Lowell and Maine are the catalysts behind Hockey East's surge. Their combined record against the ECAC is a stellar 5-0.

Inter-conference games will count more than ever this year. This year, the NCAA competition committee awarded a berth in the post-season tournament to an independent team. Moreover, it expanded the playoffs from eight to 12 teams with the provision that three conferences would get three bids each and the fourth conference (i.e. the one with the worst inter-conference record) would only get two.

As of today, the ECAC is 8-13 overall--including all tournament games--against the other conferences. The best the ECAC can do is 10-13, which would involve Harvard winning the Beanpot consolation game and Vermont beating UNH.

Monitoring Merrimack: Merrimack College is once again the top-ranked independent team in the KBYR-Anchorage poll. The Warriors have a 21-3 record.

Alaska-Fairbanks is only ten points behind the Warriors in second place. The Seawolves pulled much closer due to their two wins over Merrimack and should challenge for the independent playoff spot with a month and a half to go in the season.

U.S. International, Alaska-Anchorage and Air Force round out the top five.

Heard On The Tube: During a Philadelphia Flyers-Calgary Flames telecast, Flyers' play-by-play announcer Gene Hart and analyst Bobby Taylor struck up a conversation:

Taylor: "Joe Nieuwendyk has just taken this league by storm. He was a dominating player for Cornell University out of the Eastern College Atheletic Conference."

Hart: "He was the most valuable player with...what were they called, the Red Wings?"