NCHC Home Ice Playoff Scenarios

Saturday is the final day of the regular season for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The bookends of the conference standings are settled, but the middle of the conference is still a gooey mess.

North Dakota has clinched the Penrose Cup and the top overall seed in the playoffs. St. Cloud State, Western Michigan, and Colorado College are locked into 6th, 7th, and 8th place respectively.

Spots 2-5 are up for grabs on the final night, however, which means one of the four remaining teams will end up in fifth place and play on the road next weekend in the NCHC playoffs.

Courtesy of the NCHC, here are all of the playoff scenarios for those four teams:

(Updated to include Miami's win over North Dakota, and Western Michigan's win over Minnesota Duluth on Saturday. Minnesota Duluth has clinched 5th place.)

Denver (41 points, at St. Cloud State):

Seeded #2 with a win.

Seeded #3 with a shootout win and a Miami win.

Seeded #3 with a shootout loss, a Miami win or shootout win, a Omaha loss, shootout loss, or shootout win, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #3 with a loss, a Miami win, shootout win, or shootout loss, a Omaha loss or shootout loss, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #4 with a shootout loss, a Miami win or shootout win, a Omaha win, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #4 with a loss, a Miami win, shootout win, or shootout loss, a Omaha win or shootout win, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

--------------------------------------------------

Miami (41 points, vs North Dakota ):

Seeded #2 with a win and a Denver loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #2 with a shootout win and a Denver loss or shootout loss.

Seeded #2 with a shootout loss, a Denver loss, a Omaha loss, shootout loss, or shootout win, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #3 with a win and a Denver win.

Seeded #3 with a shootout win and a Denver win or shootout win.

Seeded #3 with a shootout loss, a Denver win, shootout win, or shootout loss, a Omaha loss, shootout loss, or shootout win, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #3 with a shootout loss, a Denver loss, a Omaha win, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #3 with a loss, a Omaha loss or shootout loss, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #4 with a shootout loss, a Denver win, shootout win, or shootout loss, a Omaha win, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #4 with a loss, a Omaha win or shootout win, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

--------------------------------------------------

Omaha (40 points, vs Colorado College):

Seeded #3 with a win, a Denver loss or shootout loss, and a Miami win or shootout win.

Seeded #3 with a shootout win, a Denver loss, a Miami win, shootout win, or shootout loss, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #4 with a win, a Denver win or shootout win, and a Miami win or shootout win.

Seeded #4 with a shootout win, a Denver win, shootout win, or shootout loss, a Miami win, shootout win, or shootout loss, and a Minnesota Duluth loss, shootout loss, or shootout win.

Seeded #4 with a shootout loss and a Minnesota Duluth loss or shootout loss.

Seeded #4 with a loss and a Minnesota Duluth loss.

--------------------------------------------------

Minnesota Duluth (39 points, at Western Michigan):

Seeded #5 with a loss.