Overview
- Providence enters a UNH home‑and‑home nine points clear in first and, at sixth in the NPI, can clinch at least a share of the regular‑season title this weekend.
- Boston College sits 12th in the NPI and has clinched a first‑round bye after sweeping UConn, with a BC‑BU home‑and‑home next in a four‑game close to the regular season.
- UConn, now around 14th in the NPI after the BC sweep, opens a home‑and‑home with UMass that coaches say could swing both league seeding and NCAA positioning if either side sweeps.
- Maine and Northeastern, separated by two points for a top‑five bye, play in Portland and at Lowell due to Matthews Arena’s replacement, with NU goalie Lawton Zacher posting a .934 save percentage and scorer Dylan Hryckowian considered day‑to‑day.
- With at‑large bids limited, the conference tournament looms as the primary NCAA path, where seeds 1–5 skip the opening round and lower seeds may need four straight wins for the automatic berth.