The Western division of the CWPA is not as clear cut as their Southern division counterpart, for one there are still more games upcoming that are huge in determining the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. With Indiana's 8-7 upset win over Michigan this past week there is a possibility that there could be a three-way tie for the top seed.
Here are the current standing:
The easy way to decide the champion is for Maryland to defeat Michigan at 1 p.m. on April 7, but if Michigan beats Maryland then things get complicated. I will let the CWPA website decode the possibilities:
With Indiana standing at 5-1 in the Western Division, and Maryland (5-0) and Michigan (4-1) effectively tied for the division lead, the match-up will have significant bearing on who earns the No. 1 seed for the Western Division Championship. If Maryland wins against Michigan, and defeats Salem International University on Friday night, the Terps claim the outright Western Division regular season title and the No. 1 seed for the division tournament. However, a loss to Michigan combined with the Terrapins winning their other league game against Salem International would make the standings interesting and force tiebreakers as Maryland, Michigan and Indiana would all stand at 5-1.
If all three do tie then it would come down to total goals from the games between Michigan, Indiana and Maryland. For Michigan to win the outright title they would have to defeat Maryland by two goals, and that is the easiest solution outside of Maryland beating Michigan.
Here are the multiple scenarios of the top three could be determined:
Maryland (loss to Salem International, win versus Michigan): Michigan, Maryland and Indiana are all at 5-1. A Maryland win against the Wolverines would give the Terrapins the No. 1 seed as they defeated Indiana and Michigan. With Maryland removed from the equation, the battle for the No. 2 seed reverts back to head-to-head as Indiana would then be the No. 2 seed, with Michigan the No. 3 seed.
Maryland (loss to Salem International & Michigan): Indiana and Michigan both finish 5-1, with Maryland at 4-2, but Indiana claims the Western Division title based on its head-to-head win versus Michigan. Michigan is the No. 2 seed, with Maryland the No. 3.
Maryland (by any score over Michigan): The Terrapins claim the No. 1 seed by finishing undefeated in the Western Division. Indiana is the No. 2 due to a head-to-head win over Michigan.
Michigan (1-0 win vs. Maryland): With all three teams tied at zero in goal differential (one goal win, one goal loss), the tiebreaker reverts to total number of goals scored. As Indiana has 16 total goals scored, far more than Maryland and Michigan, the Hoosiers are the No. 1 seed, with Michigan and Maryland following in order based on Michigan's victory.
Michigan (2-0 win or any victory by two goals vs. Maryland): Michigan wins the No. 1 seed based on goal differential as the Wolverines are at least +1, Indiana is 0 and Maryland is at a minimum -1. Maryland claims the No. 2 seed based on their head-to-head win vs. Indiana.
Michigan (2-1, 3-2, 4-3, 5-4, etc. win vs. Maryland for a one-goal win): With all three teams tied at zero in goal differential (one goal win, one goal loss), the tiebreaker reverts to total number of goals scored. As Indiana has 16 total goals scored, Michigan can not win by one and score enough goals to outdistance the Hoosiers and Terrapins. Even a 100-99 win does nothing for the Wolverines as Maryland enters the game with a +2 advantage due to defeating Indiana 9-8 (and Michigan managing 7 goals against the Hoosiers), thus the total number of goals if the Maize and Blue reach the century mark for a one goal win would be 108 to 107 in favor of the Terrapins.
NOTE: For Maryland to claim the division regular season title based on the total number of goals scored via a one-goal loss to Michigan, the Terrapins need the game to reach a 9-8 conclusion. The 9-8 loss would give Maryland 17 total goals (9 vs. Indiana, 8 vs. Michigan), while Indiana has 16 (8 vs. Maryland, 8 vs. Michigan) and Michigan would have 16 (7 vs. Indiana, 9 vs. Maryland). In this case, Maryland would claim the No. 1 seed, while Indiana takes the No. 2 spot courtesy its head-to-head win versus Michigan. Any one goal loss by Maryland to Michigan that is less than a 9-8 final gives the No. 1 seed to Indiana, with Michigan claiming the No. 2 seed based on its head-to-head win versus Maryland.
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