ECAC Hockey League Men Set for Playoffs

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The final games of the regular season have concluded, and the playoff field is now set for the upcoming ECAC Hockey League Men's Championship. Dartmouth, Colgate, Cornell and Harvard have all earned first-round byes, while St. Lawrence, Union, Rensselaer, and Clarkson will host the opening series.

Dartmouth and Colgate tied for the regular season title, claiming a share of the William J. Cleary Cup, however the Big Green won the tiebreakers and enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The Raiders have the No. 2 spot, followed by Cornell at No. 3 and Harvard at No. 4. The top four seeds receive byes for the first round.

St. Lawrence finished fifth in the standings and will play host to No. 12 Brown next weekend. Union and Rensselaer tied for sixth place in the standings, however the Dutchmen hold the tiebreaker and take the No. 6 seed. The Engineers will be the No. 7 seed, while Clarkson has the No. 8 spot.

The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-three series played at the home arena of the higher seed. The winners will advance to the quarterfinals (also a best-of-three series), March 10-12, taking on the top four teams in the league.

Here's a look at the first round matchups:

No. 12 Brown at No. 5 St. Lawrence
No. 11 Yale at No. 6 Union
No. 10 Quinnipiac at No. 7 Rensselaer
No. 9 Princeton at No. 8 Clarkson

The championship round takes place March 17-18 at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y. The semifinals will take place the 17th, while the third-place and championship final is played the 18th.