Yep, that's right. We have just a mere 2 weeks left before the CCHA playoffs start. The chaos that is the CCHA is not even close to being sorted through, but I guess that's what the last 2-4 games is supposed to do. We will look at the possibilities for the 3 teams to be seeded in the CCHA tourney this week, as well as a quick look back on their games over the weekend.
BOWLING GREEN FALCONS (9-18-5, 4-16-4-3)
Well, after being swept by Northern Michigan last weekend, the Falcons' fate is pretty much sealed. They mathematically can still get to 10th, thus drawing the 7th seed in the 1st round rather than the 6th, but that really wouldn't matter much. Plus, to get there, Bowling Green has to win out, and hope Alaska drops both games this weekend against Michigan State. Did I mention that BGSU plays the 2 hottest teams in the CCHA, Ferris State and Michigan?
Bowling Green was easy. We look at the complexity of Miami and Western Michigan as we go further.
MIAMI REDHAWKS (17-13-2, 11-11-2-1)
Well Miami got their sweep in on lowly Alabama-Huntsville like they needed to. Now they go back to the CCHA grind with 2 HUGE series left. They get Notre Dame this weekend at home, then have Ohio State (who'll be coming off a bye week) in a home-and-home. Both Miami and Notre Dame are tied with Northern Michigan at 7th in the CCHA. Both Miami and ND were expected to finish 1-2 in the CCHA. That will be a physical series.
Don't forget the one after either, but that will probably hinder more on the results of the first series. Miami can still get the regular season crown in the CCHA, but that would only be a tie with either WMU or FSU, and would require 4 wins plus Ferris State and WMU getting swept this weekend and probably the same by Michigan...........you know what, just say they can't do it, because it's just so improbable. However, Miami will be fighting hard for the 1st round bye and home-ice advantage in the 2nd round.
WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS (15-12-5, 12-9-3-3)
Western had a great chance to hold steady with Ferris State last weekend, but after two rebound goals just 2 minutes apart, the Broncos fell to the Buckeyes on Saturday and thus fell 5 points back to Ferris State. Ferris State now has almost 2 full games on the Broncos (and a full 2 on 3rd place Michigan), with 3 games at home where they have lost just 1 game all year. They get Bowling Green at home to start, so the Broncos will almost HAVE to sweep Lake Superior State on the road this weekend.
The next weekend, if Western can sweep (or get some serious help from fellow MAC school Bowling Green), the CCHA regular season title could be on the line in a home-and-home series between the Bulldogs and the Broncos. Michigan will also have some say in the regular season title too, so we'll look deeper next week. For now, the Broncos have 4 points over 5th place, which is the 1st round bye, but a road series teams. They have a full 2 games over 7th place, so they have some wiggle room to stay on the first-round bye status. However, with the "anything can happen-ness" of the CCHA, the Broncos will want as many wins they can get going forward.
We'll do the Bracketology on Wednesday, as the Beanpot has some games that'll affect it.