This Week in College Hockey: Can the ECAC Earn More NCAA Bids? : College Hockey News

October 16, 2024


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by Mike McMahon/Staff Writer (@MikeMcMahonCHN)

I want to be very careful and make sure I preface this correctly. So please remember as you read what I’m about to write: We’re two weeks into the season. There is a LONG way to go.

So, with that said, also remember that inter-conference records play a huge role in the Pairwise, which ultimately plays a massive role in NCAA Tournament selection.

Here’s where things stand through two weeks:

1. NCHC (.761)
2. Big Ten (.684)
3. ECAC (.639)
4. Hockey East (.614)
5. CCHA (.438)
6. AHA (.160)

So far, that’s a massive improvement for the ECAC. Granted, most of that damage has come against Atlantic Hockey schools (9-1-1), but the record is still the record.

Here is where inter-conference records finished last year (with NCAA bids):

1. Big Ten (.731) — 4 (57.1% of the league)
2. NCHC (.685) — 4 (50.0% of the league)
3. Hockey East (.672) — 4 (36.3% of the league)
4. ECAC (.414) — 2 (16.6% of the league)
5. AHA (.344) — 1 (9.0% of the league)
6. CCHA (.317) — 1 (12.5% of the league)

I don’t expect the ECAC to stay on a .600 pace. But if the league can finish better than .500, it could become a three-bid league and potentially bump a team from Hockey East, which, through two weeks, is lagging behind last year’s pace.

But let me reiterate this point before anyone jumps to conclusions. There’s still a LONG way to go. Most non-conference games will wrap up by early January. But it’s something worth keeping an eye on.

Conference tournament auto bids will also play a role in this process, but the ECAC could set itself up well with continued non-conference success.

The ECAC is currently ahead of Hockey East, and there are some big ECAC vs. Hockey East matchups set for this weekend, including Quinnipiac traveling to Maine for two games, Colgate visiting Lowell for two games, and Clarkson traveling to Vermont. Keep an eye on those games, because they could end up being to the Pairwise conversations we’re inevitably be having in March.

New beginnings for Lindenwood and Stonehill

Lindenwood is CHN’s Team of the Week after an impressive weekend at Wisconsin.

It feels like new beginnings for the Lions under Bill Muckalt, and the same is true at Stonehill, where David Berard has the Skyhawks playing competitive hockey.

It’s hard not to see Lindenwood’s…