For fans of Division 3 hockey, this is one of the best weeks of the year.
All four leagues in New England have conference tournament games on tap, and 21 different teams from the region are still holding out hope for titles and NCAA tournament auto-bids.
The Commonwealth Coast Conference and the MASCAC open their tournaments with mid-week first-round games, with the NEHC and NESCAC returning to the ice Saturday.
Let’s answer some burning questions from all four leagues.
COMMONWEALTH COAST
First round, Wednesday
No. 6 Wentworth at No. 3 University of New England, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Western New England at No. 4 Salve Regina, 7:30 p.m.
Semifinals, Saturday
Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Endicott
Second-lowest remaining seed at No. 2 Curry
BURNING QUESTION: How many teams can win this tournament?
Answer: Three. Provided that UNE takes care of its first-round business, the semifinal between the Nor’easters and Curry – two of the five highest-scoring teams in Division 3 – becomes the game of the year in the league.
Whoever emerges will likely play for the title on Endicott’s home ice – and have a shot. As gaudy as the Gulls’ record is (20-2-2), and as good as their defense and goaltending have been, their head-to-head battles with UNE and Curry have been tight ones, producing three wins (one by a single goal), two ties and a one-goal loss.
MASCAC
First round, Thursday
No. 6 Salem State at No. 3 Fitchburg State, 6:30 p.m.
No. 5 UMass Dartmouth at No. 4 Westfield State, 7:35 p.m.
Semifinals, Saturday
Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Plymouth State
Second-lowest remaining seed at No. 2 Worcester State
BURNING QUESTION: Which team actually has a shot to take down Plymouth State?
Answer: Fitchburg State. It’s never wise to overlook a Dean Fuller-coached team in these playoffs, but that’s only one reason to designate the Falcons.
They’ve played – and lost – three times to Plymouth, but two of those losses were by one goal. Senior Gene Bouthiette (Enfield, Conn.) scored twice in the most recent meeting, a 3-2 defeat.
Fitchburg should also have plenty of motivation if it collides with Worcester State in the semis. It needed to beat the Lancers in regulation on Saturday to take second place and, tied 3-3, was forced to pull its goalie to go for the win and conceded two empty-net goals in a 5-3 loss.
Make no mistake, though, this tournament is again Plymouth’s to win. The Panthers, seeking a fourth straight championship, went 18-0-0 in conference play and are undefeated at Hanaway Rink this season.
NEHC
Semifinals, Saturday
No. 5 Skidmore at No. 1 Hobart, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Babson at No. 2 Norwich, 7 p.m.
BURNING QUESTION: Which team from the region will be playing in next Saturday’s championship?
Answer: Norwich. Yes, the Cadets made a meal out of their quarterfinal game against New England College, conceding the first goal before rallying back for a 2-1 win, thanks in large part to 24 saves from Drennen Atherton, the Goalie of the Year in the NEHC.
Meanwhile, Babson cruised past UMass Boston in its quarterfinal, 5-1, with freshman Ryan Murphy setting up three of their goals.
It’s easy to see this meeting playing out like the teams’ two meetings during the regular season, a 1-1 tie and a 2-1 Norwich win. But the Cadets’ better experience on defense and in goal should be enough for them to push through.
Of note: Though Norwich has long enjoyed one of the best home-ice advantages in Division 3, it has lost four times at Kreitzberg Arena this season.
NESCAC
Quarterfinals, Saturday
No. 7 Bowdoin at No. 2 Trinity, 1 p.m.
No. 8 Williams at No. 1 Wesleyan, 2 p.m.
No. 5 Colby at No. 4 Hamilton, 4:30 p.m.
No. 6 Tufts at No. 3 Amherst, 7 p.m.
BURNING QUESTION: Is Wesleyan really the best team in the league?
Answer: No. What we can say with certainty was that the Cardinals were the best team over the weekend, taking a pair of important wins from Trinity (3-0 and 2-1) to vault over the Bantams in the standings and snatch first place.
But their form down the stretch (four wins in nine games) has been tepid and, unlike Trinity and Colby, they don’t have a goalie who can carry his team through the tournament.
Realistically, there are five teams that are good enough to win this, with Colby the only one not enjoying home-ice advantage in the quarters.
Wesleyan (Wiggle Kerbrat and Jake Lachance), Trinity (Gerard Maretta and freshman goalie Devon Bobak) and Colby (Jack Sullivan and junior goalie Andy Beran) have the star power, with each producing two Concannon Award semifinalists.
Amherst has won games by playing the best defense of any team in the league (1.71 goals allowed per game).
@MikeZhe603
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