Gustavus and Saint Mary’s are tied at the top of the very-close MIAC standings with three weeks left in the regular season.
As the calendar flips to February, I think now is a great time to take stake in what each conference schedule has remaining in the regular season. As important as the national tournament is, and the coverage it gets, I think it’s crucial to focus in on these regional rivalries within historic (and new) conferences. These rivalries are what make the sport what it is. Playoff berths are huge for some programs, and conference title banners are even bigger. Winning a regular season or conference tournament title are major milestones that should not go undetected. So, we will be analyzing remaining schedules of all Division III hockey conferences. To start, we’ll take a look at the men’s side of things, with the first half of leagues being discussed today: the CNE, LEC, MAC, MASCAC, and MIAC.
CNE
While we’re used to seeing a three-horse race in the CNE, we now have a four-horse race, as Suffolk has put together an outstanding conference season. The Rams have picked up wins against both UNE and Endicott this year.
All four schools in this top tier have clinched a spot as one of the six schools who will play in the conference tournament. While Suffolk is at-large or bust, the other three schools do have varying chances at an at-large bid should they not win the CNE tournament.
The top 2 seeds will get a bye, so there is still plenty at stake for the top tier. So, there is a huge difference between who gets 2nd and 3rd. The 3rd and 4th place teams will have to play in Round 1, but will get a home contest in that round.
Remaining Schedules
The Contenders:
While UNE and Curry have five games left, Endicott has a tad more left remaining (though not quite a full game). Back in November, Johnson & Wales was leading the Gulls 1-0 after one period when the scoreboard went out. Finally, three months later, the Wildcats will get their chance to hold onto that lead. Suffolk only plays four more games in CNE play.
UNE has the clear advantage schedule-wise in this pod. Not seeing any of the other “Big Three” is a massive opportunity for the Nor’Easters. This weekend’s Curry vs. Endicott series will be massive, and I’d have to think if one team sweeps, the other will be eliminated from getting that regular season title.
While Suffolk has less games to play, if they can take care of last place WNE, they’ll have an unbelievable opportunity for the program with the Curry series during the final weekend.
The Playoff Bubble:
Two of these teams will play in the postseason, while three will not be. RWU, JWU, and Nichols have a big of a leg up given their current point totals, but there are many games remaining within this grouping.
RWU making the playoffs in Year 1 would be an amazing story, and if they can take care of business against equal competition within this tier, they’ll make it.
If just looking at games against the top tier, Nichols and JWU have a bit of a tougher schedule, with three such games. However, given JWU has 6 games left, and Nichols has three ranked schools left to play in Curry, Endicott, and UNE, it looks like Nichols has the toughest path left. The Bison need to sweep WNE this weekend to have a chance.
If the Wildcats, can steal one of the three games remaining against Endicott, I really like their chances. The Wentworth series this weekend is huge for them.
Wentworth will likely need to go 3-1 against JWU (twice), WNE, and RWU to have any shot at sneaking in. The Leopards have been sliding as of late, so they need to turn it around quickly.
Western New England is up against it with only five games remaining, but with no ranked teams left, it isn’t impossible for the Golden Bears to sneak in. Keep in mind, this team just tied Endicott.
My Call:
These are just guesses, and I have no idea how this will actually all play out in a sport that has so much parity. Please don’t take this personally! Predictions are fun, and I’m just taking a shot in the dark here:
- UNE (Conference Championship & First Round Bye)
- Curry (First Round Bye)
- Endicott (First Round Home Game)
- Suffolk (First Round Home Game)
- Johnson & Wales (Playoff Berth)
- Roger Williams (Playoff Berth)
- Nichols
- Wentworth
- Western New England
I think UNE is too strong to not take advantage of their easier schedule. If Curry can somehow keep pace with UNE, they will most have definitely earned it. I do think Endicott does enough to nudge ahead of the Rams, and I do like JWU to make the playoffs fairly comfortably. The last spot will be very close, but I’ll give the edge to RWU given their current point total.
LEC
In a brand-new conference, there was so much uncertainty heading into the season. While we thought we may see a top tier of three, it’s looking a little bit more like a top tier of two. Norwich and Babson appear to be duking it out for the inaugural Little East conference title.
