College hockey: Projecting the 2021 NCAA tournament field

New York Rangers pick Zac Jones is a cog for UMass on the back end. (Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images)

The 2021 NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament field will be up for debate like it hasn’t been in years. With coronavirus implications wreaking havoc on college hockey programs and leagues across the country, the Pairwise Rankings are being replaced by a committee.

Further throwing a monkey wrench into figuring out the best teams for the field of 16 is the fact that there were practically no non-conference games during the 2020-21 season. The committee will be tasked with deciding what teams make it with no crossover games.

I have seen only a few games in person, but I’ve watched a lot more games across the country on television and online. The NCHC bubble in December afforded me the opportunity to watch a ton of games from that league, and the Big Ten has had quite a few games televised nationally.