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For the men’s college hockey community, all roads lead to Boston, site of the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four on April 7 and 9. For the defending national champion UMass Minutemen, that’s a horseback ride (a la Paul Revere) from their campus in Amherst.
But there will be plenty of bumps and roadblocks along the way for UMass and every other team hoping to raise the championship trophy at TD Garden. The competition at the top looks as tough as ever, particularly in the Midwest. As teams have come off their holiday break, numerous games have been postponed or canceled because of issues with the coronavirus. And there’s the possibility of some teams losing star players for the Olympic Games, now that the NHL has opted out of sending their players to China. But that situation is very much up in the air.
With teams returning to the ice and conference play ready to resume, here’s a look at the top 16 teams, which is the size of the NCAA tournament field, in the PairWise rankings. The PairWise ratings, which factor in record against common opponents, head-to-head record and RPI, are a major factor in determining the tournament field and seedings, with the champions of the six conferences (Atlantic, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and NCHC) getting automatic bids.
Each team includes commentary by ESPN college hockey aficionado John Buccigross, plus its overall record and conference standing. For conference standings, teams receive three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime or shootout win and one point for an overtime or shootout loss. (Statistics and rankings are through Jan. 5.)
1. Minnesota State (18-4)
Where they stand: First in CCHA (35 points; 12-2-0)
Numbers to know: Minnesota State has an eye-popping plus-56 goal…
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Source : espn
