It’s hard to believe that the college hockey season will be over in a matter of hours. The Frozen Four this year has been a fantastic event. Tampa has been an excellent host city — they really know what they’re doing here — and even though the Alabama-Huntsville presence hasn’t been very noticeable this week, I’m grateful to their hosting the event.

One of the best things about this week for me, of course, is the first-time appearance of Ferris State. I’ve met many great Bulldogs fans and people associated with Ferris State University. It’s been nice to see neutral fans pulling for this underdog, too, and to see CCHA fans coming together behind another league team.

With the end of the college hockey season so close, suddenly CCHA folks realize how little time the league has left. There has been some sweet nostalgia, some discussion of reasons/blame, some sadness. It’s fitting that the original Defenders of the Realm — the FSU Bulldogs, the team for whom I coined that phrase years ago for their consistently good nonconference play — are here to represent.

And represent they do. When Bob Daniels addressed the press after the team’s light practice yesterday, he fielded questions about the speed of Boston College and compared them to the Wolverines of days gone by. “Seeing them live, seeing their speed and tenacity reminded me a bit of some of the Michigan teams we’ve faced in the 1990s when they were really rolling.”

Then he said something that I think took people back a little. Talking about watching BC live, Daniels said, “But I’m thinking to myself that we may not be as decided an underdog as some people may think.” I loved the comment.

Daniels talked about how playing in this league has prepared the Bulldogs well for this tournament. “The CCHA has speed and tenacity. By playing Michigan throughout the year, playing Miami, we feel prepared.

“The CCHA has also prepared us for playing teams like Union and Cornell, who have similar styles and approached to say a Lake Superior State or maybe a Western Michigan. So those teams give us a different dose of different styles of game.

“There are so many good coaches in the CCHA and they all play to their strengths. And so each weekend we’re faced with a different team identity style. We had a number of teams ranked in the top 20 all year long so we’re playing quality opponents with different styles, which allows us some confidence coming in. Hopefully that will help prepare us.”

Talk about a company man — in the best sense of the word.

Tonight’s championship game will go one of two ways. If Ferris State can keep the game close, a one-goal, low-scoring game going late into the third, the Bulldogs have a good chance to win. If they can frustrate BC’s offense, it may be a longer night for the Eagles than the Dogs.

That’s possible.

The other possibility, though — the scenario that I think is most likely — is that Ferris State will make the same kinds of mistakes as they did against Union in the first period of that game. The Dutchmen couldn’t capitalize on those turnovers; the Eagles will, repeatedly. The score will be lopsided after one and then deadlocked for the rest of the game after the Bulldogs settle into their rhythm.

My pick: BC 4-0.

Check out all of our coverage from the weekend on the Frozen Four blog.

Thanks, everyone, for riding along with me this season. I’ll probably post this week to wrap up the season. Keep in touch by email (paula.weston@uscho.com) or Twitter (@paulacweston) or do your usual thing of kvetching in the forum below.

It’s a great day for hockey. It’s a little overcast and the palm trees are too still — just a little breeze — but it’s lovely. Yes, it’s a little freaky that college hockey’s grand finale is being played out this weekend in a subtropical climate, but the greater hockey community seems to have adjusted very nicely.

Time to pick the semifinals games. My apologies to Union College and Boston College. Why I owe them apologies will be clear in just a moment.

Regionals weekend: 3-9
Season to date: 135-100-25 (.567)

None of the teams I predicted to make the Frozen Four did so. That means I was lucky for both the Dutchmen and the Golden Gophers … two weeks ago.

Semifinal picks

Today’s picks with very brief rationalizations.

Ferris State vs. Union College. I am happy for each of these programs, but — frankly — happier for the Bulldogs. I’ve been covering CCHA hockey since 1995, and I can honestly say that the Ferris State program epitomizes what CCHA hockey is all about: hard-working, committed to academics as well as athletics, great CCHA citizens, and some of the nicest people in the business. Sadly, I think the Bulldogs will fall to the Dutchmen. Of the four teams in this field, FSU has the least-reliable offense. It’s difficult to determine who will score and when. That was typical of the entire CCHA this season, great defense and streaky offense. I think we’re looking at a really good, low-scoring game. Union 2-1

Minnesota vs. Boston College. Each of these teams is scary-fast with the ability to both score and defend but the Eagles haven’t lost a game since Jan. 21 and didn’t allow a goal in the Northeast regional. BC 4-2

No, I’m not trying to jinx the Dutchmen and Eagles. I really think that they’ll win. I really thought my picks for the regionals would win, too. I’m just that bad.

