D1 preview: Championship outlook in ECAC Hockey, Atlantic Hockey

Cornell sophomore Morgan Barron (Cornell Athletics)

For ECAC and Atlantic Hockey clubs, this is it. The postseason begins next week.

There is still plenty to be decided in both races, but the long and winding regular season will come to an end and all the questions will be answered by the end of Saturday night.

The ECAC race is most exciting as the top five teams are separated by four points with Cornell still holding a one-point edge for first place. Only the top four receive byes to the quarterfinals. Looking at this weekend's slate, the top three teams in the standings are all on the road for their series.

For Cornell, this weekend’s motto is simple: win. The Big Red jumped back into first place with a 3-1 win over Union last Saturday and can clinch its second consecutive Cleary Cup if it is able to post a second sweep of North Country foes Clarkson and St. Lawrence this month. The Big Red combined to best those clubs by an 8-1 score a few weekends back.