The Maryland Student Hockey League (MSHL) has slashed the conventional playoff format for the 2016 postseason, now using algorithm-based rankings to determine seeding.
The new playoff differs from the old one in several ways, including some that might hamper the Vikings’ playoff chances.
First, the new system does not take into account conference difficulty within the MSHL. This disadvantages the Vikings, who play in what is arguably the state’s strongest conference—Montgomery Pure.
“Our Montgomery conference is considered to be the most competitive conference to play in,” Tseytlin said. “This leads to us playing against competitive teams, sometimes forcing our power ranking to decrease because we lose or tie.”
Tseytlin added that under the new system, less-talented teams can be ranked higher.
“Earlier this season we beat Oakdale 7–2 in a preseason tournament, yet they are ranked well above us in the power rankings,” he said.
Additionally, each conference was previously guaranteed four playoff spots; the four teams played in a small bracket to determine who advanced to the state tournament. But since the new playoffs simply take the 16 top-ranked teams regardless of conference, it is more difficult for Montgomery county teams to reach the playoffs because of their tougher schedules.
The system is predicated on the total possible amount of points a team can earn. A team gets two points for a win, one point for a tie, and no points for a loss, so the maximum amount of points a team could have is twice the number of games played: a team that plays 20 games could receive a maximum of 40 points.
Under the new system, teams are assigned an initial rating based on the percentage of total possible possible points they earn. Teams that receive 33.3% of their possible points or less are classified as “A,” teams that get between 33.3% and 66.6% are classified as “AA,” and teams that receive 66.7% or more of their possible points obtain a “AAA” ranking.
Emphasis is placed on a team’s strength of schedule and teams earn more points for beating and tying “better” opponents.
The process of determining the level of a team is subjective, though, since there is not much inter-conference play, coach Andy Wolfe said.
“In the MSHL, there is so little ice time and very little if any cross conference games that comparing records in conferences can be misleading,” Wolfe said. “If they are going to try make this system more accurate, at a minimum, teams from different conferences must play each other.”
However, the change is not entirely detrimental to the Vikings’ season: the team would have an easier path through the playoffs if it makes the postseason.
“We don’t have to play the tough Montgomery teams in the first round, so we have a much higher chance of advancing farther than we have in the past,” forward Ben Barrett said.
The new system also makes it possible for multiple teams from Montgomery Pure to make the finals.
Despite being three spots out of the playoffs in the most recent MSHL ranking, the Vikings are confident that they will compete in the postseason, Barrett said.