Canwest News Service: For scientists, this year’s ice season was like the NHL playoffs. They placed bets, pored over satellite images, and speculated endlessly on how much Arctic ice would survive the summer. “Everyone was following it,” said Louis Fortier, scientific director of the Arcticnet, which funds and co-ordinates much of Canada’s polar research. “It was like the hockey final.” At one point, it looked like 2008 might shatter last year’s retreat of ice. So much ice had melted …