As for Union, it has six points, and one more Vermont point officially ends any playoff possibility in a nightmare of a season.

Now for the far more intriguing competition for home ice advantage.

RPI, in third place, has to consider itself a favorite for one of the remaining spots. The Engineers are hot, having dropped just three of their last 13 games and converted on 22 of its last 67 power plays for a whopping 32.8% clip. They hold at least a two point lead over any team not in the top five.

Brown has been even hotter than Rensselaer. The Bears have charged up the conference, losing just two of their last 11 games and outscoring the opposition 36-29 over that period. Currently tied for fifth with Cornell, Brown just dispatched the Big Red 5-1 last Friday and picked apart Colgate 6-2 the following day. Friday's game should be a good test for them as they host Clarkson.

Colgate and Cornell occupy the other top five positions. Both teams could easily be eclipsed as neither team has played exceptionally well.

The problem is more dire for slumping Colgate--currently in fourth place. The Red Raiders have won just one contest in its past six games and gave up six goals to both the Crimson and the Bears this weekend.

Cornell has been more consistent--they have split their past five weekends. The Big Red have been plagued by injuries and could only dress 17 skaters for Saturday's 3-2 win over the Crimson. Moreover, the team's saving grace, goal-tender Jason Elliot, had to leave Saturday's contest with an undisclosed injury. If he misses any length of time it could force the Big Red off of home ice.

Harvard, Dartmouth, and Princeton all are knocking on the door for home ice. Statistically, the Crimson have the best chance, trailing the two fifth place teams by a mere two points with 17. Dartmouth and Princeton are tied with 16 points.

"Everything is so close and tight, just a small gap separates the middle of the division," Tomassoni said.

However, each team has a very difficult game this weekend. Harvard hosts second-place Clarkson on Friday while Dartmouth treks down to New Haven. The next day, the Big Green goes further down 1-95 to Princeton. That last game will certainly eliminate one team from home ice contention.

Any of these teams will have to win at least three of its remaining games and more likely have to sweep to be seeded in the top half of the ECAC bracket.

There it is, the always mesmerizing playoff breakdown. If that was not convoluted enough, remember these seedings determine positioning in a tournament which determines which team earns the right to enter another tournament (with its own seeding) and attempt to unseat No. 1 North Dakota as national champions.

Got that?