S NATIONALS
Links:
CUSN: [Tuesday Morning Skate: Week 19, U Cup Preview]
SportsNet: [U Sports men’s hockey trophy renamed David Johnston University Cup]
As usual, CUSN had their Tuesday morning story, which is linked here.
As for SportsNet, how long do you think they will be the broadcaster for USports? Remember when their website had "SportsNetU"? And daily stories about the games in the tournaments they are televising? No more. All they have about men's hockey is the naming of the trophy. And they have nothing on women's hockey.
WOMEN'S NATIONALS
Links:
USports: [Women's S&R]
GoBisons: [Bison Broads 4 Queen's 0]
The Bison Broads were seeded #1 for the nationals, and won their opener. They packed the Wayne Fleming Arena for their conference championship clincher.
Quarter-final Results
Mar 15
Saskatchewan 3 Saint Mary's 2
Mar 15
Montreal 0 W. Ontario 4
Mar 16
Queen's 0 Manitoba 4
Mar 16
St. F.X. 1 Concordia 8
Remaining Schedule
Mar 17 Montreal v Saint Mary's (Consolation Semi #1)
Mar 17 Queen's v St. F.X. (Consolation Semi #2)
Mar 17 Saskatchewan v W. Ontario (Semi-Final #1)
Mar 17 Concordia v Manitoba (Semi-final #2)
Mar 18 Consolation Final
Mar 18 Bronze Medal Game
Mar 18 Gold Medal Game
USPORTS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
There has been increased talk this year about the silliness of the ranking system for the men's hockey nationals this year. Hopefully, the bizarre results this year will prompt more debate on the qualifying criteria as well. I have summarized excerpts for each sport tom highlight the differences from sport to sport.
Links:
USports: [Index of Playing Regs] : [Policies & Procedures]
USports hockey regs: [Men] : [Women]
USports basketball regs: [Men] : [Women]
USports volleyball regs: [Men] : [Women]
Here's what "Policies & Procedures" has to say about select sports:
20.20.4.1 Men’s Basketball Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
4 Regional Association Champions
1 Host
1 Assigned Berth to the OUA Regional Association
1 Assigned Berth to the Canada West Regional Association
1 At-Large Berth (see Playing Regulations for the approved selection process)
20.20.4.2 Women’s Basketball Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
4 Regional Association Champions
1 Host
1 Assigned berth to the OUA Regional Association
1 Assigned berth to the Canada West Regional Association
1 At-Large Berth (see Playing Regulations for the approved selection process)
20.20.4.7 Men’s Ice Hockey Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
4 Regional Association Champions
1 Host
1 Assigned berth OUA Regional Association
1 Assigned berth CWUAA Regional Association
1 Assigned berth AUS Regional Association
20.20.4.8 Women’s Ice Hockey Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
4 Regional Association Champions
1 Host
3 Assigned berths (Rotational Format to ensure 2 teams per Regional Association)
20.20.4.9 Women’s Rugby Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
4 Regional Association Champions
1 Host
3 Rotational berths between CWUAA, OUA, RSEQ and AUS (1 berth per 3 of the 4 Regional Associations)
Note 1: The above berths will be reviewed after four years (first review to be completed prior to the 2019-2020 season)
20.20.4.10 Men’s Soccer Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
• 4 Regional Association Champions
• 1 Host
• 1 Assigned berth OUA
• 2 Assigned berths (Rotational Format as per the following:
- When Canada West Hosts, AUS 1 additional berth and RSEQ 1 additional berth.
- When Quebec Hosts, AUS 1 additional berth and Canada West 1 additional berth.
- When AUS Hosts, Canada West 1 additional berth and RSEQ 1 additional berth.
- When OUA Hosts, the 2 assigned berths would go to 2 of the 3 other Regional Associations that averaged the highest finish from the previous 3 year’s National Championships. In the event a tie still occurs; based upon points from the previous 4 year’s National Championships would be used.
20.20.4.11 Women’s Soccer Championship
8 Team Format, Single Elimination
• 4 Regional Association Champions
• 1 Host
• 1 Assigned berth OUA
• 1 Assigned berth CWUAA
• 1 Assigned berth (Previous Medalists – Assigned berth from the same Regional Association
as the gold medalist at the previous year’s National Championship.)
