Only two games in HE tonight, but enough goals for 4 games...
 
BU 12, at PC 6
  No defense at all in this one.  Friars needed at least a point to have
  a shot at the last home ice spot, and they put on one of the worst
  defensive displays I've ever seen - and BU wasn't much better.  It was
  3-3 after one and 9-6 after two.  However, PC had fought back from a
  6-4 deficit to tie it at 6 with 7:01 left in the 2nd before BU scored
  the final six goals of the game.  Steve Thornton had a hat trick and
  an assist, and David Sacco played well with a goal and three assists.
  BU finishes at 25-7-2, 18-5-1 HE (2nd) and PC ends at 16-15-3, 9-12-3
  HE (5th).
NU 7, at BC 6 (ot)
  Huskies fight back to win in OT.  BC ends at 9-22-5, 6-15-3 HE (currently
  6th), NU 10-22-1, 6-17-1 HE (8th).
 
What this means is that the 1-5 spots in HE are set: 1 Maine, 2 BU, 3 UNH,
4 UMass-Lowell, 5 PC...and NU will finish 8th.
 
It was the best possible scenario for Merrimack, who is trying to finish
6th and avoid BU in the quarterfinals - and they now control their own
destiny.  A Merrimack win over UML Saturday night would give Merrimack 6th
and send them to UNH.  MC needs a win; a tie is not enough since they lose
the tiebreaker to BC.  It also seems to be to MC's advantage that PC lost
to BU, thereby wrapping up 4th for Lowell, since the game now means nothing
to Lowell.
 
So, for next Fri-Sat, two of the series are set: NU at Maine and PC at UML.
If MC beats Lowell, the other two series will be MC @ UNH and BC @ BU; if
Merrimack does not beat Lowell, it will be MC @ BU and BC @ UNH.
 
The Maine-UNH game Saturday has no bearing on the standings and will be the
only other game in HE Saturday night.
 
NESN announced during their coverage of BU-PC tonight that the games they
will cover next weekend will be NU @ Maine...BOTH nights.  They will not
show any games from any of the other three series.  I think this is a huge
mistake on their part, because at least two of the other series have a very
good chance of being split which would allow a tv audience to see the new
sudden death series tiebreaker, and that is bound to be exciting.  Maine
should not have much trouble with NU, and I can only guess that they chose
to show both games because of the audience Maine will attract.  Too bad.
---
Mike Machnik    [log in to unmask]   Color Voice of the Merrimack Warriors
(Any opinions expressed above are strictly those of the poster.)    *HMN*