My schedule and yesterday’s Ferris State stories

For today, my duties include a feature on Ferris State — something game-related, so look for it later — as well as live blogging during the first semifinal. Brian Sullivan and I will split a couple of stories related to the Minnesota-BC game later today. He and I are also splitting coverage of the Hobey Baker Award ceremony tomorrow.

You can check out everything I wrote or uploaded about Ferris State yesterday on the Frozen Four blog. I recommend that you browse that blog for great coverage of the whole event, but here are links to what I posted yesterday in case you don’t have the time.

FSU’s great defense and No. 21 offense.

Video reaction to Bob Daniels winning the Spencer Penrose Award, and a little CCHA pride.

The big-school-small-school nonsense.

The Bulldogs and their playoff beards.

As always, you can comment here and I will respond. Play nice, CCHA fans. Also, email is welcome (paula.weston@uscho.com) and comments via Twitter (@paulacweston).

There won’t be any analysis or explanation with these picks. I just figured that if I don’t post something, tens of hockey fans will have one fewer thing to complain about on a Friday. Why would I want to deprive anyone of that pleasure?

First, my numbers. They aren’t good.

Last week: 1-3
Season to date: 132-91-25 (.583)

Slightly better than flipping a coin. If I’m above .500 by the Frozen Four, it’ll be a miracle.

This week

As I said, no analysis or explanations of the picks. And to be completely honest, this is how I’m thinking at 10:00 a.m. the day the tournament begins. I thought differently last night — several times. I’ll probably think differently by noon today, too.

Here is all the information you need about the tournament itself, complete with sites and game times, some information and the bracket. Here’s the television schedule.

There are links below to three of the regionals; the Northeast regional will be published after these picks are, but I’ll come back and link to it later. (Note: Added the link to the Northeast Regional at 11:30 a.m.)

East Regional

First round
No. 4 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Union: Union 3-2
No. 2 Miami vs. No. 3 Massachusetts-Lowell: Miami 4-1

Quarterfinal
No. 2 Miami vs. No. 1 Union: Miami 3-2

Midwest Regional

First round
No. 4 Cornell vs. No. 1 Michigan: Michigan 4-3
No. 3 Denver vs. No. 2 Ferris State: Denver 3-2

Quarterfinal
No. 3 Denver vs. No. 1 Michigan: Michigan 2-1

West Regional

First round
No. 4 Western Michigan vs. No. 1 North Dakota: Western Michigan 4-3
No. 3 Boston University vs. No. 2 Minnesota: Minnesota 5-3

Quarterfinal
No. 4 Western Michigan vs. No. 2 Minnesota: Western Michigan 3-2

Northeast Regional

First round
No. 4 Air Force vs. No. 1 Boston College: Boston College 4-3
No. 3 Maine vs. No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth: Maine 2-1

Quarterfinal
No. 3 Maine vs. No. 1 Boston College: Maine 2-1

This weekend

I won’t be covering a regional this year, but I will be checking in with the USCHO live blogs and tweeting throughout every televised game. Today I’ll also be grading all day, so my online presence may be a bit more sporadic with my attentions divided between my two worlds.

But I’m here, virtually speaking. You can reach me through Twitter (@paulacweston), by email (paula.weston@uscho.com) or through the forum below. Again, people, play nice with each other here and don’t embarrass the program for whom you cheer via Twitter. As for email, if you’re civil, I’ll answer. I always do.

The 2012 CCHA championship tournament is in the books — and it was fantastic. Congratulations to the Western Michigan Broncos, the 2011-12 CCHA Mason Cup winners!

Seriously, this field of teams was amazing and every game was entertaining in its own right. The first two periods of the title game between WMU and Michigan were boring, but when the Wolverines woke up in the third and made a game of it, the title contest was exciting.

The best game, of course, was the double-overtime semifinal between Bowling Green and Michigan on Friday night. That game and the third game between BGSU and Ferris State in the playoffs a week ago were the two best college hockey games I’ve seen in years; the first overtime in Friday’s game between the Falcons and Wolverines may have been the single most exciting period of college hockey that I’ve ever seen.

