College hockey matchups to pay attention to this  weekend

**Conference standings are listed below the story**

GRAND FORKS — This year's college hockey season has had no shortage of entertaining matchups.

With the end of the regular season in sight, every game means so much more.

 The conference standings are getting tighter and tighter, and every game counts. The pairwise rankings are becoming increasingly important, adding an extra level of intensity and pressure to each match.

Several key college hockey matchups across the different conferences are scheduled this weekend. Some games could significantly impact a team's conference standings or pairwise rank.

NCHC

College hockey’s premier conference has had tons of great games this season.

Currently, only nine points separate the teams ranked one through five in the conference.

This upcoming weekend will feature only four of the eight teams playing. St. Cloud, Omaha, Western Michigan, and Miami will all be on their bye weeks.

North Dakota will fly to Colorado Springs to face off against Colorado College while Denver will travel to Duluth to face the Bulldogs.

This week's biggest NCHC matchup will be between the University of North Dakota and Colorado College.

The Fighting Hawks and Tigers played each other last December to end the first half of the season. The Tigers swept the Hawks in Grand Forks, beating UND in overtime both nights (Friday 3-2, Saturday 3-2).

But that was over three months ago. UND still sits atop the NCHC with 37 points, and CC is in fourth place with 27 points. However, the Tigers have played two fewer games than St. Cloud and Western Michigan, who sit above them in conference standings.

Colorado College is right around the cut-off line in the pairwise rankings. The Tigers are ranked 17th in the country, and sweeping UND would increase their chances of not only winning the Penrose Cup but also giving them a chance at earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Being in the top 14 will give you the best chance of getting into the tournament.

UND will look to continue their unbeaten streak in regulation; the Hawks still haven't lost a game in five-on–five since Nov. 3rd against Boston University.

Big 10

The Big 10 standings look far different this year than the last few years. 

After sweeping Michigan last weekend, the Michigan State Spartans elevated themselves atop the Big 10. 

Michigan State and Wisconsin have struggled the last few years, but currently, they are the front runners to win the Big 10.

This weekend won't feature any top-ten matchups with significant pairwise implications; however, Wisconsin will have a chance to take back first place in the Big 10 standings.

The Badgers are five points behind the Spartans in the conference standings; they have also played two fewer games than Michigan State.

Wisconsin will travel to Ohio State to play a struggling Buckeyes squad.

The Buckeyes are last in the Big 10, with only one win this year in conference play.

So why does this matchup matter?

For Wisconsin's first-year head coach, Mike Hastings, the last thing they want to do would be to drop a game to a team like Ohio State. 

The Buckeyes will likely not make the NCAA tournament, bearing a miracle run and winning the Big 10 conference championship.

Meanwhile, the Badgers are in a position to be a one-seed in the NCAA tournament; a loss to Ohio State would hurt their chances to win the Big 10, and would certainly move them out of position to be a one-seed in the national tournament.

Hockey East

Although their win does not count towards the conference standings, Northeastern's win over Boston University in the Beanpot Championship proved that Hockey East is a deep conference this year.

BU and BC are the front runners to win Hockey East, and they both are competing for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.The University of Maine is also lurking behind them, additionally fighting for a chance to be a one-seed in the NCAA tournament.

There will be a plethora of great matchups this weekend in the Hockey East, but the one that stands out is Boston University vs Providence.

Following a 3-2 overtime loss to Northeastern in the Beanpot, BU will be eager to get the taste of losing out of their mouth. 

BU star forward and Hobey Baker candidate Macklin Celebrini has already cemented himself as one of the top players in college hockey; he is predicted to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft. If there is one player from Hockey East, everyone should be watching, it’s him.

Providence is tied for fourth place in Hockey East with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Still, more importantly, they are 12th in the pairwise, which is right on the bubble for the national tournament.

For Providence, this series could allow them to rise in the Hockey East standings and the pairwise.

Providence is coming off a solid weekend against Maine, following a 2-1 loss Friday night; the Friars tied the game late in the third period and eventually went on to win 4-3 in overtime.

ECAC

Once again, it appears the Quinnipiac University Bobcats will win the ECAC. 

The Bobcats hold an eight-point lead over Cornell; both teams split with each other earlier this season. 

Cornell University, right now, is 14th in the pairwise, which is a dangerous place to be come selection Sunday. Cornell squares off against Brown University, and then the next night, Yale University. Both opponents are lower-tier teams in the conference and country, and Cornell cannot afford to lose either of their games. 

If you are a fan of ECAC hockey, Cornell is the team to watch this weekend. Any loss for them could knock them down in the conference standings and damage their national rank.

CCHA

The CCHA conference standings are about as tight as it gets. 

Nine total points separate the teams from one to seven. Unfortunately for CCHA fans, there won't be much in-conference action this weekend.

Far and away, the best matchup to watch this weekend will be between the Bowling Green Falcons and the St. Thomas Tommies. 

Both teams sit neck and neck in the league standings; if one team can sweep the other, it will propel them to the top of the CCHA.

The Tommies will want to take advantage of playing on home ice this weekend. St. Thomas is 1-3 in their last four.

Atlantic Hockey

There are plenty of great matchups in store this weekend for Atlantic hockey fans.

The conference is still up for grabs; Rochester Institute of Technology leads the league in points with 45, followed closely by Sacred Heart University with 44 points.

So, what matchup should college hockey fans pay attention to this weekend?

No. 2, Sacred Heart, and No. 3, Holy Cross, will battle it out in a home-and-home series.

Depending on what happens between RIT and Airforce this weekend, Holy Cross and Sacred Heart might be able to take the lead in the conference standings.

Both teams split with each other last month, with SHU winning Friday night 2-1 in overtime and Holy Cross defeating SHU the next night 5-2.

Holy Cross is on a five-game winning streak right now, averaging 5.2 goals per game. 

 Holy Cross’s top scorer, Liam McLinskey, leads the league in points with 35. 

Atlantic Hockey will probably only have one team make the NCAA tournament, and that will be through winning the Atlantic Hockey Championship. So, when it comes to seeding for their conference tournament, every game down the stretch means so much more.