It's the playoffs! First round conference tournament matchups are happening three of the four conferences this weekend.

Come back each week for a breakdown of the most interesting upcoming games, how to watch or listen to them, and some thoughts on the movers and shakers from the previous week.

(10) Quinnipiac at (6) Princeton

Friday and Saturday at 3:00 PM; Sunday, if needed at 3:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Paid stream available on ESPN+.

Quinnipiac is ranked 10th in the country, but finished 7th in the ECAC, which makes for an interesting matchup in which Princeton gets a pretty tough series to open their playoffs. The Bobcats have a history of taking teams the distance in the conference quarterfinals, with a ton of overtime games and interesting outcomes.

Princeton will likely receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but they can seriously affect where they end up and who they play based on how the next two weeks go. They beat the Bobcats twice this year, but they were both close games and Quinnipiac has picked up steam as the year has wound down.

The Tigers have more offense, but Quinnipiac is a program built on strong defense, so it won't be a surprise if they can score a quick goal and then settle in on their end. Princeton will need to be creative with the puck and thoughtful in picking their shots.

Robert Morris at Syracuse

Friday at 7:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Free stream available via Syracuse.

Robert Morris is one point behind Mercyhurst in the CHA and has their work cut out for them this weekend. Mercyhurst plays Lindenwood and is in control of their destiny, but the Colonials would like to win the conference and position themselves for the post-season.

All the CHA teams have struggled with consistency and closing out an opponent this year. There have been opportunities for teams to separate themselves, but the parity in the conference has improved so much that no one team has been able to dominate.

This is one of the last games for RMU's Jaycee Gebhard, who's closing out what can probably be called the best career a Colonial has ever had. She's helped create a new culture of success there and I expect to see her do some pretty spectacular things over the final few weeks. Great players rise to the occasion and I wouldn't be surprised to see her be the reason the Colonials win the conference title.

Syracuse won their very first conference tournament last year, so it also wouldn't be surprising to see them make a run.

Colgate at (7) Clarkson

Friday at 6:00 PM, Saturday at 3:00 PM and Sunday, if necessary, at 3:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Paid stream available via ESPN+.

This is the series this weekend with the most intriguing storyline. When they played during the regular season, Clarkson won one of the games 2-1 and the teams tied 2-2 in the other. The Golden Knights have the top goal-scorer in the country, but not a lot of depth. They've suffered from injuries and Elizabeth Giguere has taken on a massive amount on her shoulders. Colgate did a pretty good job of keeping her in check, which is what kept them in those first two games.

These two have become rivals over the past few seasons. The peak of that competition was the 2018 National Championship game, where Giguere beat everyone in overtime to give Clarkson the title. It was Colgate's first NCAA appearance.

Now the Raiders have a chance for some revenge. A series win here would hamper Clarkson's chances at an NCAA at-large bid, which would end a nine-year run.

Also worth a look:

  • Connecticut at Boston College – Friday at 6:00 PM, Saturday at 2:00 PM,, and Sunday, if necessary, at 2:00 PM Eastern
  • Bemidji State at (9) Minnesota Duluth – Friday at 7:00 PM, Saturday at 4:00 PM, and Sunday, if necessary, at 4:00 PM Central
  • Yale at Harvard – Friday at 3:30 PM, Saturday at 3:00 PM, and Sunday, if necessary, at 3:00 PM Eastern

Stick Taps and Snark

↑ Yale – The Bulldogs, under first-year head coach Mark Bolding, set a new program record for conference wins in a season and tied the program record for wins in a season. They can set a new mark with a win this weekend.

↑ LIU – The Sharks captured the NEWHA championship in their first-ever season.

↑ Wisconsin junior Daryl Watts – The WCHA scoring champion scored her 200th career point early in Sunday's game and then she broke the UW single season assist record with 49, which she got by assisting on the Badgers' two goals in the final minute of regulation.

↑ Ohio State benchmarks – Senior Elise Reimenschneider scored her first career goal Saturday – on Senior Day. Emma Maltais' assist on Reimenschneider's goal was her 55th point of the year, a new Buckeye season scoring record.

↑ Minnesota Coach Brad Frost – The Gophers' win on Saturday was Brad Frost's 400th career coaching victory. Frost is 400-75-34 all time with Minnesota, for an .819 win percentage.

(Photo: LIU Women's Hockey Twitter)