We learned many things this weekend. These are the three that stick with me.

1. When the Broncos are determined and play a whole game, they are unbeatable. That’s not an exaggeration, at least as far as the CCHA is concerned. Their top line of Shane Berschbach, Chase Balisy and Dane Walters is playing as good as any in the country right now and there are other forwards — J.J. Crew and Greg Squires come immediately to mind — who embody the cliche of taking play to the next level. The WMU defense is tight and freshman goaltender Frank Slubowski is for real. Collectively, they made Miami look weak — and especially exploited the RedHawks’ defense. Theirs was a perfect all-around, two-game performance.

2. Bowling Green will be a team to deal with for a long, long time. The Falcons were extraordinary throughout the playoffs and were a breath away from a chance to play for the Mason Cup. Toward the end of the first OT Friday night and in that first minute of the second, the six games BGSU had to play leading into the weekend finally caught up with them; they were gassed. Although they lost on Saturday, they did not roll over. With no offense meant to Slubowski, I’m still perplexed that junior goaltender Andrew Hammond — who made 84 saves in two games — wasn’t named to the all-tournament team. BGSU may be the best stick-handling team I’ve seen in years. The Falcons are young, talented and well coached. And they’ll be back.

3. The RedHawks and Wolverines are very talented … and very beatable. Miami may be the most talented team in the league, top to bottom, and yet they looked like high schoolers in front of their own net against the Broncos. Senior goaltender Connor Knapp — who carried Miami in the second half — was left completely unprotected in the semifinal game against Western Michigan. The RedHawks came out strong in the third-place game, but in the NCAA tournament, no one is given a second chance. That goes for the Wolverines, who were barely present in the first two periods of the title game but caught a second wind on Kevin Clare’s shorthanded goal. Granted, Michigan was hurting from the long, late game the night before — even though no one would say so — but no one can be absent even for a single period in the NCAA tournament. Somehow, the RedHawks and Wolverines need to internalize that before taking the ice in Bridgeport and Green Bay next weekend.

There were several other things I learned last weekend, like how much I enjoyed the parity in the league this season — to the point where I was sad when the title game was over — and how much fun it is to see teams that have been away from the tournament for a while return to Detroit. I was reminded by how poorly the CCHA tournament can draw and how much I like the people who work at JLA.

One thing that I knew all along is something that bares repeating: USCHO’s Jayson Moy is extraordinary. He nailed the brackets in his final prediction for the tournament in Saturday’s Bracketology blog.

Thank you to Bob Miller and Matt Nye who covered the tournament with me. Bob is the USCHO Arena Reporter in Ann Arbor; Matt covers Bowling Green hockey for the BG News.

Thank you, too, to all of you who joined us for live blogging during the CCHA tournament. I didn’t get the chance to say goodnight when the title game ended. There will be live blogging from all four regionals and the Frozen Four.

Last week’s column was the last of the season, but we’ll have regional previews this week and I’ll blog with picks on Friday.

When I think about my second-round CCHA playoff picks, I hear Patsy Cline singing, “So Wrong,” over and over and over again. Obviously, you can’t take my picks to the bank.

Last week: 5-6
Season to date: 131-88-25 (.588)

If I’m above .500 after the first weekend in April, I’ll be happy.

The bigger picture

In addition to the Mason Cup, this weekend’s prizes include trips to the NCAA tournament plus valuable seeding possibilities. My good friend Jayson Moy writes in this week’s Bracketology Blog that Miami and Michigan will get invitations regardless of what happens this weekend. Ferris State will go as well. Michigan State, Northern Michigan and Western Michigan are all on the bubble, and Bowling Green has to win the championship to earn the league’s autobid for an NCAA tourney berth.

What happens in league tournament play around the country affects the bubble teams, so the Spartans and Wildcats have no control over their own fate. The Broncos need to win two games to guarantee their trip to the big dance.

Want to speculate about the endless permutations or try to second-guess the NCAA selection committee? Check out USCHO.com’s PairWise Predictor 2012, an excellent way to lose an afternoon. Not that I advocate that, of course.

