Jim writes:
>    .... which raises a further question in my mind:  Why has the HEA and
>ECAC chosen to conclude their schedule a full week before the CCHA and WCHA,
>thereby ensuring the HE and ECAC representatives to the NC$$ Tournament will
>have a week off between HockeyFest and NC$$ Regional Play ??
 
Two main reasons - I'm more confident of the first:
1) as you guessed, the Garden is booked heavily during March with state tourney
  hockey and basketball action, Bruins, and Celtics, so it would have been
  impossible to reschedule Hockeyfest;
2) the league schedules were already drawn up before the NC$$ set the
  dates for the regionals.  The CCHA & WCHA had a lot of rescheduling to
  do, I believe, and were able to push their league schedules ahead.
 
 
- mike