Somewhere in Orono, Maine, Maine hockey Coach Shawn Walsh is shopping.

"What should I get the NCAA hockey tournament selection committee? Candy? Cigars? A trip to the Bahamas? Those guys are great for giving my team the top seed in the East."

When the tournament selections were announced Sunday afternoon in St. Paul, Minn., the Black Bears (29-11) grabbed the number-one slot in the East seedings.

Harvard (27-3), which owns the best winning percentage in the country (.900), was surprised. The NCAA gave the Crimson the number-two seed in the East.

St. Lawrence (29-5), the ECAC champion, was surprised. Thinking they had a chance for one of the tournament's two byes, the Saints were given the number-three slot.

Maine went shopping for thank-you gifts.

What were the reasons for giving the Black Bears, the Hockey East title-winner, what other teams in the East had a claim to?

Strength of schedule. A victory over B.C. in the Hockey East championship game. A Harvard loss to Vermont in the ECAC semifinals.

Committee members said that Maine played more games against the top 15 teams in the country than either Harvard or St. Lawrence.

Commitee members, however, forgot to say that the Black Bears also played more non-Division I schools than the Crimson and the Saints did.

Check the non-Division I scoreboard among the three schools:

First, the Crimson. No games against a non-Division I school. Every team Harvard played this season has come from the ECAC or Hockey East. Record; 0-0.

Next, the Saints. Three non-Division I games (Salem State, Merrimack and McGill). Record: 3-0.

Finally, the Black Bears. Five non-Division I games (Dalhouise, Merrimack, two against Alabama-Huntsville and Bowdoin). Record: 5-0.

Take away Harvard's games against non-Division I teams and its overall record remains the same. St. Lawrence would be 26-5. Maine would go from 29-11 to 24-11.