This week

There are four games in the CCHA championship tournament in Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. The Broncos and RedHawks play in the first semifinal game at 4:35 p.m. Friday; Bowling Green and Michigan have the late game at 8:05 p.m. On Saturday, the third-place game starts at 3:30 p.m. and the title game is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. The numbers here reflect the seedings in this playoff tournament field.

For a more in-depth look at each team, check out my column from Wednesday of this week.

CCHA Semifinal 1
No. 3 Miami (23-13-2) vs. No. 2 Western Michigan (19-13-6)

This is a rematch of last year’s championship game, which Miami won 5-2. Miami rides an eight-game win streak into this weekend’s tournament, a streak in which the RedHawks have outscored opponents 32-5. Last weekend, Miami swept Michigan State, 6-0 and 4-1. Western Michigan advanced to this weekend after sweeping Lake Superior State, 4-2 and 5-2. The Broncos are currently undefeated in their last four games (3-0-1). During the regular season, the RedHawks swept the Broncos in Oxford Jan. 20-21, outscoring WMU 7-1 in the two games. Miami 3-1

CCHA Semifinal 2
No. 4 Bowling Green (14-23-5) vs. No. 1 Michigan (23-11-4)

The Falcons have won four of their last six road games — which is good enough to earn them a trip to Detroit. First BGSU took the first-round series from NMU in Marquette, losing 4-2 March 4 before winning 5-3 and 4-1. Then the Falcons bested first-place Ferris State in a second-round series last weekend in Big Rapids, winning 3-2 in overtime March 9, losing 7-4 the following night, and prevailing 4-3 in OT on Sunday. (In case you missed it, here’s the Falcons’ reaction to the final win.) The Wolverines swept Notre Dame at home, 2-1 (OT) and 3-1. (Here’s video from Yost Ice Arena after Saturday’s win.) These teams split in Bowling Green the final weekend of the regular season, with BG winning 4-3 Friday and UM taking the Saturday game, 4-0. This is an easy pick to make because some folks are superstitious and I’ve called against the Falcons all the way in the postseason — and because the odds are with the far less-superstitious Wolverines. UM 4-3

The following matches are speculative. These are the pairings I’m predicting based on how I think Friday night will go … so take them for what they’re worth.

CCHA Third-Place Game
Bowling Green vs. Western Michigan

These teams played four times during the regular season, with the Broncos edging the Falcons 2-1-1. The hard part about this pick is that I can’t see either team losing two games this weekend, but someone has to. WMU 3-2

CCHA Championship Game
Miami vs. Michigan

Clearly the momentum is with Miami, but I think the Wolverines have some sort of undefined magic that will aid them this weekend. The rivalry between these two teams has become very intense during recent seasons, so if they meet in the title game, I expect an intense game — probably going to overtime. UM 2-1

Congratulations!

Congratulations to all the winners of the CCHA’s year-end awards, especially MSU junior defenseman Torey Krug, the 2011-12 CCHA Player of the Year, and FSU coach Bob Daniels, the league’s Coach of the Year.

I’ve been around this game for a little while now and it’s been my privilege to meet some really great people, but few come any nicer than Krug and Daniels. I know that niceness wasn’t a factor in the selection process, but it’s always gratifying to see nice guys finish first.

Live blogging

Join me from Joe Louis Arena for live blogging during the CCHA games. I’ll have help from Matt Nye, a reporter from Bowling Green who’s helping us cover the CCHA tourney for the first time. There will be a link from USCHO’s front page to the blog.

For those of you planning on participating, remember a few ground rules. I’ll be moderating, so I’ll allow no profanity, trash-talking or soliciting. Also, we won’t be posting outside links to any audio or video feeds for any games, so if you’re a member of the USCHO fan forum, I suggest setting up a thread in which all such feeds are posted — and I’ll gladly post a link to that message board thread.

Here’s the field for the CCHA Championship Tournament at Joe Louis Arena:

No. 4 Bowling Green vs. No. 1 Michigan
No. 3 Miami vs. No. 2 Western Michigan

The Broncos and RedHawks will play the early game before Bowling Green upsets Michigan. I’m just stating the obvious, at this point (and anticipating commentary and email from those Wolverines fans without senses of humor).

What did I learn this weekend, aside from the fact that there really is no direct driving route between Flint, Mich., and Big Rapids? Let’s start with the obvious.

