Early Friday Pairwise Update: All eyes on Western Michigan vs. North Dakota
It didn’t take long for some chaos to erupt this weekend.
Cornell defeated Quinnipiac 3-2 (in overtime) in the ECAC semifinals on Friday afternoon in Lake Placid. That result knocked Michigan out of contention for an NCAA Tournament berth. It will be the first time Michigan has failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament since 2019. The Wolverines had made the last three Frozen Fours.
Denver also defeated Arizona State, 4-2, in the NCHC semifinal.
Here’s where things stand with potential NCAA Tournament berths.
First, remember, here are the teams that have already locked in bids:
Boston College
Michigan State
Maine
Connecticut
Western Michigan
Minnesota
Boston University
Providence
Denver (can finish 8-11)
Ohio State
Massachusetts
Minnesota State (CCHA automatic bid)
ECAC Champion (ECAC automatic bid)
AHA Champion (AHA automatic bid)
That leaves two spots.
Western Michigan controls a lot of fates. If the Broncos defeat North Dakota in the NCHC semifinals tonight, Quinnipiac and Penn State will both lock up NCAA berths.
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