No one has quite clinched a berth just yet in another six-team conference tournament. There definitely appears to be a second tier of teams that have the inside track of playing in the postseason, but there are a couple teams within striking distance. Obviously, earning that 3 or 4 seed is huge, trying to get that additional home game in Game #26. Sadly, on the flip side, WestConn has been eliminated from postseason play in their first season as a program.
Remaining Schedules
The Contenders:
While Norwich has slipped up more in non-conference play than Babson, these two are neck-and-neck heading the final turn of the Little East Conference season. Back in November, Babson hosted Norwich, with the Beavers earning a tight, 4-3 victory.
Yes, Babson has one more game to pick up points than the Cadets do. But most likely, this is going to come down to this upcoming Saturday’s game, where the Beavers make the return trip to Norwich. Should Norwich defend home ice and earn a win, particularly in regulation, it’s going to be extremely hard for Babson to come back, despite the game in hand.
The fact of the matter is that neither team has hardly dropped any points in conference play, although Norwich has two ties in their last three games, signs of maybe slowing down a bit after their hot start to the calendar year. I will say, Babson’s remaining opponents do appear to be trickier than what Norwich has left on the slate.
The Playoff Bubble:
I briefly considered throwing Southern Maine or Plymouth State in the top tier, but I do think they’ll need more of a miracle to finish atop the league standings, or even in bye territory for that matter. Regardless, those two schools appear to have the inside track towards hosting a playoff game.
Anyways, with WestConn eliminated, we have 7 schools for 4 spots, assuming some combo of Babson/Norwich make up the top two. This has been an extremely competitive middle of the LEC. There does appear to be a top six of sorts, but there are still plenty of games remaining for a team currently outside the field to jump in.
Keene State is an extreme longshot, and has virtually zero chance, but NEC and UMD both could reasonably reach the postseason with strong finishes and a little help around them. I would probably rule out NEC though, as they have a brutal schedule remaining.
UMB and UMD have the exact same schedule down the stretch, so I think it’ll be difficult for the Corsairs to chase down the Beacons, given they’re already five points back.
Castleton has home games with the current top three in the standings, and road games versus the two bottom-dwellers. The Spartans could make some noise if they can defend home ice.
Southern Maine @ Plymouth State on the final Friday of the regular season could very well determine the 3 seed, with each of them also having a game versus a member of the top tier.
My Call:
- Babson (Conference Championship & First Round Bye)
- Norwich (First Round Bye)
- Southern Maine (First Round Home Game)
- Plymouth State (First Round Home Game)
- UMass Boston (Playoff Berth)
- Castleton (Playoff Berth)
- UMass Dartmouth
- New England College
- Keene State
- WestConn
At the end of the day, I do think Babson has been consistent enough this season to not slip up in the games they’re supposed to win. I also think Babson will be able to at the very least earn a point up in Kreitzberg Arena, and hold off the Cadets. However, I could very much see it coming down to the last day of the season with Norwich and Babson playing tricky road games at Castleton and Plymouth State, respectively. I do forsee the current playoff field holding off any outside threats, with UMB having a strong end of the season, jumping up to fifth place.
MAC
The MAC seems to be much more wide-open than it was in its inaugural season last year. While Stevenson and Wilkes were clearly the top of the league last year, Neumann has definitely stepped it up this season, as well as Wilkes coming back to the pack a bit. Alvernia is a team, that I think is a bit behind the others in quality, but still very much in the mix to potentially win the conference. Heck, they’ve taken games against all of the top three.
Even the best of the MAC have shown they can slip up against anyone. In a clear one-bid league, home ice will be huge in this miniature four-team playoff field, so the 1 seed is key. The 2nd seed will be a hot commodity as well, earning semifinal home ice at the very least.
Remaining Schedules
The Contenders:
All four of these schools have gone through hot and cold stretches this season, and whoever finishes the hottest might be the last one standing. There are massive games left on the schedule, including Wilkes @ Neumann, Neumann @ Stevenson, Alvernia @ Stevenson, and Wilkes @ Alvernia. While you would think whoever wins these will be in the driver’s seat for the conference, I would argue the team who slips up the fewest amount of times against lesser competition will win the regular season title.