1. We need a new phrase for “Cinderella story” because that chestnut doesn’t even begin to cover Bowling Green’s playoff narrative.

Never before has the last-place CCHA team advanced to the championship tournament, and the Falcons did so by scorching two opponents on the road. Sunday night’s come-from-behind win was spectacular. Down three goals after the first period, the Falcons took over the game beginning in the second. Freshman Ryan Carpenter’s 10th goal of the season made it 3-1 after two and his classmate Dan DeSalvo scored the remaining three goals, two in the third and the OT winner at 2:38. DeSalvo had four goals in 17 regular-season games. He has 10 in the postseason.

And make no mistake about it: The Falcons dominated last night’s game from the second period on. They were not to be denied. There was no way they were going to lose. It was the single most remarkable thing I’ve witnessed in nearly two decades of covering college hockey.

2. We need a new word for “rebound” because Connor Knapp and the RedHawks are redefining what that means, too.

In the first half of the season, Miami was a team with every bit of talent and nothing to show for it. The RedHawks finished the first half in ninth place, and Knapp wasn’t even among the top 12 goaltenders in the conference — not the nation, but the conference — for goals-against or save percentage. At the end of December, the RedHawks’ offense was seventh in conference play, sixth overall in the CCHA; their overall team defense was ninth in the conference and Knapp’s save percentage was well below .900.

This past weekend, the RedHawks outscored the Spartans 10-1 and Miami has allowed just five goals in its last eight games, outscoring opponents 32-5 in that span. Knapp’s save percentage is now .943 — second in the nation, and think of how phenomenal he’s had to play to raise his save percentage to that point — and all five of his shutouts this season have come since Jan. 7.

3. We need to stop thinking that defense wins games, because it was more like a lack of offense that ended two seasons this past weekend.

After Michigan beat Notre Dame Saturday night, ND coach Jeff Jackson told me — and I’m paraphrasing — that at this point in the season, everyone who deserves to win advances and those who don’t, don’t. This is from a coach whose team looked really, really good in two losses. As talented as the Irish are and as good as sophomore goaltender Steven Summerhays was toward the end of the season, Notre Dame couldn’t score goals and therefore couldn’t advance. Offense was the same thing that thwarted a really good Lake Superior team, too, as it had all season; the Broncos outscored the Lakers 9-4 in two playoff games.

This is a lesson that CCHA teams are going to have to internalize in the NCAA tournament. This league has put on a quite a defensive show this season — tight games, incredible goaltending battles. When it comes to losing, though, 1-0 works just as well as 5-0. Teams have to score goals to win.

I have a feeling about a specific upset this weekend — but I thought Northern Michigan would sweep and Alaska would win a game last weekend. You know by now never to take my picks to the bank.

Last week: 4-4
Season to date: 126-82-25 (.594)

Because it’s the playoffs and I call individual games and not whole series, the sad truth is that I can have a weekly picks record that differs from the number of games that were actually played. The playoffs also always lower my win percentage. Always. That tells you something right there.

This week

We have four best-of-three, second-round, single-site CCHA series this week. The teams that emerge will head to Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena next week to compete for the Mason Cup. Game time is 7:05 p.m. except for the series in Ann Arbor and Friday night’s game in Oxford, Ohio. Those games begin at 7:35 p.m.

Teams were reseeded for the second round. The numbers refer to seeding, not national ranking.

Any or all of these series can go to three games.

No. 8 Bowling Green at No. 1 Ferris State

Last weekend, Bowling Green beat Northern Michigan in Marquette in three games, for the second year in a row. BGSU coach Chris Bergeron said, though, that this year’s playoff series was different from last year’s, in large part because his team is so young that many of them weren’t around last year to carry the memory of that accomplishment to this season’s task. Ferris State is the 2011-12 CCHA regular-season champion, having secured that with the only point the Bulldogs needed in their last weekend of play; they finished the season two weeks ago with a tie and loss against Western Michigan. FSU was 14-2-2 in Ewigleben Arena this season — but a good home record didn’t translate into wins over the Falcons for the Wildcats last weekend. FSU also outscored BGSU 18-5 in four regular-season wins this year. I think the Bulldogs will sweep, but that it will be close. FSU 4-2, 3-2

