MODIFIED WINNING PERCENTAGE FORMULA FOR GOJHL RANKINGS

Because only one of the three conferences implements the use of shootouts, and therefore awards more total points in the standings than the other two conferences, a modified winning percentage is used as a method of factoring in the extra SOL points in the Western conference:

modified winning percentage = [total points earned] ÷ [total points awarded]

example:  In their last 10 games, Team A has 4 regulation wins, 1 SO win, 3 regulation losses, and 2 SO losses for 12 points.  The conventional winning % would be 12÷20 (.600).  However, in three of the games, (1 SO win and 2 SO losses) there were three points awarded.  Along with the 14 total points in the seven regulation decisions, there were a total of 23 (9+14) points awarded in the 10 games.  The modified winning percentage is 12÷23 (.522), which is a better representation of a team which won only five of the ten games.

Conventional winning % formula: [pts] / [2 x GP]

This assumes that there are only two points awarded in every game. As we all know, in OT and SO wins, a total of three points are awarded (2 to the winning team and 1 to the losing team). The conventional formula says that the team winning an OT/SO game has a 1.000 winning % for that game (2/2=1.000) and the losing team's % is .500 (1/2=.500)

Here's how the conventional formula is flawed when using it to compare GOJHL winning percentages:

A formula for winning percentage would be considered relevant if the average winning % of all teams is at or close to .500. Consider an extreme example using the conventional formula:

The last 10 games for each team in the WOHL are all decided by shootouts. Each team wins five and loses five. With points awarded for each SOL, all nine teams have 15 points (2 x 5 wins + 1 x 5 SOL) in their last 10 games. The conventional winning % formula would say that all nine teams have a .750 (15÷20) winning percentage. Therefore, the average winning percentage is .750 even though none of the nine teams has more than five wins in their last ten games. The conventional formula is flawed when the number of points awarded in each game is not consistent.

The "modified" formula accounts for the variable number of points involved in each game by dividing the number of points gained into the total points awarded in all games played.

Here's how the modified formula determines the winning percentages of various single game results:

Ø regulation win: 2 of 2 total pts awarded = 1.000

Ø > OT/SO win: 2 of 3 total pts awarded = 0.667

Ø tie: 1 of 2 total points awarded = 0.500

Ø OT/SO loss: 1 of 3 total pts awarded = 0.333

Ø regulation loss: 0 of 2 total points awarded = 0.000

This formula rewards a team for winning within the 60 minutes, and does not give equal reward to a team who needs an extra five minutes or more to win. Further, a team which gains a tie earns a winning percentage rightfully lower than an OT win and rightfully higher than an OT loss.

The modified formula is necessary when objectively comparing winning percentages of teams in the three GOJHL conferences. Because the WOHL is the only one of the three conferences to have shootouts, every WOHL game tied at the end of regulation will automatically be a three point game (whether decided in OT or SO). This cannot be said of the other two conferences where games tied at the end of overtime result in ties. Without the SO, the other two conferences have a disproportionately lower number of three point games. The conventional formula which counts an OT/SO loss with the same winning % as a tie is not fair for the teams in the MW and GH conferences when compared to WOHL teams with inflated winning percentages due to the extra SOL points being awarded. Note: the same modified formula is applied to ALL 3-point games decided in overtime in ALL 3 conferences.