Stevenson and Neumann definitely have the edge with their six point lead over Wilkes. If the Knights can sweep this upcoming weekend against Wilkes and Stevenson, I think they’ll almost certainly get it done. They have looked to bounce back last weekend after the head-scratching sweep at the hands of Misericordia. I think it most likely comes down to these two schools.
Stevenson was playing pretty good hockey as of late, but struggled in their last two games. Wilkes and Alvernia will both need to be near-perfect to get a shot at playing for the one-seed. But if I’m Alvernia, I’m just trying to get points to clinch a playoff spot first and foremost, then see what happens in the tournament.
Wrong Side of the Playoff Bubble:
These schools definitely are up against it if they want to make a playoff push. With only 15 maximum points available for these schools, time is running out. The current #4 seed Alvernia just needs 3 points to eliminate Misericordia, 4 points to eliminate King’s, and 6 points to eliminate Arcadia. LVC seems like the only team that has a semi-realistic shot here, but they are still fighting an uphill battle.
Luckily, Arcadia has Alvernia on Friday, so they can cut into that deficit quite a bit. Again, these teams have all shown they can beat the top half of this conference, with Misericordia taking Stevenson to overtime yesterday as proof. However, they just need to string a few more of these wins together to start to catch up to the top of this league.
My Call:
- Stevenson (Conference Champion & First Round Home Game)
- Neumann (First Round Home Game)
- Wilkes (Playoff Berth)
- Alvernia (Playoff Berth)
- Lebanon Valley
- Arcadia
- Misericordia
- King’s
MASCAC
While the MASCAC saw a bit of turnover from the last few seasons, last year’s wild tournament champion is currently pacing the league standings. The boogeyman of Plymouth State is gone, and Fitchburg State is now in the lead, heading towards a MASCAC crown. However, the standings are still tight, and a lot of hockey is left to be played, so don’t count out Anna Maria and Westfield just yet. Teams have either five or six games remaining, which means we’re just a bit past the halfway point in league play. Crazy to think about, so yeah, Fitchburg has a lot of work to do to get that 1 seed.
In the new format, I can’t seem to find information on this year’s new championship, but my gut is telling me all eight teams will be qualifying for the tournament, meaning everyone gets a chance at postseason play (It looks like there are three dates for gameplay in the tournament, meaning three rounds). Obviously, in an eight-teamer, those first four seeds are crucial to get home ice, and you want to set yourself up for as much home ice as possible dependent on seed.
Remaining Schedules
The Contenders:
These appear to be the big three in the MASCAC this season, with Salem State just on the outside looking in. I would’ve guessed they’d be here, but a few too many slip-ups. FSU has been on an absolute tear, putting together a solid season, and winning 13 of their last 14. Now, they still have an absolutely huge game where they head to Anna Maria on Valentine’s Day. Similar to the MAC, I think this may come down to the top two, and who can avoid dropping points against the bottom-feeder teams.
Fitchburg has only fallen once (Salem) in league play, and AMC just has one loss to FSU, and a tie (Worcester). Westfield obviously has a bit higher hill to climb, and has been more inconsistent as of late. But, the Owls have games with both the Falcons and the Amcats, meaning they control their own destiny as well.
Playing for Seeding:
There’s not a ton more to say here with everyone seeming to make playoffs in this conference. However, Salem State is the clear “best of the rest” in this group. It would take a disaster of a last three weeks for SSU to not clinch that last home game with the #4 seed. Despite the fact they play one less game than 3 of the 4 teams chasing them.
When looking at schedules, these are all so similar with so many games left to be played and no two-game series. Four of these teams have games against all of the “big three,” except Framingham, who avoids Westfield, and Rivier, who avoids Fitchburg.
I do think the 5 and 6 seeds are definitely more coveted than the 7 and 8, depending on your opinions of the top three and how the rest of the season shakes out. However, based on the absolute madness we saw in last season’s postseason tournament, in a clear one-bid league, do these teams want the lowest seed possible?
