A deep conference will feature some of the nation's best on NCHC.TV. See which teams battle for Frozen Four glory in this must-see bracket preview.
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference carries on our tournament lookout, with eight of nine teams making the tournament.
The one team that is eliminated from postseason contention in any form is shockingly the Arizona State Sun Devils, who were originally projected fourth in the NCHC and even had two first-place votes to their name.
They would finish 7-16-1 and miss the cut by just two points to Omaha, who grabs the last spot.
A look at the bracket above as the NCHC keeps it relatively simple, with a best-of-three quarterfinal, followed by a winner-take-all semifinal and championship game week after week.
The only twist is that teams reseed in the NCHC tournament after the quarterfinal, giving a great advantage to top dog North Dakota, as they, the #1 seed holder, will face the lowest remaining seed no matter the circumstances.
The Fighting Hawks captured their seventh Penrose Cup (Regular Season Championship) and feature eight NHL prospects in their forward core alone, and have showcased it with nearly four goals per game on the season.
Consistency has been key for North Dakota, having not been swept by any opponent once this year.
The conference still runs plenty deep. #2 Denver holds the #7 spot in the national poll, while #3 Western Michigan just split with North Dakota this past weekend and is #4 in the nation. All three schools hold three of the best eleven offenses in the nation.
And that’s after not even acknowledging #4 Minnesota Duluth, who is #10 in the country while holding the best power play in the NCAA.
Folks and fans have their reason to state the NCHC could be the deepest conference in the nation, and it will be interesting to see how the postseason plays out with an automatic qualifying bid on the line for the Frozen Four tournament.
Don’t be shocked if a dark horse like St. Cloud State, Colorado College, or Miami tries to make a sneaky run into the picture.
The quarterfinals begin this weekend, with game one starting on Friday, March 6th.