We had one preseason game. The seeding is done according to the number of power points. You can have a team with 22 games and they're still getting more points for losing games.
I'm not surprised by the intensity, I didn't have to play it up to my girls at all. They knew how important this game was. I knew if both teams played at the top of their games, it could go either way. But the conditions do dictate the game a little.