My Call:
- Anna Maria (Conference Champion & First Round Home Game)
- Fitchburg State (First Round Home Game)
- Salem State (First Round Home Game)
- Westfield State (First Round Home Game)
- Worcester State (Playoff Berth)
- Rivier (Playoff Berth)
- MCLA (Playoff Berth)
- Framingham State (Playoff Berth)
MIAC
Top to bottom, this may be the most closely-competitive conference in the entire country, and if not the most, certainly in the top two. An absurdly high 23% of MIAC games have gone to overtime this year. My jaw dropped when I calculated that the first time.
What makes this league all the more intense, is that only five of nine qualify for the postseason, making each weekend a war for highly-coveted points. With only five teams qualifying, seeds 1, 2, and 3 get a first round bye, with 4th and 5th place playing a play-in game to face the #1 seed. What’s so compelling is that the teams at the top have a full docket of 6 games remaining.
I will say, standings-wise, we are starting to see a little bit of separation, but given the sheer number of upsets we see in the MIAC, I wouldn’t count anyone out of it. Well, except St. Scholastica, who has had a rough season and finds themselves mathematically eliminated.
2025-26 is starting to look very familiar for the red-hot Golden Gusties, as last season, they overcame a slow start, marching to their first conference championship since 2012. The Gusties still have work ahead of them, with multiple physical, talented teams on their tails. Despite this top tier forming, no one has clinched a playoff spot just yet.
Remaining Schedules
The Contenders:
This grouping of teams is so insanely close, and there are tons of series remaining between these teams: GAC-SJU, SMU-BU, SOC-SMU, BU-SOC. I’d have to think the teams who come up victorious in these ones will be the ones who could maybe grab that #1 overall seed, conference title, and hardware. The series aspect in MIAC play is also a fascinating nuance for how the stretch run plays out. It’s hard to sweep anyone on back-to-back nights.
On paper, Gustavus and Saint John’s should have the “easier” schedule than the other three schools, as the Gusties and Johnnies have two remaining series outside the top tier. But again, any team in the MIAC is more than capable of upsetting the top teams, especially when minds start to wander when playoff time is approaching.
Saint Mary’s next two weekends are extremely important, as the Cardinals could become the favorite just as easily as they could fall out of the playoff picture entirely.
Bethel obviously has the huge SMU series this weekend, but then a pair of road games in Moorhead to face the Cobbers, with a long bus ride before and after. If they can get through that stretch 3-1, I’d have to think they have a shot at the title the last weekend series against St. Olaf
That brings us to the Oles, who have been a bit up-and-down as of late, but if they can regain their mojo this weekend against Scholastica, have everything in front of them down the stretch with two massive series to close the season out.
Wrong Side of the Playoff Bubble:
Hamline initially doesn’t look like they’re in bad shape, but the fact they have a bye week the weekend after next is hurting them badly. Hamline has played lots of teams tough, and if they can earn a home sweep of Concordia, they would definitely be in the mix to get that #5 seed the last weekend of the year.
Concordia definitely has the advantage in this category of teams, as the Cobbers have already had their bye week, and have six more chances to turn games played into points and try to climb the conference standings. I think Concordia has a very real shot to do it, but they’ve got tough matchups with the Royals and Johnnies following a desperate Piper team.
Augsburg has a very steep hill to climb, and will need loads of help to return to the MIAC playoffs. However, theoretical sweeps of SMU and SJU would help their case. But, they’d still need some help around them. As mentioned before, Scholastica’s only hope is to play spoiler to the Oles and Gusties.
My Call:
I have no idea where to go with this one, so I’ll just close with a shoutout to Gustavus bench boss Tyler Walsh, who used last year’s garbage prediction by me as some much-needed motivation. I’m sure this one will go over wonderfully!
- Saint John’s (Conference Champion & First Round Bye & Semifinal Home Game)
- Gustavus (First Round Bye & Semifinal Home Game)
- St. Olaf (First Round Bye)
- Saint Mary’s (First Round Home Game)
- Bethel (Playoff Berth)
- Concordia
- Hamline
- Augsburg
- St. Scholastica
Wrap-Up
If you didn’t see your favorite conference here, stay tuned for Part 2 later this week featuring the NCHA, NESCAC, SUNYAC, UCHC, and WIAC. Hopefully this provided some insight on what can help your school in the next couple weeks and who you should be rooting for! Any comments or questions are welcome down below.