NOTE:
a) No Regional Association may have more than 3 berths. If the assigned berth for previous year’s champion gives one Regional Association four berths, the next highest ranked Regional Association is awarded the previous year’s champion berth.
b) No more than one Regional Association may have 3 berths. If the assigned berth for previous year’s champion gives a second Regional Association three berths, the next highest ranked region is awarded the previous year’s champion berth.
Men's Hockey
Each season they come up with "Playing Regulations" for each sport. Those links are above.
3.1 TEAMS
The participating teams shall be:
• OUA Representative
• RSEQ Representative (Participates in the OUA Sport Conference – East Division)
• Canada West Representative
• Atlantic University Sport Representative
• Host (University of New Brunswick)
• Assigned berth rotating (CWUAA)
• Assigned berth rotating (OUA)
• Assigned berth rotating (AUS)
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.7 for more details)
4.2.2 SEEDING CRITERIA
1. The three (3) Sport Conference champions will be seeded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd based on their respective team national ranking in the final Top Ten of the season. The last Top 10 ranking will be done after the Sport Conference playoffs are completed.
2. The OUA finalist (either the OUA East or OUA West divisional champion) will be seeded #4.
3. The remaining 4 qualifying teams will be seeded using the final Top Ten of the season as a guiding tool.
4. Results of regional playoffs must be respected.
5. Once the seeding has been completed, teams 5 through 8 can be flipped no more than two spots (up or down) to try to avoid first round match-ups of teams from the same sport conference. (This means teams seeded 1 through 4 cannot be flipped).
6. The Host may flip the brackets to ensure a local team plays at a preferred time to assist with ticket sales. However, the structure of the brackets must be maintained (i.e. 1 vs. 8 and 4 vs. 5 must always stay together and 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 must stay together) so that common rest times are protected and the integrity of the draw is maintained.
7. Without affecting the integrity of the draw, games in the upper half of the draw can be switched to accommodate travel and time zone adjustment (i.e. Canada West teams traveling East). If the teams playing are not impacted by the time zone change then there can be no switching of game times.
The oddities here are:
1. The RSEQ has no league, yet gets a berth.
2. There is no regulation by which the RSEQ gets to assign its berth to the OUA.
3. There is no regulation by which no other conference can challenge RSEQ teams for their berth.
4. There is no means by which rule 7 could ever be implemented.
Women's Hockey
The women's is different in that the RSEQ actually runs a league. I quote their salient "Playing Regulations".
3.1 TEAMS
· Atlantic University Sport Representative
· RSEQ Representative
· OUA Representative
· Canada West Representative
· Host (Western University)
· Assigned berth CWUAA
· Assigned berth AUS
· Assigned berth RSEQ
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.8 for more details.)
4.2.2 SEEDING PROCESS AND COMPLETION OF DRAW
1. Seeds 1 through 4 will be the four sport conference champions from that year. They will be seeded as per the final Top 10 rankings of the season.
2. The four teams that are not conference champions will be placed on the opposite half of the draw as the champion from their sport conference.
3. The two teams that are placed in the top half of the draw will be seeded based on the final Top 10 ranking of the season. The lower ranked team of the two will face the higher seeded conference champion, and the higher ranked team will face the lower seeded conference champion. The same process is followed on the bottom half of the draw.
The oddities here are:
1. The host berth is deducted from, rather than added to, the conference allocation, i.e. each conference gets two berths, and must assign one of those berths to the host.
2. The conference's two teams are on opposite sides of the draw.
Men's Basketball
There are additional lengthy criteria for both selection and ranking. I have niot quioted everything. Here's the highlights:
3.1 TEAMS
The participating teams shall be:
• Atlantic University Sport Representative
• RSEQ Representative
• OUA Representative
• Canada West Representative
• Host (Acadia University)
• One (1) assigned berth OUA
• One (1) assigned berth Canada West
• One at-large berth
4.2.4 SEEDING CRITERIA
...
3. Conference champions must be seeded in the top 6 spots (1 through 6).
4. Once the seeding has been completed, teams 5 through 8 can only be flipped one spot (up or down) to try to avoid first round match-ups of teams from the same sport conference. (Note: A conference champion seeded 6 cannot be flipped to 7th.)
(This means teams seeded 1 through 4 cannot be flipped). This can only happen once (i.e. if there are 4 teams from one sport conference a flip can take place once but not twice.)
...