No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 2 Michigan

Who would have guessed at the start of the season that these two teams would meet anywhere in the playoffs prior to The Joe? The Fighting Irish swept the Buckeyes last weekend, shutting out Ohio State Friday and allowing two goals Saturday. In their last weekend of play, the Wolverines had a chance to capture a share of the CCHA regular-season title but were thwarted by Bowling Green, with whom they split. ND hasn’t won in Yost Arena since Nov. 10, 2010, but the teams split two close games in South Bend in January. I’m pulling for three games because I want to spend Sunday night in Yost Arena covering a deciding Game 3. I mean, there’s no Downton Abbey this weekend. UM 4-2, ND 3-2, UM 3-2

No. 6 Lake Superior at No. 3 Western Michigan

Last weekend, the Lakers swept visiting Alaska, something that surprised LSSU coach Jim Roque. Each was a one-goal game — Saturday’s 2-0 shutout including Kyle Haines’ last-minute empty netter — and Kevin Kapalka was superior in net. (I had to. In 18 years of covering, I’ve never used that pun before and it just wouldn’t keep any longer.) Two weeks ago, the Broncos finished the regular season on a high note, taking five of six points from Ferris State in a home-and-home series. WMU is 4-6 all-time in the CCHA playoff tournament versus LSSU, and the Lakers are 28-28-10 in Kalamazoo. The teams split a pair of close games about a month ago in Sault Ste. Marie. The Lakers are no strangers to winning playoff series on the road, but I think this one goes to three with the home team prevailing. I think. WMU 4-2, LSSU 3-2, WMU 2-1

No. 5 Michigan State at No. 4 Miami

Each of these teams had a first-round bye last week, so each is well rested coming into this series. The Spartans finished their regular season with a road split versus Notre Dame; the RedHawks swept Ohio State in a home-and-home series to close the season. For MSU, the games were closer; Miami outscored OSU 8-1 in the season-ending contests. The RedHawks swept the Spartans in two games in East Lansing the first weekend in January. The first game was a 2-1 overtime victory; the second a 4-0 shutout in which the RedHawks netted three third-period goals. Miami goaltender Connor Knapp is so hot right now that it’s impossible to call against him, although I have a bad feeling for Miami (or a good feeling for MSU, depending on your perspective) about this series. Miami 2-1, 4-2

Here are next week’s playoff matches:

No. 8 Bowling Green at No. 1 Ferris State
No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 2 Michigan
No. 6 Lake Superior State at No. 3 Western Michigan
No. 5 Michigan State at No. 4 Miami

I think we’ve learned quite a bit from the first round of the CCHA playoffs. Here are three things that stick with me.

1. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever underestimate Bowling Green. Incredible as it seems, the Falcons have eliminated Northern Michigan in Marquette in three first-round games — for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Falcons became the first last-place team to advance out of the first round by capturing its best-of-three series by winning the second and third contests. This year, the Falcons did exactly the same thing, except that they didn’t need double-overtime Sunday night to do it. After dropping Friday’s game 4-2, Bowling Green rebounded with 5-3 and 4-1 wins. That’s nine goals in two games from a team averaging 1.76 goals per game in the regular season, second-to-last in the nation. The Falcons will travel to Big Rapids next weekend to take on top-seed Ferris State.

2. In the playoffs, goaltending makes the difference. In the case of all three first-round series, the winning goaltenders had great weekends — or at least great performances in the games they won. In Notre Dame’s sweep of Ohio State, sophomore Steven Summerhays allowed just two goals with a weekend save percentage of .970. In Lake Superior’s sweep of Alaska, sophomore Kevin Kapalka allowed three goals with a weekend save percentage of .960. Both Summerhays and Kapalka had second-night shutouts as well. In his 4-2 loss to Northern Michigan Friday night, senior Andrew Hammond allowed four goals on 26 shots (.846). In his two wins, Hammond posted a .941 save percentage.

3. At least two “big” CCHA programs will be watching The Joe from home. Now that Notre Dame has eliminated Ohio State, the Fighting Irish will travel to Michigan for the second round of the playoffs. Yes, either ND or UM will advance, but it seems as though this may be the year of the “little” school — and I know that schools like Bowling Green and Western Michigan are not small schools by any means, but in the traditional landscape of the CCHA they are — and after this weekend, at least two of the CCHA’s four big programs will be done.

