REPORT: NCAA Hockey RPI Changes Rejected, Immediately Benefits BC Women’s Hockey

Last month, it was reported that the NCAA’s RPI calculation may be changing for men’s and women’s college hockey, with a recommendation that the calculation give 90% of a win and 10% of a loss for games decided in overtime. Per USCHO’s Todd Milewski, that recommendation appears to have been rejected:

The changes — or rather, the lack thereof — doesn’t change BC men’s hockey’s position as of yet, given that both of their games ended in regulation. But the decision to reject the change and keep overtime wins counting as 100% of a victory will already benefit the women’s hockey team.

Boston College Women’s Hockey claimed two huge overtime wins this week against #10 Saint Lawrence, which means what originally looked to be 1.8 wins in the RPI over a ranked team would now count as 2.0 full victories. The change would have affected the Quality Wins Bonus component of RPI as well, so with SLU looking like a potential top 12 team, the non-change is doubly beneficial to the Eagles.

We’re working on independently confirming that the RPI proposal was rejected, but there’s no reason to doubt Milewski’s sources. The news certainly comes as a pleasant surprise for the BC Women’s Hockey team.