Hockey East selects Metcalf, D-I college hockey conference races stay hot – Season 2 Episode 19

Hockey East announced today that New Hampshire deputy athletic director Steve Metcalf will become the fifth commissioner of the conference this spring. Hosts Jim Connelly (@jimmyconnelly) and Ed Trefzger (@EdTrefzger) discuss his hiring.Also in this episode, a look around the conferences and results from the weekend of February 14-16:In the NCHC, a weekend sweep by No. 1 North Dakota over No. 6 Denver has cemented the Fighting Hawks atop the conference and guaranteed an NCAA berth.The Big Ten remains tight, with Minnesota's five-of-six point weekend at Notre Dame giving the Golden Gophers a share of first place with Penn State.Cornell and Clarkson have opened up some space atop ECAC Hockey.Hockey East remains jumbled, with three teams gaining weekend sweeps, leaving five points separating first through ninth place, and just two points among the top five.Bemidji State's weekend sweep gains ground on Minnesota State, but the idle Mavericks need just two points to clinch.Sweeps by Army and RIT have given them the edge in the race for home ice and a first-round bye in Atlantic Hockey, while American International and Sacred Heart have clinched it.And Arizona State's weekend sweep has the Sun Devils nearly a lock for the NCAA tournament pending a road trip to Wisconsin next weekend.Plus, Jim gives his odds for teams to make the NCAA tournament at this point in time.This episode is sponsored by the 2020 NCAA Frozen Four, April 9 and 11 in Detroit. Visit ncaa.com/frozenfour/Find all of our podcasts at USCHO.com/podcasts