GAME THREAD: Storm v Steelers: CUP: Sun 26th Oct

[mark]

Back to the garden shed and your friendly reminder that they have the worst webcast in the league.

[NinjaBreadMark]

Back to the garden shed and your friendly reminder that they have the worst webcast in the league.

This may be a bit of a dead rubber game anyway...

If my working out is correct, Steelers will top group A... after some complicated tie breaking checking, even with zero points in Manchester, we will be ahead of Blaze by virtue of point vi. in the tie breaking rules.

Tie breakers:
i. Total number of points. - tied on 13
ii. Total number of games won in regulation time. - tied on 4
iii. Total number of all games won (regulation, overtime and penalties). - tied on 6
iv. The results of games played between the relevant teams - tied on 2
v. Fewest regulation losses. - tied on 2
vi. Using away games: – points won, games won in regulation time, all games won - we have an extra point due to the OT loss in Cardiff.

Even if point vi. was tied, we would be top on goals scored (30 vs 29)

(I'm sure Mr Fearnley has already worked this one out and will give more accurate stats if I'm wrong!)

[smbmetal]

Pretty sure McAdam will get this one. Don't want to be risking Greenfield in pretty much a dead rubber game.

4-3 Steelers.

[NinjaBreadMark]

Saying that, the post on the elite league website says that the tie breaking rule goes on points %, which it doesn't mention on the actual tie breaking rules page!

So we could need a point at least after all.

EDIT: my bad, I was looking at the League Tie breaking criteria - the cup tie break does say "For the benefit of seedings, teams are ranked according to their overall point percentage" - maybe another reason have 2 even groups rather than have to complicate things with a group of 4 and a group of 6!

[ginger]

If we can win, it almost guarantees 1st overall seed.

[Jimmy o]

If we can win, it almost guarantees 1st overall seed.

Exactly, not a dead rubber at all as isn’t it the case that clinching 1st seed overall would allow us to host the final (assuming we got through the semi)?

[ginger]

If we can win, it almost guarantees 1st overall seed.

Exactly, not a dead rubber at all as isn’t it the case that clinching 1st seed overall would allow us to host the final (assuming we got through the semi)?

Exactly. Although it is interesting that Dundee could top their group, which would mean we likely play the play in game winner which could be Belfast/Nottingham.

It's possible that winning our group, could actually give a harder semi final on paper

[Jimmy o]

If we can win, it almost guarantees 1st overall seed.

Exactly, not a dead rubber at all as isn’t it the case that clinching 1st seed overall would allow us to host the final (assuming we got through the semi)?

Exactly. Although it is interesting that Dundee could top their group, which would mean we likely play the play in game winner which could be Belfast/Nottingham.

It's possible that winning our group, could actually give a harder semi final on paper

Ha, good point! Although I think I’d still take that to have the chance of the final at home which would be a big advantage.

[mark]

Belfast effectively were given a free pass to the next round by the EIHL by means of their group structure.

[ginger]

Belfast effectively were given a free pass to the next round by the EIHL by means of their group structure.

True, but I think technically both Clan and Dundee can still finish above them. Now that would be something!