Men's Conference by Conference Breakdown: Part 1 (CNE, MAC, MASCAC, MIAC, NCHA)

Hello again,

While I often get the chance to look ahead at what the national tournament could be weeks in advance, it should not be forgotten how important these conference races are as well. National tournament aside, conference rivalries are the lifeblood of the sport, and getting to hang a banner in your home rink means so much for these programs. Whether it’s a regular season title, or an unexpected conference playoff appearance, I thought this would be a great time to take a look at what’s left to come in each conference as we approach the final three weekends of the regular season. I will do this in a two-step approach, to save the readers some time. First off, we’ll look at the first half of conferences on the men’s side, which includes the CNE, MAC, MASCAC, MIAC, and NCHA.

CNE

At the top of the conference, the CNE is a three horse race, with the contenders all being nationally ranked: Curry, UNE, and Endicott. All three of these schools have clinched a spot as one of the six teams who move onto the conference tournament, which will be huge for their at-large hopes into the NCAA tourney.

Each team has five games left to play. As stated at the top of the standings image, 6 of the top 8 make the playoffs, with the top 2 seeds getting a bye. So, there is a huge difference between who gets 2nd and 3rd. 3rd and 4th place will also get a home game in Round 1, so each position matters quite a bit.

Remaining Schedules

The Contenders:

Both UNE and Endicott will get their shot at Curry to try and capture the regular season crown, and home ice for the playoffs. With a 3 point lead over UNE, the Nor’Easters are the much bigger threat to Curry, as they are within striking distance. If UNE can win out, they will earn the conference title, as they have already split with Curry, meaning the tiebreaker would go to UNE. The Curry @ UNE game will be massive. If Curry can win that game, their margin for error will be much, much larger.

Endicott needs help from teams in the lower tier. What’s good for the Gulls, is that those teams are on the playoff bubble, and will be playing hard to pull a potential upset. Endicott has the tiebreaker over UNE, beating them in both meetings. The Gulls can also earn a potential tiebreaker with Curry if they can beat them in regulation, so the window is there for EC. They need to make up ground quickly though in order to catch one or both of the two teams in front of them.

The Playoff Bubble:

Three of these five will be qualifying for the postseason, while one will get a home game. JWU has the upper hand right now, but plays the toughest schedule remaining, with 4 of 5 against the “Big 3.” Will their 2 point lead be enough?

Wentworth has been playing better of late, but will be going up against a buzzsaw of a Curry team this weekend in a home and home. Stealing a point or two against the Colonels could prove to be massive.

Nichols has chances against the two teams in front of them, so I view those games as the biggest in this bunch in terms of who can get home ice in Round 1. The winner of the Wentworth vs. Nichols game gets the tiebreaker there, but it’s more than likely JWU will hold the tiebreaker against Nichols regardless of their final game’s result.

Suffolk may be a team to watch here, as they have given great teams scares throughout the season. They also are finished with the “Big 3,” and have a trio of games against the last place team. Don’t count out the Rams on not only making the playoffs, but earning a home game. Suffolk does hold the tiebreaker over JWU.

WNE has its work cut out for it, as they have slim hopes at making the tournament. If they can perform well against, or even sweep Suffolk, they are alive and well in the race. Anything short of that, and it may be an early end to the season for the Golden Bears.

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. But I’ll take a stab at how I think this plays out:

Curry (Conference Championship & First Round Bye)
UNE (First Round Bye)
Endicott (First Round Home Game)
Suffolk (First Round Home Game)
Johnson & Wales (Playoff Berth)
Wentworth (Playoff Berth)
Nichols
Western New England

I think Curry is just too hot at the moment to be caught, but I wouldn’t be shocked if UNE makes it very close. I am a believer in Suffolk taking advantage of the easier end of the schedule and I see them jumping up to 4th place as well.

MAC

This is a brand-new ordeal for the MAC. This is the first year the MAC has an auto-bid after breaking away from the UCHC. Down the stretch, teams are feeling the heat to take advantage of the newly-acquired bid.

Stevenson was the preseason favorite to win the league. After a few short weeks, it looked like Wilkes was truly the one who was the flag-bearer for the MAC. Stevenson just beat Wilkes last weekend to cut into the lead a good deal. However, we’ll see if the Colonels can hold off the Mustangs in the last three weeks.

Most teams have five games remaining in their schedules. After a few cancellations, there are a couple teams that have six games left to play, and the frontrunner Wilkes, only has four. Unlike many other leagues, the MAC is more selective with itself playoff spots, as only the top 4 qualify. The top 2 will earn home ice in the semifinals. So far, Wilkes is the only one to have clinched a berth.