The oddities here are:
1. There is an "at large" berth, which has extensive (unquoted) regulation which governs the selection process.
2. The conference champions (there are 4) must be in the top 6, not the top 3 (4) as in hockey.
Women's Basketball
3.1 TEAMS
The participating teams in the W-Final 8 shall be as follow:
• Atlantic University Sport Champion
• OUA Champion
• RSEQ Champion
• Canada West Champion
• Host (University of Regina)
• One (1) assigned berth to OUA
• One (1) assigned berth to CW
• One (1) at-large berth
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.2 for more details.)
4.2.4 SEEDING CALL
...
2. Conference champions must be seeded in the top 6 spots (1 through 6).
3. Once the seeding has been completed, teams 5 through 8 can only be flipped one spot (up or down) to try to avoid first round match-ups of teams from the same sport conference. (Teams seeded 1 through 4 can NOT be flipped.) This can only happen once (i.e. if there are 4 teams from one sport conference a flip can take place once but not twice.)
...
The oddities here are:
1. Though worded completely differently, it is set up exactly like men's basketball, albeit with a less formal outline of selection and ranking criteria.
Men's Volleyball
Note from "Policies and Procedures" that three berths are defined as coming from the prior year's medalists at nationals. Here's what the annual "Playing Regulations" provide:
3.1 TEAMS
The composition of the eight (8) team format shall include:
• Canada West Representative
• OUA Representative
• RSEQ Representative
• Atlantic University Sport Representative
• Host (McMaster University)
• 2 assigned berths Canada West
• 1 assigned berth OUA
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.13 for more details.)
4.2.2 SEEDING CRITERIA
The purpose of the seeding call is to first determine the seeding of teams participating in the championship. Seeding is defined as reflecting current strength of the 8 teams qualified for the championship. The VRS system (volleyball ranking system) will be used to seed the teams. Process includes the following two steps:
1. Teams will be seeded 1-8 using the VRS system, however conference champions must be seeded between 1-6. The following seeding principle must be respected in the final determination of the championship draw:
1. Results of regional playoffs must be respected (order of finish).
2. Conference champions must be seeded in the top 6 spots (1 through 6). The VRS will consider the following: ....
The oddities here are:
1. The ranking system is like in basketball, with slightly different formal criteria.
2. The three "assigned berths" are based on the prior year's medalists at nationals.
Women's Volleyball
Basically like the men's!
3.1 TEAMS
The composition of the eight (8) team format shall include:
• Canada West Representative
• OUA Representative
• RSEQ Representative
• Atlantic University Sport Representative
• Host (Université Laval)
• 3 assigned berths from Canada West
(Refer to Policy 20.20.4.14 for more details.)
4.2.2 SEEDING CRITERIA
...
2. Conference champions must be seeded in the top 6 spots (1 through 6).
3. Once the seeding has been completed, teams 5 through 8 can only be flipped one spot (up or down) to try to avoid first round match-ups of teams from the same sport conference. (Teams seeded 1 through 4 can NOT be flipped.)
The oddities here are:
1. The system is set up like men's volleyball, with differently worded ranking criteria.
2. The "VRS" used in men's is not used in women's.
Consistent format?
IMO, there should be one format for all. In an 8 team format, that would be:
• CW Representative
• OUA Representative
• RSEQ Representative (except men's hockey)
• AUS Representative
• Host - unless is already qualified as conference champion
• assigned berths to conference with medalists from prior year
• Any remaining berths would go to the Regional Association(s) that averaged the highest finish from the previous 3 year’s National Championships. In the event a tie still occurs; based upon points from the previous 4 year’s National Championships would be used. (Unless they utilize a basketball-style "at-large" system.)
And conference winners would be seeded within the top 6.
So in men's hockey, this year's allocation would have been:
CW rep: Alberta
OUA rep: McGill
RSEQ rep: none
AUS rep: New Brunswick
Host: none, already qualified
AUS assigned for gold: St. F.X.
CW assigned for silver: Saskatchewan
AUS assigned for bronze: Acadia
1st remaining berth to AUS: St. Mary's
2nd remaining berth to CW: Calgary
Seedings:
1 New Brunswick
2 Alberta
3 McGill
4 St. F.X.
5 Saskatchewan
6 Acadia
7 St. Mary's
8 Calgary
Brackets:
St. F.X. v Saskatchewan
New Brunswick v Calgary
Alberta v St. Mary's
McGill v Acadia
