For the five teams competing for the last two home ice spots in the first round of the CCHA playoffs, Michigan has the least control of its destiny while Northern Michigan can make the largest jump as it plays three teams situated in the bottom half.
Northern plays MSU, BGSU and LSSU to finish the season, so that is a total of 18 points in the standings that are guaranteed to be earned by 4 of the bottom 5 teams.  Michigan needs to go 2-2 vs @OSU and Ferris to have a chance
at the 8th spot, while 3-1 might create a 7th place finish.   Considering M's performance, this is asking a lot.
And Dave Brandon won't like losing a weekend of playoff revenues.


BGSU 28 points (NMU, at Ferris and at ND, need a 1-5 finish)
LSSU 26 points (UAF, MIAMI, at NMU, need a 1-5 finish)
Michigan 25 points (Bye, at OSU, Ferris, need a 2-2 finish or better)
NMU 23 points (at MSU, at BG, LSSU, need a 2-4 finish)
MSU 19 points (NMU, at UAF, WMU, need a 2-4 finish) 

x

think they'd need to go 4-0 to get it at this point. 

Looking at the schedule:

32 pts LSSU: vs. Miami, at Northern
31 pts Bowling Green: vs. Northern, at ND
26 pts Northern: at Bowling Green, vs. LSSU
22 pts  MSU:  at Alaska, vs. WMU

The good news for you guys is everyone around you in the standings either plays each other, or has at least 1 tough series left (or both).

LSSU could go 0-4 with the schedule they have, but let's give them a win for the sake of saying they split with either Miami or Northern.

Bowling Green plays at ND - that won't be easy, and say they split with Northern so that's 1-3.

We now have Northern going 2-2.

MSU might not win a game the rest of the regular season.

If all that happens then...

7. LSSU  35 pts
8. BGSU 34 pts
9. NMU   32 pts
11. MSU  22 pts

Michigan has 25 points, and they would need to get to 35 without having to figure out the tiebreaker between you guys and Bowling Green. That's 10 out of a possible 12 points. So yeah, a 4 point weekend (1-0-1) and a 6 point weekend are a must (or 5 and 5), so you're basically looking at 3-0-1.

that tey are learning for next season. (Coaches and Players a like.)  GBGBB"74

No, you guys haven't...

Closest you came was a 3-1-1 stretch from October 12th - November 2nd. You beat RIT on the 2nd night, then beat Bently, and Miami on the first night. The second night you guys lost to Miami, then you went up in Northern and won in a shoot-out.

So you guys have won 3 in a row once this year.

I'm still waiting for MSU's first winning streak this year, since we haven't won 2 in a row all season. The best unbetean streak we've had is 1-0-1.

The offense will go hot and cold, hot, then back to cold again.  The goaltending tandem is unreliable, and no one has separated himself from the other; about the only consistency is that pucks end up in the back of our net.

I'll be watching.  And covering.  And hoping for the best.