College Hockey:

CCHA Alters Points Structure, Offers 3 Points for Regulation or OT Win

The CCHA is changing its standings point structure to allot the same number of points for each conference game.

That means regulation and overtime victories will be worth three points. If a game goes to a shootout after the NCAA-mandated five-minute overtime, the winning team will get two points in the standings and the losing team one point.

“We feel that this is a fairer system,” CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos said in a news release. “Now, all teams will have access to the same number of points throughout the regular season and every game is worth three points whether it is decided in regulation time, overtime or a shootout. We also feel this will give teams an added incentive to win a game in regulation time or overtime because they will gain the maximum number of points for doing so.”

Last season, the first in which the CCHA used the shootout format following tie games, a game would produce a total of two points if it was decided in regulation or overtime and three points if it went to a shootout.

Shootout results count only in the league’s standings, not toward the RPI or PairWise Rankings that determine the field for the NCAA tournament.

If this year’s point structure was in place last season, the standings would have looked slightly different.

Michigan and Miami tied for second place last season; the Wolverines would have held a seven-point advantage over the RedHawks under the new format.

Ferris State would have leapfrogged Nebraska-Omaha for eighth place, and Bowling Green would have moved past Michigan State for 11th.