Rink and Run blog: Bracketology, 4 days to go

With just four days to go until Selection Sunday for Division I men, U.S. College has a version of Bracketology here.

     Yes, Minnesota Duluth is still hanging in there entering Thursday's WCHA Final Five play-in game. However there are a number of unranked teams or teams ranked below UMD that still can get an automatic berth by winning a league playoff title like -- Vermont  (14), Michigan (16),  Maine (18), Boston University (19), Union (20), and unranked Brown and St. Lawrence. That's one large list of maybe teams. Unranked Alabama Huntsville has already taken one of the 16 spots.

     Also, USCHO makes a guess at who the Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalists will be here.

     Also the 2010 WCHA all-star teams will be named Thursday afternoon in St. Paul. After taking a look at media members who have published their votes a good guess would be that Jack Connolly will be a first-team pick and Justin Fontaine a second-team pick.

Here's Jayson Moy from USCHO

2010 Division I Men Bracketology

Midwest Regional, Allen County War Memorial Colisuem, Fort Wayne, Ind., March 27-28

Minnesota Duluth vs. Bemidji State

Alabama-Huntsville vs. Miami of Ohio

Northeast Regional, Worcester, Mass. DCU Center, March 27-28

Boston College vs. Alaska Fairbanks

North Dakota vs. Yale

West Regional, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, March 26-27

Wisconsin vs. Vermont

St. Cloud State vs. Northern Michigan

East Regional, Albany (N.Y.) Times Union Center, March 26-27

Atlantic Hockey champion vs. Denver

Ferris State vs. Cornell

Division I Frozen Four, Ford Field, Detroit, Mich., April 8-10

Conference Breakdown

WCHA — 5

CCHA — 4

HE — 2

ECAC — 2

CHA — 2

AHA — 1

Dropped In

Vermont, Alabama-Huntsville

Dropped Out

New Hampshire, Michigan State

Key Games

WCHA

Denver, Wisconsin, St. Cloud and North Dakota are all in. Minnesota Duluth has a good chance, but needs help. A loss does not hurt it, but a win helps tremendously. All four of the teams in still have a shot at a No. 1 seed. Denver is guaranteed a No. 1 seed.

CCHA

Michigan needs to win to get in. Miami is in. Ferris State and Northern Michigan have good shots to get in. Alaska also has a good shot to get in.

Hockey East

BU and Maine have to win it to get in. Vermont has a chance. Boston College is in. New Hampshire has to sit and watch, but stands a great chance.

ECACHL

Union, SLU and Brown must win it to get in. Cornell and Yale have good shots to get in. Cornell can't really afford to lose two games, though.

CHA

Bemidji State is in. So is Alabama-Huntsville.

Atlantic Hockey

The winner is the only team in from the AHA.

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