After rebounding two weeks ago with a really strong performance, this past week was a bit disappointing. Of course, I’m talking about my picks.

Last week: 7-4-1
Season to date: 122-78-25 (.598)

Clearly, my math was way off last week. I’m still happy with anything over .500.

This week

We have three best-of-three, first-round, single-site CCHA playoff series this week. Games are Friday, Saturday and Sunday if necessary. Game time in Marquette and South Bend is 7:35 p.m. Games in Sault Ste. Marie begin at 7:05 p.m.

Alaska at Lake Superior State

The Nanooks finished the regular season on a high note, capturing their third straight Governor’s Cup in a shootout in Fairbanks after splitting last weekend with Alaska Anchorage. The Lakers, on the other hand, return home after dropping two games — and the Father Cappo Cup — to Northern Michigan last weekend. These teams split a pair in Fairbanks in February with the Nanooks narrowly edging the Lakers in scoring for the weekend, 6-5. This is the first time these teams have met in the CCHA tournament. Alaska has won six of its last nine first-round CCHA playoff series, including three on the road, but LSSU leads this series 18-7-0 at home. LSSU 3-2, UAF 3-1, LSSU 4-2

Bowling Green at No. 17 Northern Michigan

This is a rematch of last year’s first-round series that saw the Falcons beating the Wildcats in three games in Marquette. I just don’t see that happening again — especially with NMU’s 10-2-5 record at home. Last weekend, the Wildcats swept the Lakers at home, 6-2 and 5-3, and recaptured the Cappo Cup for the first time in three seasons. The Falcons split with Michigan at home last weekend, beating the Wolverines 4-3 Friday before losing 3-0 Saturday. These teams met in February when the Wildcats swept the Falcons, outscoring BG 6-2. Northern is 22-15-5 in Marquette against the Falcons. NMU 4-2, 4-2

Ohio State at No. 18 Notre Dame

Last weekend, the Buckeyes were swept in a home-and-home series against Miami, capping an unspectacular second half during which OSU won just a single game. The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, split at home with Michigan State, shutting out the Spartans 2-0 Friday before dropping Saturday’s game, 4-2. These teams played in South Bend in October to open CCHA play — and to close the Joyce Center. The teams split, with ND winning the Friday game and OSU taking the last game played in that old half-barn. OSU has an edge in this all-time series, 31-27-9, and the teams are tied at 13-13-4 in South Bend, but that doesn’t matter at this point. ND 3-2, 3-2

Congratulations to Ferris State, your 2011-12 CCHA regular-season champions. This is the second title for the Bulldogs, who last won in 2002-03. Should this team go as far as it is capable of going, the Bulldogs may someday become icons of the kind of league that once upon a time existed in college hockey.

So, interesting weekend. Three things learned:

1. When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. All Ferris State needed from this weekend to secure the title was either one single point or a Michigan loss. As it turns out, the Bulldogs got all they needed on the same night when they tied Western Michigan Friday and Bowling Green won. On Saturday, FSU suffered its first loss since Dec. 30, 2011, and in delivering a 3-0 shutout, WMU exposed the Bulldogs’ biggest weakness, offense. Only time and games played will tell how much of a liability that will prove for FSU.

2. Never underestimate the Bowling Green Falcons. With third-period goals by Adam Berkle and Bryce Williamson, the Falcons came from behind to beat visiting Michigan to break a four-game losing streak and guarantee that the Wolverines would have no share of this year’s regular-season title. I know that they’re traveling to Marquette to face an NMU team that’s lost just two at home, and the idea of the Falcons putting together back-to-back wins is a stretch, but they should not be taken lightly.

3. The Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish are meeting in South Bend … in the first round? Sure, the media had Ohio State pegged for No. 9 in its preseason poll, but OSU was in first place in December — and weren’t the Irish picked first in both the preseason and coaches polls? At the beginning of the season, ND coach Jeff Jackson warned us that the Irish were being overestimated defensively, and the No. 27 ND defense has proved him right. Bowling Green will play Northern Michigan and Alaska travels to Lake Superior to complete the first-round matches, and the only team from the first round that looks like a lock to me is Northern Michigan — in spite of BGSU’s tenacity.