Early start to the weekend

There are three WCHA series this weekend and one one nonconference matchup. Games will start tonight with Alaska playing at Bemidji State and Bowling Green playing at Alaska Anchorage.

On Friday the other two series will begin, including Minnesota State at home against Ferris State and Arizona State at Michigan Tech.

In the games that begin tonight ...

Bowling Green is hoping to find a way to get the No. 2 seed for the conference playoffs, no easy task as it has to be perfect and get some help from the teams playing MSU and Northern Michigan the rest of the way. These will be the final home games of the season for the Seawolves.

Bemidji State could clinch home ice for the first round of the playoffs this weekend, while Alaska is finishing up a two-week road trip and trying to avoid slipping out of a playoff position.

Here are the current standings (conference games only), divided by current playoff position (top four get home ice in the first round, bottom two are out of the playoffs):

WCHA Men - 2017-2018 Standings

                       Pts  GP  W  L  T League Games remaining   
 1 Northern Michigan    58  26 18- 6- 2  2   
 2 Minnesota State      57  24 19- 5- 0  4   
 3 Bowling Green        49  24 14- 5- 5  4   
 4 Bemidji State        42  24 12- 8- 4  4   
 

 5 Michigan Tech        40  26 11-10- 5  2  

 6 Alabama Huntsville   30  26  9-15- 2  2   
 7 Alaska               29  24  9-14- 1  4   
 8 Ferris State         28  24  9-14- 1  4   
 

 9 Lake Superior State  27  26  8-15- 3  2   
 10 Alaska Anchorage    12  24  2-19- 3  4