It’s been an interesting season for New England’s Division 1 college hockey programs, and it will continue into this weekend with seven clubs competing for conference championships this coming Friday and Saturday in Boston, Lake Placid, and Buffalo, N.Y.
Two of the top three seeds will be included in the Hockey East semifinal field after Massachusetts and Northeastern won their series in straight games. Boston University and Boston College finished off upsets in three games; the Eagles downed second-seeded Providence in back-to-back one-goal affairs to advance back to TD Garden.
New England’s results in the ECAC were mixed. Harvard dismissed Dartmouth in back-to-back games, while Brown did the same in an upset over top-seeded Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn. The Bobcats still have a comfortable position on the NCAA at-large bubble as the No. 5 team in the PairWise Rankings, unlike No. 14 Providence.
Top-seeded American International was the lone New England team to survive Atlantic Hockey’s quarterfinal round. No. 2 Bentley and No. 4 Sacred Heart each were topped in three games.
